Read Camp Confidential 01 - Natalie's Secret Online

Authors: Melissa J Morgan

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BOOK: Camp Confidential 01 - Natalie's Secret
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Natalie’s jaw dropped. “Oh my gosh! Who did that?” she demanded, turning to Alyssa. But Alyssa was laughing too hard to answer, pausing only to catch her breath and wipe tears from the corners of her eyes.
Looking around, Natalie could tell that Alyssa wasn’t the only one having an extreme reaction. But to her left, three girls looked like they were enjoying the scene just a shade more than everyone else.
Jenna, Grace, and Brynn.
None of the counselors could prove anything, though, and the prank was harmless enough. And so once the panties had been lowered and safely returned to Lizzie, 3A’s most embarrassed counselor, flag-raising proceeded as though there had been no interruption at all.
“So, today we’re going to talk about interviews,” Keith, the newspaper specialist said. Keith hadn’t ever worked on an actual newspaper—just a small computer magazine published in South Jersey—but Natalie liked him just the same. He seemed very enthusiastic, and nothing about the newspaper office was potentially poisonous, alive, or otherwise natural. Therefore, Natalie had decided that newspaper was just about her favorite place to be at Lakeview. That is, when she wasn’t back in the bunk reading magazines while Alyssa sketched. Keith continued, “An interview is a reporter’s opportunity to talk to a famous figure or other celebrity, sure, but what people don’t always realize is that the interview is also the reporter’s opportunity to paint the subject in any light he or she sees fit. Many people assume that interviews they read are a reflection of the subject’s true thoughts and words, but often, the interview is strongly influenced by the reporter’s vision.”
Natalie snorted almost without realizing. “I’ll say,” she muttered to herself.
Alyssa looked at her friend quizzically. “What do you mean?” she asked.
Natalie looked up to see that not only was Alyssa looking at her, but so were a few other campers.
Whoops,
she thought. She hadn’t meant to actually say anything aloud. Now what was she going to do? “Uh, well, I just mean—I read a thing in
Teen People
last week that made Britney Spears look like a total moron. And I don’t really think that she is,” she stammered, covering.
“Yeah, I’m sure she’s, like, a real brainiac,” said Claudia, a girl from 3B that Natalie and Alyssa were starting to get to know.
“She’s
way
smarter than Christina Aguilera,” Natalie protested defensively, hoping to turn the conversation away from her little slip. “Don’t you think, Alyssa?”
“Huh? Well, I guess . . . but she’s nothing compared to, uh, Mindy Moore,” Alyssa said.
Everyone at their table cracked up. Alyssa was so hopeless when it came to mainstream pop culture. That was one of the things Natalie liked best about her—she was into more original music, books, and movies than most of the kids Natalie knew—even her friends back in the city.
“
Mandy
Moore, Lyss,” Claudia said, laughing hysterically.
“Mandy.”
Natalie giggled with her friends, and Alyssa did, too. Natalie was especially relieved for the change in conversation topic. But when Natalie glanced up at her friend, she caught Alyssa gazing at her with a strange expression.
Did her friend suspect that Natalie’s comment meant more than she was letting on?
 
 
“Pass it here! Alex, pass it here!”
Natalie looked up to see a soccer ball nearly glance off Chelsea’s face. Naturally, the girl was completely undaunted. Chelsea may have been a total princess in the mornings, spending time blowing out her hair and picking just the right outfit, but when it came to sports, she was a big-time jock. Right now, for example, she dipped backward and deftly sidestepped the soccer ball as it shot toward her. Once it hit the ground, she leaped on top of it and began dribbling swiftly toward the opposite team’s goal.
“Go! Go! Go!” Alex shouted, egging Chelsea on. Brynn stood beside Alex, screaming wildly and waving her arms in the air in a wordless show of support.
“Do you think we’re supposed to be going after her?” Natalie whispered to Alyssa, who was also hanging out in the far left field. Natalie was fast learning that in addition to nature, there were several other aspects of camp that weren’t exactly her strong suit. Sports being one of them.
