by Jen Calonita
"What?"
"We're supposed to meet our senior counselors," Grace said, sounding like the perfect schoolgirl.
"We have a few minutes," Court interrupted and pushed me forward. "But only if we can we stay and watch."
"Sure," Hunter said. "Let me just go tell the guys." He jogged over to a large group of counselors and CITs. Some were wearing blue pinnies, and others were in white and sky blue. Their younger charges were with them, sitting cross-legged on the sidelines.
I hit Court's arm. "What did you do that for?" I complained.
"I'm doing you a favor," she said. "Hunter likes you, and you're into him. It's time you made a move. Be bolder than your mom and Hitch and do more than just talking!"
I blushed. Ever since I told the girls that my mom had admitted that she and Hitch were "phone-dating" I hadn't heard the end of it. Court thought it was hysterical.
"We can't date counselors, remember?" Grace said.
"We're not," Court said innocently. "But there are no rules against flirting. Now why don't you and Em wait over by Dylan and Tim. This game will be over before you know it."
I knew Em liked Dylan, but Grace hadn't said anything about liking Tim, another CIT. It was obvious from her shifty attitude and bright-pink face, however, that she most definitely did have a thing for him.
"I guess we won't be missed if we're just five more minutes," Em said. "It's not like our counselors know we're coming anyway."
"Fine," Grace said, trying to sound grumpy, even though I knew she wasn't.
That's when I noticed Cole walking our way.
"I hear you're filling in for Albert," he said. He was wearing a light blue pinnie and his curly brown hair was matted to his head. It looked like he had just showered, but I knew it was the heat. "Lucky Hunter. Or should I say lucky you?"
"Neither," I mumbled, feeling weird.
Hunter joined us. "So after this, champ, I thought we could head over to the canteen and get some Slush Puppies. My treat."
"Aren't we supposed to take the kids down to the lake for canoeing?" Cole asked.
Hunter frowned. "I forgot the little guys were waiting on us," he said and waved to them. They let out a big cheer. "They're awesome, aren't they?" he asked me. "I can't get enough of them."
So Hunter did like his charges. He wasn't here just for the girls! Seeing Hunter smile so brightly at the mention of his bunk made me feel warm and fuzzy. And not just because it was hot out.
"How about a rain check?" Hunter asked me. He grabbed a burlap bag from the ground. "Ready to play, champ? This game is simple. The two of us hop in this sack here and have to jump our way to the finish line together. Piece of cake."
WHAT? Of all the races to have to do with Hunter, I had to do one where I was sandwiched next to him in tight quarters. I wasn't sure I could handle it.
"Good luck," Cole said.
I stepped forward and grabbed a piece of the bag. Hunter leaned over and whispered into my ear. "These guys think they have you beat since you're a girl, so we have to prove them wrong, okay?"
I couldn't breathe, Hunter's mouth was so close to mine. He smelled like pink bubblegum.
Hunter and I walked to the starting line and that's when I noticed who our competitors were. My heart sank. Next to us were Cole and Dylan. Cole winked at me, but I felt strange winking back. My body began to feel uncomfortable, like it knew it was about to do something it shouldn't. Why did I feel so weird about being with Hunter in front of Cole? Our other competition wasn't nearly as bothersome. Donovan and this tall, skinny counselor everyone called the Bean were team three.
Hunter stepped into the large bag and held it out for me to hop in. He was smiling. I got the feeling he knew I was intimidated. I stepped in next to him. The bag wasn't as roomy as I thought. We were side by side, but there wasn't even room for air between us. I could feel Hunter's thigh touching mine, and his light blond hair tickled my arm. I felt like my face was on fire. I stared straight ahead at the finish line, avoiding Hunter's gaze.
"Comfortable?" Hunter's voice drifted over to me. I couldn't look at him. I just nodded.
"GO!" Someone blew a whistle and we were off. I could hear Grace and Em screaming, and Court chanting Hunter's and my names. Hunter was fast and I did my best to keep up, but I was distracted. Our bodies kept bumping into each other and each time it happened it sent a shiver down my spine. Hunter finally put one arm around me and grabbed my side of the bag. I was now sandwiched in his arms, which made my breathing even more shallow than it already was from all the running we were doing. I glanced to my right. Cole was neck-and-neck with us. Bean and Donovan were in the lead, but we were gaining on them.
