Sleepaway Girls (6 page)

A smile spread across Ashley’s lips. “Did she now? Then I’m
sure
Sam told you how she was
cast
in the commercial.”

I just looked at her. What was she getting at? Cole was toweling off behind me and I was trying not to get distracted.

“It’s not like Sam was hand-picked or went to a huge audition and was discovered,” Ashley said solemnly. “Unlike
me,
who producers and casting directors
ask
for.”

“Producers are asking for you?” One of the girls from 8A asked. Ashley ignored her.

“Sam was in that commercial because her mommy works for Dial and Dash Phone,” Ashley told my girls.

A sickening feeling took over my stomach. I’d always been honest about this. Maybe too honest. I had told the whole story to Ashley myself on the first day of camp. But with my peeps I had glossed over this detail, mostly because it seemed too complicated for them to understand. Cole knew the truth, but I hated having him hear it said in such an ugly way by someone as vindictive as Ashley.

“I guess the company didn’t have the money to hire someone on their own so they wound up using the demo they shot with Sam for the national commercial.”

“That’s not true,” I said shakily. I hated bragging about Dial and Dash, but I wasn’t going to let Ashley drag my name through the mud in front of my peeps.

Ashley continued to ignore me. “You guys have seen the other Dash commercials, right?” My girls nodded. “Why do you think Sam isn’t in them? They didn’t
want
her.”

“That’s enough, Ashley,” I said. “That commercial was a hit. They
did
want me, but I didn’t want to do more commercials.” Even if I wanted to say something cold about Ashley’s career at that moment, I couldn’t do it in front of my peeps and she knew it. Ashley had the upper hand once again.

“You don’t have to be defensive, Sam. I’m just telling them the truth.” Ashley shrugged. “That’s what a good counselor does. They don’t
lie
to their charges.” She grabbed her beach bag and pulled it onto her shoulder. “See you, girls.” She walked away with her friends. I could hear them laughing.

“Is that true, Sam?” Mackenzie asked. “They didn’t want you for more commercials?”

“It’s complicated, Mackenzie,” I said, grabbing her towel and handing it to her. “But the short version is that everyone liked the first commercial a lot and I had a lot of fun making it.”

“Just ignore Ashley,” Cole whispered in my ear and I felt my body stiffen. I could smell his gum. Today it was grape. I breathed it in. “She thrives on being evil.”

“It suits her well,” I said. I was afraid to move.

“You can’t let her get away with it,” Cole added.

I shrugged. “I can’t do mean as well as she does, so what’s the point?”

I moved away and handed the rest of my girls their towels. I made sure everyone had their beach cover-ups and sunblock (something they seemed to lose on a daily basis). Then it was time for me to get dressed. I looked around. My towel and clothes were MIA. “Has anyone seen my stuff?” I asked the girls. They shook their heads.

We all searched, even Cole, thinking maybe my stuff had gotten mixed in with his peeps’, but my clothes were nowhere to be found. Then it dawned on me: Ashley. She and her minions must have grabbed them when I was in the water.

“Can I borrow someone’s towel?” I said.

Cole stripped off his, standing there in his swim trunks, and held the green towel out to me. It smelled like Downy. I tried not stare at Cole’s abs as I took it and wrapped the towel around my chest.

“Ashley took your stuff, didn’t she?” Cole asked.

“It looks like it,” I said wearily.

“Sam,” Cole started to say something and I was sure it was about taking on Ashley.

“Cole, I just don’t even have it in me to fight her,” I said. “Thanks for the towel. I promise to return it later.”

Then I trudged up the hill behind my peeps, in my bare feet, clutching Cole’s towel. All I could think about was the fact that Ashley had humiliated me yet again.

13

The kitchen grill went up in flames. Sadly, I was secretly excited.

I had quickly learned that people did not come to camp for the food, especially when most nights it was burgers or hotdogs. The night of the grease fire (which was so bad the fire department showed up), Gabby was on kitchen duty. Rumor had it she was so busy flirting with Gavin that she forgot to take a few burgers off the grill. I had the feeling Beaver wanted to fry Gabby for supper.

Thankfully, the damage wasn’t that bad. Hitch said the kitchen would be open the next day. And on the upside, because of the fire, Hitch ordered the whole camp pizza. Real pizza. Not those little frozen ones that tasted like cardboard. While we waited, the younger campers were watching a movie in the auditorium and some of the off-duty older campers and counselors were playing games on the great lawn. The sun was finally lowering behind the trees, which made the weather much more bearable, and it wasn’t dark yet, so the mosquitos were still at bay. After Alexis reassured me that she didn’t need me to sit with the peeps in the auditorium, I decided to play Capture the Flag with my friends. The game was really growing on me, mostly because it didn’t require me to throw a ball or catch one. All I had to do was run.

Court somehow made sure Em, Grace, and I were part of the same game as Donovan, Dylan, Cole, and Tim.

