Rumors (19 page)

At least the rest of the night was uneventful. Brittany and Erin still couldn't figure out why we were shunning them, but they stayed in their own little corner of the living room and we stayed in ours.

The next morning Jerry came downstairs and announced we were having pancakes for breakfast. Then he organized everybody to help out, but he didn't mention one word about the book.

“What happened?” asked Ashlin. “I expected at least some remark about his fan club.”

“I'm sure he saw it,” said Natasha. “You left it right on his bed, didn't you?”

“Yeah. There's no way he could've missed it.”

“I bet he'll give it back to Brittany privately,” I suggested. “He knows she's looking for it. He probably doesn't want to embarrass her in front of everyone.”

I hated this. I'd found out earlier this summer that I wasn't a particularly good liar, and that I'd eventually get caught. Already I was starting to get nervous.

After breakfast, we got busy rolling up our sleeping bags and getting things organized. Brittany came in from the porch with her backpack and dumped all the contents out on the floor. But there was no sign of her book. “Okay, where's my book? I still can't find it.”

“Hey, everyone,” shouted Ashlin. “Let's help Brittany find her book. Has anyone seen it? It's pink with yellow flowers on it.”

I could see how Ashlin was watching Jerry for some reaction, but he didn't blink an eye. She was obviously frustrated that the fan club book wasn't making an appearance.

Rachel came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Are you sure you brought it with you? Maybe you left it back at camp.”

Brittany was on her knees, sorting through her clothes. “I'm sure I packed it. I made a point of bringing it, because I wanted everyone to write something in there.”

“Well, maybe you meant to bring it, but it never made it into your backpack. Happens all the time. I bet you'll find it when we get back,” Rachel assured her.

Ashlin walked right up to Jerry. “Have you seen a pink book with yellow flowers on it anywhere?”

He just shrugged his shoulders. “Can't say I have.”

“Brittany's book has got to be here somewhere!” said Ashlin.

Laurel-Ann's face was deathly pale. “What if they want to search all our backpacks?” she whispered to me.

I shook my head. “I doubt it. Just stay calm.”

Eventually Brittany gave up trying to find it. “I hope it's back in my cabin.” She looked up at Ashlin. “Thanks for trying to help me.”

We had a lazy morning just hanging around the cabin, and nobody else mentioned the book. Then in the afternoon, Jerry took us out bushwhacking. It was a tough hike through the woods without any kind of trail. A lot of it was downhill, too. We were slipping and sliding through a thick layer of dead leaves, grabbing onto tree trunks and branches to brace ourselves so we wouldn't go crashing down the mountainside.

My arms got all scraped up by twigs that swatted me as I slid past them, and I had streaks of mud down both of my legs. It was the hardest hike we'd ever
done—a lot different from walking along an already cleared trail. We had to pay attention to how we were going to get through the underbrush and figure out the easiest path to take as we maneuvered through all the trees. The one good thing was that we weren't wearing our backpacks.

It was hot and exhausting and scary at times. But it was also the best hike I'd ever been on.

When we stopped to take a break, Rachel pointed to a tree with smooth gray bark. “Hey, everyone. Know what kind of tree this is? It's a beechnut. I'll show you something.”

We watched as she went over and broke off a few twigs, then peeled off the bark. She put a little strip of it in her mouth and started chewing it.

“Are you eating that?” asked Brittany in amazement.

“No, just chewing it. It's got a minty flavor. Anybody else want to try it?” She handed us all a little piece and we popped it into our mouths. It did taste a little minty, but after a while it lost its flavor, so I spat mine out.

Jerry led us on a roundabout way back to his cabin. He kept giving us tips about what to do if we were ever lost in the woods.

“Look up, and try to see if there's a spot where there
aren't any trees. That will take you to some kind of clearing. Then you can look at where the sun is in the sky and try to figure out your direction.”

“What if it's a cloudy day?” asked Brittany.

Jerry laughed. “That could be a problem.”

Late in the day, we loaded up the van and got ready to leave. Brittany made one last search for her book, but since she didn't look in Laurel-Ann's backpack, of course she didn't find it. Then we all climbed into the van for the drive back to Pine Haven.

“I have an idea about what might have happened,” said Ashlin, turning around in her seat to talk to Laurel-Ann and me. “Maybe he didn't turn the lights on when he went to bed last night, and the book fell on the floor. Maybe he never even saw it. Which means he still might find it later.”

“How can anyone go to bed without turning on a light?” asked Natasha.

“I think he found it, but he's just keeping quiet about it so he won't embarrass them,” I said.

“Well then, it didn't work! I'm so bummed that it didn't work!” said Ashlin. Laurel-Ann just stared out the window without saying a word.

The van pulled into Pine Haven about an hour before dinner. All I wanted to do was take a hot shower and
then go see Samantha, but Shelby had lots of updates to give us when we got back to the cabin.

“Chris isn't mad anymore about the prank that got played on her before you guys left, so at least that drama is over,” she told us.

I collapsed onto my bunk. “Great. Because the last thing I need right now is drama,” I moaned.

“Why? Was there drama on the hiking trip?”

Laurel-Ann must have been practicing for a career as a mime, because she had not said one word.

“It's complicated,” I said with a sigh.

