Pranked (16 page)

“Mind if I come out?”

I looked over my shoulder and shrugged, like I didn't care what she did. She came out on the porch and stood by the railing.

“Um, I just wanted to thank you. For standing up for me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, no sweat.”

“No, honestly—thanks. I really appreciate it. I thought it was really brave. The way you took the blame. In front of everyone. Because I know
you
didn't write it.”

I just shrugged. I really did not want to talk about this. Couldn't she tell? I was not trying to be brave. I've never been brave. I've never taken the blame for anything in my life. Even stuff I
was
guilty of. That was the weird part. It was so unlike me. I just didn't want to blame Reb.

“I know Reb did it. You couldn't be so mean. She did everything, and you and Jennifer just went along with her. Like with everything else. She was always the one who did everything. She's the meanest person I've ever met in my entire life.”

I just sat there, fiddling with my wristband. I wondered when I should take it off.

“So are you and Reb still mad at each other?”

“What do you think?”

“Well, you're better off. Some friend she is to turn on you like that. I guess you see that now. I'd rather have a scorpion for a friend than Reb Callison.”

“Melissa, shut up! You think losing my best friend makes me better off? Reb hates me now, and it's all your fault!”

Melissa drew back. “My fault?”

“Yes, your fault. If you'd had a spine, you would have stood up for
yourself
. Why didn't you ever stand up for yourself? That's why Reb kept picking on you.”

“You were the ones who wrote the letter! I didn't even know anything about it!”

“If you hadn't gone through our trunks, Reb never would've written that letter! Can't you just face the fact that
you
lost your bracelet, and we had nothing to do with it?”

Melissa's mouth hung open. “I just . . . all I was trying to do was thank you. . . .”

“Fine! You've done that! Now can't you leave me alone?”

Melissa backed away. “Why are you so mad at
me
? I was hoping we could be friends. . . .”

“We can't be friends!” I yelled at her. “I only did that at the dance because I felt sorry for you. Rescuing you cost me
my
best friend. That was too high a price to pay. If I had it to do over, I'd keep my mouth shut!”

Melissa backed through the open doors to the lodge. “You're just as bad as Reb!”

“What happened?” I could hear Molly and Jordan asking her.

Mumble, mumble, mumble. Somebody came to the door and looked at me, but I didn't turn around.

“Well, we've got to finish this.” Blah, blah, blah. Thank God Jordan and Molly had discovered some hidden talent.

I felt bad for yelling at Melissa. I hadn't meant to; it all just came spurting out like soda from a shaken-up can. It wasn't really her fault. We did pick on her. But they were just pranks. At first. Then it got worse. If she hadn't searched all our trunks and called us all thieves, things wouldn't have gone this far.

Was that true, what I said? If I had it to do over, would I keep my mouth shut?

I honestly didn't know the answer to that.

It was time to end this. This silent treatment stuff was kind of understandable for the first day or two, when we were both still so upset and mad, but we couldn't go on like this forever. This was the last week of camp.

I made up my mind. I'd be the first to break the ice. When morning activities started, I followed Reb. Jennifer saw what I was up to and caught up with me.

“Hey, where ya going?”

“I'm gonna try to talk to Reb.”

Jennifer sniffed. “Good luck. I've tried talking to her, but she just won't open up. I've never seen her like this. I know she feels really, really bad about all this. I can tell she wants us all to be friends again.”

“Really?” I was surprised, because that sure wasn't the impression I was getting. Reb treated me like I was invisible. “Then maybe it'll help if I make the first move?”

Jennifer frowned. “I don't know. You know how she can be. You want my theory?”

I nodded.

Jennifer leaned close to me, talking just above a whisper. “I think she's embarrassed. That's why she's not talking to anyone, always doing things alone now. That's why she avoids me and won't even look at you.”

“Embarrassed about what?” I didn't get it. Reb sure didn't act embarrassed to me. She seemed mad. I got the feeling she really hated me.

“That she went too far with the whole letter thing. And that she got so mad at you. She's embarrassed about the way she acted, Kelly. But you know how she is. She's so proud, so afraid to ever let down her guard and admit she's not absolutely perfect about everything. She'd rather walk barefoot across hot coals than admit she made a mistake.”

“Then it will help if I try to talk to her,” I said.

Jennifer shrugged. “Maybe.” But she didn't sound very convinced. “Want me to come with you?”

I shook my head. “Thanks, but . . . it's kind of just between me and Reb. You don't mind, do you?” I didn't want to leave Jennifer out, but I did feel like I needed to talk to Reb alone.

“No. I know what you mean. Just tell me what happens, okay?”

After Jennifer walked away, I caught up with Reb. I was really nervous.

“Hey. Can I talk to you for a second?” My heart was actually pounding.

Reb stopped walking, but she didn't turn around.

“Are we . . . are you never going to talk to me again?” She just stood there and didn't say anything.

“I'm sorry. I told you that the other night. I'm sorry I messed up your whole revenge against Melissa. Maybe I should've just stayed out of it.” If Jennifer was right, if Reb was embarrassed, maybe it would help if I apologized.

