Acting Out (11 page)

The screen door banged open and Lauren walked in. She was wearing the same shorts with “Dancer” across the backside that she'd worn the first day. She climbed up to her top bunk, then propped her chin on her hands and stared at all of us. “Well, go ahead and ask. I know you're all dying to know.”

“Okay,” said Mei, leaning against the metal bunk frame and looking up at her. “What did Alex say to you?”

Lauren let out a sigh. “Actually, she was really nice to me, if you can believe it. She said I was doing great with all the service hours and workbook activities, but she didn't think I'd be able to swim five hundred yards. Big surprise.”

“Was that all?” Courtney asked.

“She said I could keep coming to class to learn as much as I could, or I could try again next summer.” She tugged on her blond ponytail and shrugged. “It's nothing I didn't already know. I've been worried about passing that test since the first day. Now I'm off the hook.” She picked up her pillow and hugged it.

“Well, guess what?” I said. “I'm out of the class too. I finally pushed Alex over the edge.”

“What happened?”

Everyone was looking at me. “We were all mad about the way she treated you, and so Alex was standing at the end of the dock watching everyone in the water. I walked up behind her . . . and pushed her over the edge!”

Lauren hid her smile behind her pillow.

“Yeah, she was blowing her whistle at me the whole way in, but as soon as she hit the water, it got waterlogged and only made a noise like this.” I made wet raspberry noises with my lips. By now, all three of them were laughing.

“So then she swam over and tried to climb up the ladder, but I planted my foot right on her forehead and said, ‘Oh, no you don't!' ” I stuck out my foot to demonstrate how I'd kicked the imaginary Alex back under.

“So then she was fighting mad. I jumped in and landed on her back, and she kept trying to throw me off, but I hung on for dear life. Then Courtney got on Mei's back, and Shelby got on Claudia's, and we had the most vicious chicken fights you've ever seen in your life.” Courtney and Mei were actually bent over laughing now. “Sorry you missed it, Lauren. It was actually a pretty useful class. Alex and I won, by the way. Then she kicked me out.”

“Shut up! You guys aren't the only people in this cabin, you know!” yelled Katherine from Side B, because we were all laughing so loud.

“Sorry, Katherine! I'm just over here NOT being funny, and everyone's laughing at how NOT funny I am!” I shouted. Okay, maybe I'd been a little hard on myself. On JD. She seemed to be her old self again. Or was that her new self?

There was a tap at the door. “Hey. JD? Courtney?” A face pressed against the screen. It was Shelby, and Claudia was with her.

Mei ran over and opened the door for them. “We have visitors!”

Claudia and Shelby came in. “JD, you have to apologize to Alex. She'll probably let you back in if you settle down. You're the best swimmer in the class,” said Claudia, and Shelby nodded.

Wow! I couldn't believe it. I'd always thought I'd gotten on Claudia's nerves, and I didn't think Shelby was too crazy about me either since that stupid mommy song.

“Nah, she hates me. She's hated me since the swim tests, when I yelled ‘shark!' She's glad to get rid of me.”

“Are you okay?” Shelby asked, looking up at Lauren.

“Oh, sure. I'm a lousy swimmer, but I'm okay.”

“You're not a lousy swimmer. And you're a great dancer,” said Courtney.

Lauren looked at her and grinned. “Well, that part is true.”

“So are you going to do it?” asked Shelby, looking up at me on my bunk. “If you apologize and you're really sincere, she'll probably give you a second chance.”

“Why should she? I've been wasting her time all summer,” I told them all.

“Because despite what a hardnose she is, she's all about swimming. And you are definitely her star student when it comes to skills,” Claudia explained.

“It's true,” agreed Courtney. “Look, at the very least, you kinda owe her an apology anyway. What's the worst thing that could happen? She turns you down, and you're still out of the class. But maybe this way, you might get back in.”

It was great that they all wanted me to come back. It made me feel wanted—which, considering the way I'd been feeling an hour ago, was pretty nice.

But a part of me felt the same way Lauren did. Now I was off the hook for the class and I didn't have to go anymore. No more icy plunges first thing in the morning. No more spending all my mornings at the lake helping out with swim lessons to do all my service hours. No more wasting my time pretending I was really interested in becoming a lifeguard. I hardly had any time for tennis or rappelling and rock climbing, all the other stuff I'd so wanted to try.

They were all looking at me with these puppy-dog eyes.

“Do it,” urged Lauren. “You are the best swimmer.”

“Okay, okay! I'll do it for my fans!” I said, sliding down from my bunk and taking bows left and right.

Then I grabbed Courtney's shoulders. “But there's one thing I have to know. Clyde? Did he make it? Did he pull through?”

Courtney clapped me on the shoulder and shook her head. “I'm afraid not. We buried him at sea, just like you requested.”

I collapsed on the floor and bawled fake tears. But I hadn't been this happy since the Porch Patrol incident.

“Now's your chance!” Courtney whispered to me as she brushed her hair.

“No! We'll be late for assembly!” I whispered back. I was putting away my toothbrush after brushing my teeth in Solitary.

“You're stalling!” she hissed at me.

“Okay, fine. I'll try to talk to her, but don't be surprised if she brushes me off.”

The bell had just rung for assembly on the hill. The whole camp was supposed to be there for the flag raising.

Courtney gave me a stern look as she walked out the door. Lauren and Mei had already left. Alex, Isabel, and I were the only ones still in the cabin.

“Uh, Alex?” I asked, walking over to Side B. “Could I please talk to you for a second?”

