Camp Payback (7 page)

She tapped my arm. I realized she’d only touched me to—I don’t know—emphasize a point or something, but even that quick touch made my body tighten, skin warm.

This whole moment with her, side by side in the garden I’d come to think of as partly my own, breathing the herb-scented air, sitting with the sun on our shoulders and finally talking together…I wouldn’t forget this anytime soon.

“What?” I asked, trying to hold up my end of whatever we were talking about.

“You!” She laughed again. “You’re different. For instance, how do you know so much about the garden and cooking?”

“My mother taught me to cook when I was little.” I missed my mom. Normally, talking about her made it worse, but I wanted to share this part of her. “She worked a lot, you know? So I had to fix food for myself.”

“Umm. Sure. Most kids make peanut butter and jelly.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “That doesn’t explain how you can cook for a few hundred people.”

“I didn’t like peanut butter.” I wanted to make her laugh, and I did. It was easy and a hell of a lot more fun than the slow torture of ignoring her all week.

I hadn’t planned on letting anyone get close to me at camp, but with Alex, it felt easy. How weird that the girl I connected with was the one I’d tried so hard to shut out.

“I’m serious!” She nudged me again, and the heat of her seeped into me, making me imagine what this summer could be like if only…

“I wanted to cook food I really liked, so my mom taught me some recipes she learned from my Venezuelan father.” I cleared my throat, debating how much to say about that. Then, because Alex seemed interested, I sketched the basics. “They met the summer before my mom was supposed to go to college. He was here on a student visa, but he stayed after it expired and they deported him before she had me so…I’ve never met him.”

“Wow. Really?” She closed her eyes and shook her head, thick strands of hair sliding across her cheeks. “Sorry. Of course
really
. I’m just shocked. That’s sad they didn’t get to be together.”

“Yeah. My mom didn’t go to college. It’s been tough for her, taking care of me.”

“But it’s cool she taught you to cook food from your dad’s home country.” Alex nodded and turned toward me, her green eyes locking on mine. The red circles beneath her eyes were almost gone, her gorgeous face taking my breath away. “That’s nice she spent that kind of time with you.”

The back door from the mess hall burst open, startling us both.

“Javier Kovalev!” Helena stood there in her white apron, her hairnet slipping, a frown etched so deeply on her face you’d never guess she smiled every now and then. “There you are. It’s time to start lunch.”

I jumped to my feet and so did Alex. I noticed she kept the flowers.

“Sorry if I wasn’t supposed to be here,” Alex whispered so Helena wouldn’t hear. Then, in a louder voice, she said, “See you around?”

With super-human effort, I didn’t allow my eyes to wander all over her. I’d be seeing Alex often enough, even if I tried not to. She was just that kind of girl.

“Yeah.” I nodded, thinking maybe I’d go to one of those bonfires. I wanted to see her again when she wasn’t mad at me. Even if it had to be from a distance. “See you.”

As she walked away, her sequined shirt bright in the sunlight, Helena appeared at my side.

“I’m warning you, Javier. If you start something with her, you won’t be risking just your job. You’ll be letting me down, too. I vouched for you. Told them you deserved another chance.”

I hung my head, visions of what might have been disappearing with the sun behind a cloud. “I know.”

“No.” Helena pointed a wooden spoon at me. “I don’t think you do because if you did, I wouldn’t have found you two out here alone. Another girl, maybe Mr. Woodrow might not be so rigid about the employee handbook since you aren’t technically older than the campers. But with parents as famous as hers, you can bet he’s not going to risk them bringing negative attention to the camp.”

I closed my eyes, wishing life gave you do-overs. If it did, maybe I’d ask it not to let me be born. Then my mother would have had a normal life, and my crappy one wouldn’t exist. “Fine.”

Helena’s chin wobbled when she nodded. “Good. If you’re going to spend time with the campers, I wish you would hang out with your bunkmates. Or make other friends. Be a kid for once and have fun. Just not with Alex.” She grumbled and stomped her way back into the kitchen, leaving me in the garden. Alex had disappeared from sight, but I could still see the imprint of where we’d sat in the empty rows between the carrots and the zucchini. The leaves of the carrot plant she’d resurrected now rippled from a light breeze.

Yes, she’d mangled it. But she’d fixed it, too.

