Camp Confidential 16: Golden Girls

by Melissa J Morgan

  “Whoa. What’s with the nasty?” Christopher asked, raising his hands in surrender. “I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out during the singdown.”

  “Aren’t you hanging out with Lainie?” Natalie asked.

  He blinked. “No.”

  “That’s not what she said,” Natalie told him.

  “Okay, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you told me you couldn’t hang out with me because you and Lainie were friends, right?” Christopher said. “And from what I hear, you’re not friends anymore, so . . .”

  “Yeah, but you two are,” Natalie said.

  “No. We’re not.”

  “Please! I saw you guys talking during the fashion show today!” Natalie told him. “You looked pretty cozy then.”

  “Oh!” Christopher said, understanding lighting his handsome face. “So you must have seen us before she told me off. Because afterward, nobody was cozy, believe me.”

  Natalie blinked. She was so surprised she actually took a sideways step to get her balance. “She . . . she told you off?”

  Christopher nodded. “Yeah. Right about the time I told her I liked you.”

  There went Natalie’s breath again. “Really?”

  “Lee, you’re funny, you’re confident, you’re kind. You blow every other girl at this camp out of the water,” Christopher said, reaching for her hand. “Even when you’re drowning under a kayak.”

  Natalie laughed and her heart felt light as the breeze in the trees above them.

  “So, what do you say?” he asked, lacing his fingers through hers. “Wanna be my girlfriend?”

  The grin on Natalie’s face was so wide it hurt. “Sure. Under one condition.”

  “What’s that?” Christopher asked.

  “Can I please call you Logan? ’Cause in my head, Christopher is just the guy Lainie likes, and there is way too much negativity there.”

  Christopher grinned. “You can call me whatever you want. Except Tomatohead, because that’s what my brother calls me and I really hate it.”

  “Tomatohead?” Natalie asked with a laugh.

  “Yeah. I’ll tell you all about it sometime,” Logan told her. “How about right now, we go sing the pants off some Red teamers?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Natalie said.

  Logan squeezed her hand and held it all the way to the campfire. Natalie was bubbling over with happiness. She knew that once Lainie found out about this she was in for the freak-out of the century—even if Lainie had told Logan off—but she could deal with that later. For now, she just wanted to be happy. The moment she and Logan arrived at the clearing, Tori stepped out to meet them.

  “Hey, Tori! This is Logan, my boyfriend,” Natalie said giddily. Tori’s eyebrows shot up at the use of the word “boyfriend,” but she let it go. “Logan, this is Tori, my best friend.”

  “Ah, the best friend. I’m honored to meet the person Lee is going to talk about me with nonstop,” Logan joked.

  “And I’m honored to meet the person I’ll never stop hearing about for the rest of the summer,” Tori joked back.

  They both smiled, and for the first time all week, Natalie felt right at home. From now on, she wasn’t going to go near any sixth-division girls ever again. Well, until next summer, anyway—when she and all her friends would be sixth-division girls.

  “All right, Camp Lakeview! Let’s sing!” Dr. Steve called out.

  “Woo-hoo!” Natalie cheered with the rest of the camp. She had a feeling that tonight, she was going to sing her head off.

  Dear Michael,

  You’re never going to believe it . . . THE BLUE TEAM WON! We killed at the singdown and then took the kickball tournament the following morning when Natalie—who as you know is not one to sweat—actually sprinted for an outfield ball and then dove to catch it for the final out! Winning that game was all we needed to put us ahead in points. We only won by five, which means that our big arts and crafts win definitely helped put us over the top! My idea contributed to the win! How cool is that?

  Okay, so I lost my voice singing and I totally missed the ball every time I tried to kick it, which was totally humiliating, but it was all worth it. And you know what? I think I actually kind of like Color War.

  Just don’t tell anyone.

  GO BLUE TEAM!

  Tori

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  CONFIDENTIAL

  CONFIDENTIAL

  Freaky Tvesday

  available soon!

  chapter ONE

  Posted by: Brynn

  Subject: Heeelp!!!!

  My whole life has been flipped upside down. No, make that my whole WORLD. And I’m not just being my usual drama-girl self. Really. First, I get home from camp and I have a whole different house. My parents moved over the summer. Without telling me. They said they thought it would be a—note the quotes—“fun surprise.” Hello. Surprises are excellent for birthdays, not major life changes.

  Actually, after I got over the shock—Hey, that’s what my parents should have called it. A “fun shock.” Anyway, after I adjusted, I decided the new place is pretty cool. It’s not that far away from where we used to live. And my new room—it has shutters on the inside. Cute white shutters. I LOOOOVE them. They are so much more original than curtains or blinds. And my parents are letting me redecorate. I’m getting one of those beds that has curtains draped all around it. Not a canopy. But like a gauzy tent. And, yes, I know I just basically said curtains are uncool. But that’s just on windows. Around a bed—they’re fabulous!

  Anyway, the new house with the new room and the new furniture is only part of the life flipping. I’m also going to a new school. A private one, with uniforms and everything. Confession—I’m scared!!!

