Best (Boy)friend Forever #9

by Melissa J Morgan

  “Good one.” Priya applauded softly as everyone was forced to toss in a Lifesaver.

  “My mom has this whole kids-should-be-kids theory,” Grace said.

  “That explains a lot about you,” Valerie teased. Grace tossed a Lifesaver at her. “I’m keepin’ it,” Val said, catching it in the air.

  “No fair,” Grace protested. “I didn’t lose that because I did an ‘I never.’”

  Alex held up her hands. “I’m staying out of it this time.”

  “You can’t use that Lifesaver in the game,” Gaby told Valerie, reaching for the candy.

  “Fine.” Valerie quickly unwrapped the Lifesaver and popped it in her mouth. “Purple. My fave.”

  Priya snorted a laugh. She was starting to really like Val’s style.

  “My go,” Sarah said. “I never had a boy ask me to go to the Potomac Cruise Dance with him.”

  Nobody threw in a Lifesaver.

  “Do you understand how to play this game?” Gaby demanded, glaring at Sarah.

  “Shhh!” Grace put her finger to her lips.

  “But everybody is going on the cruise, right?” Abby asked, eyes wide. “I know we get to choose activities for the other days, so we’ll be in different groups. But everyone’s going on the cruise, so why would we need to be invited?”

  “We don’t,” Alex told her.

  “We don’t,” Sarah repeated. “It’s just that some guys are asking girls. There’s going to be swing dance lessons, so it’ll be kind of like a camp dance. You can go without a date. Or you can go with one. I just wondered if anyone else was going with one.”

  Priya had almost forgotten about it the dancing part of the cruise. How was she going to deal with a dance without normal Jordan to make it fun? There had been some dances at their school last year, but she and Jordan hadn’t gone. They’d hung with Sammy, watching horror movies or playing in these massive hide-and-seek games with Sammy and his friends.

  Maybe she and Jordan hung out with Sammy so much because Sammy was sick a lot when he was little. He’d had to skip a lot of school, and had had a ton of doctors’ appointments. Priya almost always had to come straight home after she got out of school because her mom had to cart her along to whatever appointment Sammy had. So no after-school stuff for Priya. No going over to other kids’ houses. But when they got back from the doctor of the moment, there was always Jordan next door. For her and Sammy. Even when Sammy got totally better, the three of them kept on doing everything together.

  “Some guys are asking. What guys other than David? Obviously David is going to ask you, right?” Gaby said.

  Sarah shrugged. “I’m not sure. He said some other guys were asking people.”

  “But it’s okay just to go alone, right?” Abby asked. “Girls can dance in groups, right?”

  “Of course,” Valerie said. “I don’t think I’ll be going with anyone.”

  “Oh, who cares,” Gaby muttered. “Come on. Let’s play. Abby, your turn. Make it good.”

  “Hmmm. I never had a boy crush on me. Forget about having a boy ask me to the Potomac Dance,” Abby said.

  A few girls tossed Lifesavers into the circle. Priya wasn’t one of them.

  Grace gave a muffled yelp. Gaby shook her head, her eyebrows raised. Brynn reached across the circle with her foot and gave Priya a light kick.

  “We’re not going to let you get away with that,” Valerie informed Priya. “We all witnessed Jordan full-on crushing tonight. On you, missy.”

  There were nods and uh-huhs all around.

  Priya scrubbed her face—her hot, red face—with her fingers. “Jordan did seem like he was trying to get someone’s attention tonight, with the shoes and the hair and everything. I’ll give you that. So I guess he wasn’t just joking around with that kissing comment. I guess he really has lost his mind and decided he’s in liiike. But you don’t know it’s with me.” She pointed at Val. “You didn’t witness that, and neither did anybody else.”

  “When loverboy was laughing too loud at nothing—which is so the behavior of a boy with a crush—he was sitting right across from you,” Gaby said. “He picked that seat all by himself.”

  “And we all saw him staring at you before he finally came over,” Grace added. “I’ll sign an affidavit or whatever they’re called.”

  “I think you have to face the truth, Priya,” Alex told her. “Jordan wants to be your boyfriend, not your best friend.”

