Chapter Text
Bradley Jackson had just gotten off from work after a long day of informing everyone in the office how to manage for the next two weeks without her and Alex Levy anchoring The Morning Show. The two will be out of the office for UBA's yearly summer camp for aspiring young women wishing to become journalists. The camp takes place at the beginning of June in upstate New York and invites some of the most influential female journalists at UBA to participate. Since Bradley has only been a part of The Morning Show for a year, this will be her first time as a leader at Camp Storyteller.
Bradley walked in the door of her apartment and slumped down on her sofa before letting out a deep sigh. She was nervous not only because she knew she had to spend two weeks in the wilderness with Alex Levy but because she had never considered herself a mentor for younger women. She didn’t follow the traditional route to make it to a major network as a morning news anchor or receive an education from a renowned broadcast journalism school. Alex Levy picked her because of an outburst on air working for a small-town news station the year prior.
As she sat on her sofa, her Facetime app began to ring. Alex Levy, the caller ID, and photo appeared. Bradley reached for her phone.
“Yes, yes, I know pickup is at 8 A.M. tomorrow. Pack bug spray, sunscreen, and extra underwear. Alex, trust me, I know I grew up in rural West Virginia we went camping all the time…” Bradley riddled off before Alex could even say a word.
“Laura Peterson,” Alex cut Bradley off.
“I...I’m sorry, what?” said Bradley looking confused.
“Laura Peterson is going to be at Camp Storyteller, Bradley. God, why! Why does Laura Fucking Peterson have to be going to OUR Summer camp?” Alex exclaimed in an annoyed tone.
“Laura Peterson? You mean THE Laura Peterson?” Bradley questioned twice.
“Yes, THE Laura Peterson, Bradley!” Alex rolled her eyes. “If you need to know one thing about me, it is that THE Laura Peterson and I don’t get along…at all. She’s just so...so...” Alex became flustered.
“So…what, Alex? Successful? Inspirational? Talented?” Bradley said in a condescending tone. “She’ll be great for these young women to look up to at camp. I know I’ve admired her, Alex.”
“Well, Bradley, that’s great for you,” she said passive-aggressively. “But Laura and I, well, we have a weird history, and I rather not deal with her for two weeks, that’s all!” Alex replied, trying to hide her anxieties about seeing Laura Peterson face-to-face for the first time in years.
“Well, I’ll keep that in mind, Alex; thanks for the information, bunkbed buddy.” Bradley joked, knowing the nickname would get on Alex’s nerves
“Ok, don’t ever call me that again,” Alex let out an uneasy laugh. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Bradley hung up the call and sat reflecting on this new information. Laura Peterson, Bradley thought to herself. She quickly pulled up her phone and did a quick Google search. Thousands of articles, videos, and headlines flooded her phone screen featuring the famous Laura Peterson. Bradley had known about Laura from her days at YDA when she was younger to her evening news programs, and world travels covering humanitarian emergencies, wars, and various breaking news events. She quickly skimmed through Laura’s Wikipedia page, picking up various facts.
Graduated top of her class from Columbia University
5x Emmy Award Winner for her multiple documentaries
Laura Peterson has never been married but has been in various relationships over the years
It is well known how Laura Peterson's sexuality became public knowledge in the late 90s, and TIME magazine named her as one of the first lesbian news journalists at the time…
Bradley felt a wave of nerves come over her body. She was unsure whether these were because she was going to spend two weeks with one of her inspirations or because of something else she was feeling. Something more than just meeting one of her idols.
As the night continued, Bradley finished packing her suitcase. Except now she felt it was even more important to throw in something extra, something flattering…just in case.
As the morning arrived, Bradley collected her bags, camp supplies, and sun hat and lugged it all into the elevator of her apartment complex. As she arrived on the first floor, she could see Alex nervously standing beside their driver’s car with her arms crossed.
“Come on, come on, we’re going to be late,” Alex motioned as she helped Bradley load her bags into the trunk.
“Ok, to be fair, you’re the one who made us late, Alex. You insisted you stop and get coffee for our ride.”
“Yeah, well, I’m going to need something stronger than this coffee to get me through today!” Alex quickly snapped back.
The two hopped in the car's back seat to begin their ride upstate.
After their almost four-hour ride to Lake George in New York, Bradley and Alex were at each other’s limit. The car approached the campsite entrance, and the two sighed in relief. Bradley, not as annoyed as Alex at this point, started to get excited for the two weeks ahead of them.
“Oh my god, Alex! Look at all the cars. There are so many campers arriving!” Bradley exclaimed.
“Don’t get too excited. Wait until the campers need you at 3 A.M. because they miss home!” Alex replied, clearly unenthused with the whole summer camp experience.
“Oh, shit, shit, shit fuck me!” Alex frantically whispered and ducked down into her seat as the car pulled into the unloading zone.
“What? What?” Bradley quickly turned, trying to console Alex. Bradley worriedly scanned the area before her eyes landed on a tall, brunette woman smiling and standing at the check-in table.
“Laura Peterson! Oh my god, Alex, it’s Laura Peterson!” Bradley shouted as if she had just seen the biggest celebrity in front of her.
"Shh, yes, I know, I see, we all can see that it’s Laura Peterson, Bradley. No need to shout it from the rooftop, Jesus Christ.” Alex snarled at Bradley’s excitement over someone she was not in the business of getting along with very well.
The car had finally parked, and it was time to unload their bags. Bradley was fixing her hair while looking in the rearview mirror before getting out of the car. On the other hand, Alex put on a pair of sunglasses to avoid making eye contact with anyone.
