by Jen Calonita
Grace blushed. "I guess I could try that."
"Me too," said Em. "Not the honesty thing. Just the talking to guys thing." I barely heard that last part because she said it as she yawned.
It must have been contagious because I started to yawn too. I looked down at my watch. Was it really 1 AM already? We had to be up in six hours. Gulp.
"Em, I think your problem is you're too busy reading about romance to notice a real one blossoming right in front of you," I told her. "Dylan likes you."
Even in the low light, I could see Em's face turn red. "I don't think so."
"He does, Em!" Grace agreed. "He's always buying you stuff at the canteen."
"He said he's got all this money to spend and he won't be able to finish it," Em protested. "He bought Court a cone last week too."
"That's only because I begged him to," Court pointed out. "He offered to buy yours. Talk to him, Em. He won't bite."
Em shook her head. "How do you know so much about boys?"
Court shrugged and took a piece of apple. "Boys and friendships are the only things I'm good at."
"I don't believe that." Grace spoke with a mouth full of cake. "I think you pretend your life is all about boys because you don't want anyone to see the real you. You've got talent, Court. I've seen it. The year you designed our costumes for the talent show was our best year ever. And the murals you painted last summer were gorgeous."
"I was just playing around," Court mumbled.
"There's nothing wrong with being known for more than one thing," Grace said lightly. "You might surprise yourself."
"Okay, you're bringing me down," Court said with a sigh. "We're supposed to be having fun, not analyzing each other." She cranked up the radio and started singing along with Danity Kane.
"Dishing about our issues is important," Grace said loudly.
I heard a door slam shut and I let out a scream. The four of us looked at each other nervously. Em dove under the table. Court shut off the radio. Grace started clearing the food. I fumbled to put my recorder away. I zipped it into my backpack just before the kitchen doors swung open. If it was Hitch, or Beaver, or even Meg, we were so dead.
"Up kind of late tonight, ladies?" Hunter said with a sly grin. He was in a thick navy hoodie and jeans with flip-flops.
Hunter! He didn't look mad, but still. We'd been caught after curfew breaking into the mess hall. The color drained from Grace's face. My hands felt clammy.
"Are you going to turn us in?" Em asked as she slowly came out of hiding.
Hunter laughed. "For what? Doing what I always do? Nah. But I would suggest you pick someplace other than the kitchen for your next girl talk. This is kind of an obvious meeting place."
Court raised her eyebrows and looked at me. "Girl talk?"
Did Hunter hear us? Did he hear me talking about Cole? I felt my face get hot.
"No problem," Grace said as she quickly tidied up and pushed Em and Court out in front of her. She motioned to me to move. I was still rooted to my spot. "You won't even know we were here. And thanks, Hunter, for not telling on us."
Hunter grinned and then took the leftover bowl of apples from Grace's hands. "Don't mention it. Oh, and a word to the wise -- when you sneak back into your cabin tonight, try not to let the porch door squeak. That was always a dead giveaway for me."
"Got it," Em said nervously.
The four of us filed out. I was the last one to walk past Hunter. I tried not to make eye contact with him, but I could feel him staring and I looked up. He winked at me.
"Sweet dreams, champ," he said. "I hope they're of me."
11 Swimming Lesson
Taking my campers to the lakefront for swimming lessons should have been the easiest CIT assignment I had. What could be better than spending a hot afternoon in the water? But when you're dealing with six-year-olds, nothing is ever easy.
"SAM! Serena said she gets to jump in the water first, but you promised yesterday that I could," whined Mackenzie as we threw our beach towels on the hot sand and everyone began pulling off t-shirts and flip-flops.
"It's not your turn, it's my turn!" said Bridget, who proceeded to clench her fists into tight balls. "You're a fibber!"
"If Mackenzie goes first then I get to be the first one Donovan practices with," complained Serena, who stomped her feet in protest.
"Donovan said, Donovan said, I, I, n-need ex-extra help practicing my b-breathing!" interrupted Callie, a redhead whose face was as tomato-colored as her swimsuit. When she was nervous she stuttered.
