Holly's Heart Collection Two

by Beverly Lewis

  NO GUYS PACT

  Chapter 12

  Andie leaped out of her chair when I returned with her music folder. She hugged me. And…whoosh! My hair came tumbling down. Again.

  “Oops, sorry,” she said, giggling.

  “No problem.” I redid my bun.

  Andie held the music folder close. “Where’d you find this?” she whispered.

  “It’s a long story.”

  Mrs. Campbell glanced up, nodding. “Everything okay?” she asked, coming over to our table. I had been gone quite a while.

  “I’m fine, thanks.”

  She scrutinized my half-woven basket, then looked at me a little too sympathetically. “If you hurry, hon, I think you might be able to finish your project today.”

  “I’ll try,” I said, smiling. The smile was really for Andie. I’d retrieved her music. A triumph!

  When the teacher left to help someone else, Andie whispered in my ear, “Tell me everything.” I should’ve known she wouldn’t give up easily.

  “Todd Stillson found it in his cabin,” I said, enjoying the sound of Todd’s name on my lips.

  I couldn’t help but notice Andie’s bewildered frown.

  After crafts class, we waited for Mr. Keller to arrive for choir. Jared, Danny, Stan, and a bunch of kids from Buena Vista started showing up. Todd came, too.

  All of us in Cabin B sat on one side of the stage area, which also doubled as the platform for chapel services. We women were sticking together, all right. Making a statement.

  My hair kept coming loose, and it was really starting to bug me. And how awful that it had to happen in front of Todd.

  Andie offered an idea. “As a favor from one friend to another, I’m gonna chop your hair off tonight…while you’re asleep.”

  “You wouldn’t!”

  “Maybe, maybe not,” she teased.

  Recapturing something as ordinary as a music folder had completely rejuvenated my friend. As for my stolen hair tie, well, I didn’t dare think about it, or I’d come uncorked.

  The side door opened, and Mr. Keller burst into the room. He motioned for Andie to move to the piano. I watched her take her seat and arrange her music. I was certain that she’d never follow through with her threat. Besides, she was such a heavy sleeper.

  Reaching up, I touched my hair. Maybe I could braid it later, do something to make the ends hard, to keep it from unraveling. Elmer’s glue might be a possibility, I thought. Glue washes out.

  Mr. Boyce showed up, and while he spoke with Mr. Keller about our Sunday chapel performance, I wondered if he might have some extra rubber bands floating around in his office. Surely he wouldn’t mind offering assistance to a damsel in distress. The more I thought about it, the more I knew it was something worth pursuing. I would pay the camp director an impromptu visit right after choir.

  Mr. Keller and Mr. Boyce stepped outside, and Jared took advantage of the moment.

  “Psst, Holly!”

  I turned around without thinking.

  A pink flash!

  Jared waved my hair tie in midair. Then, in a split second, it disappeared back into his pocket.

  “How immature,” Paula scolded.

  “We really shouldn’t have looked at him,” I whispered to her.

  “In keeping with the pact we made, you’re right,” Paula said. “Ignore is the key word.”

  By now Kayla and Amy-Liz were leaning forward in their seats, trying to hear what Paula and I were saying.

  “We’ll discuss this later,” I assured them. The six of us—Andie was sitting prim and proper at the piano—leaned back in our chairs. Almost on cue. That synchronized motion surely had Jared and Danny wondering by now. In fact, the guys were beginning to lose it. Todd, however, looked more confused than amused.

  Jared whispered that my hair looked like something out of Little Women.

  I didn’t flinch or move a muscle. A little respect would’ve been in order about now. After all, we were in the area where chapel services were held. Where worship and praise were given to God.

  “Hey, Holly!” Jared called to me again.

  I kept ignoring him.

  “We’ve been talking about you. And we were wondering…” He paused dramatically to get everyone’s attention. “Did you happen to notice that a flying saucer has landed on your head—complete with antenna?” He meant the bun and the pencil poked in it.

  There was rousing group laughter now. And out of the jeering crowd I heard, quite distinctly, my stepbrother’s voice.

