It wasn’t long before Chelsea realized that Paris was headed straight for the promenade, where the Green Festival was being held. She needed to nab her before she got lost in the crowd, or even worse, hurt herself. Tricia would never forgive Chelsea if something bad happened to her precious dog!
But try as she might, Chelsea couldn’t snatch Paris up in time and watched helplessly as she ran underneath the large banner that read WELCOME TO CAMP WALLA WALLA’S GREEN FESTIVAL and into the large crowd of festival-goers.
“Watch out! Coming through!” Chelsea shouted as Paris wove in between the legs of unsuspecting adults and children.
Her heart beating one hundred miles a minute, Chelsea kept up the mad dash, even when she had to push through a crowd of locals who were eating grilled corn on the cob.
“Excuse me! Pardon me!” she yelled, tailing Paris as she darted below picnic tables.
Chelsea nearly collided headfirst with Dr. Steve, who she noticed was wearing a blue ribbon on his vest for some reason.
“Chelsea? What on earth are you up to?” he called after her.
“Can’t talk now!” Chelsea screamed back at him.
Paris made a quick beeline for the hill at the end of the promenade, and Chelsea didn’t slow her pace, even though she was exhausted. Her leg muscles ached as she followed Paris up the hill and down a trail that led to the low-ropes course. Chelsea felt cramps form at both her sides, and she was certain she’d have to quit if they didn’t go away.
Luckily for her, Paris stopped in her tracks once she came to the horse stables, which were located at the bottom of the hill. As Chelsea caught her breath at the top, she looked down and saw Paris licking the face of her owner, Tricia, who was flanked by her bodyguard, Shepard.
Chelsea descended the hill slowly, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the sleeve of her T-shirt. She was nervous to approach Tricia looking like a mess, but frankly, her joy that Paris had stopped running outweighed any self-consciousness she felt.
“Poochie! What are you doing out here?” Tricia cooed to as she scratched her dog under its neck.
“I’m sorry, she got away from me just when I was about to take her for a walk,” Chelsea said with a timid smile.
Tricia laughed. “She’s done that to me plenty of times. Thankfully, Shepard is an expert dog catcher.”
Chelsea chuckled a bit, and so did Shepard, who apparently had had his fair share of dog pursuits.
“How come you’re not at the Green Festival?” Chelsea asked Tricia. Her big speech was coming up in a few short hours.
“I’m kind of hiding out here with Shepard,” Tricia said, still petting Paris lovingly. “What about you?”
“I’m doing the same thing,” Chelsea said, sighing. “I would have been nice and safe in the nature hut if Paris wasn’t such a rascal.”
Tricia smiled at Paris as she wagged her tail frantically, but Chelsea could see that Tricia seemed rather wistful.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why are you hiding?”
Tricia took a deep breath and exhaled. “You know why.”
Chelsea wracked her brain, but couldn’t figure it out. “I don’t think I do.”
“Natalie told me that she revealed my not-so-little dirty secret . . . literally,” Tricia said with a half grin. “There’s no need to pretend that you haven’t heard.”
Chelsea was surprised at Tricia’s reaction. It was true that Natalie had told everyone about Tricia’s bag of trash and problem with keeping her space clean, but Chelsea had been so involved in her own problems and the Green Festival that she hadn’t given it a second thought. She was pretty sure the rest of the girls felt the same way.
“Honestly, Tricia, Natalie mentioned it just to clear up a misunderstanding, but I had forgotten all about it.” Chelsea squatted down next to Paris and patted her affectionately on the head.
“Really?” Tricia said.
“Yeah, and I’m sure everyone else has, too,” Chelsea continued. “Everyone is just so excited that you’re here and that you’re going to speak today at the festival.”
Tricia looked down at her sneakers. “Actually, I’m not going to do the speech today.”
“That’s too bad,” Chelsea said sympathetically. “I know a lot of people were looking forward to it.”
“But there are a lot of people there who probably think I’m America’s biggest slob now. And I bet Natalie thinks that I’m a spoiled brat. It just hurts because I felt like I was really starting to make friends here,” Tricia confided.