Suddenly all eight peeps were yelling at once, and then they started shoving. Serena grabbed Mackenzie's pigtails and began to pull.
"Not again," I groaned. Yelling at the girls never worked. I needed two people to break up a fight, and Alexis was at the main office dealing with some paperwork. What was I going to do? I heard someone laughing and turned around. Donovan was standing two feet away. That gave me an idea. I ran over.
"Hey, Sam," Donovan said, chuckling. "Having a rough day?"
Court's crush was cute, and the Aussie accent only added to his dreaminess, but I didn't have time to drool. I reached for the whistle around his neck, pulled him toward me and blew into it as loudly as I could, trying not to laugh at the shocked look on Donovan's face. The girls stopped their fighting at once.
"If you guys don't cut it out immediately then NONE OF YOU are going swimming today," I told them sternly. Serena immediately started to sniffle. Swimming was her favorite activity and she would hate to miss it. Everyone else was quiet. "That's more like it." I smiled. "Now if you all file behind me, we'll head down to the water and all walk in at the SAME TIME. Then Donovan will decide what activity you do first. Understood?" They all nodded.
"Nice one, mate," Donovan said admiringly. "I can take it from here."
"Are you sure? I know there are a lot of them," I told Donovan. "If you want me to help you I can." Even though Donovan ran the class, I always offered to help out. I felt guilty sitting on the sand watching him work.
"I've got it," Donovan insisted. "I'll call you over in a minute." He smiled. "Oh, and if you see Court later, tell her I said hi."
"I will." I tried to suppress a grin. Court was going to flip when she heard that.
I walked back toward the pile of my peeps' discarded towels and began to tidy up. After I laid them all out on the sand, I pulled off my sweatshorts and tank top. I had my shirt over my head when I heard voices.
"Thanks so much for the invite, Ash," someone said breathlessly. It sounded like one of the girls from 8A. "I'm beyond excited!"
"This is going to be your best sleepover ever," said another. "I can't believe your dad is letting you hire a DJ and we're playing Guitar Hero and having mani/pedis done."
"Since I'm stuck with a lame January birthday and you guys aren't around, Daddy had to do something spectacular to make up for it," I heard Ashley say. "But remember -- my sleepover is supposed to be hush-hush. Daddy doesn't want people to feel left out."
I had to stop myself from laughing. Court said Ashley used this excuse every year and then she proceeded to tell everyone at camp about her party anyway.
"So how many girls were invited?" someone asked.
"Ten," Ashley said. "You girls in 8A, of course. A few marshmallows who are so eager to come they'll do all the grunt work for the bash, and then Gabby."
By this point, I had my shirt off, and was trying my best not to be noticed. I was halfway to the water's edge when I realized I had forgotten a hair tie and had to go back.
"You didn't invite your other bunkmates?" I heard a girl ask.
"Are you kidding me? Those geeks? I barely speak to them," Ashley sniffed. "Especially since, you know, they have so many issues."
"What kind of issues?" another girl asked.
"I shouldn't say." Ashley sounded serious. "It would be rude of me to talk behind their backs." The girls started to beg. "Okay, but this is strictly confidential," she said not a second later. "Courtney has
daddy problems and is always sneaking out to hook up with guys. Grace is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She so can't handle the strains of being a CIT. And Emily Kate, well, let's just say she's too boring to even discuss." Ashley laughed. "Then there's Sam. She's bizarre. She's always going off on her own and no one knows where she goes. She's trying to fit in, but the truth is no one in our bunk even talks to her." Her voice dropped to a whisper, but I could still hear her. "She's a complete outcast."
My blood was pumping. I didn't want an invite to Ashley's stupid party, but when she blatantly lied about my friends, I had to say something. Ashley was still talking when I approached her group and the girls saw me before Ashley did. "Hey," I said, startling her. I was smiling broadly. "How are you doing, Ash?"
"Oh, hey, Sam." Ashley looked nervous. It was the first time I'd ever caught her off guard.
