“Lauren.” Archer pointed at her. “You haven’t said a thing, so you get the final vote. Which one wins?”
Lauren fiddled with her bracelet. “I’m Switzerland. I’m neutral.”
“Come on!” Archer slammed her hands against the table, sloshing soda out of everyone’s glasses. “I know you’ve had them both.”
Lauren’s cheeks colored. “I…” She set down her fork, looking lost, when Isla realized something.
“You’ve never had them,” she said, surprised. “Have you?”
Jade gave her a warning look. “Not everyone has tried every flavor of ice cream on the planet!”
Lauren fiddled with her fork. Her expression was pained.
Wow. Simple things that I take for granted, like silly flavors of ice cream, are completely outside her world of experience.
What would that be like? To miss out on things like cookie dough ice cream and rocky road? To not have a family?
Isla’s heart ached. To think she had spent the summer complaining about her parents and their rules while Lauren didn’t have a family at all.
“I’m sorry, Lauren.” Isla folded her hands. “We do have better things to talk about. You might not believe me, but we do.”
Isla exchanged a brief look with Jade and Archer. She would work through the night on the essay. It had to win.
For once, Lauren deserved to have something go her way.
Chapter Forty-Five
Jade checked the mail. To her surprise, a familiar navy envelope sat in the box.
Colin.
He’d stopped writing to her weeks ago.
Heart pounding, she grabbed the envelope and stared at it in silence. Then, clear as day, she heard Kiara say, The suspense. Open it, already!
Jade smiled.
Ever since the ceremony on the beach, it had felt like Kiara was there, helping her see the world for the better. So many things seemed funny now, instead of sad.
It felt so strange, in fact, that Jade had set up an impromptu appointment to talk to her therapist about these unexpected feelings.
“I’m proud of you, Jade.” Mrs. Anderson nodded. “You’re letting go.”
“It’s weird, though, right?” she worried. “I keep imagining she’s there. Imagining the things she would say to me.”
The therapist shook her head. “It’s fine. When you’re away from the other Fireflies, you’ll probably think of them too.”
Jade pictured being back at school, imagining Archer saying all sorts of hilarious things.
“It feels good thinking about Kiara,” Jade said. “I don’t want to forget her.”
Mrs. Anderson nodded. “That’s understandable. She only wanted the best for you.”
Letting out a deep breath, Jade opened the letter from Colin.
Dear Jade,
You have excelled at ignoring my letters. Camp must be too fun to bother writing to a boring old chap like me. Now that the fun is almost over, I hope you’ll pick up the phone when I call. If not, I totally get it and will leave you alone. But you can’t blame a guy for trying.
Colin
Jade cradled the paper in her hands.
He’s going to callll you…I think he looooves you…
Jade grinned, imagining Kiara doing some ridiculous victory dance. Then she hopped to her feet and headed toward the Lodge. She couldn’t wait to tell her friends about Colin.
Chapter Forty-Six
Lauren stared into the bathroom mirror as she pulled her hair up into a wet ponytail. During swim hour, she’d thought so much about that first day when the other Fireflies had pranked Makayla. It seemed like mere moments had passed, but in some ways, it seemed like forever. So much had happened, and so much had changed.
The friendship she’d formed with Jade, Archer, and Isla was not something she could walk away from like she’d once planned. Instead, it meant opening a space in her heart for the hurt that would come with missing them, along with the knowledge that they would still be there, even from far away. She planned to enjoy every second of the two days they had left together, but couldn’t help but take a moment to feel sad about the Faces of Blueberry Pine competition.
The final ceremony was scheduled in the mess hall during Indoor Rec, so the counselors could use the stage. During soccer, one of the Cardinals told Lauren that she’d heard the essay contest finalists had been invited to read their essays during the ceremony. Since the Fireflies hadn’t heard anything, that meant they were out of the running for the essay contest. Worse, it was rumored that the Bluebirds would perform. That would put them at the head of the leaderboard, and they would win the whole thing.