“Can't we be friends again? I said I was sorry.”

Reb still hadn't turned around. She didn't seem embarrassed. She seemed mad. She wouldn't even look at me. Maybe Jennifer read her all wrong.

“You know,” I went on, feeling like a complete idiot, “Saturday's the last day of camp. Then we all leave. And we won't see each other till next year. If all of us even come back next year.”

The more silent Reb was, the more I felt I had to talk to fill up the empty space. I felt like there was one right thing I could say that would put everything back the way it was. That would make us friends again. I just wasn't sure what that one right thing was. But I guess I figured that if I kept talking, maybe I'd hit on it, by accident.

“I want us to be friends again.”

Finally Reb turned around. She looked right at me, for the first time in days. But she didn't say anything. She just stood there, silent.

“Can we?” I asked.

“Leave me alone.”

Then she walked away.

I don't know how long I stood there.

I watched her walk away. She didn't ever turn around. I felt like a cartoon character who'd just been hit with an anvil. I was flattened. But I couldn't throw the anvil off and pop back to my normal size. It was like I could feel a real weight on my chest crushing me, squeezing all the air out of me.

That's it
, I kept thinking.
It's over
.

I started to walk. I couldn't see anything around me—no trees or grass or anything. My legs moved, but I had no control over them. I didn't know where they were taking me. I didn't care. Good thing that legs will work like that sometimes, that they'll take you someplace and you don't have to think about it. Somehow I was on the road that went past the camp store and down to the riding stables.

Then, for some reason, I veered off and started walking through the trees till I was away from the road. I didn't want anyone to see me. I didn't want to see anyone. I wished that I was the only person in the whole world.

I eventually stopped walking and found a flat rock to sit on. I don't know how long I sat there. I don't know when I started crying. I honestly don't know if I was there for ten minutes or two hours.

I couldn't believe it was over. Jennifer had read it all wrong. Reb wasn't embarrassed about anything. She just hated me, that's all.

I tried to hate her, too. What was her problem? She
was
kind of mean.

What was I saying? She was incredibly mean. If you weren't her friend.

But before all this happened, she'd never been mean to me. Even when camp first started and she didn't even know me. She was nice to me. Nice to me, mean to Melissa. I'd been so freaking relieved that it'd worked out that way, that she'd chosen me as a friend. And then we started picking on Melissa. Was that the only thing that bonded us together? If we stopped picking on Melissa, was that the end of our friendship?

Melissa was right about Reb being the meanest person she knew. But she was wrong about one thing.
I'd rather have a scorpion for a best friend than Reb Callison
.

Not true. Reb was a good best friend.

Or at least she had been.

She tried to teach me to whistle, helped me with my serve. She read the letter I wrote to Ethan and gave me advice on it. She let me borrow clothes for the dance. A really good friend. It wasn't just picking on Melissa that made us friends. There was more to it than that.

This was my worst nightmare.

I put my head down on my folded-up knees and cried and cried and cried. I cried till I thought I was going to throw up. I cried till I was shuddering every time I breathed in. I cried till I was just so
tired
that I finally stopped.

I sat up and wiped my runny nose on my shirt. I still had on my wristband. I should take that stupid thing off. We even swam and showered with them on, because they were made of that rubbery material.

I slipped the wristband off my wrist. The ink where Jennifer had written “Terrible Triplets” had faded, but I could still read it. I drew my hand back, ready to toss the wristband into the woods. But I didn't. I looked at it for a while, then I slipped it into the pocket of my shorts. Maybe Reb would notice I wasn't wearing mine anymore and feel bad. But then maybe she wouldn't even care. She was done with me.

Even though I was absolutely miserable, it was nice out here in the woods, sitting on this rock. It was all shady and cool under the trees. And birds were flittering about in the branches and making little noises. Everything was so quiet. I could hear people's voices every now and then, but from really far away. After a while I even heard the bell ringing, way off in the distance.

I didn't move. Was it the bell for lunch? Or just the end of morning activities?

Then I made a decision. I'd stay here. I wouldn't show up for lunch, and I'd still be gone by rest hour. Eventually, everybody would realize I was missing.

Then they'd be worried. The counselors would ask everyone when they saw me last. Everyone would start searching the camp. They'd never think to look out here for me. If people came around, I'd duck in the bushes and hide. Maybe I'd even stay out here all night. It was warm enough. It's not like I'd die or anything. Maybe in the middle of the night, I could sneak back to the dining hall and steal food.

At some point they'd have to call in the police. Maybe they'd drag the lake, thinking I might've drowned. They'd bring in search dogs. Big German shepherds and bloodhounds, barking and pulling on their leashes. Rachel would go through my laundry bag and give them a piece of clothing I'd worn. Hopefully a shirt and not something embarrassing like underwear.

Reb would feel really bad. She'd be organizing all the search parties. She'd be wringing her hands and crying. “If I could just talk to her,” she'd say. She'd make everyone keep looking long into the night. “We've got to find her! She's my best friend!”

Yep, that was the plan. That's what I decided to do.