“Listen, Tricia, that’s all water under the bridge. No one is going to judge you for it. I can honestly say that you are genuinely well-liked here,” Chelsea said with a sincere, warm smile. “Even by Natalie.”
“You’re not just saying that, are you?” Tricia asked.
Chelsea giggled a bit. “Would your biggest fan ever lie to you?” It suddenly occurred to Chelsea how easy it was to talk to Tricia when she wasn’t thinking of her as a celebrity, or an idol, or a potential BFF. If only she had been able to do that sooner.
Tricia let out a huge laugh. “I said it before and I’ll say it again. We just need to follow each other around 24/7!”
Chelsea was so relieved that she and Tricia were hitting it off. Sometimes friendships evolved out of the strangest of circumstances.
“I don’t know about that. I have to admit, I was so embarrassed when Natalie told you about the dreaded Oprah shirt,” Chelsea said, her cheeks flushing the lightest shade of pink.
“First of all, I heart that shirt,” Tricia said, her sassy tone back and better than ever. “Second of all, I had forgotten all about that, too.”
Chelsea threw her head back and practically guffawed. All of her worrying was over nothing. “Gee, I’m so glad that I didn’t stress about that or anything,” she said sarcastically.
Tricia joined in the laughter and Paris let out a few cheerful yelps. “So, do you feel like sitting backstage and watching a big speech?”
Chelsea smiled in gratitude, but decided to decline. “I think I’d rather sit in the front row. With all your other friends.”
About two hours later, the eco-friendly rotunda building was buzzing. All of Camp Walla Walla plus an additional hundred people were gathered together to listen to the president’s daughter talk about what kids across the country were doing for the environment. There was a hum of excitement in the air as campers and members of the surrounding community whispered to each other, wondering what Tricia was going to say.
No one was more excited than Chelsea.
“I’m so glad we got front row seats,” Priya said happily. “Aren’t you, Chelse?”
Chelsea smiled with enthusiasm. “Yeah, this is great.”
“I wonder why Tricia’s speech hasn’t started yet,” Jenna said, checking her watch.
“Yeah, the flyer said that Tricia was supposed to speak at five,” Brynn said.
“She’s probably just running late.” Chelsea’s stomach lurched a little bit. What if Tricia had changed her mind and decided not to go through with it?
“Has anyone seen Sloan? I saved her a seat,” Jordan said, tapping the seat next to him.
“I think she and Miles are helping Dr. Steve,” said David.
Priya craned her neck around and squinted out into the crowd. “Oh, wait. There she is in back.”
Chelsea turned and saw Sloan standing in the far back of the room, glancing around nervously. Her heart fluttered with anxiety. What if Sloan and Natalie never forgave her?
“I’ll get her attention!” Sarah knelt on her seat and waved both her arms in the air.
“You look ridiculous,” Brynn said.
Sarah ignored Brynn’s comment and kept on waving. Chelsea kept her focus on Sloan, who shook her head and mouthed the words, “Not now,” when she caught Sarah’s eye.
Chelsea swallowed hard.
She probably doesn’t want to sit here because of me.
“Huh, that’s really weird,” Sarah said,
sitting back down in her seat. “If she’s not hanging out with Miles and Dr. Steve, then why doesn’t she want to sit with us?”
Chelsea contemplated getting up and leaving so that Sloan could join the rest of their friends. Sloan had been nice enough to ask Chelsea to cochair the Green Festival committee, and how had Chelsea repaid her? By accidentally sending an incriminating e-mail to the National Gazette. If the shoe were on the other foot, Chelsea would still be pretty angry, too.
“I wonder where Natalie is,” Jenna remarked.
“Yeah, I didn’t think she’d miss Tricia’s big moment,” added Brynn.
Jasmine leaned over from the row behind them and said, “She’s with Ellie, Connor, and Joanna, doing a little last-minute practicing for their skit.”
Another big pang of guilt tweaked Chelsea’s heart. It was her fault Natalie was scrambling around, preparing for a skit and missing Tricia’s event.