  That Stan, I thought sadly. He’s just as rotten as the rest of them. Humiliated, I wanted to melt into the floor. But I kept my cool and refused to look at Jared. Or at any of the rest of them. I didn’t even look at Todd, who hadn’t joined in the laughter at all.

  Paula reached over and touched my arm. “Don’t pay attention to them, Holly-Heart,” she said. “Your hair’s beautiful no matter how you fix it.”

  I smiled. Leave it to Paula to comfort me. What a good friend she’d turned out to be. I felt more confident than ever about the pact. SOS was working! My sisters and I were in agreement—a unified front.

  When Mr. Keller returned, he allowed us to stay seated for the first song. “It’s good to see so many of you here,” he said without cracking a smile. “Mr. Boyce tells me that we should have two choir numbers prepared for Sunday morning.”

  He went on to remind us not to chew gum, talk when he was talking, or sing like a soloist. “Blending is everything.” He adjusted his wild purple tie. “I don’t need thirty show-offs. If you want to make a statement, sign up for horseback riding, please.” His face broke into a wide grin. “Any takers?”

  No one.

  The question was designed to weed out smart alecks on the first day of practice.

  “Good! Now, sing as though your life depends on it,” he shouted. “Because it might.”

  We laughed along with him. That was Mr. Keller. He spoke precisely what was on his mind. The nice thing about people like that is you always know exactly what’s expected. Exactly where you stand.

  As for standing, we lined up when we sight-read the second song. I stood proudly with my Sisters of Silence, ignoring Jared, Danny, and Stan. Billy Hill was missing. Evidently, he was out riding a horse…making a statement.

  After choir, we had fifteen minutes before afternoon devotions. My sisters were headed off to the rest rooms when I explained that I was going to hunt down some rubber bands.

  Mr. Boyce’s office was housed in a former boys’ cabin. The exterior was even more rustic than the other cabins, and I noticed several chairs lined up on the porch. Apparently the counselors had gathered there for their meeting.

  I felt strange marching off in the direction of the camp director’s cabin. Jared seemed uneasy, too, when I passed him standing near the flagpole. I made a point to walk with determination—straight for Mr. Boyce’s office.

  “Holly!” Jared called to me. “Let’s talk!”

  Oh, yeah, Wilkins. Not on your life.

  Suddenly it dawned on me why Jared might be so concerned. Maybe he thought I was going to report him for taking my hair tie. This was perfect.

  “Holly!” Jared said again. “Wait up!”

  I chuckled to myself. Jared was playing right into my hands.

  He caught up with me. “Where’re you going?”

  I spun around. “Where do you think I’m going?”

  “Hey, relax,” he said, taking a step backward. “This is camp, remember?”

  “I remember, all right,” I said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to see Mr. Boyce.”

  He glanced anxiously at the camp director’s office just ahead. “C’mon, Holly, lighten up.”

  “Later.” I pushed past him.

  “Wait, you’re not gonna—”

  “Not gonna what?”

  “Listen, Holly, will you drop this if I give your hair thing back?”

  Bingo!

  I turned around, holding out my hand silentl
y. Jared reached into his pocket and pulled out my pink hair tie.

  Looking around, I hoped my sisters weren’t watching. Extended conversation. The words pounded my brain.

  Here I was less than two hours into the pact, and I had already broken the first rule.

  Twice.

  NO GUYS PACT

  Chapter 13

  “Happy now?” Jared asked me.

  I ignored him, trying to make up for the pact rule I’d already fractured.

  He cleared his throat. “Uh, Holly, could I ask you a favor?”

  “Nope.”

  “C’mon. We’re still friends, aren’t we?”

  “That depends.”

  “Look, I think you could be a little, uh…”

  “What?” I snapped.

  “A little friendlier” came the reply.

  “Forget you.”

  “Why?” he asked. “What’s going on?”

  “None of your business.” I turned, clutching my hair tie, and ran across the grassy area toward the path leading to the girls’ rest room. At last I could get rid of this crazy hair bun!