“Now? It's time for assembly.” She was changing clothes after coming back from her Friday night leave. All the counselors got one night off every week. It was the first chance I'd had to talk to her since class yesterday.

“It's really important,” I told her.

Alex glanced at Isabel tying her shoes. “You'd better go. You're going to be late.”

Isabel rushed out the door and left us alone in the cabin.

“Let's go. You can talk to me on the way,” she said. We walked out together. Alex walked fast, and I had to hurry to keep up.

“Um, I want to apologize for yesterday,” I started off. “I know I've caused a lot of trouble in class. And yesterday was really bad.” We turned by Middler Lodge, and we could see the whole camp already sitting in the grass out on the hill. The flag raising hadn't started yet.

“I know CPR is really important. I shouldn't have been goofing off and distracting everybody while you were trying to teach it.” There, that sounded pretty good. And it was even sincere.

“Okay,” said Alex. She'd slowed down, but she hadn't really looked at me yet.

“I know I've been a real slacker. I'm sorry about that. You
are
a good teacher.” I hadn't planned on saying that last part, but then I realized it was true. She was strict, and most of the time I didn't like her, but she was doing a good job.

“I really have learned a lot in the class. We all have. You obviously really care about teaching us the right methods.”

Alex stopped walking and looked at me. “Yes, I do. And you've been one frustration after another for me, JD.”

“I know. I'm sorry.” Now I really did feel bad about being such a troublemaker. My number-one goal had been to get laughs and make everyone think I was this amazingly funny and popular person. I'd never really thought about how much harder I made her job.

Eda, the camp director, was walking up the hill with the CATs who were about to raise the flag. It was a good thing there wasn't underwear up the flagpole like there had been a few days ago. When I saw it, I was so bummed I hadn't thought of doing something funny like that.

“Is there any way you'd let me back in the class?” I blurted out. “I promise I'll totally calm down and won't cause any more trouble at all. I swear!” I crossed my heart to show her how much I meant it.

Alex edged down the hill closer to the rest of the crowd, and I followed her. She let out a long, tired sigh. “You know, this all sounds really nice and sincere, but I'm not sure I can trust you to behave. So far, you've shown me nothing but disrespect. You hardly ever listen, you crack jokes when I'm talking. You don't act at all interested in really learning anything, JD.”

Well, she had me there. “You're right. I wasn't really that into the class. I mainly took it to be with my friends. But now I'd like to try to finish it. I'm pretty good, I think.”

“Everyone please stand for the flag raising,” announced Eda, and so we had to shut up. I still wasn't completely convinced I wanted to spend even more time on the class. But at least I'd done what the others wanted me to do. I did apologize. And I did ask to get back in.

Alex and I stood at the back of the crowd and watched while the CATs raised the flag. Then we had to say the pledge. When we were done, everyone sat down, and Eda began the announcements.

“We'll talk about this when assembly's over,” Alex told me. Then she moved over to where Libby and some of the other swimming counselors were sitting, leaving me stuck all by myself. Courtney, Mei, and Lauren were way in the front. I saw Courtney looking around for me in the crowd, but she didn't see me back here.

Saturday was the only day the whole camp got together for an assembly. Besides Eda's announcements, different counselors stood up to let people know about upcoming trips out of camp. I sat there and listened and wondered what Alex would decide.

When assembly ended, I moved through the crowd and met up with everyone else.

“Did you talk to her?” asked Courtney.

“Yeah. I apologized. And I even asked if I could get back in, so I hope you're happy.”

“Well, what did she say?” Mei asked.

I rolled my eyes. “She didn't. The flag raising started and we had to stop talking. She
said
she'd talk to me about it later.”

“There she is! Go talk to her now!” Mei gave me a push in Alex's direction.

I walked over and stood near Alex, waiting for her to finish her conversation with the rest of the swimming counselors. When she was done, she looked at me.

“I guess you want an answer.” She frowned at me.

“If you just give me another chance, I swear I'll really change.” We walked away with the rest of the crowd. Everyone was scattering in different directions.

“I want to talk to you about something,” said Alex.

“Okay,” I agreed, feeling a little nervous. We were approaching Middler Lodge, and Alex motioned me to follow her.

“In here,” she said.

The lodge was a big stone building with high ceilings and wooden rafters, a moose head over the fireplace, and a wide porch around the outside. Alex made me sit down on a wooden bench, but she stood the whole time.

“You're the worst possible student a teacher could have.”

I'd always known she didn't like me, but I didn't think she hated me that much. How was I supposed to respond to that?

“You know why?”

“No,” I said. I'd always thought I was at least good at the swimming part, even if I sucked at the listening part.

“Because, JD, of all the students in the class, you have the most potential. But you're the biggest screwup. I'd rather have ten Laurens who can't swim more than a hundred yards but who really care about the class and give it their all.”

“I know.” I looked down at my hands. I knew that what she was saying was true.

“You're the best swimmer in your class, and I think you're probably better than the group of Senior girls I'm teaching too, and they're all a year or two older than you. I've seen fifteen-year-olds in lifeguarding classes who aren't as strong as you are.”

“Really?” I knew I was good, but I had no idea I was
that
good.

“Absolutely. But so far I haven't seen any desire from you at all. I wish I could take your skills and give them to Lauren, because she had more desire than anyone.”

“I know!” I said, looking up at her. “That's just how I felt yesterday morning!”

“So if I let you back in, what's going to happen?”

“I'll stop causing trouble. I'll listen—for once.”

Alex shook her head and sighed. “I would love for you to finish the class.”