Reunion #21

by Melissa J Morgan

  No matter how outdoorsy and rustic Walla Walla was, Brynn decided—or maybe even because they were into fresh air and stuff like that—the camp did know how to put on a fantastic cookout!

  When she arrived with her tent at the waterfront, the girls found the shoreline adorned with tiki torches and flowered sheets laid across the sand for picnicking. A buffet table stood off to one side, overflowing with salads, condiments, chips, pretzels, and buns, along with every possible type of baked good a person could possibly wish for.

  “Whatever happened to old-fashioned marshmallow roasting?” Brynn asked. “Not that I mind the entire bakery set up over there, but you know—there’s a reason it’s a classic. And I assumed Walla Walla was a stick-with-the-classics kind of place.”

  “Believe it or not, I heard that we’re roasting marshmallows in addition to all of the other goodies they’ve put out here for us. Can you believe it? I might explode after dinner.”

  Brynn whirled around to find Jordan grinning at her, a plastic lei dangling from around his neck.

  “Hi!” she said, leaning in for a quick hug. “And where did you get that?” She tugged at his lei. “I want one.” She did. It was bright and festive, and kind of cheesy in a way that was actually hilarious.

  He jerked his head toward the bonfire. “They’re giving them out over there. Check it out.”

  She followed his gaze to see Natalie and Jenna ducking their heads down to receive their own leis alongside David and Reed. The foursome made their way over to Brynn and Priya, giggling and sipping at plastic cups.

  “Aloha,” Natalie said, shaking her lei in Brynn’s direction. “That means hello.”

  “And good-bye, and peace,” Reed said, poking her in the hip playfully.

  “You’re so smart,” Natalie said. “How did you get so smart?” It was obvious that she was completely smitten with Reed, and Brynn was happy for her friend that she’d been able to drag her cutie three thousand miles across the country for the summer.

  Brynn couldn’t help but get caught up in her friends’ infectious cheer. The night air was crisp and the smell of hamburgers and hot dogs was making her mouth water. “Enough with the plastic flowers,” she said. “I’m starving. Let’s get some food.”

  “Wait one sec,” Natalie said. She pointed toward where the kitchen staff was dutifully doling out burgers. “I think we need to give Chelsea a minute before we crash her party.”

  “Oh my gosh!” Brynn clapped a hand over her mouth. Natalie was right, of course. Chelsea stood just by the hamburgers, fiddling with her hair and looking slightly uncomfortable. She looked like she was trying to make conversation. The sort of conversation that good friends wouldn’t just go crashing without thinking.

  Conversation with a boy.

  Her friends backed away, giggling and eager to see where Chelsea’s flirtation was headed.

  It wasn’t that Chelsea had never spoken to a boy before. It was more that most of the boys she’d spoken to were either somebody’s older brother, teacher, or, like, the boyfriend of one of her friends, like Natalie. Natalie had lots of experience talking with boys. She even knew how to make jokes with them, and tell them anecdotes and other interesting things. Chelsea, on the other hand, was finding herself sort of stumped.

  It didn’t help that this boy’s eyelashes were longer than Bambi’s. Or that his smile looked like an ad for a toothpaste commercial.

  “You’re one of the new girls, right? From Camp Lakeview?”

  That much was easy. At least Chelsea knew the answer to that question. She relaxed the teensiest bit and nodded.

  “Cool. I’m Connor.”

  “Chelsea,” she said, wincing as her voice squeaked a bit.

  “Chelsea,” Connor repeated, smiling. “So, uh, how do you like our lake view?” He swept his hand in the direction of the waterfront, which Chelsea had to admit actually looked very pretty against the flickering lights of the tiki torches. “Get it? Lake view?”

  She got it. He was making a joke. It was a funny joke, even if it was a little bit corny. The problem was, she couldn’t think of a single jokey thing to say back to him. She stared at him for what felt like eons, panicking inside as the seconds ticked by. He probably thought she hated him. Or worse, that she had some terrible disease that prevented her from speaking in complete sentences. He probably thought she was boring.

  No. Not probably. He definitely thought she was boring.

  “I get it,” she said finally, her tone short. It was all she could come up with.

  Yup, I’m the boringest person from Boringville. With an extra side of boringness to go.

