Read Camp Confidential 03 - Grace's Twist Online
Authors: Melissa J Morgan
Camp Confidential 03 - Grace's Twist (4 page)
“This looks like a party,” Julie said with a smile. “What are you guys doing?”
“Magazine quizzes,” Marissa told her. “You know how Nat loves the quizzes.”
“Yeah, but what about you, Grace?” Tyler asked. “You’re usually the first one in the lake.”
“I know, but I thought I’d take it easy today,” Grace replied. “I’m trying out the lie-in-the-sun-and-read-magazines approach. Natalie and Marissa always look so relaxed and happy after free swim.”
“Weren’t you reading a book the other day?” Julie asked. “What ever happened to that?”
Grace felt her face heat up, and it wasn’t from the sun. “I didn’t bring it with me,” she said. “I was expecting to swim.”
“Tyler!” A voice from the lake interrupted them. It was Stephanie. “Come judge our swimming race! I’m too biased.”
Jenna and her twin brother, Adam, waved from the water. Obviously they were the ones preparing to race—both of them were all-around great athletes. But their own sister couldn’t call a race for them.
“Be right there!” Tyler yelled back. He turned to Julie. “Wanna help judge?”
“Why not?” she said cheerfully. “See you guys later!” They took off toward the lake.
“Wow, your counselor is big on reading, huh?” Gaby asked when Julie was gone.
“I guess so,” Grace told her. She really didn’t want to talk about boring books with her new friend—or about why Julie wanted her to read. “What’s your counselor like?”
“Lizzie? She’s cool.” Gaby glanced around the beach. “Although if she catches me talking to all you 3C girls, she’ll tease me all night! I’d better go. I just wanted to say hi.”
“Okay,” Grace told her. “I’ll see you in drama tomorrow.”
“You got it, partner!” Gaby waved and headed off to find some of her bunkmates.
“Well, well, well,” Natalie said, nudging Grace with her shoulder. “Consorting with the enemy, are we?”
Grace smiled. “Yes, we are. That rivalry is just for fun.”
“I agree. Gaby seems nice,” Natalie said. “But I’m still waiting for the quiz.”
“Me too,” Marissa chimed in.
“All right, here we go.” Grace read the first question for her friends. She was determined not to think about what Julie had said. After all, the sun was shining, she was having fun with her bunkmates, and best of all, she had a brand-new friend!
chapter THREE
“Bunk 5D has Bunk Day on Thursday . . .”
“Psst, Grace!” Valerie whispered from across the table. “Want my hash browns?”
Grace shook her head. All of her bunkmates were holding whispered conversations around her. Nobody ever paid attention to the daily breakfast announcements that Dr. Steve, the head of Camp Lakeview, made. At least not until they heard their own bunk mentioned.
“How about you, Alex?” Valerie asked. “Want my hash browns?”
“No thanks,” Alex said quickly. “I’m not hungry.”
“You’re
never
hungry,” Jenna grumbled.
never
hungry,” Jenna grumbled.
“And the cookout tonight will be for bunk 2B . . . or not to be!”
Dr. Steve got more groans than laughter for his lame joke. Grace glanced over at Brynn, who was now reciting the rest of the “to be or not to be” speech to herself. “I knew it,” Grace joked to Alyssa, who sat next to her. “Brynn has gone into total drama mode. Every little thing that happens from now until her audition for the play will be about acting.”
“Don’t remind me,” Jenna said from the other side of Grace. “Remember last year when she tried to lock us all out of the bunk so she could rehearse in private?”
Grace giggled. “She actually dragged one of the counselors’ cots over in front of the door to block it.”
“But the door opens outward, so it totally didn’t work,” Jenna finished for her. “We just opened the door and climbed over the bed!”
Natalie laughed, while Alyssa studied Brynn for a moment. “She’s really focused,” Alyssa finally said. “But from what I hear, you’re just as talented as she is, Grace.”
