Camp Boyfriend (12 page)

Since my bunkmates had grown more distant, it’d been easy to use my wedding to-do list as an excuse to stay back when they left to hang out with the Wander Inn guys. I didn’t want to see Seth and his new girlfriend any more than I had to. I’d spotted them together around camp, but couldn’t tell if they were just friends or more than that. Trinity, however, had complained about how fast Seth seemed to be moving on. Her real issue with Seth, I guessed, was that he couldn’t be with
her
. She’d burned up a lot of journal pages after returning from a visit to his cabin during free time.

“Wake up, home girls!” Emily shouted. I inched down my blanket and peered at her. With her side ponytail, pink tights and a blue sleeveless shirt tied at the waist, she could have stepped out of a vintage Olivia Newton-John video—an impression she cemented by holding an old-fashioned boom box over her head that blared the ‘80s song “Let’s Get Physical.”

She set down what amounted to the worst alarm clock in history and pranced around to the beat, swatting at us as she passed our bunks. “Time to clean up Munchies’ Manor before the ‘rents get here and start ragging on us, right?”

Arrrgh
. I threw back the covers and shivered as the early morning air wafted through our screened front door and slid along my bare arms and legs. Siobhan hopped down from her bunk, her eyes darting away from mine. Trinity muttered something about her horoscope warning her to stay in bed today while Jackie threw a pillow at the boom box and missed.

“We’re supposed to be cleaning up this mess, not adding to it, Jackie,” Emily teased, spreading her arms wide and doing a few waist-bends and squats before jogging over to Alex and pulling her out of bed. Alex stumbled a few paces and walked right into my bunk ladder.

I reached out a hand to steady her. “Are you okay?”

She jerked away and began piling wet towels to hang outside. All right, then. It looked like the silent treatment would still continue after the skin rash prank. Maybe Kellianne and Mom’s visit wouldn’t be so bad after all. At least they still talked to me.

I slid down my ladder and felt something crunch underfoot.

“My dream catcher!” Trinity wailed. Four pairs of accusing eyes flew to me.

“Nice,” Alex mocked, the screen door bouncing closed behind her as she returned from the porch. “It’s okay, Trinity. Maybe it’s time to get some new dreams instead of chasing after Lauren’s.”

Pain stabbed in my gut and brought tears to my eyes. Is that what they considered Seth? Old dreams? Thankfully, I was already bent over, scooping up the pieces of birch wood and feathers. At least they couldn’t see how much the comment hurt.

“I didn’t mean to break it,” I muttered.

“Like you didn’t mean to play your little prank on us?” Piper scratched a lingering red patch from the rash. Alex and Siobhan nodded, narrowing their eyes at me.

“Ummm. Hello,” Emily interjected. “I think Lauren’s apologized enough for the perfume. It wasn’t even hers. So let’s move on and get this cabin cleaned up. Who’s up for Madonna?”

That got everyone going, though not without plenty of grumbling. Piper even threatened a sit-in protest until she noticed there wasn’t a clear spot on the floor to sit. Reconciled to our fate, we put the first item back in its place…Emily’s radio.

I studied Trinity out of the corner of my eye as I swept the sand from under our bunks. Her fair skin had turned pink at Alex’s comment about Seth. A part of me wanted to tell her off for lusting after my guy.

Only he wasn’t my guy. But the fact that Girl Code meant Trinity couldn’t do whatever she wrote about in her journal didn’t make me feel better. Seth was available now. I’d worked hard to avoid him this week, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t thought about him. Did he really
want
to be with someone else? Or was he just trying to make me see that I’d made a mistake by not being with him?

Thirty minutes later, the floor was visible, our bunks made, snacks tucked out of sight. Glad to be done, I grabbed my toiletries basket and headed for the bathroom.

“Not so fast, Lauren.” Emily blocked my way. She held a big medieval-style goblet over her head, pink glitter covering its pewter sides. “It’s time for a little something I like to call Kindness. Something Munchies’ Manor seems to have forgotten.”

Siobhan plopped on her bed and sighed. “Emily. No disrespect, but if I don’t get my calculus homework done before my parents get here, they’ll drag me home.”

“I can help,” I spoke up. Science and math had always been my thing and I’d taken the advanced class with juniors this year. Siobhan gave me a tight-lipped smile as she slid over on her bunk and put the textbook between us.