  Connor squinted at her. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again.

  Great, Chelsea thought. She’d blown it. This was what happened when you tried to talk to boys who weren’t a teacher or someone’s older brother. She’d have to get Natalie to give her some pointers back at the tent later on. It was probably too late with Connor, but at least she’d have some reference point for next time. Assuming there was a next time. Maybe she’d blown it. Maybe she’d never talk to another boy for as long as she lived.

  She looked up. Connor was still looking at her. Chelsea suddenly realized that she’d gone a very long time without talking. Oops and double oops.

  “Uh, I think I’m going to go find my friends,” she said.

  She dashed across the sand to the rest of her girlfriends before Connor could reply.

  She was in such a rush to end the awkward conversation with Connor that she nearly crashed into Jenna, who was doing an impromptu hula and cracking everyone up.

  “Ow,” Jenna said, stopping in her place and rubbing at her hip. “What was that for?”

  “For standing in my way, ” Chelsea said, pouting.

  “Why’d you run away from the cuteness?” Natalie asked. “Did you catch those eyelashes?”

  Chelsea rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to admit to her friends that the reason she’d bolted from Connor was because she’d been too tongue-tied to act like a normal human being. “Jeez, Natalie, don’t you ever think about anything other than boys?”

  Natalie merely grinned. “Nope.” She glanced at Reed, who was now off concocting some type of food sculpture at the water’s edge with David and Jordan. “Well, just the one boy these days. Even if he is being a little grossly boyish right now.”

  “Here’s something else to think about,” Jenna said, leaning in conspiratorially. “Avery at ten o’clock.”

  Sure enough, the lithe, graceful girl suddenly bore down on them, frown in full effect. She was flanked on either side by nearly identical sidekicks, one of whom was the ever-present Joanna, and one of whom was . . .

  “Sarah?” Chelsea cried, her mouth dropping open in shock. “What are you doing here?”

  This was the best news ever. Sarah was so much fun—great at sports, but also girly and into gossip and magazines. Chelsea was thrilled with this new development.

  “She comes to Walla Walla now. Don’t you, Sarah?” Avery said, glaring at the girl who had once shared a bunk with the Lakeview girls. Her look was loaded with meaning.

  “We had no idea,” Chelsea went on, ignoring whatever weirdness Avery was sending out. “I mean, if you had, like, told us that you were here, we would have totally signed up so much sooner.”

  “Seriously,” Nat agreed. “This is so awesome. Except . . .” Natalie’s expression darkened as though a thought had crossed her mind. “Except, you knew we were here, didn’t you? Avery had to have told you the second she realized that we were in her tent. Which means that you also knew we were in Avery’s bunk. So why didn’t you come by to say hi to us today? And to tell us that you were at camp?”

  Sarah bit her lip but said nothing. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail so severe that her eyebrows were raised halfway up her forehead, and she wore a wide plastic headband just like Avery’s. In fact, her entire outfit, right down to the pastel-colored polo shirt with the little a
lligator on the breast was a piece-by-piece copy of Avery’s.

  Well, they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Chelsea thought. Though the Sarah she knew from Lakeview wouldn’t have wanted to imitate someone like Avery.

  Of course, the Sarah that she knew from Lakeview would have rushed right over to their tent the second she heard they were there to say hi and catch up.

  That Sarah, the Sarah they all knew from Lakeview, had clearly left the building. Or the camp-grounds. Whatever.

  “Why should she have?” Avery asked, her voice thick with fake sweetness. “She has new friends now. Better friends. Given her family and all that, it’s really a wonder she wasted any time with you guys at all.”

  “What do you mean, ‘given her family?’” Chelsea asked, baffled. She wasn’t sure, but she thought Sarah’s father was a lawyer. Which was fine, but didn’t seem to have a whole lot to do with who Sarah would or wouldn’t hang out with.

  “What do you mean, with you guys?” Natalie demanded, stepping forward.

  “Seriously,” Jenna echoed. “At least we don’t go crying to the counselor the minute we don’t get our way. Unlike some people.” She shot Avery a meaningful look.

  Sarah’s face paled, but she didn’t say anything.

