Hide and Shriek #14

by Melissa J Morgan

  “I’ll go with you, man.” Spence jumped up, rubbing some twigs and leaves off the butt of his cargo shorts.

  The two trotted off. Jenna slid a glance over at Priya, who was looking a little goony as she watched Spence go.

  “Ca-yute,” Jenna drawled.

  Priya giggled. “It’s weird to start liking a guy I used to argue with about whose farts lit better.”

  “It’s weird to start liking guys, period,” Jenna replied.

  “This is true.” Priya took a bite of potato salad.

  “Very true.” Jenna sipped her bug juice.

  David came back a few minutes later with his hamburger, but no Spence. Jenna looked at David questioningly, but he gave her a frown and shook his head, clueless about what she was asking him. So as nonchalantly as she could, she turned her head and gazed at the food line, then at the kids gathered by the redwood picnic tables, sitting on the ground under the pine trees and on the large boulders.

  She found Spence.

  He was leaning forward with one leg propped on a boulder, his plate empty, his face lit up like he had just found out that he had won the lottery. And he was talking to a girl. But not just any girl.

  He was talking to Chelsea!

  Chelsea sat on the boulder with her plate balanced on her knees. Spence said something and she covered her mouth with her fingertips, threw back her head, and laughed.

  Stunned to the roots of her highlights, Jenna drew in her breath and turned back around. Priya had no idea that potential disaster had struck. She had not seen Spence with Snark Girl. Innocent and unsuspecting, she was still eating her potato salad.

  Jenna had to process this. Spence: a guy who was officially in like with Priya, or at least, had been last summer, flirting with Chelsea.

  Back to the Guys Are Weird equation, she thought. Oh, yeah.

  “Are you okay?” David asked, peering at her.

  Priya looked at her, too. Red alert, red alert. Jenna had to come up with a distraction right here and now. She did not want Priya to see Spence flirting with Chelsea. Surely the boy would come to his senses in the next thirty seconds and get his twig-free butt back over here.

  “Oh, well, you know, it’s a little awkward, um, about you and me,” she said to David, covering her shock with the first thing that came to her mind. Which was not the best thing. Yikes! Delete that convo, Bloom!

  “What?” he asked, blinking his gorgeous but clueless eyes.

  Why did I start this? “Well.” She took a breath. “You know, Sarah and all.”

  He blinked at her again. “What about Sarah?”

  Priya went back to eating her potato salad, as if to give them privacy.

  “Because . . . you and she . . .” She trailed off, suddenly discovering how fascinating the grass was.

  “Sarah and I broke up,” he said simply, “because I like you. And she was fine with that.”

  “Um. Right.” The grass was green. Very green.

  David peered at her. “And? Aren’t you fine with it?”

  “Um, well, I just want to make sure the other girls are okay with it.” Green and a little slippery, actually.

  “The other girls?” She could hear his bewilderment. “What does that matter . . . why . . . ?”

  Pasting a smile on her face, she gave her hand a wave as if to erase the entire humiliating discussion. Which she desperately wanted to do. Little bits of grass fluttered to the ground like flat green snowflakes.

  “Never mind,” she said. “It’s girl logic.”

  “Okay.” He shrugged. By his blank, untroubled expression, it was obvious that he was not only okay with it, but that he had already moved on past it. “So,” he said. “Did you know that your brother can stuff six hot dogs into his mouth at the same time?”

  Priya guffawed.

  Beside the lake, the shadows lengthened and the campers started trickling away, heading for their bunks to work on their electives and digest way too many cookout delicacies. Chelsea discovered that Gaby had snagged the last hot dog on the grill even though Chelsea had called dibs on it. After she denounced Gaby’s wretched thievery, she started pouting.

  Priya heaved a quiet sigh. No one, absolutely no one, could pout like Chelsea.

  But in this case, Chelsea’s pouting was a good thing. Because as soon as she thrust out her lower lip, Spence drifted back to Priya. Priya’s stomach did a little flip when he asked if he could sit on the grass next to her, and then it tied itself in a knot. He had spent a long time talking to Chelsea. A long time. What the heck was up with that?

  He can’t like her, can he? If we don’t like her, then how can he?