Emily dropped a poker chip in the cup as she rested it on the bureau I shared with Trinity and Alex.

“That’s one kind deed.” Emily’s gums showed in a toothy smile. “Every time someone does something kind, we drop in a chip, and when it’s full we’ll do something special—like go into town for a real dinner, my treat.”

Everyone smiled at that. We were Munchies’ Manor again.

Emily crossed her thin arms and tapped her foot. “So who’s got something else they can share from this week? Something about Lauren, perhaps?”

I looked up from one of the four-step problems I was checking. Dead silence descended on the cabin.

“Come on, Alex,” Emily wheedled. “We all know Lauren kept Mr. Woodrow from catching you and Vijay the other night.”

I remembered Gollum’s bobbing flashlight and the smooching couple directly in his path. I’d raced out of the cabin, cut through some bushes, and stumbled into him. When I told him I was lost, he’d pulled out a pocket Breathalyzer, then escorted me the four hundred yards back to our front porch.

Alex dragged her feet as she picked up a poker chip and dropped it with a ping in the cup. Her eyes met mine, softer than they’d been all week. “I didn’t know Lauren did that on purpose.”

Emily pursed her fuchsia lips. “After eight years, I think Lauren knows her way around, don’t you? Though I’d have thought, Alex, that you’d know the safest make-out spot. Highbrooke Falls. Right, Lauren?”

I flushed. Emily was like a CIA agent.

“Lauren used recycled paper to write her sister’s thank-you notes.” Piper marched over to the Kindness Cup, dropped in a chip, and smiled at me for the first time all week. “The rainforest thanks you.”

Not that Kellianne would have…but I’d picked out the cards in the nearby town of Waynesville with Piper in mind, knowing she’d kill me if I used anything else.

I smiled back and continued working on Siobhan’s homework. I’d done three problems to her five. The left side of Siobhan’s mouth curled. It was her game face. My pencil flew. Game on.

Jackie clomped over to the cup. “Lauren hasn’t missed a volleyball practice yet. Unlike some people.” She glared at a squirming Alex, who popped in a piece of gum and began chomping. We all knew where her free and not-so-free time was going.

Jackie’s closed hand appeared before me. “Your serve has come a long way, Lauren.” She gave me a quick fist bump. I blinked back tears, amazed Emily’s crazy idea was working.

“Anyone else?” Emily called, then put her hand over her mouth and coughed, “Trinity.”

Trinity dropped the pieces of her dream catcher in the cup, then sat beside me. I looked up from Siobhan’s last calc problem and met her glistening eyes. “Thanks for being cool about me liking Seth. We’ll never go out, but…” Her eyes shone with hope—wanting me to say, “No problem. Go for him.”

But I couldn’t. The light in her eyes died as I gave her a quick hug and said thanks.

I walked over to the cup, counted out five chips and dropped them into the goblet. I swallowed, all eyes on me. “I know I’ve been acting weird but it’s because I’ve had a…a confusing year. For months, I wanted more than anything to come back here and hang out with you guys. So thank you for sticking by me because I really need you while I figure stuff out this summer.”

“Group hug!” Emily shouted while the girls rushed me.

I wiped stinging eyes on my T-shirt, arms around everyone. My weekend from hell had transformed into two days I could survive with a little help from my friends. All because of Emily.

If I could avoid boy disaster for the next two weeks, Matt would head home for football practice and I’d decide if we were meant for each other as he insisted, or if my nagging heart had it right from the start…and Seth was The One.

Maybe Emily had another miracle up her sleeve?

* * *

“Surprise!” squealed Mom when I reached her rented black Mercedes. Kellianne sat in the passenger seat. She nodded, then flipped a page in a magazine.

I squashed the disappointment that Dad hadn’t changed his mind and come after all. I hadn’t even realized I’d held out a little hope until right this minute.

“Ummm. I kind of knew you were coming, Mom.”

She hugged me briefly, her flowery perfume clinging longer than she had.

“Yes.” Her perfect pink lips parted in excitement. “But I bet you didn’t know Matt’s father and his dad’s new girlfriend were coming too. We heard the news before we left.”

My eyes darted around, panic filling me despite the fact that Mr. Butler was nowhere in sight. Did Matt know about this? The last I’d heard, he thought his mom was going to visit. Solo. Watching Matt jog up felt like watching a train wreck in slow-mo. I glared at my mother, trying to tell her how insensitive she was to spring this on us.