So she’d made some trouble that first day. That didn’t mean she would cause problems for me again.

Just once before I left this camp, I wanted to think about something besides my responsibilities and controlling my temper.

I didn’t care about swim lessons and obstacle courses. The kitchen was where I’d rather spend summer. But just once, I wished I could sit with Alex again, shoulder to shoulder. I wanted to make her laugh and smile again, like a normal guy. Just once.

Alex

“It looks like someone got a visit from their Secret Camp Angel,” trilled Emily when I returned from a quick, post-swim rinse off.

I toweled my hair and glanced up at the package on my bunk.
Who had my name?
Javier had occupied my mind so much these past few days I’d forgotten someone had been thinking of me, too. I’d contacted my mom on my last electronics day, asking if she’d consider sending me a cookbook on Venezuelan cuisine as I’d suddenly taken a new interest. After some coercing, she’d agreed to look for eBay deals, and I was crossing my fingers I’d have Javier’s first present soon.

But now…here was one for me. I returned Emily’s smile and reached for it. Who didn’t love presents?

“Looks like a book.” Siobhan peered up from a periodic table pinned on the wall behind her bunk. “So much better than my gift.” She fished a fuchsia-haired troll doll from her backpack and flipped it to Trinity. “Creepy.”

The so-ugly-it’s-cute figure landed in Trinity’s cross-legged lap, breaking her out of her meditative trance.

“So not Zen, Siobhan.” She scrambled to her feet and kicked it. The object rolled toward a laughing Jackie, who shot it at Piper with a fly swatter.

“Yuck.” Piper picked it up and sniffed. “It smells like a toxic waste dump and looks even worse.”

“The worst part was the note,” Siobhan said. “What does ‘pay the troll and cross my bridge’ even mean?”

“Sounds kinky.” I waggled my eyebrows, unable to resist teasing my serious friend. I kind of liked her Secret Camp Angel. He or she seemed fun. Speaking of which…fireworks were planned for tonight’s Fourth of July celebration, and I intended to have a good time at them…with Javier if I could tempt him out of the kitchen. This was supposed to be my payback summer—the best time ever before being incarcerated at the boarding school. Time to make it happen.

“It’s from a children’s story.” Yasmine zippered her makeup bag and turned from the mirror, her dark eyes smudged and smoky to match her flowing, charcoal caftan. If we’d been friends, I would beg Yasmine to make me over that way. But that was a big
IF
.

“It’s the tale about a troll who guards this bridge and won’t let anyone pass unless they pay,” she added.

“I know about the fairy tale,” Siobhan huffed. “I just don’t understand how it fits the gift or why they’d give it to me.”

“Maybe you owe someone, Siobhan,” breathed Trinity, the faraway look in her eyes. “Karma-wise.”

I expected Siobhan to point out that “karma-wise” wasn’t a word. So I nearly fell over when she squealed, girly style.

“I’d like to owe Rafael Cruz.” She slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide as if she’d just revealed a state secret.

“Heck yes. He’s perfect for you.” I took out a fresh pack of gum and offered a piece to all my cabin mates, including Yasmine. “You should definitely be pursuing a chess champ. Talk about karma. Or would that be kismet?”

Even Trinity looked unsure.

Siobhan studied her toenails, her voice low. “I just mean I like him as a friend, guys.”

“You should challenge him to a friendly game then, Siobhan.” Jackie sauntered over to study the troll doll, and I noticed Siobhan carefully steered the conversation back to the randomness of her Secret Camp Angel gift.

I put down my own present to check out outfit options. If it was a book like my friends all thought, I wasn’t that interested. My parents made me read enough of the self-help kind to last me through three reincarnations.

“I think it’s a great gift,” Emily insisted, hopping into the conversation and holding the troll doll up high for us all to admire it. “Besides, it’s not the gift…”

“But the thought that counts,” the rest of us finished for her. We’d heard her say that to lots of disgruntled campers this week. While the camp had never been so energized, not everyone was a satisfied customer.

I held up a pale pink gauzy sundress and admired my tan in the mirror. Would Javier like it? My gaze fell to the wilted purple flower he’d given me. It dangled over the side of a half-filled Dixie cup perched on our window sill. He’d barely said a word to me all week, but the bloom must mean that he liked me a little. Or at least didn’t hate me anymore. It was a start.