  But of course she couldn’t ask him about it. She couldn’t ask him if she had been imagining things or if he had gone blind or insane. One of the rules of girls liking boys was that you did not discuss your competition. If you had competition, you pretended you didn’t know about it.

  But Priya knew. Boy, did she know. And if she hadn’t known, Chelsea’s smug grin would have informed her, thank you very much. Not.

  Spence left to go with his bunk—5B—and Priya’s bunk climbed back up the hill to the cabin. Priya’s stomach was full of way too much potato salad; her mind was full of questions; and she got more and more nervous trudging up the hill. If Chelsea started talking about Spence like they had a thing, Priya really would hurl.

  The tall pines threw shadows across the path and Priya stood for a moment in the relative coolness of the shade. She tilted back her chin and closed her eyes. Her forehead was sweaty and she wished she didn’t feel so sick.

  She got the distinct feeling that someone was watching her, and she hoped it was Spence, seeking her forgiveness for his complete insanity and lack of taste. But when she opened her eyes, there was no one there.

  I could have sworn . . .

  Priya shrugged and headed back up to the cabin.

  Once everyone had returned, Belle assigned chores and everyone picked bunks. Chelsea and Gaby both wanted the same top bunk, and they spent so much time arguing over it that all the other top bunks got called. So Belle solved their dilemma by tossing a coin, and Chelsea won. Now it was Gaby’s turn to pout. She was very impressive. Maybe Spence would start liking Gaby now, too.

  Next, Clarissa began the process of assigning everyone their electives. Priya was one of the first to go and she got both her choices, nature and newspaper. Given how hot the weather was, she was glad she hadn’t asked for sports. One by one the others met with the CIT, and Gaby got what she wanted—arts and crafts and nature—while Chelsea wound up in drama and photography, neither of which was her first choice. Priya couldn’t help her pathetic joy at seeing Chelsea’s disappointment.

  As a result, Chelsea kicked up her pouting a notch. No one said anything, but maybe it was the presence of two world-class pouters in the same bunk that had an effect on everyone else. Priya could feel the tension in the dying sunlight, and as she finished unpacking and putting her clothes away in her cubby, she saw a lot of frowns and heard a lot of sighs.

  After that, they went down for dinner, and Priya thought that many of the other campers in the mess hall seemed as grumpy and short-tempered as 5A. Usually the first dinner was a riot of high spirits, laughter, and bunk cheers created on the spot. Bunks tried to goof one another—putting salt in the bug juice, planting plastic spiders in the meat loaf, and sure, there was some of that.

  But it wasn’t the usual wacky hijinks. Instead, people picked at their meals, complaining that it was too hot to eat heavy food like meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and gravy, especially after the cookout.

  During dessert—room temperature canned fruit cocktail—Dr. Steve, the tall camp director with thinning blond hair, rattled off a ton of announcements, very few of which interested Priya; then he concluded by declaring that the traditional campwide play would be The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Some of the campers woo-hooed and pumped their arms, but Priya thought it was a strange choice. The story of the Headless Horseman might be
too scary for the little kids, especially the new campers who were away from home for the first time.

  “I’m trying out for Katrina,” Tori announced. “She’s Dutch. I’ve got the look!” She gave her blond hair a toss.

  “Maybe I’ll try out, too,” Natalie said. “Katrina can be a dark-haired Dutch girl.”

  “I’m going to audition, too,” Gaby said, scowling. “I’ll give the Hollywood Brats a run for their money.”

  Beneath her Malibu tan, Tori paled a little at the dis, but Natalie took Gaby’s cut in stride. “There can be three Katrinas,” she said. “We can be the Flying Katrinas!”

  “Whatever,” Gaby muttered, scooping up fruit cocktail.

  “Brynn will get it if she auditions,” Chelsea said. “She always gets the good parts.”

  “Nuh-uh,” Brynn said, looking flattered. “After all, Grace got Wendy.”

  “That was a fluke,” Gaby said. “Besides, she won’t be here in time to audition because she flunked another class.”

  Priya winced. She didn’t know how Gaby had found that out, but Grace had asked her friends not to share the fact that she’d failed English. As far as bunk-wide chatter was concerned, that was to be kept on the down-low.