Lauren was devastated.
The Faces of Blueberry Pine afforded one group of friends the priceless opportunity to be frozen in time, to commemorate this summer for years to come. It would have meant everything to share that with the other girls. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to work out that way.
“You ready, Lauren?” Jade called. “We have to get to the final ceremony.”
Most of the other campers had already left the changing room and headed to the mess hall. The other Fireflies hovered at the door, looking hopeful. Lauren didn’t have the heart to tell them it was over.
“Let’s go,” she said. “See who won this thing.”
On the walk to the mess hall, Isla glanced over her shoulder and gave her a big smile, practically running into a tree in the process. The Fireflies giggled and linked arms. Jade started singing a silly version of one of the camp songs, and Archer joined in.
Lauren was quiet during the walk. The silly singing, the crunch of wood chips under their feet, and even the squeak of Archer’s boots seemed like a ticking clock, marching her farther away from the best summer of her life.
They’re the greatest. I’m going to miss them so much.
The mess hall loomed into sight, and Jade raised her fist to the sky. “Let’s do this,” she cried.
The tables had all been pushed aside, and chairs had been set up to look like an auditorium. The Fireflies took a seat by the Butterflies, and Lauren tried not to look over at the Bluebirds, who were chanting a funny rhyme. At the beginning of the summer, it had sounded like a different language. Now, she knew every word.
The birds cheep tweedle-deet,
the birds cheep tweedle-dumb
Roll me over the finch’s shoulder
Let’s have fun!
Taylor climbed onstage, microphone in hand. She started the camp song and quickly, the campers joined in. Too many emotions welled up in Lauren’s heart. She blinked furiously, fighting back tears, and a hand gripped hers.
Isla.
“I’m going to miss everything about this,” Isla whispered.
Lauren squeezed her hand hard.
“Ladies, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for!” Taylor roared. “The finalists in our essay contest! As you know, the judges awarded each essay a point value, and the totals have been combined with your previous scores. Following the essay finalists, we will announce the grand-prize winner, the lucky campers who will be the Faces of Blueberry Pine.”
Archer fidgeted. “It better not go to Makayla.”
Lauren cringed. “If it does, we still have one another.”
“Forget the Bluebirds,” Jade insisted. “We still have a chance.”
Isla gave a vigorous nod, patting Lauren on the knee.
Lauren shook her head. How had they not heard the rumor? She should tell them, so they didn’t get their hopes up. She had just opened her mouth to speak when Cassandra joined Taylor onstage and called up the first finalist.
“Kiwi Cabin,” she cried.
The crowd cheered, and Lauren looked at the younger team. The Kiwis had never placed before. Maybe it was possible to…
Don’t think like that. It’s over.
One of the Kiwis walked to the stage. She seemed prepared. So the rumor was true.
Lauren sat back in her chair with a thump. The essay from Kiwi
Cabin was cute. It was all about the experiences the girls had shared around the campfire, canoeing on the lake, and telling ghost stories late at night. It was like a love poem to Blueberry Pine and easy to see how it had placed.
The Finches took third place. Their essay was a hilarious take on the counselors. Lauren found herself giggling in spite of her mood.
Chuckling, Taylor got back on the mic. “Two more…first up, the Bluebirds!”
“Uggh.” Archer stomped her boots. “I’m telling you, this thing is rigged.”
Makayla gave a catlike smile, then read a sentimental piece about the power of nature. It was pretty basic, but the campers listened, rapt.
Lauren’s heart was heavy. “The Bluebirds won.”
Jade shook her head. “It’s not over.”
Taylor squinted out at the audience. “Our final essay is a heartfelt piece that truly captures the power of friendship at Blueberry Pine.” She handed the mic to Cassandra, who looked at Lauren and smiled.
“Fireflies, are you ready?”
Lauren sat up straight. “Wait. What?”
