Jenna's Dilemma

by Melissa J Morgan

  Satisfied that they had switched up enough of the newbies’ stuff to be confusing, Jenna slapped her hands together and turned around. Now for the best part: the beds.

  “You guys do Natalie and Chelsea,” Jenna said. “I’ll get Alyssa’s. The top bunks are always harder.”

  “This is going to be so great!” Grace said as she tore the sheets off Natalie’s bed. “I can’t wait to see their faces.”

  Jenna grinned. For the first time all day she was in a perfectly giddy mood, and there wasn’t a thought of diving or siblings or anything else in her mind. There was nothing like a good prank to cheer her up.

  That night, Jenna’s heart pounded as she crawled into bed early and stayed near the edge, all the better to see the action. No one had noticed anything before dinner, and right after eating they had all gone to Classic Game Night in the main cabin. Sitting through several rounds of Coke and Pepsi, playing Red Rover with the guys, and watching the first-years go nuts during the Duck, Duck, Goose tournament had seemed to take forever. All Jenna wanted to do was see how Alyssa, Natalie, and Chelsea reacted to their initiation. Now, it was showtime.

  Jenna caught Alex’s eye as Chelsea went over to her cubby. She had to slap her hand over her mouth to hide her smile as Chelsea dug through the stuff that clearly wasn’t hers. “Hey! Has anyone seen my diary?” Chelsea asked.

  “No,” Natalie said, pulling a few things out of her own cubby. “Have you seen my monogram pajamas?”

  “Why would I have seen those?” Chelsea asked as Alyssa stepped up behind her.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you have my paint set in your cubby,” Alyssa said, whipping the tin out and holding it up. “What are you doing with this?”

  Jenna buried her face in her pillow to keep from laughing. She could hear Grace and Brynn in the bathroom, wheezing for breath as they listened in.

  “I didn’t take your paints,” Chelsea replied. “You must have put them in the wrong cubby.”

  “Wait a minute. Whose is this?” Natalie asked, pulling a black T-shirt out of her own cubby and holding it up between two fingers.

  “That’s mine, too!” Alyssa exclaimed, grabbing it away. “What’s going on around here?”

  Chelsea stalked over to Alyssa’s cubby, pushed some things aside, and pulled out her diary. “Oh! And you accused me!” she shouted at Alyssa. “Who said you could read my private thoughts?”

  “Trust me, I didn’t even know you had thoughts,” Alyssa said flatly.

  Natalie cracked up laughing, but Chelsea just blinked as the joke went over her head. Jenna pounded her fist into her bed, practically crying, she was laughing so hard.

  Then Chelsea finally got the insult and started shouting at Alyssa, who shouted right back. Natalie jumped between them, trying to calm them down, but it soon grew into a three-way fight.

  “All right! All right! What’s going on in here!?” Julie said, storming in from the porch, where she had been talking to another counselor.

  Natalie, Alyssa, and Chelsea tried to explain all at once, and Julie’s face gradually broke into a smile. She glanced from Jenna to Alex to Brynn and Grace, who were now standing in the bathroom doorway. All of them shrugged innocently.

  “I don’t know what’s so funny!” Chelsea said to Julie. “Alyssa’s a thief!”

  “Girls! Girls! Calm down!” Julie finally said, holding up her hands. “I think you’ve officially been initiated.”

  “Welcome to bunk 3C!” Jenna and the other girls shouted, gathering around the newbies, cheering and clapping.

  Natalie and the others looked stunned. “What?”

  “Sorry, Nat,” Jenna said, looping her arm around her friend’s shoulder. “It had to be done.”

  “She’s done it to all of us,” Val explained.

  “Except for the ones who started with us the first year,” Alex explained.

  “You’re one of us now!” Grace shouted, hugging all three of the newbies in turn. “Congrats!”

  Finally, Natalie, Alyssa, and Chelsea all seemed to get what was going on and started to smile.

  “Omigod! I was ready to kill Alyssa for taking my diary,” Chelsea said, covering her mouth.

  “Not before I killed you for taking my paints,” Alyssa replied, laughing as well.

  “I still don’t know where my pajamas are!” Natalie mock-whined.

