Friends ForNever (21 page)

Authors: Katy Grant

Rachel smiled. “Yeah, that's what we call the bathrooms at Pine Haven.”

“Why?” I mean, seriously. Why not just call it a bathroom?

“I'm not sure. Maybe because you're supposed to be by yourself but it's a communal toilet, so you're not really, or . . .” She just looked at me and shrugged.

Whatever. I know you're supposed to “rough it” at camp and all, but actually giving up private bathrooms, hair dryers, and air-conditioned houses with no crawly thingsâhey, this wasn't going to be easy. How long was I stuck here for? Four weeksâtwenty-eight days. All right. Twenty-eight and counting.

After that Mom and Dad hung out for a while, looking at the camp. New campers were arriving all the time. I kept wondering about the
Evil Twins
. What was that all about? And were they in
my
cabin? The counselors had laughed about it, but that name didn't sound funny to me. I looked at all the strange faces around me. Who were the evil ones?

Then we heard a loud bell ringingâa real bell that a counselor was ringing by pulling a rope to make it clang.

“Lunchtime, Kelly. I'll see you in the dining hall,” said Rachel.

Okay, so now my parents had to leave. My heart was beating about two hundred beats a minute. Dad gave me a bear hug and reminded me to write lots of long letters.

“We'll miss you so much!” said Mom. I could tell she was trying not to cry, which made me want to walk off without even saying good-bye.

“I'll be okay.” My voice sounded like somebody else's. I hugged Mom really fast and then walked toward the dining hall without looking back. I could barely see it through the blur, but I blinked enough so that none of the tears rolled out.

Okay. So far, so good. I'd managed to say good-bye without crying. Much.

Debut author
KATY GRANT
was born and raised in Tennessee. She spent five summers at a girls' camp in North Carolina, first as a camper and then as a counselor. She now lives in the Phoenix metropolitan area, where she teaches college and university classes on writing and children's literature.

MEET THE AUTHOR, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT

KIDS.simonandschuster.com
authors.simonandschuster.com/Katy-Grant

One Summer. One Sleepaway Camp.

Three Thrilling Stories!

How far will Kelly go to hold on to her new friends?

What happens when Judith Ducksworth decides to become JD at camp?

Can Darcy and Nicole's friendship survive the summer?

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.