  Slowly, Priya pushed her Lifesaver into the circle.

  “Are you really sure you’re feeling okay?” Becky asked Priya the next night at dinner.

  “Uh-huh, yep,” she answered, then struggled to choke down a second bite of Thursday’s special—watery lasagna.

  Jordan had shown up to the mess hall in another outfit—khakis, striped polo shirt, deck shoes. But that wasn’t what was keeping her from eating this time. Or at least, not the main thing. What was keeping her from eating were her after-dinner plans.

  There was a chance—maybe just a teeny-weeny chance, but a chance—that the girls in her bunk were wrong about Jordan crushing on her. And tonight, after dinner, during their regular card game, Priya was going to find out. Who would be able to eat right before that?

  “He’s looking at you again,” Brynn whispered from her seat to Priya’s left.

  “I’ll be a witness to that,” Grace joked from Priya’s right.

  Great. She was surrounded.

  “His hair’s a little better tonight. That’s something,” Gaby commented from across the table.

  Totally surrounded.

  “Isn’t there anything else to talk about?” Priya exclaimed.

  “World peace?” Valerie suggested.

  “Boring,” Gaby said.

  “Color war?” Sophie suggested as she dropped off a basket of bread.

  “Too far away. And we don’t even know if we’ll be on the same team,” Alex answered.

  “Sorry, Priya, we’ll have to keep talking about you and your boyfriend,” Grace said.

  “I thought I heard some mice in the bunk last night,” Becky commented casually.

  “Mice?” Abby exclaimed.

  “Wait. Did you say mice?” Candace asked.

  “Well, a kind of rustling sound. Sort of like candy wrappers. I thought maybe it was mice. What do you think?” Becky asked.

  Thanks, Becky, Priya thought. I really needed that subject change. She ate another bite of lasagna just because she thought she owed her counselor one.

  “Mice, definitely mice,” Grace said. “Mice with little black velvet chokers.”

  “Grace! Do you have to keep bringing that up?” Abby burst out. “I’m only a little less afraid of mice than I am of headless brides.”

  “But you know there weren’t any mice in the bunk. You know we—” Alex stopped. “I mean, I know because I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and I would have seen them if there were any to see,” she said quickly, shooting a glance at Becky.

  “Well, that’s a relief,” Becky said. “I wouldn’t want poor little mice heads plopping off all over our floor.”

  “Becky!” Abby wailed.

  “Sorry, sorry,” Becky told her. “But come on, you can’t believe that story. No one’s head could have been held on by a choker.”

  “I have an announcement to make,” Brynn said, as if she were standing on a stage. She waited until everyone at the 4C table was looking at her. Her green eyes sparkled as she continued. “Jordan is still staring at Priya.”

  Grace held up her hand. “I’m a witness.”

  Priya was surrounded. She had the sudden urge to just put her head down—right in her plate of lasagna if necessary.

  Priya snatched up the cards Jordan passed to her. She needed either a six of clubs and a six of hearts, or she needed a four of hearts. There was nothing in Jordan’s pile she could use. She hurled them at Spence.

  Come on, come on, come on, she thought, impatient. Where are my cards, Jordan? She shot a look
at him, and realized he was holding a spoon. Priya slid one of the two spoons remaining in the middle of the table into her hand, while hurling a few cards in Spence’s direction to keep him distracted.

  Who would notice that the game was over first and grab the last spoon—Spence or Joe? They were both totally focused on their cards. Jordan shot her a few cards from his hand, Priya snatched them up, like she was dying for them, then slapped them down next to Spence. Joe gave a grunt of frustration as he sent three cards in Jordan’s direction.

  Jordan gave Priya a fast, secret, look-at-those-two-goofballs smile, and she smiled back. Because for one second, in the middle of the craziness of the game, she’d forgotten. She’d forgotten her best friend had had a brain, personality, and wardrobe transplant.

  Priya caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye as Spence’s hand snaked out and captured the last spoon. He kept passing cards to Joe, and Joe frantically sent cards to Jordan who sent them along to Spence, who sent them right back to Joe. Finally, Joe got it.

  “How long?” Joe moaned. “How long this time?”