Alyssa shrugged. “Not sure. What does ‘defense?’ mean, anyway?”
Natalie grinned. She and Alyssa really were on the same page.
Suddenly, the players on the field—all the rest of the girls in bunk 3C—erupted into a mixture of triumphant battle cries and booing and hissing. Obviously, Chelsea had scored. No surprise there.
Brian, the head of sports, blew his whistle shrilly, bringing the game to a formal conclusion. “Nice work, girls!” he shouted in his thick Australian accent. “Chelsea, great goal! Alex, awesome assist!”
“I personally think we did some mighty fine standing around,” Natalie mumbled to Alyssa under her breath.
Alyssa stifled a giggle. “Somehow, I don’t think we’re going to get any praise for that.”
“Natalie!” Brian called, as if on cue. “Why don’t you help me gather up the equipment?”
“Um, sure,” Natalie said, slightly taken aback. She headed toward the far end of the field and wrapped her arm around the goal net, dragging it toward the sports shed.
Once she got to the shed, Brian propped the door open for her. “Thanks, Nat, I really appreciate it,” he said as she shoved the net through the doorway.
Natalie dusted her hands off on her shorts. “No problem.” It was the least she could do, really, given that she had barely moved a muscle all through the sports period.
“So, I noticed that you’re not exactly crazy about soccer,” Brian observed.
Natalie looked up at him, the very picture of innocence. “Whatever gave you that idea?” she asked, wide-eyed. She could tell he knew she was being sarcastic.
“Wild guess.” He ran his fingers through his curly red hair.
Brian looked so frustrated that Natalie actually felt a little guilty. “It’s not you, Brian. I’m just, um, not really athletic. But, you know, I think you always find fun things for us to do in sports.”
“Thanks, Natalie, but you don’t need to reassure me. It’s important to me that everyone here has a good time. You don’t have to love every single thing we play, but if there’s something you’d like to try, let me know. I mean, camp is—”
“—the time for new experiences, I know,” Natalie said, cutting him off.
He grinned at her. “It’s true.”
“It must be, ’cause I keep hearing it,” Natalie said, half-kidding. “Look, I’ll think about it. I’m sure somehow, somewhere, there’s some sort of sport that I like.”
“Thanks, Natalie,” Brian said.
“I could always be in charge of the whistle,” Natalie offered, giggling.
“It’s a thought,” Brian agreed.
“I’d better go,” Natalie said. “Lunch next. Can’t miss it.”
She ran to catch up to Alyssa, who looked at her quizzically. “Deep conversation?” Alyssa asked.
“He wants me to take a more active interest in sports,” Natalie said. “Little does he know the most exercise I get at home is channel surfing.” This was an exaggeration, but she was making a point.
“Yeah, it shows.”
Natalie whirled around to find Chelsea slithering by. She looked perfect and rosy-cheeked, like an ad for a fitness club or a protein drink or something.
At least I’m not drenched in sweat,
Natalie thought to herself,
on the way to the mess hall.
She didn’t bother to say anything out loud, though. Chelsea just wasn’t worth it.
chapter SEVEN
Dear Hannah,
Greetings again from Camp Lake-puke.
I’M just kidding, really. It’s not that bad. I Mean, I still don’t think I’M going to win Camper of the Year or anything, but for the Most part I’M enjoying Myself. Can you believe it’s been almost a week?
Most of the girls here are cool. I really like this one chick, Alyssa, who is from South Jersey. She’s very quiet and artsy—always writing or drawing in her journal. Anyway, her parents sent her to
camp so she could learn to be More outgoing, but I think she’s just fine the way she is. I Mean, Maybe she doesn’t talk that Much, but when she does, she always has something smart and funny to say. We’re on the newspaper together—she’s a really good writer. I guess you could say she’s My best friend here. You would really like her.
