Alex's Challenge #4

by Melissa J Morgan

  Last year, Alex, Sarah, and Brynn had been on the winning team together. Because they understood one another so well, they were able to score the last point for their team during a lay-up competition on the basketball court. After a perfect pass from Sarah, Alex threw the ball into the basket while Brynn cheered them on. They were so happy to win for their division that Alex cried a little while everyone yelled and screamed her name. She was sweaty and hugging her best friends, so she didn’t think anyone had noticed how emotional she’d been.

  It was a special day and a very lucky shot. She went home savoring her victory. She thought last year was the best time she’d ever had away at camp. She didn’t think it could get any better.

  “You’re going to love it,” Alex told Karen, who was a first-year. “I hope we get to be on the same team. I’ll show you the secrets to winning all the different events.”

  Karen was so quiet that Alex hadn’t gotten to know her very well. She really did hope that the two of them could hang out some more before it was time to pack up and head home in less than two weeks. But Karen was always with Chelsea, though she had been branching out after the incident at the water park. Alex was so glad that Karen wasn’t letting Chelsea be so pushy anymore.

  “Alex, you don’t have to know everything about everything,” Chelsea said, taking Karen aside to explain Color War to her all over again.

  Alex got tingly because she could sense Karen’s suffering, and she so wanted Karen to tell Chelsea off. Alex kind of understood, though. Sometimes, like just now, Alex didn’t speak up, either. Alex had the guts, that wasn’t the problem, she just didn’t like all the drama that came along with speaking up.

  “I, um, was just answering Karen’s questions,” Alex said, moving away from Chelsea and over to Brynn. Brynn would tell the queen bee where to go if it became necessary. That was one thing about Brynn, no one intimidated her, and she was known to mouth off if someone pushed her buttons.

  “You were showing off, Alex,” Chelsea added, “and you know it. Karen, don’t listen to her. I’ll explain it all to you.”

  “I heard her, Chelsea—” Karen started to say.

  Chelsea started in, “Well, first of all, it was pretty stupid to not know what Color War is. I mean, come on. Second, I would’ve told you, honey, if you’d just asked.”

  Karen hung her head down toward her feet. She was such an abused puppy most of the time, though she was slowly starting to show some teeth. Alex wondered how Karen got to be so mousy.

  “I can’t believe you,” Brynn said to Chelsea.

  Karen’s face turned red. She put her head back up, and she said, “It’s okay, really. I get it now, and there’s no reason to—”

  “Sweetie, don’t you have lines to read or something? I’m sure Alex can help you learn them since she’s so good at everything all the time,” Chelsea added, pulling Karen ahead of the group so they would be able to jump into the showers first.

  “She needs to take a chill pill,” Grace said.

  “She should really try meditation,” Alyssa added, which came out of nowhere. Alyssa often came out of nowhere, but at least she always had something new—and unique—to say.

  “Forget about her, you guys,” Valerie said.

  “Yeah, we just won an awesome soccer game,” Alex said, not wanting anyone to argue with each other. “So let’s just think about that right now.”

  Natalie and Alyssa ran past Chelsea and Karen, their way of beating Chelsea to the showers. Everyone was really pulling together, even Karen. It made Alex feel good.

  chapter THREE

  “Hey, come sit with me,” Valerie said as Alex entered the woodworking cabin for their second free-choice period. Valerie had arrived late the day before, so they hadn’t been able to share a table. “We girls gotta stick together.”

  “Thanks,” Alex said, sitting down and still wishing she had been able to take ceramics class with her other friends. She liked Valerie fine, she just didn’t know her that well. But even worse, Alex just didn’t give a flying Frisbee about woodworking. She’d never taken shop class in school for a reason—it sounded really boring. She liked to do stuff that had lots of action, like soccer and swimming and running and volleyball. Wood just sat there and did nothing.

  “Hey, Alex,” Adam, Jenna’s twin brother, called.

  “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in photography with your sister,” Alex said, dreading the free-choice period ahead.

  “I’m here to make your life miserable,” he told Alex, tapping his pencil on the girls’ table.

  “Yes, you are,” Alex said.

