RSVP #6

by Melissa J Morgan

  “Can we choose now?” Grace asked. “Because that way, I won’t have to sit next to Chel . . . I mean, I’ll get to sit with Jenna.”

  “Yeah, Grace and I have been really wanting to sit next to each other,” Jenna added, her eyes big, wide, and innocent as she stood close to Grace. Grace put her arm around Jenna’s shoulders.

  “We’ve been totally missing each other,” Grace added.

  The balloons bumped against each other as Marissa traded the bunch from her left hand to her right and picked up a Sharpie.

  “Now remember, girls,” she said. “We want everyone to have a good time, okay? Let’s be friendly to everyone.”

  “Everyone,” Julie added for emphasis.

  “We’re on it,” Natalie assured her, and the others nodded.

  “I’ll write the names on the place cards,” Alyssa said, taking the Sharpie from Marissa.

  “I’ll help with that,” Grace offered, picking up one of the nametags.

  “Great,” Julie said, smiling at them. “Now, Natalie, can you help me tape down our tablecloth?”

  “Of course,” Natalie said, glad to have a good job—one that meant helping Julie.

  Marissa said, “Jenna, I want you to tie one balloon to the back of each chair.”

  Jenna studied the balloons. Then she said slowly, “I wonder what would happen if we tied, like, fifty balloons to one chair. Do you think it would float?”

  Marissa clutched the balloons with both hands, keeping them out of Jenna’s eager reach.

  “That will remain an unanswered question,” Marissa ordered her. “Am I clear?”

  “Totally,” Jenna assured her. She lost her smile and nodded, looking very serious. “Balloon.” She pointed to the balloon. “Chair.” Pointed to the chair. “I can do that. Promise.”

  “Okay.” With a friendly smile, Marissa handed Jenna the bouquet of balloons. “I’ll go get our stash of treats.”

  “It is huge,” Julie said.

  “Tell me you have Twizzlers,” Jenna pleaded.

  “Wait and see,” Julie told her as Marissa dashed away.

  “Natalie got little bags of cool stuff from the spa we went to for everyone,” Alyssa said, speaking around the pen in her mouth.

  Natalie nodded. “Everything is mango.”

  Julie smiled excitedly. “Oh, that was very thoughtful.”

  Natalie beamed as she got to work with a container of tape, making loops of the clear sticky stuff and dabbing them against the top of the table. Then she laid the tablecloth over them and pressed down.

  “Ingenious!” Julie said approvingly. “If we have tablecloths at the camp social next year, we’ll have to do that.”

  “I’ve already been thinking up ideas for the social,” Natalie told her. “I think it would be fun to do a shipwreck party. My mom said she had one when she was my age. You decorate to make the room look like a tropical island. Then everyone dresses in rags and hula skirts and stuff. I even got a head start on decorations. We bought a bunch of fishy streamers and palm tree lights for the sleepover.”

  “I’m sure your place looks great,” Julie enthused. “It’s so nice of you to have an all-bunk sleepover. I wish I could come.”

  Julie had to leave New York right after the reunion. She was going to a christening in Philadelphia bright and early the next morning.

  “I wish you could be there,” Natalie replied sincerely. She wished Julie and Marissa both would be there. But Marissa was going to a Broadway show with some of her girlfriends.

  “Natalie, are you okay? You seem a little nervous,” Julie said quietly, reaching out and brushing a tendril of hair from out of Natalie’s eyes.

  Natalie took a breath. “In fact—”

  Just then Kathleen, the head of Division Three, called, “Julie! We need you!”

  “Natalie, I’m sorry, but I have to go . . . do something,” Julie said mysteriously. She waved at Marissa, who was staggering toward the table with three humongous brown plastic trash sacks slung across her back. “It’s time!”

  Marissa nodded back. “Okay. Here, guys.” She bent over gratefully as Grace, Jenna, and Alyssa retrieved the heavy sacks. “We’ll be back in a little while.”

  “Wow, what is in here?” Grace asked, setting down her sack on a chair and opening it. “Purple Pixy Stix!” she announced. “And grape gum! And Twizzlers!”

  Everyone cheered.