"I thought I'd see if you wanted to borrow any sunscreen." I held up my bottle. "We all know how red you get if you don't put it on." I looked at the other girls. "She looked like a lobster the other night and we did all we could with concealer, but it didn't help." I was surprised at how good my jab sounded.
"I've got my own sunblock, thanks," Ashley snapped and gave me a tight smile. "But since we're being all friendly, I should probably tell you something." She looked me up and down. "I think your bathing suit shrunk. It's kind of tight around the belly." She made a face. "Unless you've gained weight. I mean, you have eaten an awful lot of carbs lately. It's not surprising. Since it's your first year at camp, you don't know how to eat right, but don't worry, sweetie, I'm sure no one other than me even noticed your tire." A few of the girls giggled. My face flushed.
"Sam? I could really use your help over here," I heard Donovan yell from the water. The girls were all splashing around so much I could barely see him.
"Sure," I said, not looking at Ashley. My brief moment of confidence was gone and all I could do was meekly retreat. "Talk to you guys later," I mumbled.
"I hope so!" Ashley sang.
As I approached the water, I turned around and saw Ashley and her posse huddled deep in conversation on their matching hot pink towels. Court called Ash's friends the Beach Blanket Brigade because they always placed their towels on the same spot on the beach, and if anyone else tried to sit there, they threw a fit. Apparently the location of towels was pretty important at the lakefront. Me, I could care less where I threw my towel, just as long as it was there when I got back.
"So what are we doing?" I asked Donovan when I had made my way into the water. The girls were all holding on to the dock as they waited for further instruction. There were ropes that enclosed the shallow and the deep ends and two lap lanes were roped off for free swim. As much as I liked doing laps, I couldn't face the thought of doing them in a lake with water so murky you couldn't see the bottom. Grace swore the lake was clean, but I was freaked out by the possibility of brushing against a fish while I swam.
"Practicing our breaststroke," Donovan said, and made the motion with his muscular arms. Even the six-year-olds took notice. "Why don't you start working with each girl one by one?"
"Sure," I agreed.
The class moved quickly. I helped Mackenzie practice floating on her back, worked with Callie on swimming underwater, and helped Serena with her breaststroke. Donovan used me as his assistant to teach the girls what to do if they were having trouble in the water and how to signal him. Then Donovan pretended to rescue me and bring me back to shore. I couldn't help but keep looking back at Ashley and her buddies, but it was growing harder and harder to see them. The lakefront had gotten pretty crowded with other classes and even the roped-off section of the water was full with other lifeguards teaching lessons.
"I think you guys are getting pretty good at your breaststroke," Donovan told the peeps. "I want you guys to remember we're having a swim test next Friday." The girls groaned. "I'll be around during free periods to help anyone interested in practicing for the exam." This caused Mackenzie to giggle. The girls may have only been ages six to eight, but they could spot a hottie when they saw one. Donovan looked at his watch. "We have ten minutes left. Want to play a game of Marco Polo?" Everyone cheered.
"Mind if we join you?"
I turned around and Cole was wading into the water. He was shirtless and wearing navy swim trunks. I tried not to stare, especially since Cole seemed to be staring at me too. At least I thought he was. The thought of that only made me blush more.
"The more the merrier, mate," Donovan told him.
"We're a little early for free swim," Cole said as he strode over. "Hunter is on his way down, but it's just me and the rug-rats right now." Cole's peeps were already splashing rowdily behind him.
"No worries, join in," Donovan said.
"Hey," Cole said to me. There was something about being in a state of undress and standing next to Cole that was making me really nervous. "How's your day going?"
"Good," I managed to say. "Yours?"
"Better now," he said with a sly smile. "Have you been over to the arts and crafts shack with the peeps yet?" I shook my head.
"Warning," Cole said ominously. "They're using glue today, and lots of it. Caleb dumped a bottle all over the floor."
"I don't know why they let them do projects with it at this age," I said. "Last week, Serena glued her hand to the table. I had to find nail polish remover to get her loose." Cole laughed.
Once Cole and I started talking about anything other than us, our conversations flowed. That sometimes made me think it would be easier if I just thought of Cole as a friend, but I couldn't. I was starting to like him. A lot.