Playing on Cole’s team sounded like a good idea at first, but once we started playing, I found it kind of distracting. Just the night before, Em and I were freaking out about the Guess the Counselor game again. Court told us we had to chill. “It’s so easy,” she said. “You walk up, tell them, and take off your mask for a kiss!” Great idea, if you had the guts, which I was starting to think I didn’t. If I did, I would have casually mentioned the camp-wide dance to Cole by now. I hadn’t. The problem was, I couldn’t just blurt out “Cole, I like you.” Just looking into his eyes made me dizzy.

“Court? Hello, Court?” Donovan waved a hand in front of Court’s face. Sweat was beading down his chest. Donovan and Hunter, who were also playing with us, had taken off their shirts about twenty minutes ago and wrapped their opposing team pinnies around their waists. “Heads up out there. You don’t want to get captured!”

“Captured is bad,” Court said in a trance. I’d never seen her like that. Grace stepped on Court’s foot and she yelped. “What was that for?”

“Will you get it together?” Grace whispered heatedly. “We’re getting killed out there because you’re too busy staring at Donovan’s abs.” She glared at Em. “And if you say, ‘It’s just a game’ one more time, I’m putting you in our own jail.”

“Look who’s all huffy,” Court pointed out. “Grace, remember: You don’t have to win every time. Just have fun.”

“And you promised not to make us practice for the talent show so much my calves would hurt,” Grace complained. “I can’t be worn out before Color War. What do you think these kids will think if I lose today? They might think I’m not a worthy Color War captain candidate.”

Court flashed her you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me look. “You’re going to win captain, okay? And besides, the practices have been paying off, haven’t they?” Court asked. “Our number rocks. Even Ashley didn’t have a nasty comment to make after yesterday’s practice.”

We had decided to go with “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” and it was coming together nicely. We borrowed cowboy boots from the theater department to use in rehearsals. The drama teacher said no one had done a western-themed act in years.

“I still don’t trust Ashley,” Grace worried. “She is not going to take this loss lying down. She and Gabby will get you back somehow, Court. We already know they’re out for blood with Sam and now you too.”

“Tell me about it,” I grumbled. Seriously, Ashley’s attitude was the only sore note to this whole perfect summer experience. I’d gotten over missing Mal (especially since she didn’t seem to miss me enough to send more videos). I’d made a bunch of new friends. And being a CIT made me feel like an adult. But Ashley’s attitude and her comments were getting old. I didn’t know how much more of them I could take.

Cole jogged over. I was a little disappointed that he didn’t join the other guys in the shirt removal trend. “Why do you guys look so down?”

“Because we’re losing!” I complained. “We’ve got five teammates in jail and
someone
on the other side seems to have it out for me and Court.”

“She’s got a point,” Grace agreed. “We’ve had to rescue Sam and Court from jail six times already.”

I rubbed my sore elbow. I felt like I was playing football, not a mindless camp game. Every time I crossed the dividing line I was tackled. So was Court. Every time, by the same two burly marshmallows. I wanted to blame the smackdown on Ashley, but she wasn’t even in the game we were playing. I hadn’t seen her since Gabby’s fire was put out.

“I don’t mind,” Court said with a sigh. “Donovan has come to my aid every time I fall.”

“That’s great, Court, but my welts are starting to add up.” I glared at the opposing team. “It’s those two guys over there.” I pointed to two marshmallows that were covered in mud and grass stains. “They’re not even trying to capture the flag. They just want me and Court.”

“You do seem to be getting banged up out there,” Cole agreed. “Do you want me to talk to them?” I shook my head. “Are you sure they’re after you in particular? We lost Colin and Joyce on that last round. Maybe you’re just not very good.” He smirked mischievously and I felt my heart skip a beat.

“I am too good!” I said defensively. “Maybe if you were paying attention to the marshmallows instead of yelling out fake code words to me, Joyce and Colin wouldn’t be in jail.” I tried not to laugh. Cole was always yelling things like, “Sam, forty-eight, twenty-two — go left!” Or “Sam, initiate Operation Storm Shield!” I had no clue what a storm shield was, but he made me laugh anyway.

“I’m trying to distract the other team,” Cole protested. “They don’t know the codes are fake.” Cole’s face was sweaty and there was a huge smudge of dirt on his forehead that I hadn’t told him about. He looked cute like that.

“Are you done writing your surrender speech yet?” Hunter yelled from across the dividing line.

“God, he looks good,” Court whispered to me. I glanced quickly at Cole. I didn’t want him to hear Court say that. I was already sensitive about the fact that he thought I used to lust after Hunter. Hunter did look good, I had to admit. Was it okay to think that? He had his hands on his hips and there were grass stains all over his white nylon shorts and mud splattered across his chest.

“You’re the ones who need the pen and paper, my friend,” Cole yelled back.

I wasn’t sure I believed the threat.

