My Extra Best Friend (9 page)

He gives Elizabeth a friendly smile.

She gives him one back.

I pull a spike off my pinecone.

Loud laughter comes from the other table.

We all look.

Nat holds up a squashed pinecone. Red paint drips from its crushed spikes. Two googly eyes barely hang on.

“What
is
it?” Tom asks.

Nat does a sly grin. “Roadkill,” she replies.

Emillie cracks up.

So does Brooke.

Stacey just smiles.

“Our first Quiet Time,” Meeka says when we get back to Chickadee after lunch. “We should commemorate the occasion.”

She clicks a few pictures while we climb onto our bunks. We’re supposed to relax and read and write letters until it’s time to go to the beach. Sort of like rest time in kindergarten without the napping mats.

But I’m not tired. And I forgot to bring a book to read even though it was on my camp list. I have my sketchbook, but I don’t feel like drawing. I did enough art at the crafts cottage this morning.

I glance at the pinecone critters that are sitting on the little table under my window. Stacey’s cat. Elizabeth’s dog. My monkey. Brooke’s roadkill. She copied Nat’s design.

But it’s not the pinecone critters that keep catching my eye.

It’s a card that Brooke insisted we prop up for everyone to see because she was the inspiration for it. The one Elizabeth made at the crafts cottage and kept hidden from me. A bright orange bird is on the cover, singing a bright orange song:

Tweet! Tweet!

Orange you glad to hear from me?!

After crafts, I saw Elizabeth show the card to Tom. Then I heard her say that she’s going to mail it to her parents as soon as she writes a letter inside. That must be what she’s doing now. I can hear her pencil scritch-scratching below me.

I pull George partway out of my sleeping bag so I know he can hear me thinking to him.
She’s been away from her family for
one day,
George,
and already she’s sending them a card
and
a letter. She was away from me for a
whole year
and I didn’t get one scribble.

I hear someone laugh and glance across the room. Randi is reading a book. It must be funny,
because she laughs again and turns the page. Stacey and Brooke are whispering. Meeka and Jolene are passing notes. Jenna is writing a letter. I wonder what she’s telling her family. That she’s having a good time? That Elizabeth is here? That she’s moving back?

I look at the orange bird again. Then I stuff George down and pull out my notepaper and a purple gel pen from under my pillow.

I think for a moment. Then
I
start writing.

I slip the note through the crack between my bunk and the wall. Then I tuck away my pen, flip onto my back, and do a satisfied smile. “There,” I whisper to George. “She may have Brooke fooled, but she can’t fool me.”

Elizabeth’s bed creaks below me.

More scritch-scratching.

A minute later, a note rises up from the crack.

I snatch it and read the words.

I frown. But before I can crumple up the note and shoot for the wastebasket,
another
note appears.

It waves like a little flag.

I snatch it too.

I squeeze my fist around the note.

Take out another piece of paper.

Dig out my most unfavorite gel pen. Scribble down the words.

I let the note fall through the crack.

Wait.

Snatch the next one up.

I drop the note through the crack just as Alex steps into the room. “Quiet Time is over,
girls. You can get dressed for the beach.”

I wait until Elizabeth goes to the bathroom to change, then I slide down from my bunk.

“I’ll swim with you right after Randi and I race Rusty and Joey around the raft,” Jenna tells me. She holds up her beach towel so I can change behind it. “They challenged us after our team beat the pants off their team in kickball.”

“Great,” I mumble, putting on my blue two-piece. “Brooke already asked Stacey to be her swimming buddy. That means I’m stuck with
you know who
.”

“Don’t worry,” Jenna says from the other side of the towel. “It won’t take us long to beat the boys again.”

I take the towel as Jenna slips behind it to change.

The bathroom door opens. Elizabeth steps out, dressed in
her
swimsuit. It’s the first time I’ve seen it, since she didn’t take the swim test yesterday.

Two-piece.

Bright blue.

Exactly
like mine.

I do a gasp.

“What is it?” Jenna asks, peeking out from behind the towel.

“She’s got the
same suit,
” I wheeze.

Elizabeth walks up to us. “I know, I saw yours yesterday before you ran away to find…what was it? Oh yeah, something you lost.”

No words come out of me even though my jaw is practically touching my chest. Elizabeth does that smile again. “Imagine my surprise when I saw that your suit was blue. I mean, your best color is
pink
. It’s
always
been pink.”

Jenna steps out from behind the towel. “Ida had hers first,” she tells Elizabeth. “Go change.”

Elizabeth snorts. “Into what? My birthday suit?”

“Fine with me.” I finally find my voice. “Anything’s better than looking like twins.”

Elizabeth’s face pinches. “If you want to wear
your
birthday suit, go ahead,” she replies. “I’m wearing
this
.” Then she does a sassy turn, sets her goofy glasses next to her orange bird, and picks up a lumpy beach bag.

I shove the towel back into Jenna’s hands and
stomp over to Randi. “I need to borrow a T-shirt,” I tell her, loud enough for Elizabeth to hear. “Something in an extra-large.”

“Sure thing,” Randi replies. She digs through her bag and pulls out a crumpled shirt. “This one is extra-
extra
-large.”

Randi holds up the biggest, reddest T-shirt I’ve ever seen.
Peterson Plumbing
is printed on the front. So is a smiling toilet.

Randi grins. “Compliments of my dad.”

I blink at the T-shirt. Do I want to wear a ginormous smiling toilet in public? No. But do I want to match Elizabeth Evans? Double no.