  “At least a full minute since I got my beauty,” Spence told him, caressing his plastic spoon.

  “Who was first?” Joe demanded.

  “One of those two.” Spence nodded toward Priya and Jordan.

  “Why did I even ask?” Joe let the cards in his hand flutter down onto the table.

  “Even Priya was slow tonight,” Jordan said. “I thought we were going to be playing this one hand until the rec center closed.” He stood up. “Want to help with the concoction?” he asked Priya.

  It would give her the chance to be alone with him. Which would give her the chance to find out what she needed to find out. “Sure,” she answered, the word coming out in a squeak.

  “Prepare to puke,” Jordan warned Joe.

  “I’m so scared,” Joe called after Priya and Jordan as they hurried out of the rec center.

  No, I’m so scared, Priya thought. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to get a grip. Okay, so just spit it out, Priya coached herself on the way to the mess hall. ‘Jordan, do you like me?’ Or maybe ‘Jordan, the girls in my bunk think you like me.’ Then if he laughs in your face, you know it’s not true.

  But if he didn’t laugh, what was she supposed to do? What if he got all mushy? What if he actually did want to kiss her—right then? What was she supposed to do? Fake a coughing fit and tell him she was super contagious? Run? Dig a hole and bury herself in it?

  “What are you waiting for?” Jordan asked.

  And for one crazy moment she thought he’d read her mind. That he wanted to know why she was waiting to ask him the Question. But no. They’d reached the back of the mess hall where the kitchen was, and Jordan was crouched down with his fingers laced together. He was ready to boost her into the open window. That’s the way they always got into the kitchen. He’d boost her though the window, then she’d unlock the door.

  “Nothing,” Priya answered. She stepped into Jordan’s hands. Two seconds later, she was through the window and standing on the big wooden kitchen table. She leapt to the floor and hurried to let Jordan inside.

  “I’m thinking hot for Joe tonight. Everything hot. Find the Tabasco for me, okay? And grab anything else you see that’s tongue-burning,” Jordan instructed, voice low.

  Priya nodded. Oh, great. Now she’d lost the power to speak entirely. Just do it. Do it, do it, DO IT, she begged herself.

  “JORDAN!” she practically shouted.

  “Are you nuts? Do you want us to get caught?” he whispered.

  “No,” she whispered back. “I just wanted to ask—”

  Jordan grabbed her arm. “Somebody’s coming. Broom closet.”

  Priya reached the broom closet with two long steps. She jerked open the door and she and Jordan squeezed inside. He closed the door behind them just as the overhead kitchen lights clicked on.

  Had whoever it was seen the closet door shut? Were they caught? All Priya could hear was her own heart banging away in her ears. She wasn’t sure if she was near heart failure because she was afraid of getting sent to Dr. Steve’s office, or because she and Jordan were as close together as two sticks of gum in a pack.

  “I think we’re safe,” Jordan finally said.

  Speak for yourself, Priya thought.

  Jordan pushed the closet door open a crack, and Priya peered out. “Clear,” she whispered. She scrambled out and hurried over to the cabinet that was the farthest away. “Tabasco,” she muttered. “Tabasco, Tabasco.”

  “What did you want to ask me that was so important you almost got us busted?” Jordan asked.

  Priya jumped. He was right behind her. She spun around to face him. “Um, I noticed that you got a makeover,” she said. Which was lame. And not a question.

  A flush started at the bottom of Jordan’s neck and went all the way up to his forehead, with a stop to turn his ears into tomatoes. “So what?” he mumbled.

  “Well, uh, some of the girls in my bunk thought maybe it was because you liked someone,” Priya managed to spit out. She hoped her whole face wasn’t as red as Jordan’s ears, but she thought it was.

  Jordan didn’t answer.

  But Priya had gotten this far. She wasn’t taking silence for an answer. “So, are they right? Do you, um, liiiike someone?”

  “Yeah,” Jordan admitted. “I don’t know if you need all that iiii. But yeah.”

  “Is it the person you keep staring at?” Priya asked. She couldn’t ask if it was her. She just couldn’t. Not without barfing. “At the barbeque and tonight at dinner?”