Jade giggled. “Hang on to your chair. This one’s for you.”
Lauren watched in confusion. What was happening?
Jade ran down the aisle. She climbed onstage, took the mic, and touched her bracelet. Then she started to read.
“‘There are moments in life where magic happens. The flash of a firefly in the woods, the spark of laughter between new friends, the moment you realize you’ve met someone destined to change your life. The moment Lauren walked into Firefly Cabin, in a tornado of red hair and laughter, I knew—just like every girl in our cabin knew—our lives would be changed forever.’”
Lauren put her hands to her mouth. “What is this?” she breathed.
“Listen,” Isla whispered, and Archer grabbed her hand.
Lauren sat in shock as Jade told the story of four different girls, each facing private struggles but strengthened by her leadership.
“‘Lauren is the head Firefly,’” Jade read. “‘Our brightest light. Even though we will be separated in just a few days, the light of our friendship will burn forever. The odds are good we won’t all be back at camp next year, for different reasons…’” Jade seemed to fight back tears. “‘But thanks to Lauren, the distance that separates us won’t matter, because this summer in Firefly Cabin has formed a sisterhood that cannot be broken.’ Thank you.”
Jade folded the paper and handed the mic back to Cassandra.
The silence was deafening. Then the campers burst into thunderous applause. They hooted and hollered, feet stamping against the ground until the building practically shook.
Cassandra shouted, “Well, I guess it’s clear! The first-place winner of the essay contest is Firefly Cabin. Which gives the Fireflies enough points to surpass our second-place essay winner, the Bluebirds. Fireflies, come on up here!”
“Hold on.” Lauren felt like she was dreaming. “What does she mean?”
“We won,” Archer shrieked. “We beat my sister. We won we won we won. Go!”
Lauren ran onto the stage. She didn’t realize tears were streaming down her face until Jade brushed them away. Then Archer grabbed Lauren’s hand and held it up into the air.
The crowd went wild.
“I can’t believe you guys did this,” Lauren cried as the other Fireflies clustered around her.
Archer whacked her on the back. “You happy?”
Lauren beamed. “You have no idea.”
Through the window, the sun danced off the lake as Taylor gave them high fives. Then camp president Barbara Middleton shook their hands and offered her congratulations, though she gave a slight frown after meeting Archer. She whispered something to Taylor.
There was no time to wonder why, though, because Cassandra gleefully congratulated them. “How does it feel, ladies? You’re going to be the Faces of Blueberry Pine!”
Lauren shook her head. “Amazing.” She burst into tears, remembering the time she’d spent studying the website and brochure, wondering what camp would be all about.
“Lauren…” Isla squeezed her hand. “Are you okay?”
The girls circled around her. She looked into the faces of her friends, her sisters. The words of the essay were right—no matter what happened, the bond between the Fireflies would last forever.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Beating the Bluebirds was like something out of a comic book where good versus evil go head-to-head, and good prevails. Archer made eye contact with her sister the moment the Fireflies were declared the winner. Makayla was so mad! Her face flushed hot pink, and there was so much huffing and hair tossing it was a wonder her head didn’t roll off. Archer blew a kiss in her direction, which her sister pretended to not see.
Once the ceremony had ended, the campers had some time before electives, so the Fireflies went back to the cabin to store the essay in a safe place. Jade, Archer, and Isla wanted Lauren to take it home at the end of camp.
Lauren’s plan was more interactive. “We’ll pass it back and forth through the mail. Because I don’t just want to get emails from you guys, I want letters.”
“Or you could just chat with our picture on the website,” Jade suggested. “Or the brochure. Heck, we’re going to be everywhere. Ooh, we should suggest billboards.”
The Fireflies chanted, sang, and cheered all the way back to the cabin. There, they jumped up and down once again. They stopped when Cassandra banged in through the door, her face like thunder.
“Archer, I need to see you outside.”