  “Well, I’m sure Grace will get that class aced and be up here in time to help with the play,” Priya said.

  “Won’t that be nice,” Gaby said, rolling her eyes.

  Dinner finally ended. Darkness crept across Camp Lakeview as 5A lugged themselves back up the hill. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the air lay thick and heavy. Priya wondered if Belle would cancel their hike.

  But no. Within minutes, everyone gathered outside the bunk beneath the full moon. Priya’s spirits rose a tad. She loved hiking at night. It was a very camplike thing to do.

  “Now don’t forget. Everyone needs to remain silent as we walk, so we can hear what’s out there,” Belle said. “It’ll take some time for your eyes to adjust to the darkness, but after a little while you’ll be able to see. Just in case . . .” She flicked on an enormous black flashlight. The beam cast a wide angle of light as bright as day.

  They started hiking. The pines rose into a blurry sky—no stars, no moon, just clouds. An owl hooted. No one spoke. The only sounds were their footfalls and the occasional hooting of an owl. Jenna edged up to Priya and Priya nodded at her.

  “Spence likes you, Priya,” Jenna said in a low voice. “You know he does.”

  Priya managed a weak smile. “You saw, huh? It wasn’t just my imagination?”

  “I saw him talking to her. That’s all I saw. And I saw him leave her and come sit with you.”

  “Yeah, but she was lording it over me with that smug grin on the way back to the cabin,” Priya pointed out.

  “She’d lord it over you if she got the last cherry half in the fruit cocktail,” Jenna insisted. “Even though she’s on record as hating them.”

  Priya smiled gratefully at her friend. She was beyond thankful for the backup.

  Maybe this summer’s going to be all right after all, she thought.

  Across the lake, Jeremiah tipped his binoculars toward his eyes. It was hard to do with just one arm. “I wonder what she’s doing.”

  “You’ve got it bad,” Dan said, grinning at his friend.

  “I just hope she does, too.” Jeremiah lowered the binoculars and gazed in frustration at his friend’s dinghy. There was a thick crack along the running board.

  “I don’t think we’re going to get it fixed tonight. We’d probably be wasting our time, anyway.” He gazed at Shadow Lake as the fog wafted over the surface. “The lake’s quiet.”

  “Too quiet,” Dan said.

  “Hey, Tori,” Priya whispered as Belle led the bunk into a gulley. Her sneaker came down across a dry twig with a snap, and Tori jumped. “Are you okay?”

  “I keep having a funny feeling,” Tori whispered back, “like someone’s watching us.”

  “Well, Clarissa’s behind us,” Priya pointed out. “And Jenna’s over there, and—”

  “No, not like that,” Tori interrupted her. “Like . . . Cropsy.”

  “You need to tell me that story,” Priya said, a hint of excitement shading her words. “Or maybe not, if it’s freaking you out so badly. Did Jenna check in with Adam to see what he remembered?”

  “I don’t know,” Tori said. “She didn’t mention it and I forgot to ask her.”

  “Girls, please,” Belle remonstrated as she walked ahead of them. “This is a silent hike.”

  “Sorry,” Priya whispered. She gave Tori’s arm a little squeeze. “It’s okay,” she mouthed, but she wasn’t sure that Tori could see her face.

  In the distance, thunder rumbled.

  “We should go back,” Tori murmured.

  “It’s okay,” Priya said, out loud this time.

  “Because it’s going to rain,” Tori went on.

  As if on cue, a platinum flash of lightning zigzagged overhead. The sky broke open, and rain poured down.

  The girls shrieked wildly, covering their heads and darting toward overhanging pine boughs, crashing into one another and stumbling in the dark.

  Flicking on her powerful flashlight, Belle waved it above her head.

  “Stay calm! It’s just rain. Let’s walk back to the cabin.”

  But people were already charging back the way they had come. Tori zoomed on ahead, but Priya slipped on a rock and minced forward very carefully.

  “Go slowly!” Belle insisted. “Walk in my flashlight beam.” She aimed her flashlight at the splattered ground.

