Chelsea made a face as she came forward to collect her seeds. “Thanks,” she said, and then helplessly broke into a smile. “You guys, I know sometimes my mouth gets me in trouble. I haven’t always been the easiest person to get along with. Sometimes I said things I shouldn’t have. Okay, I did that a lot.” She grinned ruefully. “But these summers—they’ve been incredible to me. The best times of my life. You guys are all amazing—some of the coolest people I’ve ever known. And I don’t know what I’m going to do without you.”
Wiping a tear from her eye, Chelsea knelt down and planted her flowers. Alyssa reached into her bag and pulled out the next batch of bulbs.
“Alex,” Alyssa said, “for you, I chose tulips. They’re strong, elegant, and colorful. You’re such a great athlete and so dependable.”
Alex came forward and took her bulbs. “Thanks, guys,” she said, looking embarrassed. “I can still remember when I first came here. It seems like decades ago, not just years. I remember being worried that you guys would be weird about my diabetes, like that even mattered. You guys are the best friends I’ve ever had. I’ll really miss this place.”
She knelt and planted her bulbs, and Alyssa went on.
“For Nat,” she said with a smile, “I chose the iris. They’re sophisticated and unexpected, just like you.”
Nat felt tears leaking out as she came forward and took the bulbs. “Alyssa,” she said, “you’re the first friend I made at camp. I remember when I first arrived, I couldn’t believe I was even here. Just like Tori, I thought I would hate Camp Lakeview. I was afraid of your reactions when I told you about my dad and scared of living in the country all summer.” She smiled. “Now I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I’d never come here. If I’d never met you guys. I just—I’m so glad I met all of you.”
She knelt and planted her flowers.
Alyssa pulled the last packet from the bag. “For myself, I chose the hydrangea,” she said, pulling out a bulb. “They’re cool and kind of dreamy. Just like me.” She smiled, kneeling down to plant her flowers. “Guys, you all mean the world to me. Even when we’re fighting, you’re all so smart and feisty and awesome. You open me up and pull me outside myself. And I’ll always be grateful for that.”
She shoveled a little dirt over her bulbs and stood. “I guess that’s it.”
“We’ll always be here,” said Priya.
“That’s right,” Jenna agreed. “Even if they build the highway just a few feet away, our flowers will live here forever. Together. Just like they belong.”
Nat gulped and felt tears coming again. Just then they heard the grinding of the Camp Lakeview buses pulling to a halt in the parking lot. Stunned, they all faced one another.
“I guess this is it,” Chelsea said. “The beginning of good-bye.”
They walked back over to the parking lot. All of them were teary, and occasionally a sob would escape one of their mouths. The counselors were helping load luggage into the buses, and campers were crowded everywhere, saying one last good-bye.
Dr. Steve stood in the parking lot, holding a bullhorn. “Campers!” he announced, and his voice boomed over the whole grounds. “Campers, we’re going to start loading up the buses now. I just wanted to say—” His voice broke. “It has been my privilege to host you at this camp and be part of this time in your lives. Camp Lakeview may be closing, but it will live on in your memories for the rest of your lives. And I have been lucky enough to know you all, and I will remember you forever. Good luck, kids.”
Nat felt tears streaming down her face.
“Time to load up bus number one!” a driver called. “Bus number one! If you’re on bus number one, please move to the front!”
Nat and her friends all looked at one another.
“I’m on bus number one,” Jenna admitted.
“Me too,” said Gaby.
“Me three,” added Alex.
Another driver began yelling to the crowd. “Bus number five!” he called. “We’re loading up bus number five!”
“That’s me,” whispered Alyssa.
“And me,” added Brynn.
“And me,” Candace said sadly.
The girls were all standing in a circle, staring at one another. It was like nobody wanted to be the first to say it. But finally Alex did.
“I guess this is good-bye.”
Nat felt herself exploding into tears. And her tears set off everyone else, so soon they were all sobbing, shaking their heads, hugging one another. Nat felt like her body was trying to turn inside out. She couldn’t remember the last time she cried this hard—so hard, it hurt.
“Good-bye, guys,” said Jenna.
“Good-bye,” whispered Alyssa.
“Good-bye, my best friends,” said Alex.
“Good-bye, my best summers,” added Gaby.
“Good-bye, lazy afternoons,” said Priya.
“Good-bye, midnight gossip sessions,” said Tori.
“Good-bye, working together,” said Sloan.
“Good-bye, Color Wars,” laughed Val.
“Good-bye, flirting with boys,” said Chelsea.
“Good-bye, campfire secrets,” Candace added.
“Good-bye, Camp Lakeview,” Nat finished. They all moved together in a huge group hug and squeezed one another tight. When they finally let go, all the bus drivers were yelling.
“Bus number two!”
“Bus number four!”
“Bus six!”
Silently, wiping tears away, the girls all quietly made their way toward their separate buses. Nat was the only person from 6B on bus four. It was going to be a long, lonely ride home. Taking one last look at this place that felt so much like home, she climbed aboard.
As more kids piled on and the bus started up, she stared out the window at the place where she’d done so much growing up. When she’d first come to camp, she couldn’t believe she was setting foot on Camp Lakeview, or any camp grounds at all, for that matter.
Now she couldn’t believe she was leaving.
The next spring came late, and the ground was saturated from the snow. What used to be Camp Lakeview was quiet, except for the sounds of construction over where the mess hall used to be. All of the structures had been torn down, and only the raft in the lake remained, floating lazily in the sun.
In the middle of the green, though, a few hesitant sprouts emerged. They grew and grew and finally erupted into blossoms. Sometimes the construction workers would walk by and wonder who had decided to plant such pretty flowers in the middle of the wilderness.
The flowers themselves were strong and hardy. They filled the green with color and thrived on Camp Lakeview’s land. Together. They spent the summer, and every summer thereafter, swaying lazily in the breeze, frozen in time.
Suddenly Last Summer #20 Page 12