Camp Payback (8 page)

Siobhan’s bunk squeaked when I sat and passed the book her way. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot on the floor. Did my Secret So-Not-an-Angel think I was juvenile? Needed to grow up? Past lectures from my father echoed from ear to ear.
How many times do we have to tell you, Alex? When are you going to act responsibly, young lady? Why don’t you ever listen?
Only I did listen and what I heard was, “You aren’t good enough.” I popped in three pieces of gum, chewed until they were soft enough for a bubble, and blew, distracting me from the sound of his discouraging voice. It popped with a satisfying snap.

Maybe Vijay sent the Secret Camp Angel book. The more my mind turned over the possibility, the more convinced I became. He’d called me a prude and a virgin. Now this book said I was a child. It had to be him, the jerk. If Javier and I hung out tonight, Vijay would think twice about calling me immature. He’d be wishing he hadn’t treated me like garbage.

Pages rustled. “Hey, here’s a section on dealing with your first period. That could be helpful in a couple of years,” Siobhan deadpanned, her hazel eyes twinkling at me. The cabin howled, and I ground my teeth, especially when Yasmine’s belly laugh rose above the rest.

Piper grabbed the book and opened it. “This part is titled, ‘Growing Up is Normal.’”

“Not when you’re living Alex’s
Wholesome Home
life.” Jackie cackled, then reached for the book, beating me. “Let me see.”

“Oh, my turn next!” Trinity jumped and clapped her hands, the bells on her ankle bracelet jangling.

“Enough!” I snatched the book back from Jackie. “Do you guys have any idea how much it sucks growing up in the public eye? Every mistake out there for people to read about and judge?”

“Geez. My bad. Seriously.” Jackie squeezed me so tight the air whooshed out of me.

I caught a few pitying glances before my friends got their expressions under control. They knew how much I hated it when people felt sorry for me. “Emily, do you know who left this?”

“Can’t say.” Emily glanced up from Yasmine’s bunk where they’d been comparing nail polish designs. “That’s confidential.”

I popped a bubble so big it stuck to the slight hook of my nose. That figured. If I had a perfect ski-slope nose like Yasmine, I could blow them as big as I wanted. After unpeeling the mess, I slid into white sandals and headed for the door.

“Are we eating or what?” I grumped, more than ready to get out of the cabin.

Jackie gave the laces on her red hightops a last tug, then leaped to her feet. “Starving.”

Piper held out a bag of pistachios. “You could have my Secret Camp Angel gift.”

“That’s actually a decent gift.” Trinity peered over Jackie’s shoulder into the pistachio bag. “Wait. None of them are open.”

“So evil,” Jackie laughed. “We have to re-gift those.”

“Girls!” Emily pulled a pink Yankees’ baseball cap out of her back pocket and put it on. “That’s not in the spirit of the Secret Camp Angel.”

“More devil, I’d say.” Trinity nudged her Ouija board under her bunk.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.” Emily bit her bottom lip and rubbed the back of her calf with a foot. “It was meant to help you bond, to feel good about what is—for some of you—your last summer at Camp Juniper Point.”

A wave of nostalgia crashed over me. I glanced around the messy room, loving how Piper’s overflowing recyclable bins lined the far wall, how Jackie’s basketball was always underfoot, how Trinity’s tarot cards littered her bureau and Siobhan’s books obscured most of her comforter. I’d miss all of this. All the more reason to make this a summer I’d never forget.

My eye fell on Yasmine’s impeccable bunk, the corners tucked in, hospital-neat. Now that I wouldn’t miss.

“It is a good idea, Emily.” Yasmine pulled Emily’s ponytail through her hat’s opening. “Every day I travel with my parents, they try to teach me about gratitude and to share what we have with others who are struggling. If some of the kids at Camp Juniper Point saw the hardworking children in the countries I’ve lived in, they’d be grateful for the chance to just have
fun.”

I rolled my eyes but saw only my friends’ rapt expressions as they hung on Yasmine’s words. Of course, Emily hugged her in her own display of “gratitude.” Was I the only one who felt like Yasmine clubbed us over the head with her messages of international wisdom? And what was the harm in pranks? My eye fell on the corner of the purple-and-pink spine peaking over the edge of my bunk. My book was the only exception. That was just flat-out mean. Especially if I was right about Vijay.