  I heard a group of kids laughing and talking as they came up the slope from horseback riding class. Several girls from Buena Vista were there, along with Billy Hill.

  I darted inside the bathrooms, yanking the pencil out of my mound of hair. Like a waterfall, my hair cascaded around me. So much for bun head!

  Luckily, my cabin sisters were still there. They’d finished washing up, and now they were primping in front of the mirrors.

  “Look, everyone.” I waved the hair tie at them. “I got it back!”

  They crowded around me, buzzing. “How did you do it?” Andie asked.

  I peered under a few stalls. “Anyone else here?” I asked. No way did I want outsiders overhearing what I was about to say.

  “It’s just us,” Amy-Liz piped up.

  “Good.” And I told them what I had done.

  Shauna and Joy listened intently as I told my tale. Kayla and Paula stopped combing their hair and stood spellbound, brushes in hand. Andie looked on with ever-widening eyes.

  “But,” I concluded, making a face, “I feel bad that I had to break the pact to get my hair tie back. I said I wouldn’t have any extended conversation with a boy, and—”

  “Well, you didn’t talk to him that long!” Shauna interrupted.

  “Besides,” Amy-Liz chimed in, “you had to get your hair tie back.”

  “And in a decidedly clever manner!” Paula observed.

  My Sisters of Silence were so sweet and forgiving that I began to calm down and feel better. Until Andie spoke up.

  “Okay, enough sympathy,” she said, clapping her hands briskly. Her dark eyes were fixed on me. “Holly broke the very first rule of our pact. It’s not the end of the world, but it should never happen again.”

  I looked around, hoping to get some support, but they all looked down at their shoes, refusing to meet my gaze. The Sisters of Silence were too silent. Here I was, supposedly on friendly—sisterly—turf, having just suffered a tremendous blow to my self-esteem, and Andie sounded like she was threatening to kick me out of my own secret society.

  “I know I’ll do better next time,” I said. Just then Todd’s smiling face flashed into my mind. Would I be able to keep from talking to him next time?

  The girls’ solemn faces told me I’d better—or else.

  NO GUYS PACT

  Chapter 14

  The bell rang for devotions at that precise moment, so my pact-breaking transgression was forgotten in the rush to the main hall. Danny was seated behind the pulpit with Mr. Boyce and Pastor Rob. I nudged Andie, rolling my eyes. “Look who’s going to preach,” I joked. “It’s Pastor Danny.”

  Sure enough. After Mr. Boyce opened with prayer and Pastor Rob led us in a few songs, Danny stood up and gave a high-and-mighty exposition on a verse in Ephesians—about becoming mature in the faith. I sure hoped Jared was paying attention.

  Todd was sitting two rows in front of me. His hair was charmingly messy. I could tell he wasn’t a guy who was always checking himself out in a mirror. Not like Jared—Mr. Vanity himself.

  Then I caught myself. C’mon, Holly, I scolded. Ignore the boys—all boys. Cute and troublesome alike.

  The secret society must come first. Besides, there’s always next summer, I thought, proud that I was sticking to my resolution.

  After chapel, Todd came up to me. “Hey, Holly,” he said, falling in step with me.

  My face grew warm.

  “Last one to Cabin B’s a poached egg!” Andie announced as we approached the front entrance.

  Amy-Liz, Shauna, and Joy dashed off, leaving the Miller twins and me behind. They gave me a searching glance. I could tell they’d noticed Todd with me.

  “Let’s go,” I shouted, thankful for a graceful excuse to ignore Todd. Speeding up, I forced myself to match strides with Paula and Kayla. They had been on the track team during spring semester and were still in great shape.

  The thing that slowed me down was the steep slope leading to our cabin. At last, exhausted from lack of sleep and too winded to go on, I slowed down. That’s when I saw Rhonna.

  She was coming out of the camp office, and her eyes were red. Had she been crying?

  “Hey, Rhonna,” I said.