"You've got it, champ," Hunter encouraged me. "Keep it up." Bean and Donovan came close to us, and Hunter yelled, "Hold on!" Then I felt him push with all his might and I saw Donovan's bag hit the ground with a thud. Hunter laughed. "Got them! Now it's just us and them," he said, referring to Cole.
I was sort of dumbfounded. It was just a game, wasn't it? Was he going to do that to Cole too? I really didn't want him to. Right then and there I decided it was better to beat Cole than see him land in the mud. I hopped faster, but Cole was just as quick. Seconds from the finish line, we were in a dead tie. Everyone was screaming.
"Jump, champ! Jump!" Hunter growled as Cole and Dylan closed in on us. With a sudden lurch, I felt our bag plunge forward.
Our only chance of winning was to dive and Hunter knocked us to the ground. I screamed as I saw the dirt and grass coming up to meet us. Then THUD! We were on the ground, and Hunter had one hand on the finish line, and was laughing. He was also lying practically on top of me, his Abercrombie-model-worthy chest pushed up against my heart-pounding one. Hunter's face was inches from mine. His lips were within reach.
Hunter was on top of me. Hunter was on top of me. Hunter was on top of me!
I started to squirm out of the bag, but it was tough with Hunter's weight on me. "Hunter and Sam are the winners!" I thought I heard someone announce.
"He cheated!" I heard Donovan yell.
"Way to go, champ," Hunter told me as he pulled himself into the push-up position, allowing me to get out. I tried to avoid his gaze as I shimmied. The whole time I felt like my heart was going to leap out of my chest and smack him in the face.
"Need help?" Cole was standing over us and he had his hand out to help me up. I was out of the bag and sitting on the cold ground and I reached up quickly.
"I've got her." Hunter was faster than me, and he pulled himself out of the bag in one quick move. Then he reached down with two hands and practically swung me into the air, making me giggle. "So what are you doing right now?" Hunter asked me.
"I should get going," I said and grabbed a cup of water from the nearby oversized water thermos. "My bunk is waiting for me. I need to help Alexis."
Hunter nodded. Then he leaned and kissed me on the cheek. "I'll see you tonight at the fireworks, okay? I'll be looking for you so don't disappear."
I instinctively grabbed my cheek, and then realized what I was doing, and remembered Cole was standing right there, and I put my hand back down. "I'll be there," I said, shaking slightly.
As Hunter slipped away, I heard Cole laugh quietly. "Congrats, Sam. I guess you got what you wanted."
I turned to yell or say something sarcastic back, but I realized two little boys from his bunk had run over and were holding each of his hands. Cole was still staring at me and I felt the need to look away. "See you tonight," I said quickly. Then I headed over to Court, Grace, and Em.
We were halfway down the path before I screamed -- part joy, part frustration, part confusion. My cheek felt like it was still tingling from where Hunter had kissed me and I kept replaying the moment over in my mind.
"Hunter is so into you!" Court said wistfully. "I wish Donovan was like that. I got excited when he let me borrow his demo tape. I never got a kiss on the cheek."
"I'm never washing this cheek again," I joked, and Em laug
hed.
"This sort of thing never happens to me." Em sighed. "Can I touch your face?" she asked suddenly.
The only one who wasn't laughing was Grace. I figured she was just tired. The rest of us kept talking about Hunter and my near-kiss, about how Em could talk to Dylan at that night's barbeque, about what Court was going to do next about Donovan. As we reached the clearing where the pez and some of the marshmallows were competing, Grace finally opened up.
"I know Hunter's hot and all, but did you guys see what he did to Donovan?" she asked quietly. "He pushed him so he and Sam could win. It was a silly sack race. There was nothing riding on it, but he still couldn't play fair. Something about that rubs me the wrong way. And another thing, have you noticed how Cole is always the one with his bunk? Hunter is never around. He brags about loving his kids, but he's always off flirting with some girl instead and Cole has to pick up the slack." None of us said anything.