Forget about Sloan and Natalie never forgiving her. As the clock kept ticking, Chelsea wondered if she’d ever forgive herself.
chapter EIGHTEEN
Sloan ducked backstage after she scanned the crowd for Natalie and Tricia. She was thisclose to falling apart. The rotunda building was packed and Tricia’s big speech was already supposed to start ten minutes ago. “Any sign of them out there?” Miles asked, his forehead wrinkled with worry.
“No.” Sloan was ninety percent certain she was about to throw up. “Where’s Dr. Steve?”
“I told him the mic wasn’t working, so he stepped out for a sec to find another one,” Miles replied.
“Good thinking,” Sloan said, wringing her hands. “I swear, I’m about to freak out, Miles.”
“It’ll go fine,” he said, patting her on the back.
Easy for you to say, she thought. I’m one heartbeat away from cardiac failure!
Thankfully, Sloan didn’t die on the spot, or throw up. Instead, she breathed a deep sigh of relief when Natalie showed up. Now they could finally get on with the show.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Sloan said, her pulse slowing down to a dull roar. “Where’s Tricia?”
“I don’t know. I’ve searched everywhere and I couldn’t find her.” Natalie’s voice was tinged with anxiety.
Sloan cradled her head in her hands. “What are we going to do?” she groaned.
“I don’t know. I’m so sorry, Sloan,” Natalie replied quietly.
Sloan hung her head and covered her eyes with her hands. This was turning into a huge disaster.
“Uh . . . um . . . I guess I could deliver the speech.”
Sloan wiped a stray tear from her cheek and looked up at Miles, who was smiling sweetly at her.
“I can’t promise that I won’t stink at it, but I’ll try my best,” he added.
Sloan just couldn’t get over how supportive Miles was, and how willing he was to help others. She hadn’t thought she could like him more than she did, but she’d just been proven wrong.
“That won’t be necessary, chicas!”
Sloan swiveled her head around and spotted Tricia, looking prettier than ever. She had her hair back in a sleek, low ponytail and was wearing a beautiful—and familiar-looking—blue shirt. Her makeup was soft, yet done in a way that made her eyes really pop.
“Tricia, thank God!” Sloan said, deliriously happy.
“Where have you been? I’ve been searching high and low for you,” Natalie said.
Tricia suddenly looked a bit bashful. “Good ol’ Shep and I, like, took a teensy staycation at the horse stables. I was feeling kind of lousy. But then—”
Sloan wanted to hear more of Tricia’s story, but they were behind schedule and she could tell by the murmuring on the other side of the curtain that the audience was getting restless.
“Tricia, we have to get you onstage right away,” Sloan cut in urgently.
“Okay, you got it, girlfriend,” Tricia said without missing a beat.
Sloan exhaled deeply. She was beyond relieved now that Tricia was here. Sloan almost didn’t even care what she said to the crowd, as long as she said the word “environment” just once.
All of a sudden, the stage curtain opened and Dr. Steve stepped through.
“I fixed the mic, Miles,” he said, brushing his hands together. “You’re up.”
A curious look came over Sloan’s face as Miles walked onto the stage.
What’s going on?
Sloan, Natalie, and Tricia watched from backstage as Dr. Steve dimmed the houselights. A hush fell over the audience. Then a faint spotlight fixed on Miles, who was standing at the podium.
“Hi, everyone. Thanks for coming to the Green Festival,” Miles said, his voice shaking a bit. “I just wanted to offer a special thanks to the person who made today possible. She did a great job of organizing this event and keeping everyone in line.”
A collective chuckle emitted from the audience.
“I’d like to ask Sloan to come onstage and be recognized,” Miles said cheerily.
Sloan had to admit, she was full-on smitten with Miles at the moment. When she came onstage, she gave Miles a big hug as her friends in the front row whistled and cheered. Then she made her way to the podium. Sloan briefly locked eyes with Chelsea, who was cheering harder than anyone, but then she glanced to the back of the room just as swiftly.
Stay focused, she told herself.
“Thank you, Miles,” Sloan said into the microphone. “Chairing the planning committee was both fun and challenging. I hope you enjoy the rest of the festival. Camp Walla Walla really appreciates your support.”
The audience applauded and Dr. Steve took her place at the podium. Sloan returned backstage to watch with Natalie and Miles.