The two were standing behind the car, clearing out the trunk. Distracted by Laura’s presence, Bradley stopped paying attention to any organization while taking out their belongings.
“Bradley, Bradley!” Alex snapped her fingers to get her attention. “Come on, let’s finish unloading here before doing anything else you have in mind.”
With her head continuously fixed in the down position, Alex made sure not to look at Laura once since getting out of the car.
As Bradley was helping Alex remove all of the camp supplies for the next two weeks, the sound of footsteps became clearer behind them.
“Hello, hello, fellow camp leaders!” a voice said from behind them. A voice none other than Laura Peterson’s.
Alex and Bradley’s hearts skipped a beat, for different reasons, of course, as they simultaneously turned around to greet the voice.
“Laura Peterson,” Alex said in a fake warm tone while putting her arms forward to initiate a hug. “It’s been so long! It’s great to see you again, sweetie!” Alex continued as the two shared an uncomfortable hug.
“Aww, well, you know what they say; absence makes the heart grow fonder!” Laura jokingly said, knowing that her idiom would likely make Alex’s skin crawl. The two shared a nervous laugh.
Bradley moved closer to interrupt the dense level of awkwardness between the two.
“Hi there,” she extended her hand, “I’m...”
“Bradley Jackson!” Laura filled in the rest of Bradley’s sentence while shaking her hand. “I am well aware of who you are, ‘Two Fucks Jackson’ is something a lot of us won't forget, I’m afraid!” Laura laughed in a friendly tone.
“Oh, God!” Bradley said with embarrassment putting her hands over her face. “Well, let’s hope you’ll remember me by something different after these next two weeks!” She laughed.
“I’m sure I will. It’s nice to finally meet you! I’ll see you both later, ok?” Laura shared a soft smile while resting her hand on Bradley’s shoulder quickly before walking away.
Alex caught the gentle handrest Laura had just done with Bradley as she walked away from the two of them.
“See? See how she is?” Alex asked Bradley, confident that she would agree with how cunning Laura is in her conversations.
“I don’t know, Alex. She seems to know pretty well how you feel about her. Frankly, I found her quite charming.” Bradley said while sharing a pleasing smile.
“Oh, fuck’s sake Bradley she just made fun of you to your face! Who would bring up the whole ‘Two Fucks Jackson’ thing while meeting you for the first time?” Alex exhaustedly said, trying to snap Bradley out of it.
“Well, hmm, I don’t know, Alex, isn’t that how you introduced me when we met for the first time? On national television, might I add?” Bradley wisely snapped back.
“Well, that-that was different, ok? That doesn’t count!” Alex staggered while coming to face her realization.
After the campers arrived and the camp counselors had completed the check-in, it was time for the camp leaders to receive their cabin and group assignments.
Bradley, Alex, and Laura were in a room with other members of the UBA staff. One of the employees from the campsite had a clipboard in their hand with everyone’s cabin assignments.
The camp employee began to read off the names.
“Maggie Bell and Victoria Robinson, Cabin 1”
“Alison Namazi and Alex Levy, Cabin 2”
“Amber Kennedy and Gayle Berman, Cabin 3”
And last but not least, “Laura Peterson and Bradley Jackson, Cabin 4.”
Laura Peterson glanced over at Bradley on the other side of the meeting hall and smiled. Bradley’s heart began to race.
Shit
Bradley knew Alex would not be happy with this living assignment. Hell, for her sake, she hoped she would have been paired with Alex. At the same time, though, this outcome was secretly what Bradley was hoping for all along.
Sitting next to Bradley, Alex hit the palms of her hands on the picnic table as if to get her attention. “Well, at least my worst nightmare didn’t come true today!” Alex said, laughing in relief before turning to Bradley.
“If she tries to get anything out of you, tell her to leave you alone, Bradley! Remember, this is camp, not a two-week tell-all interview!” Alex instructed before getting up to find her cabin roommate.
“I know, I know,” Bradley mumbled, “I’ll catch up with you later; now go!” She shooed Alex away.
Bradley was alone at the table, running through all the different scenarios in her head. She was confused about what she was feeling at this moment. Intimidation? Nervousness? Attraction? Fear? All these emotions were bubbling over in the pit of her stomach. Moments later, a hand touched her back while climbing into the seat next to her. It was Laura's.
“Well, who would’ve thought? You and me, roommates for the next two weeks!” Laura smiled and joyfully said in a calculated tone that Bradley couldn’t tell was genuine or not.
“I have to say, Laura, I was a little nervous when I heard our names read off together, considering we just met and all! You…” Bradley stumbled over what to say next. “You were a huge inspiration for me growing up!”
“Stop, you’re going to make me feel so old,” Laura blushed while letting out a brief chuckle. “Thank you, though. That’s kind of you to say!” “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting us to be roommates either, I figured the universe would be against me, and I’d be stuck with Alex! I'm quite relieved!” Bradley laughed at her remark.
“Listen, I don’t know what happened between you two, but I think it’s safe to say Alex feels the same way.” They both shared a laugh.
“Well, should we get to our cabin and unpack? We will have to meet our group in a few hours!” Laura said, taking charge of the situation.
"Yes, good idea!” Bradley added while they both got up to grab their belongings.
Laura walked over to her bench, grabbed her two bags, and noticed Bradley struggling to carry everything.
“Here, let me help you!” Laura warmly exclaimed while taking one of Bradley’s bags off her shoulder and into her hand.
Wow, Laura Peterson Bradley thought to herself.
“Follow me!” Laura motioned with her head chuckling while watching Bradley balance her belongings.
At this point, Bradley didn’t know where these next two weeks would take her, but she sure was excited to find out.