  “Hey, Priya,” Alyssa said, catching up to her. “I brought my rainproof windbreaker. Let’s share.” She hoisted the windbreaker over their heads. The rain was coming down so hard that the windbreaker didn’t do much good, and soon Alyssa and Priya were slip-sliding in mud.

  “Easy does it,” Belle called after them. “Go slowly, girls. Take your shoes off before you enter the bunk.”

  They really weren’t very far from the cabin, and soon Alyssa and Priya were stamping their muddy shoes on the porch with about five or six other girls. Alyssa held the windbreaker over Priya while she unlaced her sneakers.

  “I am soaked,” Alyssa announced.

  “Tell me about it.” Priya grimaced and yanked one sneaker off. Her wet sock clung to her foot.

  Then Priya heard shouting inside the cabin.

  “Whoa,” Alyssa said. “What is that?”

  Priya yanked her other sneaker off. Alyssa did the same. Natalie held the door open as she crossed the threshold first, and Priya and Alyssa tumbled in after.

  “You tripped me!” Gaby yelled at Chelsea. She was coated from head to toe in dark brown mud, her eyes wide and furious in a mask of coffee-colored goo.

  “I did not,” Chelsea insisted, her mouth working to stay relaxed. Then she burst into giggles. Waving her hand in front of her face, she turned her back, struggling to stifle her laughter.

  Gaby did look pretty funny. Priya screwed up her face, trying not to laugh; then Alyssa, who was also straining to keep a straight face, caught her eye and they both burst into guffaws.

  “Oh, you think it’s funny?” Gaby yelled, whirling on them.

  Natalie joined in, then Brynn. The cabin was filled with laughter.

  “You people are evil!” Gaby shrieked. She stomped around the cabin, leaving a trail of muddy footprints and splatters of mud on the floor. “Stop laughing at me!”

  “It’s just mud, Gaby.” Jenna combed her fingers through her sopping wet hair. “Lighten up.”

  “Mind your own business, Jenna Bloom!” Gaby shouted.

  “Hey! This bunk is my business.” Jenna dropped her hands to her sides. “And I have to live with you for two months! So stop all the ’tude and start acting like a human being or—”

  “Or what?” Gaby asked, crossing her arms and raising her chin.

  Then, as Priya watched in astonishment, Jenna marched over to her bed, which was a lower bunk, where she had laid out some
midnight candy “supplies.” She picked up a handful of Skittles and threw them at Gaby. One of them hit Gaby’s shoulder, but the rest rat-a-tatted onto the floor.

  “Or . . . that!” Jenna cried, and she looked just as surprised as Gaby that she had done it.

  “You brat!” Gaby bellowed.

  “You’re the brat, Gaby!” Priya shouted without thinking. She was shocked. It just came out.

  Something blew after that. Girls started shouting and yelling; and someone threw a pillow; and Gaby walked right up to Jenna and wiped mud all over the shoulder of her white T-shirt—

  —and the door slammed open, hard.

  “What is going on in here?” Belle thundered. Her black hair was plastered against her head, and her white face looked like a skull. She had her flashlight in her hand.

  Everyone was quiet for a moment. Then Gaby pointed a trembling finger at Jenna.

  “She started it.”

  “Look what she did to my T-shirt!” Jenna’s voice shook as she gestured to the mud on her shirt. “This won’t come out!”

  The whole bunk talked at once again.

  Belle reached over to the light switch and flicked off the lights. It worked; as 5A was plunged into darkness, all conversation ceased. Priya heard another roll of thunder, and the tapping of the rain on the roof.

  Beside Priya, Candace sniffled. “I want to go home,” she said.

  Me too, Priya thought.

  Belle said in a very soft voice, “That’s better. Now, I’m turning the light back on. And then we’re cleaning this place up, and then we’re going to talk.”

  After everyone showered and hung up their wet clothes, and Chelsea, who had floor duty, cleaned up the mud, Belle ordered them to sit in a circle on the floor. Walking around the perimeter with her arms folded over her chest, she informed them that they had better shape up.

  At Belle’s prompting, Chelsea apologized to Gaby for laughing at her, but not for tripping her, insisting that she hadn’t done it and it would be a lie to say she had. Gaby almost started yelling all over again, but Belle told her to settle down.