  “Here!” Jenna shouted, pulling them from the back of Alyssa’s cubby and tossing them to Natalie.

  “All right! Now let’s everyone get to bed!” Julie announced. “The fun’s over, and it’s time for lights-out. You can sort your stuff out in the morning.”

  Everyone groaned, and Natalie, Chelsea, and Alyssa quickly changed into their pajamas. Jenna and the other veteran campers climbed into bed and waited. Julie only thought the fun was over.

  Natalie pulled back her blanket. Alyssa climbed to her top bunk. Chelsea fluffed her pillow. And then they all shoved their feet in under their sheets.

  “Hey!” Chelsea exclaimed.

  “What the . . . ?” Alyssa said.

  “You guys!” Natalie wailed.

  “Short-sheeting!” Jenna, Alex, Brynn, and Grace shouted, tossing their pillows toward the new girls.

  And then, no matter how much Julie protested, the pillow fight of the century was launched.

  “Okay, Jenna, what scares you the most about diving?” Marissa asked as she, Jenna, and Alex stood on the edge of the beginner’s pier again the following afternoon.

  “Everything,” Jenna replied.

  “It can’t be everything,” Alex said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Okay, fine. I just don’t get how you’re supposed to go headfirst,” Jenna said, gesturing toward the water. “The water is so far down. And doesn’t it hurt?”

  “It doesn’t, I promise,” Alex said. “You just need to do it.”

  Jenna was starting to get tense with Alex breathing down her neck. It seemed like her idea of helping Jenna was standing there telling her to just do it. She was like a walking, talking Nike ad. It was a good thing Marissa had offered to help. If the CIT hadn’t been there, Jenna probably would have given up by now.

  “Okay, how about this?” Marissa said. “Why don’t you try jumping into the water feetfirst? You can do that, right?”

  “Everyone can do that,” Jenna said with a scoff, stepping to the edge.

  Marissa reached out and touched her arm before she could jump. “But this time, I want you to pay attention to your feet. Really think about how your feet feel when they hit the water, okay?”

  Jenna blinked. Think about her feet? Was Marissa losing it? “Um . . . okay,” she said.

  She jumped off the platform, closed her eyes, and concentrated on her feet. They hit the water, Jenna felt the splash, and then went under. The water rushed up around her, refreshing and cool. Jenna smiled as she swam back up to the surface. She really did love to swim. If only she could just avoid the diving.

  “Well?” Marissa asked.

  “Well what?” Jenna replied, paddling over to the ladder.

  “Did it hurt? Did your feet hurt when they hit the water?” Marissa asked.

  Jenna paused as she climbed, thinking about it. “No.”

  “So if it doesn’t hurt your feet when they go in first, it’s not going to hurt your head, especially when your hands are breaking the water first,” Marissa said happily.

  “Wow. She’s good,” Alex said.

  Jenna couldn’t have agreed more. Marissa definitely had a point. Why would diving hurt any more than jumping?

  “Okay, but what if I hit a rock?” Jenna asked, pulling her wet bathing suit away from her stomach to make the sucking sound she loved and then letting it go.

  “Did you even hit the bottom of the lake when you jumped in just now?” Marissa asked.

  Jenna felt her face flush slightly. “Um . . . no.”

  “Well then you’re not going to hit it when you dive,” Marissa told her. “Besides, the
re are no rocks down there. It’s all sand.”

  “Swear?” Jenna asked.

  “Cross my heart and hope to never wear eyeliner again,” Marissa said. She crossed her heart with her finger and held up a flat hand like a Girl Scout.

  “And for her, that’s serious,” Alex said.

  Marissa and Jenna laughed, and Jenna walked to the edge of the platform once more, looking down. Suddenly, the water didn’t seem as far away. Her stomach was still full of nervous butterflies, but for the first time, she felt like she might actually be able to do this. Marissa had done it when she was scared. Even Alex had told her that she had been a little frightened on her first dive. If they could both do it, why couldn’t she?

  Jenna turned to Marissa and Alex with a smile. “Okay! I think I’m gonna—”

  “Hey, Marissa!”