“. . . a special treat for the third division.” Dr. Steve’s voice broke into their conversation. Grace spun around to watch him. His balding head looked a little sunburned—he must have forgotten to wear his usual fishing hat yesterday.
“As you all know, the second division and the fourth division have already had their field trips this year,” Dr. Steve said.
Jenna grabbed Grace’s arm excitedly. “Field trip!” she whispered.
“Now it’s the third division’s turn,” Dr. Steve went on. “Next Thursday you kids will be going to WetWorld, the new water park up in Norwich.”
Cheering erupted all around Grace, so she joined right in. In fact, she even climbed onto the bench to celebrate. Two tables over, she saw Gaby do the same thing. They waved to each other over all the clapping and jumping campers.
“Water park! That is so cool,” Jenna cried. “I hear they have a three-story-high waterslide!”
“You’ll do
that
, but you were afraid to dive off the three-foot-high board?” Chelsea sniffed.
that
, but you were afraid to dive off the three-foot-high board?” Chelsea sniffed.
Jenna ignored her, but Grace couldn’t keep quiet. Sometimes Chelsea could be really nasty. “Jenna’s not afraid of diving anymore,” she said. “And I bet you won’t go on the giant waterslide.”
“Yeah,” Candace agreed. “I bet you won’t.”
Chelsea frowned. “It would ruin my hair. Think of all the chlorine in places like that.”
“You’re going to have to avoid the whole park if you don’t want to get chlorine in your hair,” Valerie pointed out.
“Whatever. I’m sure there’s a wave pool I can lounge by.”
“Not me,” Grace said. “I’m going on every single ride in the park. Twice, if I have time!”
Her bunkmates laughed.
“That’s okay. Karen will hang out with me and not go in the water. Right, Karen?” Chelsea asked, turning to the shy girl.
Karen didn’t look too happy with that prospect, but she nodded. “Sure,” she said quietly. Chelsea smiled, satisfied.
Grace frowned. Why did Karen always go along with anything Chelsea said? She obviously didn’t want to spend her time at the water park sitting on a lounge chair. But it was always that way with the two of them—Chelsea called the shots. “You guys are crazy,” Grace told them. “One day in the pool water isn’t going to do anything to your hair. And besides, it would be worth looking like the Bride of Frankenstein to go on the rides!” She pulled the elastic off her ponytail and quickly teased her hair with her fingers. It never took much to make her mass of red curls stand on end. Within five seconds, she had a mop of hair standing straight up.
Everyone cracked up. Even Chelsea. And, more importantly, even Karen.
Out of the corner of her eye, Grace noticed Kathleen, the head counselor for the third division, leaning over to talk to Julie. Julie always ate with the bunk, sitting at the head of their table. But Kathleen sat with the other division heads, up at the table in the front of the room. What was she doing here? Neither she nor Julie were smiling. It didn’t seem as if they were talking about the water park.
“Hey, Grace, have you ever gone on one of those inner-tube rides?” Jenna asked.
“Um, yeah,” Grace said, dragging her attention away from Kathleen and Julie. “That’s always my favorite ride at water parks. I love when you get to the end and you go down that little tunnel thing. It feels like you’re being flushed down the drain!”
Everyone was still laughing, but Grace felt a sinking feeling of dread as she noticed Julie winding through the happy campers toward her.
“Grace, can I talk to you for a sec?” she called over the din.
Grace didn’t answer. She just followed Julie toward the door of the mess hall. The sounds of hooting and cheering were all around her, but right now the water park seemed very far away.
“Where have you been?” Alex asked when Grace got back to the bunk. It was chore time, and everyone was busy sweeping, dusting, or cleaning the bathroom.
“Yeah, what did Julie want?” Chelsea added. “Are you in trouble or something?”
“No, but thanks for asking,” Grace mumbled. As if she didn’t feel bad enough already!