“Oh, one other thing. Wayward and Gloria keep saying we have to enter an act for the talent show. I'm doing one with my Guard Start class, but all of those girls are in Cabin Two. So we need one for Cabin Four. I didn't exactly volunteer you, but I did mention what a great piano player you were.” Shelby smiled sweetly at me.

“Wonderful. Any other bad news?” I asked.

“You don't have to play the piano. I just didn't think you'd mind,” said Shelby.

“I don't mind, really. But I haven't practiced in a while.” And suddenly I remembered Katherine. There was a lot I needed to talk to her about. And the sooner the better.

As soon as I'd taken a hot shower, I went looking for Katherine. When I knocked on the door of Cabin 2, she was the only one inside. She came to the screen door, but she didn't open it.

“What do you want?” she asked cautiously.

“I wanted to talk to you,” I said. “I'm sorry you didn't come on the honor trip with us.”

“Did you have a good time with your new best friend?”

“We all had fun. But we also missed you.”

“Yeah, right.”

I wished she'd at least ask me to come in or come outside herself so that we didn't have to talk through this screen door.

“I know I wasn't really friendly to you the last time I saw you. And I'm sorry about that.”

“So what happened? Did Rainbow Trout turn on you, and now you want to be my best friend?” Her tone was very sarcastic, but I could tell that her feelings were still hurt, and this was her way of covering it up.

“No. She didn't turn on me.” There was no way I could tell her about any of the things that Laurel-Ann had done. I knew that was just the kind of stuff she wanted to hear. It would give her more reasons to hate her archenemy.

“It looks like I'm going to play piano for the talent show tomorrow. But I need to practice. Want to come to the lodge with me?”

That was enough to get Katherine to open the screen door. We walked to the lodge without talking, but when we got inside, I was starting to form a plan. “I thought maybe I could practice some, but I can also teach you a few more songs.”

Katherine stood beside the piano bench and frowned. “Why are you suddenly being nice to me again?”

I sighed. “Look, I know I didn't treat you very well. I'm sorry. I'm trying to make it up to you. Is it so hard to believe that I want to be your friend?”

Katherine's eyes narrowed. “Yeah, it is. When you're used to friends treating you like dirt. How do I know you and Rainbow Trout aren't up to something together?”

I sat down on the piano bench and starting playing the C scale I'd taught her. “I guess you'll just have to trust me.”

“Why should I?”

“I don't know, Katherine! I can't force myself on you. You can stay in here while I practice if you want. I'll show you something new if you want. If you don't want to, I guess you can leave.”

I started playing the left-hand part to “Heart and Soul.” She didn't come in with the right-hand part, because she was still standing there with her arms crossed. But I kept playing it. It sounded incomplete without the melody, and I hoped that would make her want to join me.

It took awhile, but finally she stuck her index finger out and hit middle C four times. She played the rest of the part standing behind me.

“That's good. You remembered it all.”

“I've been practicing,” she said softly. “Just because you haven't been coming in here doesn't mean I can't.”

“Really?” I asked. “That's great! Want to switch places and play the left-hand part?”

Katherine shrugged, but when I scooted over on the bench, she took a seat and started playing. And she was playing three-fingered chords now.

“That's amazing! You really have been practicing!” I said as I came in on the right-hand part.

Katherine's mouth twitched into a smile. “I told you.”

“It sounds great. I'll teach you something new, but first I was wondering about something. You never did tell me the Rainbow Trout story,” I reminded her.

I figured it was time for me to hear Katherine's version of the story. “I know it was something that happened last summer… .”

Katherine nodded. “Yeah. We were friends last summer. Good friends. I told her a lot of secrets. About my family.” She looked at me. “The same stuff I told you. Only I told her I didn't want her to tell anyone else. Those aren't the kinds of stories you want everyone in camp to hear, you know?”

“I didn't tell anyone about what you told me,” I said.

“I knew you wouldn't. I could tell you were the kind of person who wouldn't go around talking about people. But Laurel-Ann isn't. She loves to gossip, in case you haven't noticed.”

I felt absolutely frozen in place as I listened to Katherine.
Loves to gossip. Loves to gossip. In case you haven't noticed.

“So anyway, before I know it, everyone in the cabin has found out about my tragic life story. I asked Laurel-Ann if she'd told everyone, but she wouldn't admit to it. But then some of the other people in our cabin said that Laurel-Ann had been the one who told them. One day we were all mad at her and accusing her of what she did, and Megan Fitzpatrick said, ‘Laurel-Ann, you've got a mouth on you as big as a rainbow trout.' And that's why I still call her by that nickname.”

I was staring straight ahead at the keyboard. “Are there any fish in Pine Haven's lake?” I said suddenly.

“What?” asked Katherine.

“There aren't, are there? I've never seen any. Only tadpoles.” I gazed at the white and black keys in front of me as if I was in a trance.

“What does that have to do with anything?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing. It has nothing to do with anything.”

Everything came rushing back to me. All those questions that Boo was always asking me when camp first started, Laurel-Ann was always there. She was there when we were talking about my mom's photograph,
there when I made the phone call and got the postcards, there when we were talking about why Shelby cried so much.

Boo was the one asking questions. But Laurel-Ann was the one taking notes.

I'd finally figured out who was responsible for all those rumors being spread around. And I was wrong. It wasn't Bubonic Boo.

It was Laurel-Ann. My new best friend.