  He was right—he was going to torment her. Alex tolerated him because she’d known him ever since she started coming to Lakeview. But he had been on her last nerves lately. He had teased her after the soccer game, calling her Lanky Legs and Spider Woman. He had also snapped her training bra the other day. That really ticked Alex off. She knew she was too flat-chested to be wearing one in the first place. Her mother made her wear it because Alex played so many sports. (Alex’s mom wanted her to be used to bras for when she really needed them, if that made any sense.) And to have Adam flicking the stupid thing was just embarrassing.

  Alex had wanted to ask Jenna to tell him to stop, but that only would only have made matters worse. Jenna and Adam would be on Alex’s case about her training bra. That would be too embarrassing for Alex to handle. Alex thought he should be spending more time with Alyssa, anyway—ever since the social, they seemed to have a sort-of romance brewing.

  “I can tell when I’m not wanted,” Adam said as he wandered over to the corner where his friends were hanging out. Alex was relieved. She wasn’t in the mood to deal with boys very often.

  “Alex, did I just see what I thought I saw?” Valerie asked, tossing her long braids behind her back and out of her way.

  “What? Adam Spasm?” Alex started calling him that when they were seven years old. That summer, Adam told everyone he had a magic reaction to peas. Whenever that vegetable was served, he’d eat one and start shaking all over uncontrollably. It had been very difficult to eat whenever peas were served. He’d make everyone laugh so hard, they’d shoot food—including peas—out of their mouths and noses.

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure he’s into you,” Val said, eyeing the stool she was finishing.

  Alex’s heart started beating so hard that she thought she’d need to go to the infirmary. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said louder than she meant to. “Anyway, I mean, he’s Adam Spasm!” Her face immediately started going hot, and she looked around to make sure no one else could hear what Valerie had just said. Adam was a friend of hers—just a friend. Of all people to have her first crush on, if that were ever to happen, it most definitely would never ever be him. Because he was Jenna’s twin brother, that kind of made him like Alex’s brother, too. Ewww! Alex thought.

  Besides, she wasn’t into boys. She didn’t like the way other girls were starting to make such a big deal out of them. Natalie was always planning her day so she could hang around with Simon, Chelsea flirted with some boy in an older division, Grace was flirting with Devon from 3F, and even Brynn was starting to get gooey-eyed when a certain boy from drama was around (though she would never have admitted that to Alex). Alex could see it happening all around her, and she didn’t like it. She could take or leave boys. She didn’t spend that much time thinking about them except with they snapped her bra or smelled bad after playing baseball. She had other important things to think about, like soccer. And something that she just couldn’t share with anyone.

  “Oh stop it, Val,” Alex said matter-of-factly. It had only taken half a minute, and she had gotten control of herself once again. She was absolutely shocked and embarrassed to even think about the possibility of Adam liking her. Then she added, “Adam has a thing for Alyssa, anyway. Didn’t you see the way they were hanging out at the social? They’re practically each other’s prom dates already.”

  “Where’ve
you been, girl?” Val asked, leaning in to whisper to Alex. At least Valerie wasn’t like Brynn when it came to sensitive issues. When Brynn was excited, she yelled out whatever was on her mind, and everyone heard all about it. Sometimes Brynn’s enthusiasm was endearing; sometimes it was terrifying. But the dramatic outbursts had really been embarrassing Alex lately. Especially when Brynn had started talking about Alex’s training bra in front of Chelsea a few nights ago.

  “Why? Where do you think I’ve been?” Alex said, feeling panicked about something other than Adam. Alex thought Valerie had figured it out—sometimes she’d miss swimming or lunch or evening campfires. That’s because she was always running an errand, but Alex couldn’t tell anyone what that errand was. Alex believed her problem was really gross and embarrassing. So she would just sneak away a few times a day, take care of it, and sneak back. Alex got away with it by telling everyone she was helping Julie or Marissa. That wasn’t a stretch, either, because she was always doing stuff with them. She just freaked because she thought Val had figured it out.