“That’s right, ladies.” Emily’s gums flashed in a toothy smile. “And I’ve got a big gift in store for all of you!”

The cabin quieted. Emily had been dropping hints about a field trip ever since that first day.

“A rafting trip?” Jackie asked at the same time Yasmine blurted something about a local museum.

“Better!” Emily hopped around in a circle, dangly gold earrings bobbing. “I got permission from Gollum—that is, Mr. Woodrow—today, and I’m taking you all on the set of
Mine Forever
, the historical movie they’re filming in Waynesville!”

A movie? I almost couldn’t believe my ears. How could Emily know my secret dream of acting?

Excited talk broke out in the cabin. Piper and Siobhan seemed the most excited, but then they knew more about local history than the rest of us and the movie was based on a nineteenth-century mining incident in the mountains. That part was kind of a yawn for me. But still, it was a movie. Filmed here.

Then Emily hopped up and down more.

“And you haven’t heard the best part.” She looked out the cabin door, as if she was worried someone would overhear. Then, leaning back in, she lowered her voice. “I think we’re all going to be extras!”

“Extras?” Now this was getting good. Really, really good. Before I got too excited though, I pressed for clarification. “Like we’ll be
in
the movie?”

“That’s the plan!” Emily squealed.

I wondered if my parents would notice me if I was on the big screen. Would news of this trump their Twitter feed?

Distracted, I missed some of the discussion, although I did overhear something about having to get permission forms faxed from our parents if we wanted to attend. As if anyone wouldn’t go. I’d probably have to forge a document if I wanted that to happen since Mom and Dad were halfway to Honduras by now. Still, I had to
try
to reach them.

“Okay, settle down, ladies!” Emily called over the din. “I’m not sure how many other counselors are taking their kids—let alone how many are going to help their kids be extras with mad skills like this.” She moonwalked a few steps and spun in a circle, showing off her moves. “Not everyone is a fly chick like me, right, girls?”

A fly chick?

While we puzzled out another Emily-ism, she sighed.

“Never mind. Just keep the news on the down-low.” She smiled at me. “Now let’s see what Alex got.”

I’d forgotten about my present in the rush of news. I zippered my dress, twined my damp hair into curls, and picked up the present. A loud rip sounded in the hush as I tore the brown paper loose. My friends crowded around me.

Wouldn’t it be cool if I’d gotten the fictional version of that movie that was being filmed—
Mine Forever?
Not that I cared about mining, but I was curious now.

“A Girl’s Guide to Growing Up,”
I read aloud, then frowned. What. The. Hell. Of course it was nothing remotely cool. “This is written for, like, ten-year-olds.”

“That’s a mean gift.” Piper turned up our window fan. Its blades stirred the humid air but did little to ease the heat or my irritation. I sprayed a cloud of hairspray to tame my frizz, wishing I hadn’t opened the present in front of an audience.

“It’s even nastier than the bottle of Midol Hannah got,” giggled Piper as she knelt and knotted her sandals’ hemp strings.

The mention of Hannah distracted me from the dumb gift. “Hey, did you guys notice she’s got something going on with Julian?”

“Hannah?” My cabin mates all chorused at once. Well, all but Yasmine who didn’t have the long history with the Divas’ Den girls that we did.

“Yeah. I think they’re like…a couple or something.” It sounded strange to say, but that’s the vibe I’d gotten when they’d exchanged looks at the bonfire.

Trinity shrugged. “The Divas’ Den girls aren’t so bad anymore.”

They’d had their moments at the end of last summer when they’d awarded us the dance trophy after a tie. It had been cool.

“The jury’s still out on that one.” Jackie snorted and swiped on deodorant. “And no matter who Hannah is with, I say the Midol is good for her. She’s always P.M.S.ing.”

“For her.” I held up the book. “But what about my present? I’m sixteen, not ten.”

“Act your age, not your shoe size,” Emily sang in a falsetto that halted our conversations. She laughed and threw her hands up. “Sorry. Random Prince reference.” Her eyes met our blank stares. “You know—the Artist Formerly Known as
Prince?”

We shook our heads, clueless as ever about most of what Emily said.

“The ’80s pop star?” Emily’s brow wrinkled. “Anyone?”

Our eyes met one another’s, and then we nodded—our trademark way of dealing with Emily-isms without hurting her feelings.