Tara thought for a bit. “You’ll figure it out,” she said. “Just treat him the way you would want him to treat you.”
Then she stood up. “Now go on in and make your bed before you get in it,” she said. “I didn’t dock you today on the chores list, and I won’t as long as it’s done by bedtime!”
Maddie smiled. “Yes, chief!” she said, saluting.
Maddie went inside and neatly pulled up her sheets. She lifted up her pillow to fluff it, and her dad’s note slid out from under the pillowcase. Maddie sat on the bed, turning it over in her fingers.
Nobody else was back yet, the bunk was quiet, and camp was almost over. Maybe now was the time. She unfolded it and began to read.
Dear Madeline,
I hope you are having a great time at camp. Are you still boating a lot? I’ll bet you are such a great boater this summer. Be sure to get out on the lake as much as possible.
The world will change and go by plenty fast outside of camp, but inside all I want you to do this summer is have fun and enjoy it. Paddle slowly. Listen to the water. Look up at the sky. Feel the sun on your back. Be still, and when the current changes and when you feel the wind on you, you’ll be ready and know which way to point your boat.
You have great instincts, Mads, on the water and on land. I know that whatever you do will be the right thing when you trust your gut. I’ll be thinking of you always, Mads. I love you forever and a day . . . keep rowing your boat merrily along . . .
Love,
Dad
Maddie’s throat was tight. She folded up the letter and carefully slipped it back underneath her pillowcase. It was just like Dad to tell her exactly what she needed to hear at the exact right time.
I like Gabriel, Maddie thought. I really do. But I haven’t felt the wind or the current yet, and I’m not sure, just yet, which way I want to row.
chapter 19
“WE ARE THE CAMPERS OF CAMP WIMOWAY,
You can’t catch us ’cause we will swim away,
We run and craft and play games every day,
We are the campers of Camp Wimoway!”
The campers’ voices rose together as they sang the camp theme song. Around them, the smell of sizzling hot dogs and burgers filled the early evening air as the campers and counselors gathered outside to celebrate the last night of camp. Jim Lewis helped Mrs. Hancock grill burgers on a giant outdoor grill, while some campers roasted their hot dogs on sticks over the fire pits.
“I will never get tired of that song,” Emily said as she, Libby, and Maddie carried their food to the nearest empty picnic table.
“It’s ridiculous, but it’s catchy,” Libby admitted.
Maddie nodded. “Sometimes at home, I sing it in the shower,” she confessed, and her friends burst out laughing.
They sat down, and Emily bit into her burger. Maddie raised an eyebrow.
“Emily, is that a veggie burger?” she asked.
Emily nodded. “Number thirty-one. I have to admit, I kind of missed them.”
“I can’t believe this is our last night,” Maddie said, looking out at the velvet blue sky, where the first stars of the night were starting to appear. “It went so fast. I don’t want to go back!”
“I don’t know,” Libby said. “I mean, this was my first year coming for the whole summer. I kind of miss home.”
Emily nodded. “Me too. My mom said she recorded all fourteen episodes of Ultimate Craft Challenge for me. I miss TV!”
“But I don’t get to see you guys for a whole year,” Maddie pointed out.
“But we have technology at home,” Emily pointed out. “We can text and do a video chat.”
“Oh my gosh, what a good idea!” Libby squealed. “We have to tell Liza. Then the four of us could get together whenever we want. Sort of. You know what I mean!”
Maddie grinned. “Yeah, that would be nice.”
Emily stood up. “I need another veggie burger!” she announced, and then marched off to get one.
“What about you, Maddie?” Libby asked. “Another hot dog?”
“I’m full,” Maddie replied. She was actually more nervous than full. Tara had given her good advice, but every time she started to approach Gabriel since then, she had chickened out. Tonight was her last chance. But first she had something to say to Libby.
“Thanks for the tennis lessons,” she said. “That was really nice of you. I know you could have played with someone a lot better than me. But I really appreciate the help.”