  “Huh? You really haven’t heard, have you?” Valerie said, totally oblivious to the mini panic attack Alex just had. “A couple of days ago, Alyssa started hanging out with Simon’s good friend Trevor. She just ignores Adam now. He seemed really hurt about it last weekend. Are you sure no one told you?”

  “I had no idea! You’re kidding!” Alex said, relieved that Valerie hadn’t figured out her real secret. All of a sudden, Alex started feeling bad for someone else: Adam. He really was a cool kid, especially for a boy, despite the pea spasms. Alex certainly didn’t want him to be depressed about a girl. Adam was always making Jenna feel better when she was down, and he was a volunteer coach for the little kids, too. He’d show them how to throw Wiffle balls and go dog-paddling. He also played soccer sometimes with Alex, which was fun because he was really good. Alex was surprised that Alyssa would be so rude to Adam. But she liked Alyssa, so Alyssa must’ve had a good reason to start liking Trevor.

  “Maybe I should make sure he’s doing okay,” Alex said, mostly to herself. She thought Adam had been acting weird lately, and that was definitely why. He was heartbroken, and he needed his old friends. She thought she’d ask him to play soccer or something to get his mind off of it.

  “I knew you had a thing for him!” Valerie said, getting very excited about this prospect. After all, Alex had never had a crush, and everyone knew it.

  “Wait one second,” Alex interrupted. “Before you get this all wrong, Adam and I are just friends. He’s just feeling bad, and I need to be there for him if he wants to talk or anything. I know he really liked Alyssa. We’re like brother and sister, anyway. He knows there is no way on Earth that I’d ever be interested in him. And vice versa!”

  “You sure?” Valerie said, completely uninterested in the stepping stool she was making for her dad’s garage.

  “I’m totally sure. Ewww. I’m just not boy crazy yet, and I don’t think I ever will be,” Alex added, and she meant it. Other girls said their crushes made their hearts beat faster, distracted their thoughts, and made them want to hold hands and stuff. That just sounded way too complicated for Alex. She didn’t understand what they were talking about. She’d never felt that way. Ever. And that was fine with her.

  “Me neither, not anymore,” Valerie said. “I had a boyfriend in the beginning of the fifth grade, and he transferred out of our school. It broke my heart! Not because we were all lovey-dovey and stuff. But because we were best friends. I missed him! I made close friends with some other girls, though—thank God!”

  Alex knew that feeling, her former best friend, Maggie, had moved away in the fourth grade. It wasn’t easy getting close to someone else again. It had taken her a year to meet a new best friend at school, a girl named Bridgette. Sometimes Alex really missed her. Bridgette knew Alex better than the girls at camp did. She understood why Alex acted kind of weird sometimes and why Alex had to sneak away. Alex wished she could break down that mystery wall between her bunkmates and herself. She wanted to tell them her secret, but she just couldn’t. It was just too awful and embarrassing.

  “It’s really hard,” Alex said. “I’m so sorry you have to go through that.”

  “It’s okay. I’m having a blast this summer,” Valerie said, putting down the stool. “Being here makes it easy to forget about how up and down last year was.”

  “You have a best friend here at least, don’t you?” Alex asked. She’d seen Valerie and Sarah together a lot in the beginning of the summer.

  “Well, sort of,” Valerie said. “But Sarah has been ignoring me lately, actually. She’s been hanging out with Brynn. I’m sure you’ve noticed that.”

  That was true, though Alex hadn’t thought about it that way. Alex had gotten tired of constantly practicing Brynn’s lines for the Peter Pan play. So she had been so relieved when Sarah started offering to do it. It gave her so much more time to swim and play soccer, the things Alex lived to do. She hadn’t even stopped to think about how Valerie felt about the new Brynn and Sarah twosome.

  “You’re right, she has,” Alex said, worrying that maybe Brynn was starting to like Sarah better. “Don’t you hang around with them?”

  “Nah, only in the rec hall and stuff. I don’t feel right. They have so many inside jokes and stuff lately,” Valerie said, grabbing a nail. Alex couldn’t get a sense of whether she was upset about it or not.