  Jenna’s face fell when she saw her sister Stephanie walking the planks toward them. She was wearing her new pink tankini and her hair was back in a perfect French braid.

  “Hold that thought, J,” Marissa said.

  “What are you guys doing out here?” Stephanie asked, slipping on her Hollywood-style tinted sunglasses.

  “We’re helping Jenna with her diving,” Alex announced.

  Stephanie looked at Jenna sympathetically. “Oh, yeah, I heard about that, Boo.” She stepped over and gathered Jenna’s hair behind her head, running her fingers through it like Jenna’s mother always did when Jenna was sad. Who did Stephanie think she was, Jenna’s personal babysitter? This whole mothering thing was worse than ever this summer. “Anything I can do?” Stephanie asked. She stuck out her bottom lip slightly like she was talking to a pouting baby.

  “Yeah. Stop calling me Boo,” Jenna replied, stepping out of her sister’s grasp.

  “Oh, right! Sorry!” Stephanie said with a quick smile. She didn’t actually seem sorry at all. “Listen, can I borrow Marissa for a sec? It’s kind of important.”

  “Sure,” Jenna said, mostly because Stephanie was already dragging Marissa aside.

  “So, we need to talk about the social,” Stephanie said.

  “I know!” Marissa said. “We have to decide on wardrobe, makeup, and, most importantly—”

  “Guys!” Marissa and Stephanie said at the same time, then giggled like a couple of crazy people.

  Jenna and Alex looked at each other and rolled their eyes. It seemed like all the older girls talked about was which boys they liked and which boys liked them. Didn’t they know there were about a million more important things in life? Like the fact that five seconds ago, Jenna had been ready to announce that she was going to take her first dive. Marissa was helping her with the most embarrassing problem of her life, and Stephanie had stolen her away. To talk about what? Stupid boys!

  I’m never going to be able to dive now, Jenna thought, staring down at the water sadly. The moment of confidence had passed. She was back to being petrified. What had she been thinking?

  “Hey! Here come the newbies,” Alex said.

  Natalie and Chelsea jogged toward the pier, both practically bursting, they were so excited.

  “Omigod, you guys! You are never going to believe what just happened!” Natalie said, grabbing Jenna’s arm. “Simon asked me to the social!”

  “And Eric asked me!” Chelsea exclaimed.

  Jenna’s and Alex’s jaw dropped. “What?” they both said in unison.

  “I can’t believe it! We have dates for the social!” Natalie trilled, grinning.

  “Why?” Jenna asked. It was the only word in her head. “I mean . . . why?”

  “What do you mean, why?” Chelsea asked with that superior look on her face. “It’s a dance. You have to have a date for a dance or it’s no fun.”

  “Uh, none of us has ever gone with dates before, and we always have fun,” Alex said.

  “Well, maybe things are going to be different this year,” Chelsea replied.

  Jenna could not believe it. Dates for the social? What was wrong with these girls? Why would they ever want to spend time with boys voluntarily? Jenna was forced to spend time with her brother and his friends all the time and it was just plain annoying. Plus, they were newbies and they were acting like the social was their thing. Like they knew how to make it fun. They had never even been to one before!

  “Here they come!” Natalie whispered. “Act cool.”

  “Great. And your uglier half is with them,” Alex joked.

  Ugh! Could things get any worse? Adam, Simon, and Eric were all walking toward them, and Adam had that look on his face. That self-satisfied look he always got when he was feeling proud of himself about something. What had he done now, dove off the high dive?

  Nat and Chelsea walked up to meet the boys and stopped a few feet up the pier. Alex shrugged and joined them while Adam stepped up to Jenna at the edge of the planks.

  “Hey, Jen,” Adam said. “Why so bummed? No date for the dance?”

  “Like I want one,” Jenna said. “Wait. Don’t tell me you have one.”

  “Uh . . . no. No ball and chain for me,” Adam joked. “So if it’s not a guy, then what’s with the face? You’re all scrunchy.”

  “I don’t know, it’s like all anyone can talk about is the social. Like it’s so important. Look at Stephanie,” Jenna grumbled, glaring at her sister and Marissa over her shoulder. “Marissa was helping me out, and Stephanie came over to discuss wardrobe and guys or whatever and now it’s like I’m invisible.”