  Together Julie and Marissa trotted across the room. Jenna’s sister Stephanie and Lizzie, the counselor from 3A, hurried to join the other counselors and CITs. Natalie spotted Brian, the cute sports counselor from Australia; Bethany, the drama instructor; and Kathleen, the head of the third division, as they all disappeared through a brightly decorated door.

  “Those guys are up to something,” Natalie said.

  “Yeah.” Jenna grinned. “I wish I were in on it.”

  “Do you know what it is?” Grace asked Jenna. “Did Stephanie tell you?”

  Jenna shook her head.

  “Well, we’ll find out soon enough,” Grace reminded them. “We only have twenty minutes left until the reunion officially starts.”

  Natalie’s heart raced. “Eek! You guys!” she cried. “We have so got to concentrate on getting our table ready.” She whipped out the zebra-print sunglasses from her bag of decorations. “I’m not sure these actually go with our theme,” she said.

  “They do,” Alyssa said. She put on her pair. “They’re totally fun and retro. Like Village Bowl.”

  “Here’s the snack tray,” Grace said, pulling a large white tray out of one of the sacks. “And the stickers.” She showed them the packets of purple alphabet stickers.

  The plan was to put everyone’s name on the tray in purple sticker letters. Alyssa said, “Grace, I’ll work on the tray while you get the place cards finished. Nat, how about you put the sunglasses in the spa gift bags?”

  “Okay. And I’ll get all the snacks from Julie and Marissa’s trash bags out on the table,” Jenna said.

  Jenna pulled out gobs of sour apple candy, Skittles, lots and lots of Hershey’s Kisses, and a wide assortment of sugar-free candy from the trash bags.

  “I think most of our bunk is bringing goodies,” Alyssa said, looking up from tearing open a packet of alphabet stickers. “Maybe we should have brought more trays.”

  “You have a point,” Natalie said.

  There were also little bottles of body glitter, and really goofy stuffed animals—bugs with big glasses and birds with buckteeth—that they also put into the spa bags.

  Shortly after that, Julie and Marissa reappeared.

  Julie said, “Girls, you have done a fantastic job! Our table is a fantasy come true.”

  The four bunkmates, Julie, and Marissa stepped back to admire the purple table laden with wonderful treats for all the girls of 3C. Natalie was so proud that tears actually welled in her eyes.

  Marissa looked at her and said, “Natalie, your eye makeup is running.”

  “Oh, no!” Natalie cried, touching her face. “Which way to the bathroom?”

  “They’re over there,” Julie said, pointing to the left. Two bowling-pin doors were labeled GUYS and GALS. “Let’s all go. Last-minute check before our big show.”

  They headed for the bathroom. Then Jenna slowed, saying, “Whoops, I forgot my . . . purse. Be right there.”

  The others crowded into the girls’ bathroom. Natalie reapplied her eyeliner and Marissa sprayed body glitter on her neck and arms. Grace sprayed some of the glitter on her hair.

  “Oh, that looks good!” Julie said, nodding as Grace twirled in a circle.

  Music began to play. Julie said, “It’s time to party, girls!”

  Just then Jenna pushed into the bathroom, panting and fanning her face.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Where’s your purse?” Julie asked.

  “What?” Jenna rolled her eyes. “Oh, no, I forgot it again!”

  “Jenna Bloom,” Marissa said suspiciously. “Yo
u’re up to something.”

  “Me?” Jenna asked, her eyes wide and innocent. “Never!”

  Julie folded her arms. “I think Marissa’s right, Jenna. You’re planning a prank.”

  Just then the bathroom door opened. 3C bunkmates Sarah and Candace sailed into the bathroom!

  Everyone shrieked and hugged one another.

  “This is so cool!” Sarah cried, jumping up and down. She had on really cute plastic bowling pin earrings. She was dressed in a yellow sweater and black pants, and Candace, her brown hair still cropped short, had on dark green all the way.

  “It’s so cool!” Candace echoed.

  Natalie had forgotten Candace’s habit of repeating everything everyone else said. She was so amazingly glad to see Sarah and Candace both.

  “I didn’t have anything purple,” Sarah apologized, looking at Natalie’s outfit.

  “Me neither,” Candace said.

  “Who cares?” Grace said. “You’re here and that’s what counts!”