“It was fun,” Libby replied. “Plus, you’re sooo much better than you were at the beginning of the summer. Your mom’s going to love it.”
Maddie got a little pang at the mention of her mom. Maybe she did want to go home after all.
Then she spotted Gabriel a few tables away, sitting with Brandon, Jared, and Scott. She had been waiting to feel the current, as her dad would say, to know which way to go, and now she finally felt it. She took a deep breath. “I’ll be back. There’s something I’ve got to do.”
Libby raised an eyebrow, but didn’t ask any questions as Maddie got up and walked over to Gabriel’s table.
“Hi, Gabriel,” she said, her heart racing. “Can I talk to you a minute?”
Brandon and Jared smirked.
“Go say good-bye to your girlfriend,” Jared teased, giving Gabriel a nudge, and Maddie saw Gabriel blush a little. He got up and they took a few steps away from the table.
“I wanted to apologize for the other night,” Maddie said quickly, before her courage left her. “I didn’t really know what to do or how to act. This year has been full of changes for me and next year will be too and right now . . . well, right now I just need things to stay the same for a little bit. I’m sorry if I acted like a crazy person.”
Gabriel smiled. “You didn’t act like a crazy person,” he said. They stared at each other for a moment. Then finally Gabriel spoke again. “I’m not sure what to do, either, Maddie. I like you, but there are quite a few changes in my life too. I’m nervous about camp ending and starting a new school and living so far away from my dad. And, you know, the whole living in a new country thing. Actually a new continent.”
They both laughed. “Well, welcome to your new continent!” said Maddie. “Changes are hard. I get it. And I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings the other night. When we stopped meeting at downtime I figured I’d really messed up.”
“I thought that’s what you wanted,” Gabriel said.
Maddie shook her head. “Not really,” she said. “I like hanging out with you. And I’m glad we talked about it before camp ended. I can’t believe it’s over already.” They were both quiet. Maddie realized that she wouldn’t see Gabriel for a whole year. That was weird. Would he be different next summer? And if so, how? Better? Worse? What if he turned into a jerk? Or what if she didn’t think he was cute anymore? Maddie stole a sidelong glance at him. No, she would definitely still think he was cute.
“Can I text you after camp?” Gabriel asked suddenly.
Maddie beamed. “Of course! I can help you if you have any questions about school in the states, or well, with anything else.”
“Excellent,” Gabriel said, smiling.
He leaned in for a hug, and Maddie didn’t back away. Her stomach did a flip-flop, but it was a fun one. Instead of feeling confused and anxious, she felt excited.
Hug number two! I can’t wait to tell Libby and Emily, she thought. And I’ve got to write to Liza!
“So do you think you’ll be back next summer?” Gabriel asked as they broke off the hug.
“Definitely!” Maddie answered. “For the whole summer!”
“Well then, I guess I’ll see you next summer, Madeline,” Gabriel said, his eyes twinkling.
Maddie giggled. “See you next summer, Gabriel. Good night.”
She watched him walk back to boys’ camp and every few steps he turned around and waved. She giggled and waved back. Next summer seemed so far away.
She stepped away and walke
d off, staring up at the beautiful sky. A bright white star was twinkling right overhead, and Maddie made her wish.
I wish that I can always remember how I’m feeling at this very moment right now.
And then she rolled back to the bunk . . . merrily.
Here’s a sneak peek at the next book in the series:
Lindsay likes Nick
Does he like her too?
Lindsay’s Surprise Crush
“DID YOU HEAR WHAT HAPPENED TO NICK LOPEZ?”
A tingle rippled up and down Lindsay Potter’s spine. She stared at her friend Rosie. “No! What? What happened to him?” she asked.
“You’ll never believe it,” said Rosie, lowering her voice to a whisper. Then she glanced at someone over Lindsay’s shoulder. “Oh! Look! Sasha got her hair cut!”