  I’ve never been the new girl before. I know I’m not exactly shy or anything, but I have a little case of the wiggins thinking about walking into my first class not knowing anybody. As in ANYbody. Have any of you ever been the new girl? If you have, heeelp! I need survival tips. Who do I sit with at lunch on the all-important Day One? Am I supposed to start up conversations with people before classes start? Or do I wait and let them talk to me first, since I’m the newb? What if I get lost and have to walk into class late? What do I say? Please advise.

  And that advising, I need it fast, fast, fast. ’Cause I have to start at my new school the Tuesday after Labor Day. I always thought private schools started later. So please, please, please answer before then.

  Brynn stared at her computer screen, willing one of her Camp Lakeview buddies to post an answer on their blog. Maybe Grace. She was always so calm and rational. Or Natalie. She’d walked down the red carpet on her way to the Oscars with her dad. She’d definitely know how to handle a minor social situation like how to deal with a new school.

  You were popular at your old school. You’ll be popular at your new school, Brynn told herself. But she still wanted the assist from her friends. Just to be on the safe side.

  She checked her computer to see if any answers had come in during the fourteen seconds since she posted her message. Nope. But there were a few messages she hadn’t read yet. She clicked on the most recent one from Gaby Parsons. Gaby wasn’t her favorite Camp Lakeview girl, but she did have a snarky sense of humor. She’d probably have something entertaining to say. Brynn started to read.

  Posted by: Gaby

  Subject: Sainthood

  This goes out to everyone who lives around Philadelphia. I’m going to be volunteering at the Home Away From Home center near the Children’s Hospital and I wanted to know if any of you would like to volunteer with me. Home Away From Home is a place where the families of sick kids can stay while the kids are in the hospital.

  I decided that this year I want to spend more time thinking about other people. That whole situation at camp where I sort of fibbed to all of you? Okay, I mean I told you big fat lies. That time? The way you were all so nice to me afterward made me think that maybe I shoul
d try and be a little nicer. So what do you say? I’ll be in charge and get things organized. Come on, don’t you want to be good like me? From now on, I expect you all to call me Saint Gabrielle.

  Huh, Brynn thought. Good for Gaby. Brynn’s world had gotten shaken up by her parents moving and deciding Brynn should go to private school. But Gaby was shaking up her own life because she wanted to be a better person. That was pretty cool.

  Brynn did a check for new messages again, because now it had been more than a minute since she’d posted her plea for heeelp. And this time there were two—one from Valerie and one from Alex. Brynn read Valerie’s first.

  Posted by: Valerie

  Subject: Chill

  Brynn, don’t be stressing. You HAVE been the new girl once already, and it went great! Think about it—you were the new girl your first year at camp. We were all newbs. We didn’t even know why you shouldn’t eat the meat loaf. And we came away from our first summer with tons of BFFs. Look at us. We’re all hanging out on the board, keeping in touch. So I repeat, there’s no need for stress!

  P.S. Wilmer Valderrama rocks my socks!

  Good point, Brynn thought. We were all camp new girls. And camp turned out so fun! Already feeling better about her first day as the new girl, Brynn moved on to Alex’s post.

  Posted by: Alex

  Subject: Brynn Friends

  I have advice, Brynn. I have the perfect advice. All you have to do is join the drama club. You’re so talented. They’re going to be so happy to have you as soon as they see you do your stuff. I bet after one meeting you’ll have more friends at your new school than you can handle. That’s how it was for me once I started joining different sports.

  Good luck! And you better not forget about me when all those new friends of yours are always calling you!

  By the time Brynn finished reading Alex’s message, a post from Grace had popped up on the board. Her camp friends were so coming through for her! She clicked on Grace’s post and started to read.

  Posted by: Grace

  Subject: Drama Queens Rule (tee-hee)

  Of course drama club is the answer! We both know how tight drama people are. You’ll have oodles of friends in days.

  I gotta go. It’s garbage night and my mom is yelling for me to take out the trash. If you are still feeling stressed, do what I do—eat twelve purple gummy bears. Yes, they have to be purple or it won’t work.

  Brynn smacked herself on the forehead. Alex and Grace were so right! Brynn already had friends at her new school. Drama friends. They just hadn’t met her yet. And she hadn’t met them. But they were still her friends. Once she met them, they’d introduce her to their non-drama friends, and Wilton Academy popularity, here Brynn came.

  This is SO nothing like the first day of camp, Brynn thought as she stepped through the heavy oak doors that led into the Wilton Academy. At camp, the counselors had getting-to-know you games planned. They made sure all the kids got introduced to one another, and that nobody was left out.

  There were no camp-counselor types here. She was on her own. Just remember what Alex and Grace said about drama club, Brynn reminded herself. That will change things.

  She checked her watch. Fifteen minutes before her first class. She couldn’t just stand at her locker looking like the loneliest girl on the planet. The bathroom, she decided. She could brush her hair, do a lip gloss check, and make sure the tie on her blue plaid uniform wasn’t askew. That would keep her busy.

