Grace's Twist

by Melissa J Morgan

  “Peter Pan,” Brynn said. “I’m so excited!” She nudged Grace in the side. “And remember, we have unfinished business from last summer.”

  “Oh. That’s right. I forgot.” Grace tried to sound casual, but inside she felt a rush of humiliation. She’d been hoping Brynn wouldn’t remember their deal.

  “What unfinished business?” Alex asked.

  “Grace and I made a pact at the end of last summer,” Brynn explained. “She was so mad at herself for not auditioning for the camp play last year that we promised we’d audition together this year—and that we’d both get parts!”

  Grace kept a smile plastered on her face. Now was not the time to tell Brynn that she might not be able to keep up her end of the bargain. Maybe I can audition, Grace thought. Maybe.

  “I can’t believe you made a pact and you didn’t tell me,” Alex teased Brynn.

  “I don’t have to tell you everything,” Brynn said.

  “Yes you do. That’s what best friends do.” Alex playfully rolled her eyes. “Tell her, Grace.”

  “It’s true. Best friends tell each other everything,” Grace confirmed. She thought about Emily. Emily was the only one who knew what was going on in Grace’s life right now. If only she were here . . .

  “Okay, I broke the best-friend rule,” Brynn said. “Can you ever forgive me?”

  “Sure. That’s also what best friends do. But don’t let it happen again!” Alex joked. “Here we are.”

  They stopped in front of the dilapidated cabin that housed the drama department. Grace knew from last summer that the place was bigger inside than it looked from outside. The whole cabin was one big, open room, painted black, and the only furniture were black wooden boxes that acted as chairs, tables, couches, and whatever else was needed. All it took was a little imagination to make the place feel like a palace or a diner or a store in the Wild West. That’s what made drama class so much fun.

  “Uh-oh,” Alex murmured, stepping closer to Brynn and Grace. “Looks like you’re in for trouble.” She pointed with her chin toward a tall, skinny girl just entering the drama shack.

  “Oh, no,” Brynn said. “A spy from bunk 3A!”

  They all laughed. Their bunk had an old rivalry with bunk 3A. Grace wasn’t sure how it had started—when she arrived at camp last summer, one of the first things she learned was that 3A was the enemy. It didn’t really matter why. The play rivalry was just for fun, anyway. Last week the girls from 3A had jokingly sprinkled food coloring on 3C’s fried chicken at lunch. They hadn’t noticed it on the food, but by the time they finished eating, Grace and her entire bunk had bright orange coloring on their fingers and lips. Not even swimming in the lake had gotten the color off their hands. So the 3A girls probably figured that 3C was planning some kind of prank as payback.

  Alex and Brynn sneered at the 3A girl as she walked inside, then cracked up.

  “We’ll just have to act like we don’t mind her,” Grace joked.

  “Have fun!” Alex gave her friends a little wave and headed off toward the newspaper shack for her own free choice.

  Grace followed Brynn into the cool darkness of the drama shack, her heart beating fast with anticipation. “I can’t wait to hear about the play,” she told Brynn as they sat on the floor with the kids who were already there. “I mean, being on the stage crew was a lot of fun last summer, but I’d rather at least be one of the background actors.”

  “Yeah, that was pretty cool,” Brynn replied. In last year’s play, she had been one of the youngest kids onstage, even though she didn’t get to say any lines. “If you don’t goof around this year, you can get a part, too,” she added.

  Grace didn’t answer. Brynn was right—she’d been so busy clowning around during drama last summer that she hadn’t even managed to memorize the lines for her audition scene. But she’d learned her lesson. That was the reason she’d made the pact with Brynn—so that she’d be serious about auditioning this year.

  Suddenly she felt a head next to her own. “Geez, she sounds like a teacher or something, lecturing you like that,” a voice whispered in her ear.

  Grace turned in surprise to see who was talking to her. It was the tall girl from bunk 3A. Up close, Grace could see that every inch of the girl’s face, neck, and arms was covered in freckles. Wow, she’s even more freckly than me! Grace thought.

  “If you don’t goof around, you’ll get a part,” the girl said in a fake high-pitched voice, making fun of Brynn.