  Julie hugged the two new arrivals tightly and said, “And you both look so good! But listen, ladies, we can’t have our bunk reunion in the bathroom. Let’s go back to our table.”

  “Yeah! Everyone is showing up at once,” Sarah said. “I saw Karen walking in.”

  “Karen’s here, too!” Candace echoed.

  “Um, has anyone seen Simon?” Natalie asked.

  “Pfft. You’ve seen one boy, you’ve seen ‘em all,” Jenna retorted. Then she giggled and added, “No Simon yet, but Devon is here, Grace.”

  “Oooh, it’s love!” Sarah teased.

  “You guys!” Grace protested. But she looked really happy to hear that Devon had shown.

  I can’t wait to see Simon, Natalie thought. She pushed open the door and dashed out.

  And crashed right into Alex!

  chapter TEN

  Alex staggered backward and fell against Brynn as Natalie rammed into her. She could tell by Natalie’s shocked expression that Natalie hadn’t meant to do it.

  But Alex was so startled that she said, “Hey, watch it!”

  Natalie’s mouth opened, but whatever she was going to say—hopefully, “I’m sorry I took over the whole reunion”—was interrupted by the other bunkmates. With cries of joy, they both gave Alex and Brynn big, tight, warm, fuzzy hugs.

  “Oh, it’s so good to see you two!” Julie cried. “You both look so great! How was the bus ride?”

  “Okay,” Alex said. “Long.”

  “It was nerve-wracking, wondering if we would be able to come,” Brynn added.

  “Not come?” Marissa asked.

  Brynn nodded. “Yeah, because of Alex feeling sick.”

  Alex reddened as all gazes turned to her. She knew Brynn hadn’t meant to embarrass her—Brynn was just being her usual dramatic self—but she was embarrassed anyway.

  “I’m fine.” Alex didn’t mean to sound so mean.

  Julie piped up and said, “Let’s go back to our table.”

  Alex just nodded. She did have to go to the bathroom—that’s why she had been headed for the bathroom—but she could wait.

  She knew she hadn’t spoken to Grace, Jenna, or Alyssa yet. She didn’t know what to say. And as for Natalie, it was probably better if she didn’t say anything more at all.

  On the other hand, she was finally at the reunion. She waved at Jessie, who was coming through the double doors with hundreds of other Lakeview campers. Alex had been looking forward to this moment ever since she’d received the invitation, and she almost hadn’t gotten to come. But it felt like it was all ruined . . . and it hadn’t even started yet.

  As they reached the Bunk 3C table, Alex took in all the decorations that other people had arranged. She thought it looked like a mish-mash. There were bowling-themed items, and things that didn’t go together at all except that they were purple. There was a tray covered with purple letters containing more candy than she had ever seen, including on Halloween.

  To her right, Bunk 3A jumped to their feet and booed the appearance of 3C. Marta, Gaby, Christa, and Jill were going way overboard in their boos and grimaces. 3A and 3C were traditional Camp Lakeview rivals. Gaby, who had briefly buddied up to Grace, stuck out her tongue. Christa and Jill copied her.

  Bunk 3A’s table was decorated in Color War blue and red, and it looked great. They even had the same napkins that she had purchased!

  Maybe I should go sit with them, Alex thought, not even joining in as her bunkmates dissed 3A back. She still couldn’t get over that their enemy bunk went with her idea, while her own bunk didn’t.

  She randomly pulled out a chair to sit down at the 3C table. Then she realized that there were name cards at each place. There were six places on each side, and one on each end. The end places were for Julie and Marissa. But Alex had been seated between Natalie and Chelsea.

  Was she going to have spend the entire party sitting next to Natalie? So Natalie could spend the entire reunion explaining to Alex why her decorations were better?

  And why did she have to sit next to Chelsea? Chelsea was the last one on the row, with Marissa seated to her right at the end.

  “Look! There are little bottles of stuff from Natalie’s fancy spa in these bags!” Sarah announced as she picked up a bag labeled SARA. They even misspelled Sarah’s name! Didn’t they care about anything except getting their own way?

  “Hey, these cards are all messed up,” Grace announced, as she and the others started moving around the table, looking for their names. “They’re not at the places we put them.”