"I'm It first," Donovan interrupted. "Game starts now!"
Marco Polo was always fun to play, but it was especially fun now that Cole was in the game. When it was his turn to be It, he tackled me in the water and all I could do was laugh. When I was It, I actually managed to get Donovan. A few of Cole's peeps were really good too -- either that or they were cheating by keeping their eyes half open -- while only one of my girls (Serena) managed to avoid being It.
Afterward, our whole group headed back onto the beach to dry off. Cole's group had lessons, but Donovan needed a five-minute break to make a phone call and no one was allowed in the water without a lifeguard present.
The girls ran for their towels, but stopped short when they saw Ashley and her posse sitting nearby.
Serena pointed at Ashley and stared. "You're the girl in the video."
"That's me. How are you doing?" Ashley said in her friendliest sugary-sweet tone. It always made her sound like she was campaigning for office.
"You're on all the camp stuff my mommy showed me at home too," Callie said in awe. You'd think they'd just met Hannah Montana the way they were staring at Ashley. All of my girls crowded around her. Ashley started to get up and stuffed her towel in her beach bag. She threw a cranberry-colored terry-cloth dress over her bathing suit.
"I do the video every year," she told the girls. "I'm actually an actress/model."
"Have we ever seen you on TV?" Serena asked.
Ashley stuttered for a moment and a giggle escaped my lips. She glared at me.
"Sam's been on TV," Mackenzie piped up and Ashley only turned redder. "She's been in a commercial and everything. She's famous. Everyone at camp knows her." I was trying not to laugh. I glanced at Cole and he winked at me.
"So I've heard," Ashley snapped and quickly put on her flip-flops.
"The Pines video isn't on TV, but Sam's commercial is," added Callie. "Sam told us all about how she made it so I know."
A smile spread across Ashley's lips. "Did she now? Then I'm sure Sam told you how she was cast in the commercial."
I just looked at her. What was she getting at? Cole was toweling off behind me and I was trying not to get distracted.
"It's not like Sam was hand-picked or went to a huge audition and was discovered," Ashley said solemnly. "Unlike me, who producers and casting directors ask for."
"Producers ar
e asking for you?" One of the girls from 8A asked. Ashley ignored her.
"Sam was in that commercial because her mommy works for Dial and Dash Phone," Ashley told my girls.
A sickening feeling took over my stomach. I'd always been honest about this. Maybe too honest. I had told the whole story to Ashley myself on the first day of camp. But with my peeps I had glossed over this detail, mostly because it seemed too complicated for them to understand. Cole knew the truth, but I hated having him hear it said in such an ugly way by someone as vindictive as Ashley.
"I guess the company didn't have the money to hire someone on their own so they wound up using the demo they shot with Sam for the national commercial."
"That's not true," I said shakily. I hated bragging about Dial and Dash, but I wasn't going to let Ashley drag my name through the mud in front of my peeps.
Ashley continued to ignore me. "You guys have seen the other Dash commercials, right?" My girls nodded. "Why do you think Sam isn't in them? They didn't want her."
"That's enough, Ashley," I said. "That commercial was a hit. They did want me, but I didn't want to do more commercials." Even if I wanted to say something cold about Ashley's career at that moment, I couldn't do it in front of my peeps and she knew it. Ashley had the upper hand once again.
"You don't have to be defensive, Sam. I'm just telling them the truth." Ashley shrugged. "That's what a good counselor does. They don't lie to their charges." She grabbed her beach bag and pulled it onto her shoulder. "See you, girls." She walked away with her friends. I could hear them laughing.
"Is that true, Sam?" Mackenzie asked. "They didn't want you for more commercials?"
"It's complicated, Mackenzie," I said, grabbing her towel and handing it to her. "But the short version is that everyone liked the first commercial a lot and I had a lot of fun making it."
"Just ignore Ashley," Cole whispered in my ear and I felt my body stiffen. I could smell his gum. Today it was grape. I breathed it in. "She thrives on being evil."
"It suits her well," I said. I was afraid to move.