  “You okay?” Alex asked, touching her shoulder. She was usually good at sensing how other kids felt. She was starting to believe Valerie, despite her cheeriness, was getting a little bit lonely. That was a feeling Alex could relate to.

  “I’m fine,” Valerie said. “Now let me show you how to make a cutting board.”

  “A cutting board?” Alex asked, once again dreading her commitment to woodworking.

  “I know it doesn’t sound like much fun, but it’s the first thing we all have to make in here. It’s because a cutting board is simple, and you have to use a lot of the tools to do one. The project is mostly to get you familiar with the tools, honestly. You can give it to your mom, too. I mean, all moms like to chop up vegetables and try to make us eat them, right?” Valerie asked, getting up from their long metal table.

  “Oh, yes!” Alex answered. Her mom was always telling her how important it was to eat broccoli, peppers, carrots, radishes, lettuce, onions, peas, squash, yams, mushrooms, asparagus, artichokes, eggplant, cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbage, zucchini, celery, and Brussels sprouts. Alex’s mother was an expert in rabbit food. And, as it turned out, no one ate more rabbit food than Alex. “My mom will totally love this cutting board,” Alex said. She was feeling a little better about missing ceramics. If she couldn’t make her mother a necklace, at least she could make her something.

  They started drawing on the blank slab of wood that Valerie had brought over to Alex. The slab was the size of a laptop or dinner tray. Alex looked at it, wondering what the heck she’d do with it. It was so drab and dull and, well, woody.

  Valerie had started on her stool again, but with Alex’s wide-eyed look of confusion, Valerie pushed her project aside. Alex thought that was really nice. Valerie picked up a pencil and a ruler and started drawing on the slab; she drew a paddle shape and turned it over.

  “Now, you try,” Valerie said to Alex.

  “Why? You already did a good job on the other side,” Alex answered. She didn’t see why anyone should do the work twice.

  “But my cutting board outline was sloppy. I definitely think you could do a better job,” Valerie said, trying to appeal to Alex’s competitive streak.

  Her approach worked. Alex started making the shape, using the eraser to fix any wobbly lines. When she was finished, the shape was perfect.

  Valerie told Alex that she had a secret gift for drawing, but Alex insisted that if she could draw, it was only because her mother was an art teacher.

  Next, Valerie showed Alex how to use the saw to cut the shape into the slab. They thought the spewing sawd
ust looked like Chelsea’s hair in the morning, and they thought the buzzing noise sounded a whole lot better than Julie’s alarm clock. Alex didn’t realize that more than thirty minutes had gone by. Finally, Valerie got out a wood plane—kind of like a big nail file—to sand the splinters off the freshly cut board. Alex used the tool to rub the rough edges until they became smooth, and it was just like filing her nails into the perfect short shape she liked to keep them in. Another twenty minutes later, the girls were almost done with the entire cutting board project. The new boys in the class were barely finished drawing theirs.

  “Whoa! What, are you two going to start your own carpentry class?” Adam’s friend Jack said to them.

  “Maybe we will!” Alex laughed. She never dreamed she’d actually enjoy woodworking. Not only that, she was pretty good at it. She was petite, but also very strong. That meant she could hold the wood against the noisy, gigantic saw that chopped it into usable pieces. Her arms didn’t get tired when she was sanding with the wood plane either—back and forth, back and forth, smoothing all the edges. Tomorrow, she was going to stain it a reddish brown color to go with her mother’s dishes. It wouldn’t look plain or boring at all when she was done with it. She was shocked at how excited she was to start making her next project.

  She was also excited because Valerie had been so much fun to partner with. Alex usually spent all of her free time with Brynn, and she realized that she might’ve been missing out on getting to know other cool girls. Valerie was so helpful, and she didn’t complain once. Nor did she ask Alex to do anything for her. She didn’t bring up the Adam thing anymore either—Val seemed to have that sixth sense of when to drop things. Alex thought that she and Val just got each other. They laughed at the same jokes, they never ran out of things to say, and neither one of them wanted to flirt with all the boys who kept teasing them. Yes, Alex was feeling much, much better about woodworking. The last two weeks of her time at Camp Lakeview might even be a whole lot better than she imagined.