by Jen Calonita
"Did you sign with one?" another girl asked.
"Not yet," Ashley said quickly. "I'm still trying to decide who I like best. They all seem to want me, you know?" Ashley thumbed the girl next to her's blue shirt. "Cute tee, Candace!"
"Thanks," the girl said shyly. "You really like it?"
"Absolutely," Ashley said sounding chipper. "Old Navy, right? I have the exact same one. Well, the designer version. Mine is Juicy."
"Hey," a blond girl said to me as she jogged over and stood next to Em. She looked buff and super tan, but I got the feeling it came from being the outdoorsy type rather than a tanning bed queen. Her whole look screamed sporty. "I'm Grace," she said. "Are you the new CIT?"
"Yes, I'm Sam," I said.
Grace was staring at me intently. "Do I know you from somewhere?" she said. "Do you play field hockey?"
"That's exactly what I said!" Em nudged Grace in the ribs. "I feel like we've met before."
Oh no. They'd seen it. Any second now they were going to figure it out. I searched the group for Hunter. He was standing a few feet away throwing and catching the dodgeball into the air as he talked to a few other guys. Start the game, I begged him silently. Before they realize that I'm --
Grace gasped. "You're that girl from the Dial and Dash commercial!"
Shoot. I glanced around. Grace was so loud, people looked over to see what the fuss was about. Including Hunter, and Ashley and her group, who had turned around and were suddenly listening.
"That's right!" Em seconded. "I love that commercial."
"It's so genius," agreed Grace. "Your cell phone dies and you can't call your boyfriend to say good-bye before his trip," Grace narrated as a small crowd started to gather.
"And so you swim through that river, jump over a building, and steal a motorcycle all so you can get to a store that sells a Dial and Dash phone so you can call him immediately," Em finished excitedly. The two of them looked at me expectantly. "That was you, right? Did you do your own stunts?"
There was no denying it now. "That was me," I said and people began to murmur. "But I didn't actually leap over a building or ride a motorcycle."
Stupid Dial and Dash moment. There were hundreds of commercials on TV every day, but for some reason the one I made, stuck. I liked making video diaries that were just for me, or video messages for my friends. I never wanted to be the next Jessica Alba.
"That was the best commercial," Grace gushed. "So are you a model?"
"No," I said quickly and sighed. "It's a long story, but the short version is that I did this low-budget test video for my mom's company. It was part of an advertising pitch they were making to Dial and Dash Phone. The actress they hired dropped out last minute so my mom enlisted me. No one was supposed to see it but the Dial and Dash people. But when they did, they loved it so much they wanted to shoot the commercial for real. The catch was, I had to be in it. I can't even get up in front of class to make a speech or read a report so it was kind of terrifying. But it was the only way my mom's company could get the deal so I caved."
"Lucky you," Ashley interrupted. Her arms were folded across her chest and I could tell she was taking me in from head to toe. "I'm Ashley," she said with a bright smile. "I'm actually a real model and actress. I've done some commercial work myself."
"Sam," I said for what felt like the tenth time today. Ashley was staring at me so intently I felt uneasy.
"Ash, isn't that commercial the best?" One of her friends nudged her. "I loved the part when you jumped the building," she said to me.
"She didn't actually jump," Ashley interrupted. "Didn't you hear her?"
"Stunt double," I told the girl.
"Have you ever done anything else other than that one commercial?" Ashley asked. "Because the business is tough, you know. I've been working for years and --"
"You made a commercial, Ash?" her friend interrupted.
"For the Pines, yeah," Ashley snapped.
"But a national commercial?" the girl asked again.
"You guys ready to play?" Hunter interrupted the increasingly awkward conversation at the perfect moment. I had almost forgotten he was standing nearby the whole time. Now he knew my dirty little secret. Hunter had the dodgeball under his arm and he was grinning at me.
"Yes!" I said a little too loudly.
"Great," Hunter said. "I like a newbie who's ready for action." I tried not to blush.