  “You could never be invisible!” Adam said. “Especially not in that bathing suit,” he added with a laugh, eyeing her yellow and pink Hawaiian-print tank.

  “Shut up!” Jenna shot back.

  “Okay! Okay!” Adam said. “God! Freak out a little more, why don’t you? What’s the big deal?”

  Jenna glanced at Stephanie and Marissa, laughing and whispering. The big deal was Marissa was supposed to be hanging out with her. But once again one of her siblings had to come along and ruin her afternoon for her. And now Adam was here to rub salt in the wound. “Just forget it,” Jenna told Adam.

  “Well, if you want help with your diving, I can help you,” Adam offered.

  Like I really want my twin brother coaching me. How humiliating, Jenna thought. “Thanks, anyway,” she said.

  “Come on, Jen, I’m already at blue level,” Adam said. “I can help.”

  “Oh, you’re so cool,” Jenna said, annoyed. “You’re already at blue level.” I would kill to be at blue level, she added silently.

  “I’m sorry I’m ahead of you, all right? But if you don’t learn how to dive, you’re going to be stuck back here in yellow while the rest of your friends move on to green and blue,” Adam said.

  Like I don’t know this, Jenna thought, heat prickling at the back of her neck. Why couldn’t everyone just leave her alone? Why did they have to keep reminding her of what a failure she was?

  I want to call Mom, Jenna thought, then felt like a big baby. Her mother had plenty of other things to worry about this summer. She didn’t need her daughter calling her up to whine about diving like she was some kindergartner.

  “Come on. I’ll practice with you,” Adam said.

  Why did everyone feel the need to push her? All it did was make her feel worse. Jenna had to get out of there before she did something embarrassing. Like burst into tears. Thinking about her mother had already made the hot prickling move into her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of everyone.

  “Thanks, anyway, but I . . . uh . . . I kind of need to go to the bathroom right now,” Jenna said, backing up. It was the first excuse that came to mind.

  “Jenna—”

  “Really, Adam,” Jenna said, turning. She was so frustrated, and somehow, even with all these people around, she felt really alone. “I gotta go.”

  She turned and jogged to the beach, grabbing up her board shorts and flip-flops from the end of the pier. Jenna would have loved to have run back to the bunk and cry her eyes out, but she wasn’t allowed to leave
the lake area during free swim. Some of the girls from 3C were lounging over by the first-aid shack. Jessie and Grace both had their noses buried in books while Candace, Valerie, and Alyssa flipped through magazines. Everyone else was swimming in the shallow end, but she couldn’t face her friends when she was all red-eyed and upset. Instead, she headed for a huge oak tree behind the water sports cabin, which also housed the bathrooms. She dropped to the ground in front of it, pulled her knees up under her chin and hugged them to her.

  I am so sick of my brothers and sister, Jenna thought, burying her face behind her legs. Next year I’m going to a different camp. Or better. I’ll make Mom and Dad send all of them to a different camp.

  “Jenna? Are you okay?”

  Sniffling quickly, Jenna was surprised to find Chelsea hovering over her. Had she actually left the precious boys to see if Jenna was all right?

  “I’m fine,” Jenna said grouchily.

  Chelsea tucked her blond hair behind her ear and sat down next to Jenna. After two weeks at camp, Chelsea already had a deep tan, and the freckles across the bridge of her nose were more defined. She was wearing a baby blue bathing suit that brought out the stunning color of her eyes. In fact, Jenna now realized that all of Chelsea’s bathing suits were blue, and for the first time she wondered if Chelsea had matched her eyes on purpose. Jenna looked down at her own bright suit. Matching her clothes to her eyes was something she never would have thought of doing. But that was Chelsea.

  “Hey, I’m sorry I picked on you the other day,” Chelsea said, putting her arm around Jenna. “I didn’t know it was such a big deal.”

  “It’s not,” Jenna replied automatically.

  “Okay,” Chelsea said quickly.

  They both stared at the ground for a moment. Jenna watched a trail of ants returning to their anthill in a perfect line.