  But first she had to find the bathroom. One of the other new-girl things. She didn’t know where anything was. She could ask someone, but everyone seemed to be talking to somebody already, doing the catching-up-after-summer-vacay thing.

  Brynn decided to just head down the hall and keep her eyes open. And before she’d reached the corner, there it was—the ladies’ room. She stepped inside and headed over to the sinks. Three girls were already clustered in front of the mirrors, gabbing away.

  She thought about the message Natalie had posted on the blog that morning. She’d said not to worry about who talked first. She’d told Brynn that if she felt like talking, she should just talk. Curtain up! Showtime! she told herself. “Hi,” she said brightly as she searched her purse for her favorite peach lip gloss. “I’m new here. Just moved into the area, even though I’ve always lived around Boston. So, what’s the club situation at this school? When do they start up?”

  The tallest girl gave Brynn a friendly smile. “There’ll be sign-up tables in the caf starting tomorrow at lunch,” she answered. “What club are you thinking of?”

  “Drama,” Brynn answered. “I live for the stage!” she exclaimed, vamping it up for added effect.The tall girl wrinkled her nose a little. Like Brynn had let out a big smelly burp in her face.

  “Do we even have a drama club here?” one of the other girls asked doubtfully, trying to straighten the knot in her tie.

  How could there not be? What kind of school wouldn’t have a drama club? Brynn thought. She ran her fingers through her dark red hair, fluffing it up.

  “There is one. That girl Iris was in it last year,” the first girl said.

  “Oh, right. Icky Iris.” The third girl smoothed down her bangs and stepped away from the mirrors.

  “She was upgraded,” the girl who’d been fiddling with her tie jumped in. “She became Irritating Iris, remember?”

  All three girls laughed. The tall girl turned to Brynn. “There’s definitely a drama club.”

  Brynn nodded. “Thanks.”

  The tall girl turned back to her friends. “How many of the books on the summer reading list did you get through?”

  “All of them, of course,” the girl with the now perfect tie answered.

  Brynn’s throat went a little dry. “Um, what class had assigned summer reading?”

  “It’s not for a particular class,” the tall girl explained. “Each grade has a reading list. We’re all supposed to read five books from it. Samantha just likes to be better than everybody else.” She gave perfect-tie girl a playful slap on the shoulder.

  “Like you didn’t read them all,” the girl, Samantha, teased her back. “You’re way too competitive not to have. You might end up with an A-minus or something.” She glanced at Brynn. “Didn’t your old school have summer reading?”

  Brynn shook her head.

  “I’m sure you’ll be able to catch up,” the tall girl told her as she and her friends headed out of the bathroom.

  Catch up? It’s only day one, Brynn thought.

  The first bell rang, and she hurried out of the bathroom. After Grace had taken out the trash, she’d posted another message on the blog advising Brynn how to deal if she got lost and ended up being late to class. It was advice Brynn didn’t want to have to use.

  She found her history classroom with a full three minutes to spare. Three minutes to start making some BFFs. Or at least Fs.

  The problem was, everyone in the room was already talking to somebody else. Except one girl who was reading a massive book. Was the book something that had been on that reading list? The one Brynn knew nothing about?

  Slowly, Brynn unloaded her history book, her binder, a pen, and a pencil from her backpack. Carefully, she arranged them on her desk. That had taken . . . not even an entire minute.

  Now what? Everyone was still talking—or reading. Brynn’s face started to feel like a mask.

  She forced a smile. Then she immediately turned the corners of her lips down. What kind of loser sat around smiling into space? Except frowning into space wasn’t any better. That definitely wouldn’t make her look like somebody it would be fun to be Fs with.

  Brynn pressed her lips together, then tried to hold them in a nice, even line. For some reason the effort made her jaw ache. She wanted to waggle it back and forth, but that would look weird. Looking weird was worse than looking like somebody who wasn’t any fun.

  Finally, the teacher walked in and about fifteen seconds later, the second bell rang. Brynn didn’t think she’d ever been
so happy for class to start.

  “Hello, everyone. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Ms. Owen. I know you probably all have a little case of whiplash. Yesterday was vacation. Today school. So I thought we’d kick things off with something fun. A few rounds of History Bowl.” She clapped her hands. “Volunteers for team captain.”

  Every single hand in the room—except Brynn’s—went up.

  “Okay, let’s go with Eve and Peter,” Ms. Owen said.

  “I get Colin,” a boy Brynn assumed was Peter called out.

  “No fair!” the other captain, Eve, shot back. “Colin even sleeps with the History Channel on.”

  “You get the next pick, Eve,” Ms. Owen told her.

  Eve scanned the room quickly. “Maddy.”

  “Good choice,” the guy behind Brynn muttered. “I live next door to Maddy, and she spent all summer making flash cards.”

  You’re kidding me, Brynn thought. All summer? Who does that?

  “I made flashcards, too,” the girl who’d been reading commented.

  I guess that answers my question, Brynn thought.

  Peter and Eve kept calling out names. And it suddenly hit Brynn that she was going to be the last kid picked.

  It doesn’t mean anything, she told herself. How could either of them pick you? They don’t even know your name.