Lindsay turned, trying not to show her frustration, and smiled and waved at Sasha, who was just stepping off her bus to join the throngs of kids milling around and socializing on the first day of school. She turned back to Rosie, trying to keep her voice even and not sound too anxious. “What happened to Nick?”
“Oh! Right. Nick. Well, I heard from Chloe, who heard from Jenn, that he . . . ”
“Move along, girls, the bell’s going to ring any minute,” said Mr. Drakely, the teacher on morning bus duty. He was herding middle schoolers in the direction of the main school entrance. Sure enough, the bell rang a moment later.
“See you fourth period!” called Rosie, hustling up the steps, her new purple backpack bouncing on her back.
Lindsay’s thoughts were swirling as she made her way quickly to her locker. She knew just where it was—she’d had the same one last year, her first year of middle school. She spun the dial for her combination and wondered if anyone had managed to fix the sticky door over the summer. One yank told her no one had. Sigh. Another year with a sticking locker door.
Twang! The locker finally decided to open. She smooshed a few things into it and slammed it closed again, eager to get to homeroom to find out what had happened to Nick.
Nick was her best friend. They’d been babies together. Actually, their friendship was even older than that. Their moms had met in pregnant-lady-exercise class!
How could she not know what major catastrophe had happened to her best friend? True, they hadn’t seen each other since June. She’d gone off to visit her cousins in Cleveland for a week, and when she’d gotten back, he was already gone—first to baseball camp, then soccer camp, then some other kind of jock camp way out in the wilds of Maine, near where his dad lived. And when he finally returned, she had been gone again, first to music camp, and then driving her older brother up to college to help him move in.
Maybe Nick had broken his leg or something! She frowned. Maybe whatever had happened to him was the reason he hadn’t returned her texts last night. She’d texted him twice, once to tell him they were in the same homeroom, and then again to ask him if he’d heard the rumor that Mr. Bates assigned homework to his homeroom students. And he hadn’t responded. Was he in the hospital? In traction? No, he would have been able to text if he were in traction. Maybe both his hands were bandaged with second degree burns or something? She swallowed uneasily. What a way to start seventh grade.
She walked into Mr. Bates’s homeroom. The second bell had not yet rung, so kids were wandering around, chatting, hugging long-lost friends, and complimenting haircuts and new sneakers. She looked around the room quickly, trying to spot Nick. He wasn’t there. Maybe something truly terrible had happened to him!
She saw Jenn, who waved her over toward the desks near the window. She also saw some really tall new guy who was surrounded by kids. He seemed to try to catch her eye, but she looked away quickly. She could feel the worry creeping over her.
“Hey, did you see Nick?” a voice whispered from her right side.
She turned. It was Sasha.
“No!” she said. “Where is he?”
Sasha pointed quickly with her finger. A tiny giggle escaped her.
Lindsay followed her gaze. Her brow furrowed. What was Sasha talking about? She seemed to be pointing toward that new kid. He was a head taller than all the other kids in the room. He looked tall enough to be in high school. Was he standing in front of Nick? Lindsay craned her neck to get a better look. The new kid had really dark hair and broad, muscular shoulders. He looked really cute from behind. And then he turned around. He . . .
. . . was Nick.
ANGELA DARLING was nicknamed “The Love Guru” by her friends in school because she always gave such awesome advice on crushes. And Angela’s own first crush worked out pretty well . . . they have been married for almost ten years now! When Angela isn’t busy watching romantic comedies, reading romance novels, or dreaming up new stories, she works as an editor in New York City. She knows deep down that every story can’t possibly have a happy ending, but the incurable romantic in her can’t help but always look for the silver lining in every cloud.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
SIMON SPOTLIGHT
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
www.simonspeakers.com
Copyright © 2013 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Text by Tracey West
Designed by Dan Potash
Cover design by Dan Potash
Cover illustration by Autumn Whitehurst
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
SIMON SPOTLIGHT and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-4424-8334-7 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4424-8335-4 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4424-8336-1 (eBook)
Library of Congress Control Number 2012950723
Maddie's Camp Crush Page 9