Deep down, I knew there might be truth to what Grace was saying, but I didn't want to believe it.
"Hey, Sam!" Mackenzie came racing toward me and enveloped me in a big hug. "Are you here to play with us? The bubble yum team is winning three to two!"
I squeezed her hard, trying to force Grace's words out of my head. "I'll catch you guys at the barbeque," I said to the girls.
"Sam," Grace said awkwardly. "I didn't mean --"
"Don't worry about it," I called back as I took Mackenzie's hand and headed toward the girls of bunk 5A. I forced a smile. "I'll see you later."
The rest of the afternoon moved quickly. Alexis and I participated in a kickball tournament with the girls, decorated July Fourth flags with them at the craft station, and took our little winners for some celebratory cotton candy at the booth set up near the mess hall. I met up with 8B again for a dodgeball game, and took a break for some ice cream, which melted faster than I could eat it. I had to take a quick detour to the nurse's station when one of my charges, Serena, skinned her knee during a race, but other than that, the afternoon was incident-free. The girls couldn't wait to get to the campfire, and despite Grace's observation, I was itching to see Hunter again.
"Sam, we're sitting over here!" Serena tugged on my t-shirt sleeve. I had taken a few of the girls up to the barbeque line for dinner and was pouring myself a glass of fruit punch -- or should I say bug juice, because that was the weird name everyone called the ever-changing colored drink. My plate was piled high with mashed potatoes, barbeque chicken, roasted corn, and cornbread, and my mouth was watering from the smell of dessert: warm apple cobbler. Believe it or not, this was a five-star meal at the Pines.
Since it was a special occasion, we were eating outside on the picnic tables by the lake. Someone had hung up twinkling white Christmas lights on the trees surrounding the tables, and it looked like thousands of fireflies lighting up the sky. The tables even had red and white paper tablecloths on them, and Beaver had set up a stereo near the buffet area that was playing light music. As hot as the day had been, the night had turned fairly cool, not that any of us were complaining. You could still wear shorts and t-shirts, but the light breeze gave me a slight chill every once in a while.
I didn't see Meg or my bunkmates yet, so I decided to sit down with Alexis and help her with her bunk meal ritual -- cutting people's food. The girls were still small enough that this was sometimes necessary, especially if you wanted them to eat something sticky, like barbeque food, and I felt bad letting Alexis do it alone. The whole time I was cutting, I was looking around for Hunter, but I didn't see him anywhere.
"Do you guys mind if we join you?" Cole asked. He had a long line of kids behind him and I realized it was his and Hunter's bunk.
"Sure," Alexis said, wiping her sauce-covered mouth. This meal was definitely not flirt-friendly. "We can scoot over. Where's Hunter?"
I thought I saw Cole's face change slightly, but if it did, he recovered quickly. "He had to check in with the main office."
"Is that who that girl was? She works in the office?" a little boy asked.
"That was his girlfriend, silly," Caleb corrected him. "That's why he kissed her!"
Cole looked at me quickly and I tried to fake a smile.
Hunter was kissing another girl? He asked me to meet him here, didn't he? He said he was going to be looking for me. Didn't that mean something? Or did I get excited over nothing? My heart was pounding and I felt slightly sick. I pushed my food away. Maybe I had misread him. Why would Hunter, the hottest guy at camp, like me? I had lost my appetite. If I hadn't been sitting with everyone I might even have gotten a little weepy.
"I hope he gets here soon," Alexis said lightly, "or he'll miss the roasted marshmallows and the fireworks."
Hunter didn't show up in time for the marshmallows and when that happened, I wanted to call it a night. But Cole convinced me to stay so I could see his top secret trick. When Hitch passed out a bag of marshmallows to each table, we followed Cole over to the barbeque pit, which was still illuminated lightly. I could smell the charcoal and I inhaled deeply. It reminded me of barbeques at home. Mal's family had huge ones every summer and the two of us religiously made s'mores. I could almost taste the melted chocolate on my lips and for a minute I felt homesick. I stared at the red-orange embers sadly.