  She smiled a little. “How were devotions?” she asked. But I could tell she was making small talk.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She nodded quickly, then shrugged her shoulders. “Well…no, I guess I’m not,” she said. “Truth is, I was just talking to my mom. She and my dad are going through a pretty nasty divorce.”

  “Oh,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Your parents are divorced, right?” Rhonna asked. I had explained my weird family situation during the introduction time.

  “Yeah. It was really hard for me,” I said. “But that was a long time ago.”

  She had a faraway look in her dark eyes. “The only thing that seems to help these days is running. I get up early and jog till I drop. Every day.”

  I hardly knew what more to say, even though she seemed so open and friendly—not nearly as adult and distant as I’d expected.

  “Maybe your parents will work things out,” I offered—the fantasy I’d entertained in my own mind and heart for many years.

  “No hope of that, Holly,” she said softly. “Unfortunately.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  She nodded, adjusting her red cap. “So am I.”

  That seemed to end our conversation—at least that aspect of it. Now I knew what had drawn me to her earlier. Now I understood the pain in her eyes. I determined to keep the information private. Just between the two of us.

  When we arrived at the cabin, Kayla was applying mascara to her already dark lashes. Joy and Shauna leaned into the wall mirror like Siamese twins attached at the shoulders.

  Andie was obviously ready for supper; in fact, it appeared that she couldn’t wait another minute. She reached under her bunk and pulled a blueberry muffin out of a shoe box.

  Not surprised, I watched her hide her stash of leftovers under her bed. “You’re not hoarding food, are you?” I teased.

  She didn’t seem to mind. “It’s just in case I get hungry in the middle of the night.”

  Reaching for my brush, I unbraided my hair, brushed it out, then rebraided. Since the cabin was a bit crowded, I went outside and sat on the porch, waiting for the rest of the girls.

  Rhonna sat on the porch, too, Bible in hand. I didn’t know if she was preparing for our evening devotions—or finding some comfort in her situation. I let her read quietly.

  I thought of the secret pact and wondered what Rhonna would think of the drastic measures my Sisters of Silence and I had taken.

  The supper bell rang. Five-thirty.

  Rhonna closed her Bible, then gave me a sweet “don’t-worry-about-me” smile. It seemed that reading God’s Word had helped.

  “Girls!” she cal
led, clapping her hands together.

  When we’d all gathered on the porch, she announced, “We’re going to have fun tonight. We have plans to get all of you interacting with one another.”

  Andie looked at me, frowning. “Like how?”

  “You’ll see,” Rhonna said secretively.

  “Tell us!” we girls shouted, swarming her.

  Rhonna wrinkled her nose. “Among other things, you get to pick someone you don’t know and spend ten minutes talking to that person.”

  I groaned inwardly. This could be real tricky for the SOS! The rest of the girls stared wide-eyed.

  “What?” Rhonna said, raising her hands. “Did I say something wrong?”

  Andie rolled her eyes. “Oh no. Nothing at all.”

  Rhonna looked surprised. Probably at the lack of enthusiasm from us and the sarcastic way Andie had responded. “C’mon, girls, here’s your chance to meet some new guys,” she prodded, obviously thinking we’d be overjoyed at the thought.

  Guys? Right.

  The mere mention of the word made us sick.

  NO GUYS PACT

  Chapter 15

  At supper, we filled up one whole table. We took our sweet time eating, chattering about the events of the first day at camp. But we avoided any mention of the pact since Rhonna was sharing the meal with us.

  But we certainly did ignore the boys—in spite of their continuous attempts to get our attention. All through supper, Stan, Billy, Danny, and of course, Jared kept watching us.

  Once, Danny strolled past our table, obviously going out of his way to get seconds. Not one of us spoke as he waved, smiled, and then…frowned. Andie nearly choked trying to keep a straight face.

  To make the boys even more curious, we got into a string of joke telling.

  Andie got us started. “What did the upper denture say to the lower denture?” she asked.

  Kayla bit. “What?”

  “We’re going out tonight,” Andie said.

  “O-o-oh, Andie,” the girls groaned. “Sick joke.”