Archer looked at the other Fireflies in surprise. Was she in trouble or something? Her parents had gotten into town early—they were probably suffering from Makayla withdrawals—and planned to take her and her sister out to dinner. Archer had agreed to go on the condition that she made it back in time for the late-night bonfire and could bring the girls a pizza, but maybe she should have checked with Cassandra first.
“Okay.” Archer swallowed hard. “What’s up?”
Cassandra didn’t speak until they were a few feet away from the cabin, under one of the tall pine trees. “I have bad news.”
Archer’s mouth dropped open. “You tallied wrong? The Bluebirds won?”
Cassandra looked confused. “No. It’s…” Then to Archer’s complete shock, her counselor let out a cuss word. “The administration wants you to dye your hair. Barbara Middleton was quote dismayed unquote to discover one of the winners had blue and purple hair. I’m so sorry, Archer. You’re an individual, I respect you, and I can’t believe I have to tell you this.”
Archer was shocked. Not by the message—she’d suspected the administration would take issue with her hair from day one. The thing that shocked her was that Cassandra was so…cool about it. Embarrassed, she looked down at her combat boots.
“No worries,” she mumbled. “I’ll figure it out.”
Turning, she walked back into the cabin.
“That was quick.” Lauren looked confused. “What happened?”
Archer breathed in the familiar scent of the room. It was so rustic and something she’d grown to love. “So, the administration wants me to change my hair. Cover up the streaks or I’m out.”
The other Fireflies, who were in the middle of raiding a bag of M&M’s, stopped short.
“Dye your hair?” Lauren whispered.
Jade dropped an M&M back into the bag. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not surprised.” Isla smoothed her bangs. “They’re so strict about the uniform. They wouldn’t want to advertise wacky hair.”
Archer glared at her. “Uh, whose side are you on?”
“Yours, of course.” Isla looked puzzled. “I’m just saying…”
“They want something timeless.” Jade wadded up a candy wrapper. “You know it, we all know it. That one picture was on the brochure forever.”
Archer bit her nail. It wasn’t that she minded changing her hair—she’d planned on doing that when she got back home
—it was just…
“I can’t let them oppress my individuality. Look, I’ll cheer you on at the photo shoot, but you’ll have to do it without me.” The girls protested, but she held up her hand. “Sorry. That’s the way it is.”
There wasn’t time to discuss it further since the Fireflies had to get to their electives. During her final ropes course class, Archer felt resolute in her decision. It was a bummer, though, because everyone kept congratulating her.
Even Makayla was gracious about her win, when she came to pick Archer up at the cabin later that evening. Through the screen, Makayla gave a perfunctory wave.
“Congratulations on being the Faces of Blueberry Pine,” she said. “Looks like you won fair and square. Archer, you ready?”
“I’ll see you guys soon,” Archer said, and headed outside.
Makayla gave her a sidelong look. “No gloating?”
“There’s nothing to gloat about.” Archer stomped down the steps. “Trust me.”
In the parking lot, Archer hugged her parents tight. It was hard to believe it had been only eight weeks. It felt like years since she’d seen them.
The restaurant was crowded, and they squeezed through tiny tables to a booth by a window. Once their order of cheesy breadsticks had arrived at the table, Makayla moved on from chattering about the Bluebirds to the competition.
“It was this huge thing. Then she had to go and win it all.” Makayla hooked her thumb in Archer’s direction. Weirdly, she looked proud.
“Honey, that’s great.” Her mother ruffled her hair. “Are you excited?”
“Not anymore,” she said, and explained the ultimatum.
Makayla let out a low whistle. “What are you going to do?”
“Don’t know.” Archer bit into some melted cheese. “It’s an attack on my personal taste, so…”
“How could it be?” Makayla waved a straw. “You don’t have any.”
“I have enough to know you look like Hello Kitty with that eye shadow.”
Makayla laughed, batting her pink and silver eyelids. “Good one.”
The Girls of Firefly Cabin Page 19