Donovan joined our huddle, putting his arms around Court and me. Cole then put his arm around Grace and me. All I could think about was the fact that Cole was touching me.

“Team, forget the flag,” Donovan instructed us. “We need manpower. Cole and Sam, I need you two to distract some of the girls while Court and I make a run for the jail to get some of our teammates back. Grace, you tag out as many people as you can. The rest of you, keep Hunter and the marshmallows running in circles.” We placed our hands in the circle and chanted our battle cry (“Bleed Red or Die!” which didn’t make sense to me, but I guessed it was a boy thing).

“Don’t worry,” Em told me. “If those guys come after you again, I’ll put them in jail so that you don’t have to worry about them anymore.”

“I’ll help you,” Dylan offered. Em looked panicked and took her inhaler out of her pocket. I coughed loudly. Dead giveaway, I wanted to tell her. Thankfully, Em seemed to get the point.

“Thanks. I could use some help,” she said shyly.

“Me too,” Grace said loudly. “I know I’m fast, but sometimes I get confused when so many people are charging at me.” She looked at Tim out of the corner of her eye.

“I’m with Donovan,” Court announced before hurrying to his side.

“Ready, partner?” Cole nudged me.

“Ready, sir.” I saluted. I took my mark on the matted-down muddy grass and stared menacingly at the two guys who kept going after me. Bring it on, baby, I thought. Bring it on. I was determined not to go down again.

“Game back on,” yelled Donovan and we were off.

The scene reminded me of
Gladiator.
Both sides started charging at each other and screaming. The muddy field, already squishy from last night’s rain, was splattering all over the place as both teams stormed the dividing line. Our jails were supposed to be quiet, but you could hear captured teammates on either side screaming for release or cheering their teams on. Cole was fast so he was already several paces ahead of me. A girl lunged at him, but he was too quick for her.

Their jail was straight ahead of me and I could see the flag. A girl in a red pinnie was waving it listlessly. I knew I wasn’t supposed to, but I was sure I could reach her. I started running and I was getting pretty close. Maybe those guys were going to leave me alone this time. They would have tackled me by now if —

OOOF! In an instant, I got sandwiched to the ground and I felt the mud squish into my blue pinnie and white shirt. Eww! Both of my legs hurt and I could swear I felt my back snap when I went down. I pushed with all my might and heard Donovan calling a time-out. From my position on the ground I could see Court down a few feet away. Donovan was helping her to her feet. Right away I knew it was the same two guys who tackled us last time. I tried to stay calm. I was a CIT and they were campers. I couldn’t yell, but I was angry. “Guys, I know you’re into the game, but do you think you could quit the tackling?” I asked one as I dusted off my shorts. “We don’t tackle in capture the flag. You’re supposed to capture me, not kill me.”

The guy shrugged and smiled at his friend. “We’re just playing the game.”

Cole made it to me first. “Are you okay?” he asked and I nodded. He turned to the two campers. “Guys, take it easy on her okay? This is just a game.” Then Cole turned back to me, looking worried. “Are you sure you don’t need ice? Where does it hurt? Can you move your knee?”

“Cole, I’m okay,” I promised.

He looked skeptical. “You’re out of this next play. You shouldn’t be running.”

“I’m playing,” I said and I meant it.

“If you hurt something you need to tell me now.” Cole touched my shoulder gently and I felt a tingling sensation.

“Whoa.” Court was standing behind me. “Cole is like your own personal bodyguard,” she whispered in my ear.

Watching him get all protective of me was pretty cool.

“Isn’t getting hurt great?” she asked me, linking arms. “Donovan helped me up.” There was blood dripping down her arm.

“Court, you’re bleeding!” I told her.

She pointed to my knee. “So are you,” she said. She shook her head. “If we keep getting nailed like this there is no way we’ll be able to practice tomorrow and we need a few more practices before our audition.”

“I think you should go to the nurse,” Cole said to me.

“Cole, it’s just a little scratch,” I told him. “I’m okay, really.”

“Everything okay over here?” Hunter asked.

“We’re just going over the rules of the game, right, guys?” Cole said to the marshmallows. “No tackling allowed.”

“Guys, what are you doing?” Hunter asked, sounding stern. “Cut it out or you’re out of the game and I’ll have to write you up. Got it?”

The two campers mumbled some form of “got it” and walked back over to their places. I couldn’t take my eyes off them. They were whispering to each other and looking back at the woods next to our field. What were they up to?

I didn’t have a chance to find out. I got back to my spot just in time for the game to start again. We’d gotten one of our marshmallows back during the last round, so we were up a person. This time, Grace flew past me on her way to tag out some more people. Tim was at her side and I heard her asking him for help. Court was shadowing Donovan’s every move and Em and Dylan were working together. I headed straight for the jail, following Cole’s backside. Hunter jumped right in front of me. I stopped short for a second in a total panic. He was trying to capture me and I didn’t want him to. Even if he did have amazing abs.