Sometimes you have to choose between the things you
don’t
want the most.

I grab the shirt and slip it on over my suit.

The sleeves hang past my elbows.

The toilet touches my knees.

I hear snickering and look at Elizabeth. She bites back a smile.

“You’re joking, right?” Brooke says, giving me the once-over. “You’re not actually going to wear that thing to the beach.”

I sigh. “That’s my plan.”

Brooke sniffs. “Then
my
plan is to swim as far away from you as possible.”

She slips on her buggy sunglasses, takes Stacey’s hand, and heads out the door.

Click!

Meeka looks up from her camera. “Got it!” she says, smiling at me.

“Meeka!” I shout. “I don’t want a picture of me wearing this!”

“But it’s a memory,” Meeka replies. “Our first day playing at the beach.”

I snatch the camera from her and push the erase button. “There,” I say as the picture bleeps off the screen. “Now it’s an
un
memory.”

Alex steps into the doorway, watching, as I jam the camera back at Meeka.

Meeka takes it, frowning. “That was mean.”

“It was mean of you to take Ida’s picture without her permission,” Jenna puts in.

Meeka gives Jenna a frown too. Then she, Randi, and Jolene brush past Alex, shooting looks back at us as they head out the door.

“I’ll get your towel from the line,” Jenna tells me. “Meet outside.”

Alex studies me and Elizabeth for a moment after Jenna leaves. “Is anything wrong?” she asks. “Everyone seems a little upset.”

Elizabeth adjusts the beach bag on her shoulder. “Nothing’s wrong with
me,
” she replies.

Alex turns my way. “Ida?” she asks. “Everything okay?”

My face feels as red as my T-shirt. My eyes sting with tears. I feel bad about grabbing Meeka’s camera. I don’t like that she’s mad at me. But it’s not my fault. If Elizabeth hadn’t shown up wearing the exact same swimsuit as me, none of this would have happened. In fact, everything would be perfect if she hadn’t shown up at all.

I blink away the sting. “Everything is fine,” I reply.

Then I head out the door.

“Turn it inside out,” Jenna says a few minutes later, when we get to the beach. The other girls are already halfway to the raft. “Then you won’t match Liz
butt
, and no one will see the toilet.”

I give Jenna a smile of relief. “That’s a good idea,” I say, slipping the T-shirt off and turning it inside out.

Jenna lifts her chin. “I’m an expert at good ideas.”

Elizabeth comes up from behind us.

Jenna gives her a squint. “What do
you
want?”

Elizabeth sets down her beach bag and taps her chin. “French fries and a strawberry shake,” she replies. “How about you?”

“Ha-ha,” Jenna says. “I mean, what are you doing here?
We’re
swimming together as soon
as I win my race.” She takes my hand.

“I know,” Liz replies, reaching into her bag. “But I thought we could explore until you get back.”

She pulls out a face mask. Bright green, with buggy frog eyes on top. The lens looks like the frog’s wide-open mouth. She snugs it over her eyes. Then she pulls out a pair of matching green flippers.

Jenna shakes her head, giving Elizabeth the once-over. “There isn’t a kiddie pool at camp. You look like my little sister.”

Elizabeth slips the flippers on her feet. “How
is
Rachel?” she asks. “I always liked
her
.”

Jenna squints again.

Elizabeth waddles to the edge of the water. “Want to go over by those weeds?” she asks me, pointing to the far side of the shallow end. “If we stand still for a minute, fish will swim right up to us. Maybe even nibble our ankles!”

I just stare at her frog face mask. At her green flippers. At her blue two-piece that would be just as cute as mine, if
mine
wasn’t hidden under a giant T-shirt.

How can she think that I would want to explore with her? How can she pretend that everything is the same between us? Wasn’t she paying attention back at the cabin? Didn’t she read my notes?

“C’mon, Jenna!” Randi hollers from the rope. Rusty and Joey are already by the raft, squirting water through their teeth and doing their best to bug Brooke while she tries to impress Nat and Emillie.

Jenna turns to me. “I’ll be right back,” she says. “We’ll get my squishy ball and play catch.”

“Sounds like fun!” Elizabeth chimes in.

Jenna glares at Elizabeth. “I was talking to Ida. Catch is no fun with
three.
”

“We could play Marco Polo,” Elizabeth offers. “You need at least three for that.”

Jenna gives me a
doesn’t-this-girl-ever-give-up?
look.

“I know a game three can play,” I say, turning to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth’s eyes brighten behind her frog face mask. “What?” she asks.

I cross my arms. “Keep-away.”

“Trust me, you guys will
love
Nat and Emillie once you get to know them,” Brooke says, later, after swimming. We’re all sitting at a picnic table by the beach, eating sundaes the counselors are serving.

“I still don’t think you should have told them about our snacks,” Stacey grumbles. She scoops up a spoonful of ice cream.

Randi’s spoon stops halfway to her mouth. “You
told
them?”

“Of course I told them,” Brooke replies. “They’re my friends. We’re planning a party at their
secret
hideout! I’m calling it the
Sneak-n-Sweets, All You Can Eat Meet and Greet!
Isn’t that completely imaginative?! They’re even going to make us honorary
Hawks
!”

Brooke digs into her sundae.

Jenna lets out a steamy breath, like she’s eating hot soup instead of ice cream. “I know plenty of secret spots. We don’t need
Rat
and
Enemmie
to show us theirs.”