“In one village,” she continued, hugging her arms around herself, “the women and girls walked ten miles a day just for clean water. Here you have lakes and rivers footsteps away, but does anyone care?”

“I showed my gratitude today by swimming.” If this girl wanted to exchange wholesome, happy platitudes, I could totally go there. I heard enough of that at home. I clomped over to the mirror and borrowed some of Trinity’s pink lip gloss and mascara. After applying the makeup, I scrunched the ends of my hair to amp up the curl. “And next I’d like to eat and be grateful for the bounty of our fields.” I held out my arms like a temple priestess bestowing good will on everyone in the room. Then I quit the act and stuck out my tongue. “Everyone ready?”

Jackie snorted and shook her head. Siobhan tried to give me a scolding frown, but I could see the humor in her expression, too. Finally, I’d won a round with Yasmine, but seeing the way she silently slid into her shoes didn’t do much to cheer me.

“I’m so hungry I’m ready to eat these.” Jackie handed Piper back the pistachios. “Shell and all.”

“You shouldn’t have played that pick-up game with the Warriors, Jackie.” Siobhan scribbled something in her notebook, closed it, and stood. “You used both free periods, and now you won’t have time to get ready before the pyrotechnics show.”

Jackie smoothed her Chicago Bulls jersey, then raked a hand through her close-cropped tawny curls. “I think I look awesome.”

Everyone nodded. Jackie could wear a paper sack and she’d still look gorgeous, which was one of the reasons the boys always included her in their games—the other being she was a fierce competitor who led her team to victory nearly every time. I added a second coat of mascara, wishing I were a natural beauty, too.

We followed her out the door, my stomach twisting in anticipation. I was hungry, too—craving to see Javier. I couldn’t wait to try out my plan to get him alone. What could be more fun, and romantic, than watching fireworks together?

Alex

“Wow. This looks awesome.” I examined the steaming spinach, cheese, and chicken strips artfully arranged on a round wrap that looked kind of like a tortilla on my tray. The smell of spices filled the mess hall, making it feel more like a restaurant than camp.

“Thanks, but I can’t take the credit.” Helena added a scoop of corn on another section of my platter. “This morning’s delivery left out the ingredients I needed for the chicken potpie. I was in a panic until Javier came through. He even made dessert.”

I followed her nod and stared at the handsome boy serving up what looked like puffs of fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon. Both looked yummy. The flash of his bright smile made my breath hitch.

That smile faded when I stepped in front of him. Despite the encouraging gesture of the flower, he hadn’t said a word to me since that time together in the garden. But tonight would change all that. I’d make sure of it.

“Hi, Javier.” I held out my tray. “You did a great job. Dinner looks delicious. Are they fajitas?”

“Arepas, actually. A Venezuelan specialty.” He kept his eyes fixed on the cinnamon triangles and nodded. “How many do you want?”

I could have wolfed down ten. “Three, please.”

“Chocolate or strawberry sauce?” He placed the dessert pieces on my tray. Thick lashes rested on his angular cheeks, his eyes downcast as though a look at me would turn him to stone quicker than Medusa.

Just like he’d been the week we’d worked together, right up until that last amazing hour we’d spent in the garden.

“Can I have both?”
Or a look from you?
I thought Javier and I had found some neutral ground. Declared a truce. Gotten a little close maybe. So why was he back to giving me the cold shoulder?

“What happened to apple pie?” a familiar voice spoke behind me, making my spine stiffen. Vijay.

I shot him a death look, willing him to be quiet.

“Aren’t we supposed to eat American food on the Fourth of July?” he added.

Javier slid white containers filled with brown and pink liquid across the counter. I picked up the strawberry sauce and whirled, splashing my ex.

His puffy face twisted, his jaw clenched so tight I thought he’d break it himself. “What the hell, you little—”

“Let’s keep the line moving,” Javier barked, his forceful voice silencing whatever rude thing Vijay had been about to say.

“But I want dessert,” Vijay protested, his thick eyebrows meeting.

Javier leveled narrowed eyes at Vijay. “Looks like we’re all out of apple pie.”

Vijay’s mouth opened and closed like a fish, his skin flushing a deep plum shade. I clapped a hand over my smile to suppress a giggle that would get Javier and me in trouble again. And not just with Gollum.