  Chelsea couldn’t believe it. This was Sarah, after all, the girl who’d orchestrated some of the best pranks against the boys that Lakeview had ever known. Sarah was awesome. Well, usually she was. Right now she was acting kind of like a zombie. An extremely unhappy zombie who wasn’t interested in reuniting with her old nonzombie friends.

  “What’s your deal?” Chelsea blurted before she could stop herself. “Why are you acting this way?” She knew it was the wrong tact to take even before the words left her mouth, but she seriously couldn’t stop herself. The whole situation was way too bizarre.

  “Manners much?” Avery snapped.

  Finally Sarah stepped forward. But instead of giving the Lakeview girls any answers or explanations, she merely placed an arm on Avery’s shoulder. “Come on,” she said. “It’s not worth it.”

  She turned and led Avery and Joanna off toward the drinks table without another word. She didn’t look back.

  Chelsea bit her lip and stared at her friends helplessly. “Who was that?” she asked finally. “And what has she done with our friend Sarah?”

  No one had an answer.

  chapter THREE

  Dear Adam,

  How’s it going holding down the fort? Do you miss me back home? I bet you don’t. I bet you’re just excited to have the whole bathroom to yourself. I can just picture the mound of dirty towels piling up on the floor as we speak.

  Ugh. You should clean those, dude. Seriously. I don’t want to come home to a bathroom crawling with grossness.

  But really, I want to hear how everything is at home. Who are you partnered with for tennis now that I’m gone, and exactly how badly have you been kicking his or her butt? Details, please!

  Camp Walla Walla is NOTHING like Lakeview, but I l-o-v-e it, even if some of the other girls’ juries are still out. (Nat in particular. The girl is big on the comforts of home, ya know?) The camp is all about outdoor adventures and even has a motto: Outdoor CORE. CORE is an acronym. It stands for Compete, Organize, Rally, Energize. Four things that I happen to be great at!

  We get up early. Like, sunrise early, and we all head “up slope” (do you love how I’m picking up the lingo? I’m all over it) for calisthenics. Then it’s breakfast and chores. The worst is outhouse duty, but the way the chore wheel works, you only end up with it every few days, so it’s not too bad. Then we have instructional swim and two sports periods. Then lunch, siesta, free swim, and another

  sport. That’s sports times three. Which coincidentally also equals Jenna times three! And the sports are serious here, too: archery, ropes, sailing . . . I’m going to come home with a whole bunch of new athletic talents. You’re going to be crazy impressed, I promise!

  It’s not all sweat and struggle, though. We do get to chill out at night. Evening activity is usually something fun and more laid-back. Which keeps my less sporty tentmates happier.

  Oh! I almost forgot to tell you the biggest piece of news. Sarah is here at Walla Walla! Sarah Peyton. Do you remember her from Lakeview? She was the crazy prankster who totally got along with everybody. She was awesome.

  Not anymore. Now she hangs out with this girl, Avery, who’s a Walla Walla legacy and acts like we’re personally offending her just by daring to breathe the same air that she does. I don’t think she likes the idea of newcomers crashing the little camp bubble that she’s built.

  It’s all extremely weird. And in case we needed another reason to be completely annoyed by her (which, ps, we didn’t), she threw a fit on the first day when Brynn took the bed closest to the door. Apparently that’s “her” bed, except, too bad, not this time. Later we found out that she likes to take the bed closest to the door so that she can sneak out at night to meet up with her boyfriend. But here’s the kicker—

  HER BOYFRIEND ISN’T EVEN AT CAMP THIS SUMMER!

  So I have no idea what gives. She was obviously just being nasty for no good reason. Some people are like that. Ugh.

  Anyway, can you believe it? So much craziness. I’m sure you’re sorry to be missing all of the drama. Don’t worry; I’ll keep you updated on any major developments.

  Write back soon.

  xoxo,

  J

  “Nothing like a bee-yoo-ti-ful day on the lake,” Chelsea said in a singsong voice.

  Okay, fine. So she was being sarcastic. If it was a choice between sailing or nothing, she’d take the nothing. It didn’t matter that it was a beautiful day. Sailing was hard. Really, really hard.

  Seriously. She would have way preferred the nothing—even if “nothing” meant sitting stock-still on her flimsy little bunk bed for twelve hours straight—to this “buoy drill” that Christopher, the sailing instructor, had planned for the girls this morning.