Alex rolled her eyes and gave Grace a smile. “Never mind,” she said. “You better get going—it’s your turn to take out the garbage.”
“Whoo-hoo,” Grace joked halfheartedly. But it wasn’t the garbage that was bothering her. It was the memory of her meeting with Julie and Kathleen. She’d been expecting the worst, and that’s what she’d gotten. All she wanted to do was hide under her sheets. If her bunkmates found out what was going on, she would be humiliated.
And Chelsea was still watching her like a hawk.
Grace quickly headed over to the cubby where the trash bags were kept and pulled out one for the bathroom garbage and one for the main-bunk garbage. Usually she liked to sing or whistle while doing chores—it got the other girls giggling, and sometimes they joined in. But today she just wasn’t in the mood.
“Hang on a second!” Sarah cried as Grace picked up the bathroom garbage can. “I have a handful of hair to throw in there.” Sarah wore the bunk’s giant, blue rubber gloves, but she still picked hair out of the shower drain with two fingers, holding it away from herself as if it might attack her. “In fact, I think it’s your hair,” she added, scrunching up her face in disgust.
Grace squinted at the mass of red hair dangling from Sarah’s outstretched hand. It could just as easily have been Alyssa’s hair, but she decided not to mention that. She just wanted to get her chores over with as soon as possible so that she could go outside and forget about her bad morning.
“After chores, Brynn’s going to do a dramatic reading of her
Music Man
scene for the play audition,” Sarah told her, dumping the hair in Grace’s garbage bag.
Music Man
scene for the play audition,” Sarah told her, dumping the hair in Grace’s garbage bag.
Brynn stuck her head out of the toilet area, where she was scrubbing the bowls. “Yeah,” she added. “Why don’t you join me? We can do it together. Or are you going to do
The Sound of Music
for your audition?”
The Sound of Music
for your audition?”
Grace’s stomach felt heavy, as if she had swallowed a handful of rocks. “Um, I don’t think I’m gonna audition for the play after all,” she said. “I’ll just do stage crew again, or whatever Bethany makes us do as part of the drama class.”
“What?” Brynn came all the way out into the bathroom. Grace quickly turned and headed into the main bunk, but it was no good. Brynn followed her. “What are you talking about?” Brynn demanded. “You have to audition! You’re really good. What about our pact?”
Grace lifted the trash bag and made an exaggerated sour expression. “Sorry, I’m really grossed out by this garbage,” she said, trying to sound like she was holding her breath to avoid smelling the junk. “I have to go dump it.” She hurried across the bunk and pushed through the door, into the sunshine.
As soon as she was away from bunk 3C, Grace slowed down. She was in no rush to get back. Her bunkmates thought of her as the clown, always bubbly and up for fun. But right now, she couldn’t imagine joking around . . . and she certainly couldn’t imagine having fun!
She threw the garbage bags into the huge Dumpster near the camp office, then turned to go back. To her surprise, Gaby was trudging up the path toward the Dumpster.
“Hey,” Grace said. “You’re on garbage duty, too, huh?”
“Yeah, I tried to get out of it, but no one would trade with me,” Gaby answered. She held out one of her two full trash bags. Grace grabbed it and hoisted it into the Dumpster while Gaby threw the other one in. They started back down the trail that led to the bunks.
“So what’s your problem?” Gaby asked.
Grace was so startled that she almost tripped over a maple root in the path. “Huh?”
“Your problem,” Gaby repeated. “You’ve been moping around all morning. I saw you acting all miserable on your way back from the office earlier, and even now you look like you just ate something sour.”
“Well, I did have bug juice at breakfast,” Grace joked.
“Funny. Not,” Gaby said, completely deadpan.
For the first time in her life, Grace was speechless. She couldn’t tell if Gaby was being rude or friendly. Her tone wasn’t very nice, that much was certain. But in a way, she was asking if Grace was all right. And that
was
nice. Wasn’t it?
was
nice. Wasn’t it?
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