The rest of the bunk is okay, too. Valerie is cool to hang out with—we’re in nature together. Grace is the comedienne, always cracking jokes and Making everyone laugh. She’s really friendly and never wants anyone to be left out. Then there’s Jenna, who has like a million brothers and sisters
or
at least three that I know of. Her twin, Adam, is very friendly and her older sister Stephanie is good friends with My CIT Marissa. And then I think there’s one that’s off doing a college prep course. Or something. I can’t keep track. They’ve all been coming to camp for, I think, a hundred years or so, so she knows all the ropes. She’s kind of a tomboy and likes to play practical jokes—which sometimes aren’t so funny! It doesn’t bother Me, but one of these days I think she’s really going to get into trouble. And Alex is the big uber-camper who knows all the counselors and never complains and kicks total butt in every sport. It’s a little intimidating, even for Me. She hangs out with Sarah, who also loves sports, and also this girl Brynn, who means well, but ... well, she’s a drama queen. Like last week, during chores, she got stuck with the showers.
Mind you, the showers are gross, but we all have to do it sooner or later—even Me! The way she carried on, you would have thought she was the bunk slave or something. It’s kind of annoying.
Still, the only girl I really have an issue with is Chelsea. She’s really pretty—blond and skinny, you’d hate her—and also very athletic. But for some reason, she’s got a total chip on her shoulder. I don’t know what she’s got against me—I mean, I’m obviously not vying for the Lakeview MVP award or anything. And it’s not just Me, either; she’s always Making little rude comments and not-jokes to people. I guess she’s just got a bad attitude. Mostly, I try to ignore her and keep Myself positive. Even NATURE’S not so bad these days.
Which brings Me to Simon. Yes, the same guy I wrote you about that I met in the Mess hall. Well, More like “bumped into,” if you want the truth and all. But it turned out he is also in nature, and after the first session, he introduced himself to Me (I had to play cool and pretend like I hadn’t already gotten the whole 411 from Jenna, since Adam is in his bunk!). It was kind of awkward—I think he’s a little shy. Not like all those super-obnoxious boys from school! He could tell I wasn’t really “feeling” nature and showed Me little tricks, like how to feed the rabbit and which leaves are poisonous out in the wild. Personally, I’M planning to avoid the wild at all costs, but Simon doesn’t have to know that! So that’s an interesting development, anyway. And it kind of takes My Mind off the fact that I still haven’t heard from Kyle Taylor yet (in case you were wondering)! Too bad you’re not still in the city to spy for Me!
Thanks for all your postcards—I save them and tape them to the wall over my bed, right next to the picture of all of us skating in Central Park last winter. That way, I see your smiling face when the bugle (yes, a bugle—no joke) sounds at the crack of dawn. I think the Mona Lisa is My favorite. What a bummer that it was so crowded when you went! I haven’t heard anything from Ellen or Kate, but Maggie wrote to tell me that her summer dance intensive is going well. Lucky girl—she gets to sleep in and spend the day working at the one thing she loves More than anything else! Meanwhile, I toil away at things like kickball and diving practice. Sigh ...
I promise I’ll write as soon as I’ve got anything new to report. Maybe I’ll help Jenna pull the ultimate prank, and we’ll both get kicked out. (KIDDING! Sort of.)
Or Maybe I will free all the animals in the nature shack, and then Simon and I will gallop off into the sunset.
Whatever. I MISS YOU!!! You Must be in Italy by now? Eat some pasta for Me.
xoxo,
Nat
 
“Oh, that is so gross,” Natalie said, shuddering.
“Come on, Nat—he likes you,” Valerie said, sidling up to Natalie teasingly.
Natalie took a gi-normous step backward. “Seriously, stay away from me with that thing,” she warned. “I can’t believe you’re even willing to touch it.”
Valerie laughed, and patted the head of the snake that was now wound around her forearm. Valerie had made friends with all the animals in the nature shack, but she liked the snakes the best, and she always made fun of Natalie for being afraid of them.
“Just you wait until one bites you,” Natalie warned.
“Afraid of a
garter
snake, Natalie?” Chelsea said incredulously. She always managed to make everything she said sound like an insult, Natalie noticed.
“I’m not scared,” Natalie said hotly. “I just don’t see a need to get up close and personal with something cold and slimy.”
BOOK: Camp Confidential 01 - Natalie's Secret
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