  Brynn shot her a nasty look and scooched farther away, but Grace couldn’t help smiling. Brynn did sound like a nag sometimes. She always wanted Grace to be more serious about acting. Grace knew it was because Brynn thought she was talented. But still, sometimes her friend got a little too intense.

  “You’re in 3C, right?” the tall girl asked.

  Grace nodded. “I’m Grace.”

  “I’m Gaby.” She pulled her long brown hair back and tied it in a careless knot. “I’ll forgive you for being in a lame bunk.”

  “Oh.” Grace wasn’t sure what to say. It was hard to tell if Gaby was kidding or not. “Thanks.”

  “Okay, everyone, let’s get started!” Bethany, the drama instructor, strode into the room and stood in front of the group. She was tiny, with the wiry body of a dancer and wispy dark hair. But Grace knew from last summer that Bethany was a powerhouse when it came to acting. As soon as she got into a character, her whole appearance seemed to change. “I know what you’re all wondering, so I’m just going to get it out of the way right now,” Bethany went on. “The play this year will be Peter Pan.”

  Brynn turned to Grace excitedly. “I’m totally trying out for Wendy,” she whispered.

  “But that’s a big part,” Grace whispered back. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. How else am I going to get experience?” Brynn replied.

  Gaby let out a loud snort. “You don’t stand a chance,” she said loudly. “Our CIT said that nobody from the third division ever gets a lead role. You’re too young.”

  “Well then, you’re too young to get a good part, too,” Brynn shot back. “You’re in the third division just like us.”

  “Girls!” Bethany interrupted. “I need everyone to pay attention. Now, for the record, any camper from any division is eligible for any role in the play. Since the beginning of the summer, all the kids who have taken drama have been given audition pieces to work on, so auditions aren’t limited to just this class. You don’t have to try out, but you can if you want to.” She looked right at Brynn and Gaby. “No one is kept out because they’re too young.”

  “Right. It’s just because you’re too dumb,” cracked one of the boys from the fifth division.

  “Speak for yourself,” Brynn murmured.

  Grace bit back a laugh. Brynn was usually really nice. But if you got on her bad side, she had no problem defending herself.

  “I don’t care what anyone says. I’m going to play Wendy,” Brynn announced loudly.

  Several of the other kids snickered or rolled their eyes. Grace sighed. She liked Brynn—she always had—but she had to admit that sometimes Brynn could get a little overbearing. During auditions last year, Brynn had spent one whole weekend being in character as Annie Oakley, just to get herself ready for her audition piece from Annie Get Your Gun. She wouldn’t even speak to her bunkmates unless they called her “Annie.” She called it “method acting.” Apparently lots of famous celebrities use the technique to prepare for a role. Was 3C in for the same thing this year?

  “Auditions are next Wednesday,” Bethany went on. “There are two audition scenes to choose from for the girls and two for the boys. Everyone will have a partner, and your job is to help each other prepare. The first half hour of every class will be devoted to practicing for your auditions.”

  Grace leaned toward Brynn, but before she could say anything, she felt Gaby poke her in the side. She glanced over at the tall girl.

  “Wanna be partners?” Gaby asked. “You’re the only fun
one here.”

  “Thanks, but . . .” Grace wasn’t sure what to say. She’d assumed she would partner up with Brynn since they were bunkmates. But Brynn didn’t even seem to have heard the whole “partner” speech. She was staring straight ahead, her lips moving as she recited a scene to herself. Grace knew all too well how being Brynn’s partner would turn out—they’d spend all their free time working on their audition scenes, and Brynn would constantly tell Grace that she should practice more. It wouldn’t be any fun at all. And besides, Brynn had Alex to help her practice. Grace got the feeling that being partners with Brynn would really mean being partners with Brynn and her best friend. Except for free choice, Brynn and Alex were always together. Grace would just be the third wheel, the way she always seemed to end up with her bunkmates.

  “Well?” Gaby was grinning at her, and Grace had to admit that it was flattering to know somebody wanted her as a partner. She barely knew Gaby at all because they never socialized with bunk 3A. But maybe that silly rivalry had cost her the chance to make a best friend at camp. Gaby was outgoing just like her, and Gaby seemed to want to have fun in drama, just like her. Why not partner up?