  “Yeah.” Jordan ran his hands through his slicked back hair, eyes locked on Priya, waiting to see her reaction.

  Alex was right. It was time for Priya to face the truth—Jordan liked her, liked her in a boy-girl way.

  She felt as if a big chunk of earth was dropping out from under her feet. As if any second she was going to go into freefall. Jordan couldn’t be her best friend if he liked her that way. And how was she going to survive without him?

  What exactly was she supposed to do now?

  chapter FOUR

  “Up, up, up! Everybody up!” Grace exclaimed.

  “We have ten more minutes,” Gaby grumbled. “And I want to be asleep for all of them.”

  “It’s the day of the D.C. trip, you guys!” Grace insisted. “How can you stay in bed?”

  “I can’t. I want to check my suitcase one more time to make sure I put in all the essentials,” Valerie said, throwing off her covers.

  “I thought you already packed everything you own. Plus some of my stuff,” Sarah joked.

  Priya sat up in her bunk and yawned. She’d slept for about five minutes. She’d spent the rest of the night trying to figure out how to deal with the Jordan crisis. And she still had no clue.

  Becky stepped around from the sectioned-off area of the cabin where she and Sophie slept. “I see I’m not going to have to use my crowbar to get anyone out of bed today.” She grinned. “Is something special happening?”

  “D.C. trip!” Grace, Sarah, Abby, and Valerie yelled.

  “Woo-hoo!” Alex added.

  “Oh, right,” Becky said. “Speaking of the trip, here’s the deal with the hotel. Our bunk is dividing into two rooms. Sarah, Brynn, Alex, Priya, and Valerie, you’ll be in 704 with Sophie. And the rest of you will be next door in 706 with me. Everyone from camp will be on the same floor.”

  “Cool, we’re going to rule the place!” Alex pumped her fist in the air.

  “Yes, we are,” Becky agreed. “But we’re going to do it without disturbing the other guests.” She glanced around the room, making sure to look every girl in the eye.

  Priya didn’t have to worry that. The only way she might disturb anybody is if one of the extreme challenges accidentally got a little loud. But there wouldn’t be any challenges on the trip unless she could somehow figure out a way to make everything normal with Jordan again.

  “You should all have
signed up for your activity choices by now,” Becky continued. “Some of the activities have tour guides, but guides or not, there will always be at least two Lakeview chaperones with every group. Sometimes you might have me or Soph, but if not, there will always be someone from camp with you if you have any problems. I don’t have to tell you to listen to them like you listen to me.”

  “And maybe a little better than you listen to me!” Sophie added as she joined the group.

  “So, it’s breakfast, then bus—” Becky began.

  “Then Washington, D.C., here we come!” Valerie yelled.

  Priya had been looking forward to this trip since the minute it had been announced. But now when she thought about D.C., she thought about a situation she had no idea how to deal with. A big, icky, and, yeah, scary situation.

  Priya climbed on the bus. The bus to the big icky scary.

  Her mother was big on self-help books and Dr. Phil to help her deal with her problems. Priya didn’t have any self-help books on her, and Dr. Phil wasn’t on the bus. But Natalie was, and Natalie had been going out with Simon since last summer. Two summers with the same boy. That had to make her a relationship expert, right?

  Priya didn’t know Natalie that well. But Priya was desperate. She rushed down the aisle, threw her backpack in the overhead rack, and threw herself down in the seat next to Nat.

  “Hey, Priya,” Natalie said, sounding a little confused. “Actually . . . I was kind of saving that seat for Simon.”

  “I know,” Priya answered. “I mean, I figured. But I need help. I need you to be my Dr. Phil.”

  Natalie laughed. “Should I start pulling out a bunch of my hair? Or can I be your Dr. Phil without the almost-bald part?”

  Priya forced herself to smile, even though nothing seemed funny to her today. “All I need is the good advice part.”

  Simon headed toward them. “Can you find someplace else to sit—just for a little while? Priya and I need to talk,” Natalie asked.

  “Okay.” Simon continued past them and grabbed a seat a couple rows back.

  “Thanks,” Priya said.

  “Hey, I love to give advice. What’s more fun?” Natalie joked. “It’s a lot better than getting it. So what’s the up?”