"Watch this, Sam, or you're going to miss something cool," Cole nudged my arm. He was grabbing a handful of marshmallows and one by one he put them on his stick. I couldn't quite believe my eyes when I realized what he was doing. He could somehow melt the marshmallows just enough to shape them into birds or snowmen. Alexis and I couldn't stop laughing, and our bunks were fascinated.
"I know what it is! That's a mouse," one of our girls said excitedly as Cole took a gooey marshmallow and put it on top of another one that was almost completely melted. He used an extra stick to poke the figure and shape it.
"That's not a mouse, it's a canoe," said one of the boys indignantly.
"You're both wrong," Cole said, concentrating on his sculpture, which was growing taller and skinnier.
"I've got it," I said. "It's Hitch." Alexis burst out laughing.
"It does kind of look like my dad, doesn't it?" she said. "Cole, don't forget to add his megaphone."
"It's not Hitch," Cole said with a laugh. "It's Beaver. Don't you see the fry pan on his head?"
"Um, not really," I said. "It looks like a pile of marshmallow to me."
Cole looked mock-insulted. "I'd like to see you try this insanely difficult trick."
"I think I need to practice first," I told him.
"If I could get everyone's attention, I'd like to make an announcement," Hitch said to quiet the large crowd. I looked around. Still no Hunter. I saw that my friends were seated with their own bunks, and Ashley and Gabby were sitting with some guys on the other end of the campfire. The night was perfect for a campfire under the stars. When everyone had settled down, Hitch continued. "I hope everyone enjoyed today's Fourth of July festivities," he said to loud applause. "As is tradition, we're going to watch the town fireworks, which you can see from here. They'll start in five minutes and when they do, the lights here will dim so that you can see them. I ask that everyone remain seated till the end for safety. If any of the little ones get scared, you can sit up on the hill with them. Enjoy the show!" Everyone cheered.
"Sam?" Alexis leaned over to me. "You don't have to sit with us for this. If you want, you can sit with your friends, or maybe Cole." She gave me a look.
"Cole? No, we're just friends," I said, confused.
She smiled. "Cole looks like he wants to be just friends," she said. Her lip curled slightly.
"Hey." We looked up. Hunter was standing in front of us in a hooded sweatshirt, his hands in his pockets.
"Hey," I said and jumped to my feet. My head felt like it was going to explode with emotion. Part of me was angry, the other part wanted to do flip-flops I was so happy to see him. Maybe I was being too hard on him. It's not like we were going out. He hadn't even said he liked me, even if my friends thou
ght he did. "Where were you?"
"I had some business to take care of," he said, "but I made it, didn't I?" He sat down. "Do you want to move closer to the lake to get a better view, champ? I know the perfect location."
"I'll bet," I thought I heard Alexis mumble. "Hunter, aren't you supposed to sit with your bunk? I think Cole's held down the fort long enough tonight, don't you?"
I glanced at Cole. He wasn't saying anything. He was doing a magic trick for a few of the boys, who were mesmerized by his every move.
"Absolutely," Hunter said to Alexis. "I forgot. Thanks."
"I'm going to move onto the hill with the girls, Sam," Alexis said to me. "You enjoy the fireworks."
When she was gone, Hunter asked me again. "So do you want to get closer to the lake?"
"But your campers," I pointed out, feeling suddenly uncertain. I thought he adored his bunk. Now here he was ditching them, and dumping more on Cole, for some time with me.
Hunter rolled his eyes and sighed. "Listen, champ, if you don't want to watch the fireworks with me, I can think of a few other people who would."
I winced. "Cole has been here all night and --" The lights were dimming and I could hear the crowd growing excited.
"Cole, you don't mind watching the fireworks with them, do you? I want to give Sam a better view," Hunter said.
"I think they'd prefer you," Cole said to my surprise. His eyes locked with Hunter's. The awkward mood was interrupted by a small cry.
"I don't want to hear the noise," a little boy named Lucas cried. "I want to sit on the hill."
"Lucas, you'll be fine," Hunter insisted as Lucas sniffled. "No one else wants to go sit on the hill. You don't want us to all go to the hill, do you?"