  “Sure,” she said. “It’ll be a blast.”

  “I can’t believe you did that!” Brynn fumed. They were only ten feet away from their bunk, and Brynn had been yelling at Grace the whole way back from the drama shack.

  “Shh!” Grace hissed. “Do you want everyone else to hear you?”

  Brynn glanced up at bunk 3C. “Why should I care if they hear?” she asked. “I’m not the one who stabbed my friend in the back!”

  Natalie’s face appeared in the window, and Candace peered out the door. Grace sighed. Now her disagreement with Brynn would become a bunk-wide discussion. “I didn’t mean to stab you in the back,” she said for the fifth time. Brynn had been so busy ranting during the walk back that Grace didn’t think she’d heard her the first four times. “I really, really didn’t.”

  “What’s going on?” Chelsea demanded, popping out the door of the bunk. Whenever there was any kind of controversy, Chelsea was always the first one to stick her nose into it. “What are you guys fighting about?”

  “Yeah, why are you fighting?” Candace asked, sounding much more concerned than Chelsea.

  “We’re not fighting,” Grace said. “We’re just . . . disagreeing.”

  “Oh, please,” Chelsea said. “Brynn was totally yelling at you. You are too fighting.”

  “No we aren’t,” Brynn said immediately. “Grace and I are friends. We don’t fight.”

  Grace had to smile. Sometimes when Chelsea was rude, it made everyone else band together to oppose her. “That’s right,” Grace said. “Brynn is just upset because I decided not to be her partner in drama.”

  “So that’s how you stabbed her in the back?” Chelsea asked.

  “She didn’t mean to stab me in the back,” Brynn retorted. “She was just being nice to this girl from 3A who asked her to be partners first. You know Grace—she can never say no to people. She thinks it will hurt their feelings.”

  Grace blinked in surprise. Apparently Brynn had heard her the first four times she’d tried to explain about Gaby and the drama class.

  Brynn noticed her expression and laughed. “What?” she said. “I was upset so I wanted to vent. It doesn’t mean I wasn’t listening.”

  “Oh. Then do you need me to apologize again?” Grace asked. “Because I will. I never meant to insult you.”

  “I know,” Brynn grumbled, heading inside. “You were just making a new friend. Still, I’m bummed that we won’t be partners. What about our pact?”

  “We can still audition together,” Grace said.

  “Okay.” Brynn gave her a bright smile. But Grace felt nauseous. What if she couldn’t audition? Wouldn’t Brynn be even madder at her then?

  I won’t let that happen, Grace told herself. Somehow I have to audition for the play.

  “Hey, Grace!” Natalie called at free swim the next day. “Are you swimming?”

  Grace wandered over to where Natalie had her whole setup on the little beach next to the lake. Nat was an excellent swimmer—she’d been placed in the highest level, blue, immediately, even though it was only her first summer here. But she almost never swam during free swim. She preferred to sun herself and read her fashion magazines. Grace plopped down on the edge of Natalie’s super-huge towel.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “My stomach’s been hurting ever since breakfast this morning. I think I finally hit my limit on greasy sausages.”

  “Shh! Don’t say that in front of Marissa,” Natalie said. She nodded toward their CIT, who was on her way over to them.

  Grace grinned. Marissa had served the less-than-tasty breakfast food, true. But it had been prepared by Pete, Camp Lakeview’s official assistant cook. Last year he had been a counselor, but for some reason, this summer he’d decided to torture them by learning to cook. In spite of the bad food, everybody loved Pete. Especially Marissa. She did a bad job of hiding her crush on Pete—all the girls in 3C were sure they were secretly dating. Plus, Pete was a great guy. Grace didn’t want to insult either of them.

  “It’s probably just a stomachache from stress, anyway,” Grace said. “The stress of living through Brynn’s wrath!”

  Natalie giggled. “She was pretty mad at you yesterday. I can’t believe you picked that 3A girl to be your drama partner over Brynn!”

  “No, I didn’t,” Grace protested. “Gaby asked me first.”