  Jenna grimaced. “Sorry about that. I kind of knocked them over when I was looking for my, um, purse. I couldn’t remember where they went.”

  “We’re all bunkmates,” Sarah said. “So it doesn’t matter where we sit. Or, um, if our names are misspelled. Besides, I plan to bowl and race go-karts most of the time! Not sit around!”

  “And the boy-crazy girls will be off kissing and dancing,” Brynn added.

  “Look! There’s Karen!” Jenna cried.

  Soon everyone except Valerie and Chelsea had gathered at the table. Natalie sat next to Alex and looked straight ahead. She didn’t speak to Alex, and Alex didn’t say a word to her, either. The others were trying on their purple sunglasses and putting on nail tattoos and having a good time. All the cool stuff was from Natalie.

  Alex felt even more like a total loser.

  A DJ wearing a big beige hat was sitting at a console that read DJ KMAXX! He smiled as Kathleen walked up to him with a piece of paper. Probably a song request, Alex realized. The DJ nodded and punched something in to his console.

  As the girls sat down, the spicy smells of pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, and French fries filled the air. Although it reminded her of camp, Alex didn’t feel hungry in the least. And she sure didn’t feel like dancing, even if the songs were the latest and greatest.

  Marissa and Julie brought over large pitchers of soda, one in each hand, and set them down on the table.

  “This one’s Diet Coke,” Julie told Alex as she placed it in front of her.

  Alex nodded. Even though she knew a lot of the other girls drank diet sodas, she felt singled out.

  Just then, Dr. Steve appeared on the little stage at the end of the room. He was wearing his navy blue Camp Lakeview polo shirt and khakis. In fact, he looked the same as he did at camp, except he was a little pale, compared to his usual burnt-lobster hue at camp.

  Everyone at the table except Alex, Marissa, and Julie started cheering and screaming. Alex just sat there.

  “Hello, Camp Lakeview alumni!” Dr. Steve said. The microphone zinged and he took a step away from it. Then he craned his neck down and said, “Can you hear me now?”

  Laughter echoed off the walls.

  “Okay, let’s review some safety tips and Village Bowl regulations, and then we’ll get this reunion started.”

  More applause and cheers rocked the house. Alex heard some boys hooting and strained to see where 3F was sitting. But she couldn’t se
e beyond the 3C table. They had so much stuff heaped on it that it blocked her view of the rest of the party room.

  Their beloved leader started to blink as he droned a long list of rules and regulations, most of it seeming to center around wearing socks with their rented bowling shoes. As was their habit, the girls of 3C pretty much ignored “Dr. Flutter Bug,” which was his camp nickname because he blinked so much.

  Then Dr. Steve finally said, “All right! Our DJ, KMAXX, will be taking requests, so just come up and tell him what you want to hear. And now, I declare this reunion officially begun!”

  Everyone yelled and cheered again. Alex couldn’t find it in her heart to say one “yay.”

  “That means we can start eating, right?” Grace asked Julie.

  “Yes,” Julie said. “It’s a buffet, so you can grab a plate and load up on whatever you want. I’ll bet Jenna will eat at least four burgers. Right, Jenna?”

  But Jenna didn’t reply. She was studying 3A’s table as if something was wrong. Alex wondered if she thought the Color War theme was dumb, too.

  “I’m eating six pieces of pizza,” Sarah announced. “What about you, Alex?”

  “Sure,” Alex muttered. She started to push back her chair at the exact same time as Natalie. She got her ankle caught in her chair leg and fell forward—knocking over the pitcher of Diet Coke. It splashed all over Sarah, completely soaking her from her chest on down.

  “Oh, no!” Sarah wailed, leaping to her feet. She was dripping wet. She staggered backward, staring at herself, and burst into tears. “My outfit!”

  “I’m so sorry!” Alex cried. “Let me help you!”

  Sarah ran for the bathroom. Alex started to follow, but Julie said, “Don’t worry, Alex. I’ll handle it.”

  Julie took off after Sarah while the rest of the table immediately started cleaning up the mess. Alex gathered up wads of napkin to sop up the huge pool of soda on the table.

  Then Jenna said, “Hmm, oh, dear,” and frowned over at 3A’s table again.

  Then all of a sudden, some of the 3A girls erupted into a humongous argument.