Ashley and the girls dispersed after that, and I walked onto the field and continued to stare at Hunter and his cute, tight butt, covered in navy nylon shorts, as he walked in front of me. "Hunter, wait! Time!" A girl on the other team said and waved him over to talk. I stared at Hunter's bare, sweaty back as he ran. That's when I heard a low groan.
"Oh no. I know that look," a guy next to me said.
I looked left, then right, and then realized the guy was talking to me. "What look?" I asked him before I actually turned to face him, which was probably good considering he was beyond cute. He had slightly curly short brown hair that fell in his blue eyes and he reminded me of a Jonas Brother -- tall, thin, and dark-haired. He was wearing red nylon shorts and a white T-shirt that was already muddy. I could make out the outline of his toned abs and muscles through the slightly sheer shirt and I quickly looked away and then couldn't help looking back again.
He gave me a sly grin, revealing a dimple in his right cheek. "The look that all the girls here get when they're falling for Hunter Thomas," he pointed out.
I inhaled sharply. "I'm not falling for Hunter." I folded my arms. "I was actually looking at the other team. I'm just trying to scope out our competition."
He laughed. "Whatever you say," he said. "I'm Cole, by the way, not that you'd notice when you're drooling over Hunter."
"I wasn't drooling," I said, feeling a swell of indignation. I had no idea my Hunter infatuation was so obvious. What if Hunter overheard Cole? I'd seriously pass out right there and they'd have to play over me. "I do not like him, okay?" I seethed.
Cole looked at me curiously. "Good," he said softly.
Wait. What? "Why? I mean, what do you care?" I asked.
Cole shrugged. "The truth is, a girl like you could do a lot better than Hunter."
"What makes you say that?" I had to know.
"Maybe I'm wrong, but you look normal. And nice." Cole said. He had an arrogant grin on his face that I wanted to wipe off. "Nice girls with potential acting careers have a lot more going for them than to spend their summer fawning over Hunter."
"I'm not an actress," I pointed out. I guess Cole had overheard our conversation too. "I'm anything but."
"You could be," Cole said. "People flipped for that commercial. I bet Hollywood came banging on your door."
"They did," I admitted without thinking. I usually didn't tell people that. "But I wasn't interested. I'm not. I really don't . . ." How could I explain it? "I'm not one for being the center of attention," I said. "I like to help people, and I like to get involved, but I don't really want to be the star." Wow. I had never really told a stranger that before.
Cole shook his head. "I get it," he said, "but I have a feeling that you're going to be one around here. Hunter is going to be all over that."
We both looked over at Hunter, who had finished talking to the girl from earlier and was now leaning on two short CITs, laughing. Why wasn't he starting the game already? I wanted all these awkward conversations over with. "Don't get me wrong," Cole added. "I like the guy. He's a decent friend to other dudes, usually, but to girls, well . . ."
I was starting to feel defensive of my crush. "He's friendly," I said.
Cole sighed. "He is friendly. Too friendly, and I feel it's my duty to warn you that he's also a major flirt and a serial dater. He loves hitting on CITs because he knows it will never go any further than that."
I looked at Hunter again. I didn't see anything particularly flirty about him, even if he was talking to two CITs. Cole moved closer to me then and I took a step back. Wow, his eyes really were u
nreal. They were as blue as the cloudless sky, and he had long eyelashes that I would have killed for.
"Don't fall for Hunter Thomas, okay?" Cole told me, sounding serious, instead of just teasing, like before.
Em already told me we couldn't date counselors and besides, I hadn't come to camp to find a boyfriend. "Don't worry, I won't," I assured him.
"Good." Cole looked satisfied. But why?
"Game on!" Hunter yelled, interrupting my thoughts.
I hadn't taken more than two steps to get into position when the unthinkable happened.
BOOM!
The dodgeball smacked me in the face, dizzying me. The next thing I knew, my flip-flops were slipping on mud. I tried to regain my balance, but like a movie in slow-motion I felt myself slide backward. I was falling into the muddy grass below me and I couldn't stop myself. I felt a sharp thud, then blinding pain in the back of my head. I closed my eyes before the dizziness could take over and groaned.
What a way to make a first impression.
Read the rest of
Sleepaway Girls
Coming May 2009