“Now, without further ado, please welcome our keynote speaker. It has been a privilege to have her here with us, and we know her father would be proud of her,” Dr. Steve said, his voice lilting. “Ladies and gentleman, the First Daughter of the United States!”
The crowd erupted into a fit of cheers and feverish clapping when Tricia appeared onstage, looking like a trillion dollars.
“Thank you for the warm welcome, everyone. And special thanks to you, Dr. Steve, for all the work you and the people at Camp Walla Walla have done for the environment,” Tricia said with perfect diction.
Sloan still couldn’t get over how Tricia could turn this presidential persona of hers on and off. It was unbelievable.
“Today I was supposed to give a speech about what kids across the country are doing to protect the natural resources of our planet.” Tricia’s eyes scanned the audience, making a connection with everyone in the room. “And while it’s an important topic, I’m afraid that there is something just as pressing that I need to address.”
Sloan’s ears perked up. What was Tricia about to say?
“Would Natalie Goode come join me onstage?”
Everyone in the crowd started to whisper. But Sloan couldn’t bring herself to say anything—she stood there completely dumbstruck, helpless as Natalie approached Tricia from backstage.
“Natalie was asked to be my special guide here at Walla Walla, and she took her job very seriously, making sure to show me around and explain everything there is to know about the camp,” Tricia said.
Sloan thought back to the day that Dr. Steve had asked Natalie to step down as committee chairperson so that she could help Tricia. While Sloan was still pretty perturbed at Natalie for really bending the rules in the essay writing contest, she couldn’t help but think how nice Natalie had been to give up something that meant a lot to her so that she could make Tricia feel welcome. Didn’t that outweigh the sneaky thing she’d done?
“Well, I’m not proud to admit this, but up until now, I didn’t take being here or at the Green Festival very seriously at all,” Tricia continued. “In fact, Natalie took responsibility for a mistake that I made so that the camp’s image and my good standing among you all wouldn’t be damaged.”
“Wow, can you believe this?” Miles murmured to
Sloan.
Sloan was completely stunned, and so was the rest of the crowd, if their whispers were any indication. To be honest, Sloan hadn’t given Natalie enough credit for telling the Gazette reporter that the trash heap was hers. And if Miles hadn’t come up with his great damage control plan, Natalie probably would have had to shoulder all the blame.
“So I’d like to offer a sincere apology to Natalie,” Tricia said, extending her hand out to Natalie. “And ask her and her friends for forgiveness.”
Natalie shook Tricia’s hand firmly and then tiptoed off as the audience clapped. As the applause died down and Natalie took her place backstage, Sloan turned and gazed at her friend. After hearing Tricia graciously apologize, she realized that she was definitely being too hard on Natalie. However, when Sloan glanced at the front of the room and saw Chelsea, her stomach rumbled. She just couldn’t let her anger at Chelsea go, and wasn’t exactly sure that she should.
Tricia pushed forward with her remarks.
“Making that apology felt really good,” Tricia said. “Actually, I don’t think I’ve felt this good in a long time. You see, I’ve traveled all around the globe, and while those experiences were extraordinary, there was one thing missing—friendship.
“If you think about it, friendship is the most organic, green thing on earth. The kinder and gentler and friendlier we are to Mother Nature, the more she gives to us, as well as to future generations,” Tricia went on.
Sloan couldn’t be more thrilled with how well Tricia was doing. So far, her impromptu speech was way better than what Sloan and Miles had written.
“The opposite can be true, too. When we take our relationship with the environment for granted and severely neglect it, our world breaks down, little by little,” Tricia said captivatingly. “I don’t want to wake up one day to find that there’s nothing left. Do you?”
Sloan wiped a tear from her eye. To her, Tricia’s speech seemed to have a whole other meaning altogether—Sloan didn’t want to wake up and find her friendships with Natalie and Chelsea were gone forever, regardless of what may have happened between them.
“So if we haven’t been good friends to Mother Nature in the past, we should forgive ourselves and start being good friends now.” Tricia paused for a moment and smiled. “And that’s what I plan to do here, at Camp Walla Walla.”
Politically Incorrect Page 11