  Obviously Christopher specialized in unique forms of torture.

  “Welcome to sailing,” he said with a smile as the girls settled on the sandy edge of the lake.

  Next to Chelsea, Jenna had rubbed her hands together gleefully in anticipation. Chelsea just shook her head. That girl was Outdoor CORE to the core, all right. Chelsea needed to borrow some of her positive attitude. If only it could be bottled up and sold.

  Still, though, with Christopher’s bright, eager smile and glowing, tanned skin, Chelsea, too, had managed to convince herself that sailing could be relaxed, breezy, and fun—nothing at all like what the basic tenets of Outdoor CORE suggested.

  Chelsea had been wrong. Seriously wrong. Majorly, painfully wrong.

  Instead of a morning spent blissfully bobbing along the water’s wake, “buoy racing drills,” per Christopher’s breathless explanation, involved dividing up into two teams to race sailboats.

  Fine, Chelsea decided. I can do this. Never mind that I’ve never raced when I wasn’t on dry land before. Camp was all about new experiences and whatever, wasn’t it?

  “We’re going to need two teams,” Christopher said, rising and stating the obvious. He fiddled with the whistle around his neck and began counting off.

  Chelsea’s eyes darted back and forth. Her bunk was sharing the sailing session with Sarah’s bunk. Not that Sarah had said hello to any of her old friends or anything like that. Nope. Rather, Sarah, Avery, and Joanna had clustered off to one side of Christopher and immediately disappeared behind cupped hands. Chelsea could only imagine what the three of them were whispering about.

  Probably what suckers we Lakeview girls are to have ever thought that Sarah was really our friend, she decided, her mouth going sour at the thought.

  “. . . and, Sarah, with the ones,” Christopher said, finishing his count-off. Chelsea blinked. She was a one. So were Priya, Natalie, and Jenna.

  Eek! So that meant that Sarah was going to be on the Lakeview team, racing against
her new Walla Walla friends?

  Or her real friends, more like.

  Awkward.

  Jenna darted up and patted Sarah’s shoulder enthusiastically. “Let’s do it!” she said, obviously doing her best to ignore whatever weirdness still existed with Sarah. Chelsea could see the discomfort on Sarah’s face, but to her credit, she slowly but surely joined her former friends at their boat.

  “Lakeview girls reunited again,” Chelsea muttered, glancing at Sarah. Sarah didn’t say anything, though—just concentrated on adjusting their boat’s sails.

  “Yeah!” Jenna shouted, clearly trying to drum up some team spirit and enthusiasm. “We’re gonna kick regatta butt, right?” She leaned forward and placed her arm palm down in front of her, obviously hoping for some kind of all-in group-pep gesture that never came.

  “A regatta is a relay race,” Avery said, casually flipping a long lock of hair off her shoulder. “This is a buoy race. Not even, really. A buoy race drill.” She wrinkled her nose to demonstrate her total disgust in all things Lakeview related. “But of course, you wouldn’t know that, seeing as how you wasted so many summers at that other camp.”

  Chelsea frowned. Okay, so it was true—she knew nothing about regattas, buoys, or sailing, and to be perfectly honest, she wasn’t interested in learning. She would much rather play Marco Polo with her friends in the shallow water than risk getting tossed overboard during a heated lap of the competition.

  She hadn’t planned on speaking aloud. It wasn’t worth it to give Avery more ammunition against the Lakeview girls. But the words bubbled up inside of her to the point where she felt like a volcano; she couldn’t keep them down.

  “Oh yeah? Well it was good enough for Sarah once upon a time!” she shouted, sneaking a sideways glance at her former friend.

  But Sarah only looked away.

  What had come over her? How could Sarah pretend that she’d never been bunk buddies with the girls from Lakeview? Heck, she’d been a girl from Lakeview. But she sure wasn’t one anymore.

  If Chelsea had been expecting Sarah to chime in and set the record straight about how she had loved every minute at Lakeview . . . well, she had a whole other thing coming. Sarah still wasn’t looking at Chelsea, or even at Avery, for that matter. She was perched on top of their sailboat, checking the knots on their sails with incredible focus. Her cheeks, Chelsea saw, were flushed red.