Vijay jabbed a thick finger at Javier. “Watch it, man,” he growled, then marched away.

“Great guy,” Javier gritted out between clenched teeth.

I snorted, relieved he was talking to me, finally. On impulse, and because the kid behind me was poking my back, I blurted, “Do you want to watch the fireworks with me?”

“What’s the hold up?” someone called down the line.

“Get going,” another added.

I stepped to the left and waited for his answer, my heart in my mouth.

Javier’s eyes darted to Helena, then back to me. He gave me an apologetic look then placed triangles on the next camper’s tray. “I’ve got to work.”

“I’ll help you clean up,” I said, trying to keep the pleading note out of my voice. My plan had to work. Not just for my summer of payback, but because I wanted to spend more time with Javier.

Javier shook his head and dished more servings to the stream of kids flowing by him, his mouth set.

Knowing it was useless to argue in front of others, I forced a smile and said, “I’ll be back.”

My stomach did a little flip when the corners of his mouth quirked. “You don’t give up easy, do you?” His brown eyes flashed up to mine, then dropped once more.

It was all the encouragement I needed.

“Never.” I added an extra swivel to my non-existent hips as I headed to my table.

Our chemistry was real, and we were overdue for a little experimenting. What better time to go for it than while magnesium and potassium (as my science-minded friend Lauren had once explained) exploded overhead in tonight’s big display?

Once we were alone, I’d make him admit he was into me. I couldn’t stop thinking about the flower and his hand lingering over mine. Something held him back from showing his feelings. I knocked over a salt shaker as I brushed by Vijay’s table, pretty sure I knew what it was.

Or
who
it was.

Maybe my ex was to blame. Not that Javier looked like he’d shy away from a fight. The light silver scar that cut through his left eyebrow said he’d been in a few. No. Maybe he wasn’t sure how I felt. Once he knew I liked him, he’d open up. Want to be with me for real this summer.

The fact that being together would help me pay back my parents would be the icing on the cake. I glanced at my tray as I set it on the table.

Or the chocolate on the cinnamon triangles.

……………….

“Alex?” Helena called while I wiped down the last of the tables and stretched my aching back. “Do you have someone to walk with down to the beach for the fireworks show?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Javier’s stare and felt a flush of pleasure. He did like me.

“I was hoping you might let Javier walk me.”

“The big pots need to be scrubbed, and we need to prep for breakfast,” Javier protested, looking incredibly handsome in a white tee that hugged his lean frame and showed off his smooth, light bronze skin. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his low-slung jeans.

The downward lines around Helena’s face deepened. “I did want Javier to see the fireworks…” Her voice trailed off, and she looked between us. “You did well today, Javier. Your mom would be proud.”

Pink tinted Javier’s cheeks, and he smiled, the light-hearted expression transforming him from a smoldering hottie to a cute boy next door—the kind whose name you doodled on every notebook.

“It was amazing,” I added. And it had been. The combination of spices with the dark corn wraps and grilled veggies had been inhaled by the campers. Leftovers were non-existent. “You’re a really talented cook.”

If anything, Javier got redder. “Thanks,” he muttered, his eyes focusing on some spot behind my left shoulder. “But I’d better stay here.”

Helena waved her sponge. “Javier, may I talk to you?”

I lingered in the now-empty dining space, not wanting to leave him behind. He’d worked so hard and deserved the fireworks show—both the one Gollum planned and the one I’d been thinking about for days.

Helena gestured my way and spoke animatedly. I wished I could hear what they said, but they were too far away. Darn. It looked like they were having some kind of disagreement…about me. Helena kept nodding until Javier stopped shaking his head, a slow smile finally softening the hard planes of his face.

My heart skipped a beat when he headed my way, his long legs eating up the space between us, his expression both intense and anxious.

His deep brown eyes searched mine. “I’ll walk you down to the beach so you won’t be alone, but then I’m heading right back. Okay?”

“Oh,” I said to cover my disappointment. Didn’t he want to be with me? Had Helena ordered him to act as my escort? “Right.” If this was all the time I had with Javier, then I’d have to make the best of it. Besides, once we were alone, I’d do my best to convince him to stay.

But first, I had the whole walk to find out more about him.