  “Are we still talking about the drama in drama?” Marissa quipped as she reached them. She pulled out her own super-huge towel and spread it on the sand next to Natalie’s. This had been their free-swim ritual since the second day of camp. It worked pretty well for everyone—you could always leave your stuff with Nat and Marissa while you went swimming.

  “I didn’t mean to be rude to Brynn,” Grace said. “But she’s so intense all the time, and I like acting because it’s fun. We’d be bad partners. She’s too serious and I’m not serious enough!”

  “Well, I have to agree with that,” Marissa said.

  “Besides, why shouldn’t I expand my horizons a little?” Grace added. “Who cares if I hang out with Gaby? Aren’t we here at camp to make new friends?”

  Natalie snorted. “You sound like my mother.”

  “I have CosmoGIRL, Teen People, and Teen Vogue,” Marissa announced, pulling the magazines from her bag. “Who wants what?”

  “Ugh, no Teen People for me,” Natalie said, laughing. “I’ve had enough of celebrities.”

  “All right, it’s Teen Vogue for you and CosmoGIRL for Grace,” Marissa said, handing over the thick mag. “It’s the Back-to-School issue.”

  “No wonder it weighs five thousand pounds,” Grace said, lugging the magazine toward her. “Back to school isn’t back to school without three hundred pages of fashion advice.”

  “Don’t forget the dating advice,” Natalie said. “And the friendship advice, and the how-to-organize-your-locker advice . . .”

  “And the makeup and the hair . . .” Marissa added.

  Grace flopped back on the big towel and put the magazine over her face. “I really just wanted a sunshade,” she joked. “That much advice will kill me!”

  “I can’t believe the start of school is so close,” Natalie said. “It’s only a month away!”

  “Summer goes too fast,” Marissa agreed.

  Grace sat back up. School was the last thing she wanted to be talking about on a perfect summer day. “You guys, we still have half the summer left,” she pointed out. “Who cares if the magazines come out early?”

  “You’re right.” Natalie was flipping through hers. “Let’s just find a fun quiz and forget about school.”

  “Now you’re talking.” Grace turned the pages until she found a quiz in her own magazine. “Here we go. ‘How to Know If Your Love Will Last.’ Well, Nat? Do you know if your love with Simon will last?”

  Natalie swatted her whi
le Marissa laughed. “No one said we are in love. You just wait until you find some cute boy, Grace.”

  “No thanks,” Grace said. “Boys are nothing but trouble.”

  “You said it!” Gaby appeared next to them, her tall form casting a long shadow over the blankets. “Mind if I sit?”

  “Hang on.” Grace grabbed her own towel and quickly spread it out. “Have a seat. I’ve been hogging Natalie’s towel this whole time, and it’s pretty comfortable.”

  “Good, then I’ll hog yours!” Gaby folded her long legs and sat. “How come you’re not swimming?” she asked Grace.

  “My stomach feels a little funky. What about you?”

  Gaby shrugged. “I just don’t feel like it.”

  “Are you Grace’s new drama partner?” Marissa asked.

  “Yup! It’s gonna be a nonstop party, right, Grace?”

  “Absolutely,” Grace said. “We should probably choose our audition scenes—we’re supposed to tell Bethany tomorrow which ones we’re doing.”

  “What are the choices?” Natalie asked.

  “There’s a scene from The Music Man and one from The Sound of Music,” Grace said. “I think I’m going to do The Sound of Music. Maria has such a good sense of humor. I think I can play her really well.”

  “Whatever,” Gaby said. “I’ll do the same one you do. That way we can help each other remember the lines.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Can we get back to the love quiz?” Natalie asked with mock annoyance. “I’m dying to know how I do.”

  “You’re right. Free swim is for goofing around, not for drama talk!” Grace grabbed the magazine. She was just about to read the first question when Julie walked up with Tyler, the swimming counselor. As a rule, Grace didn’t like boys. But Tyler was so good-looking that every girl at Lakeview liked him. He and Jenna’s older sister, Stephanie, were sort of an item.

  “This looks like a party,” Julie said with a smile. “What are you guys doing?”

  “Magazine quizzes,” Marissa told her. “You know how Nat loves the quizzes.”