“Hello, Mrs. Carlson. You look nice today.” Matt smiled politely. I, on the other hand, found little to admire about my mother’s outfit—a pink Polo dress and heels better suited for one of her charity benefits than camp.

My mother gave Matt one of her few genuine smiles. “Thank you, dear. So do you.” I glanced over at Matt’s crisp beige pants and a blue and white button-down that brought out the green in his incredible eyes. He could have stepped out of the local country club or the pages of GQ. In the meantime, I looked like I’d just rolled out of my cabin…which I had.

Mom eyed my wrinkled tank and booty-skimming shorts. “I’m sure Lauren was eager to come greet us, but we’ll excuse her now to get more properly attired. Matt, we’re going to bring you into town with us so you can meet your father in Waynesville for lunch.” I noticed she left out the girlfriend part, perhaps feeling a bit guilty for the surprise attack after all.

If Matt was disappointed that his mom hadn’t come, he did a good job of hiding it. Only the twitch beneath his eye gave him away.

“Lauren looks great to me, but I’m happy to wait with you, Mrs. Carlson. Maybe Kellianne can tell me about the wedding. I know Lauren’s been working hard. I haven’t seen as much of her as I’d like lately.” Only Matt could make my avoidance tactics seem noble.

As if on cue, the tinted Mercedes window rolled down and Kellianne’s French-tipped fingers dangled outside. “Did you bring the thank-you notes?” she demanded.

“Hey, Kellianne.” I passed her a medium-sized cardboard box. “The seating chart and the place cards are in there too.”

“Thanks. And this is for you. It’s from Dad.” She handed me a creased, letter-sized envelope. I turned it over in my hands, but the sealed enclosure and lack of outer markings kept it a mystery.

There’d been a time I would have been thrilled to get something from my dad, but now that he’d ditched me—again—in favor of work, and epically failed on helping with my NASA application, this felt like a weak bribe for forgiveness. It was way too light to hold the letters of reference I needed. So what was it? An apology note? No thanks. It’d feel as empty as the envelope.

“I’ll be right back.” I dashed up the sun-dappled path, eager to change and return before Mom spilled the news about Matt’s dad’s girlfriend. Matt was still furious at his father for cheating. Meeting the object of Mr. Butler’s affections would set off serious fireworks. As for reading whatever Dad sent, that could wait. It’d make me angry, and I had enough bad feelings to deal with.

A brown hawk wheeled in the blue sky, ready to strike. I thought of the oblivious animal about to be its meal. Matt and I had that much in common at least. One minute our lives seemed perfect and the next—
wham
—everything went to hell. I didn’t want Matt to lose himself the way I had when my parents upended my Ithaca life. At the cabin, I tossed the envelope up to my top bunk. It hit the wall and slid down between the bunks to the floor. I left it there for later, grabbed a white eyelet sundress and sandals, swished on some silver eye shadow and pink lip gloss, and brushed my hair free of its ponytail, securing my long bangs off my forehead with a small plastic clip.

My headlong rush out of the cabin skittered to a halt at the sight of Seth and his father walking toward Munchies’ Manor.

“She’s not here, Dad. So let’s go rafting, okay?” Seth didn’t glance up.

Seth’s father, a ruddy man with a neck as thick as his shaved head, pointed at me. “If she’s not here, who’s that, then?”

Seth’s eyes widened. A part of me thrilled at his appreciative look. Any time I’d seen him this week, his attention had been glued to Headband Girl—Breyanna, I’d since discovered.

I trotted down the stairs, nervous that Mr. Reines would treat me differently now that Seth and I were broken up.

“Hi, Mr. Reines. How’s Indiana University wrestling?”

“Division One champions,” boomed the coach, his voice, like everything about him, larger than life. “So are you going to get changed for our rafting trip? We don’t have all day. And where’s your father? Our Geology chair resigned, and I wanted to mention it to him. He’d be perfect.”

My eyes flitted to Seth’s. Did his father still think we were a couple?

Seth’s sheepish look gave me the answer I needed. He hadn’t said anything to his dad. Did that mean he still thought there was a chance for us to get back together? Suddenly I wished I was in my tank and shorts, about to go on our traditional rafting trip. If Dad had come, he’d know about the geology job. Maybe we’d leave Texas and relocate to Indiana where I could be with Seth full-time. I’d spend every second of my one hour of phone time tomorrow telling Dad about the job.