Alex's Challenge (11 page)

Day One started with a rally. Marissa had made everyone blue wristbands, and Jenna and Alex made some kick-tail signs. They sung songs like “We Are the Champions” as they got ready for the big competition. Both days would start with a camp-wide competition—today's was the singdown. Then the divisions broke up and, instead of their regular free-choice activities, there were division competitions.

The first one each day would be sports, like basketball or soccer, and the second one after lunch would be a less athletic, like blob tag (
so funny,
Alex thought) and Scrabble. This went on for two days, and full schedules were posted on each bunk. In the evenings, kids could work on their missed activities
(like woodworking
, Alex realized) if they wanted to during free time.

Since much of Color War dealt with athletic ability, endurance, and prowess, Jenna and Alex went back to the bunk with the others to put their heads together to strategize for their division soccer game. As long as they let Julie know where they'd be, they were allowed a little more independence during “Color War-designated hours.” When the competition ended for the day—or during meals, of course—everyone traveled as a bunk again.

As they scribbled “We're seeing BLUE!” and “BLUE will rock your world” on pieces of poster board, they plotted out ways to win.

Since Scrabble would be soon, Alex knew the time had come for her heart-to-heart with Chelsea. Chelsea was really good at the game, so she could help the Blues earn their twenty-five points. And the only goal for Alex was to win, win, win.

Alex tracked her down in the bunk and willed herself to be patient with her grumpy teammate.

Needless to say, Chelsea did not exactly appreciate the pep talk. “Whatever. I know what this is about. You just won't be able to stand it if I'm better than you, right?” she said, wrinkling her nose.

Alex, for the first time, actually felt sorry for Chelsea. When she stopped and thought about it, Chelsea rarely smiled. Even when she got to do something she liked—like Scrabble—she didn't seem to enjoy it.

She just seems like she doesn't know how to be happy,
Alex thought. Again, for the first time, Alex didn't get mad at Chelsea. Instead, she pitied her. She thought Chelsea's entire existence was just sad.

“I need you to be the best, Chelsea, even if that's better than me,” Alex said. “I don't care which one of us wins, as long as
we
win together. It's all about the Blues. It's not about me. And it's not about you, either.”

Chelsea just stuck out her tongue and answered, “Always Little Miss Perfect . . .
always
.” With that, she pranced away to talk to Karen.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bunk, right in Alex's line of vision, she could see Brynn hugging Sarah—overdramatically. Brynn glanced at Alex just to make sure that, yes, Alex had seen the two of them bonding—
without
Alex. Alex smiled at Brynn. Alex didn't want Brynn to think she was getting to her, even if Brynn kind of was. To Alex, Color War was healthy competition; maybe it was a healthier way to work through their differences.

Heck, she'd tried everything else, hadn't she?

Alex, Jenna, and Val headed out to the porch to work on a Blue Team cheer. Jenna was frantically racking her brain for a word that rhymed with “stupendous” when Alex heard a familiar voice.

“Too bad we're on different teams, Alex.”

Alex looked up. Adam was making his way toward the bunk. She thought he was actually on his way somewhere else, but then he stopped and stood there like he wanted to talk. Alex was happy to see him, but she was also nervous. Something was up, definitely. She noticed the way he was sweating, too. Then he added, “So are you and Valerie both Blue?”

Something in Alex's brain clicked. Maybe Adam Spasm had been hanging around all of the time because of Valerie.
He likes her!
Alex thought. That made sense to Alex—Valerie was confident, cool, outgoing, cute.

Adam and Val?
Alex thought as she noticed an ant crawling across her sneaker.

“And Jenna, too,” Alex said, her heart beating a little too hard. “We're going to
kill
the Reds.”

Her
words
were confident. So why was her body shaking like the laundry spin cycle?

I do not want to think about crushes and stuff,
she thought.
Especially not now. I need to focus.

“
Maybe
you girls will survive without me,” Adam joked, “but don't be so sure.”

“Yeah,
maybe
!” Valerie called after him, shaking a fist menacingly.

“He's
so
weird,” she said, once he had gone.

“Yeah, what was that!?” Jenna asked, being nosy.

“Right?” Alex asked. Her heart rate had returned to normal and the flush she'd felt in her cheeks had cooled. And Jenna seemed clueless that Alex had even been thinking . . .

“Let's get back to that cheer,” Val said, nudging them both. The small smile on her face suggested that
she
might have an idea what Alex was thinking.

Nothing
, Alex reminded herself firmly.
Nothing at all.

“And fifty points goes to the Blues for the singdown!” Pete yelled. He smiled. His face was painted red, and he wore a headband with devil horns to show his spirit. Even though his team hadn't won the first competition, he was just as enthusiastic and happy for the Blues. He was a great sport.

Marissa, a Blue, turned to her team. “You guys rock.”

“When you came up with song that had the word ‘burger' in it, I was so impressed!” Marissa said to Alyssa.

“Cheeseburger in Paradise? A classic,” Nat quipped, clapping her friend on the back good-naturedly. Alyssa only grinned, semi-embarrassed at her retro-music knowledge.

Alex, Jenna, Grace, Valerie, Natalie, Alyssa, and Chelsea had another competition together that day. They were on the same tug-o-war team. Alex knew that she'd be against Brynn and Sarah there. Brynn loved that game, and she had a will as strong as chain links.

“Don't worry about them,” Valerie said as the teams lined up on either side of the thick, white rope. Val reminded Alex that they had to finish their wooden boxes—their gifts to their ex-friends—later that night during their evening free time. Working on a gift for Brynn was just about the last thing Alex wanted to do. “Whether you two are close friends again or not,” Valerie explained, “with these gifts, at least you two won't be enemies.”

“We'll be frenemies, instead,” Alex said, wondering how she'd let Valerie talk her into this crazy gift idea.

“Are you talking about Brynn?” Chelsea said, interrupting.

Alex and Valerie immediately clammed up. They definitely didn't want Chelsea to get involved. Chelsea would surely think of a backhanded putdown or something—anything—wicked to say.

“Please. Like I don't know what's going on,” Chelsea snorted.

“Nothing's going on,” Alex insisted, looking across the thick competition rope for Brynn. Brynn was laughing—make that cackling—about something with Sarah.

Instead of getting sad, Alex got determined. The girls lined up for tug-o-war, bracing their legs and feet into the ground as if they could grow roots.

“On your mark, get set, go!” Julie yelled. She was the counselor-in-charge once again. She had on an all-red outfit, and had painted cat whiskers on her face. Alex didn't know what that had to do with anything, but it was funny.

“One, two, three!” Jenna yelled, telling them to all yank together. She was the anchor of the team, meaning she stood at the end of the rope, her feet and body leaning toward the earth. Jenna was the strongest of the group, so she was the unofficial team leader for that game.

The immediate strain on the rope knocked the wind out of Alex and dragged her off her feet, taking her completely by surprise. Her strength was draining away, as if the rope was actually sucking it out of her body.

Shake it off,
she thought, determined to keep trying. Her grip was so tight that it burned. She looked up and saw Brynn's eyes shut, her face scrunched up into a wrinkled ball. Brynn loved tug-o-war, and it looked like she was about to win at it. Unbelievably, Alex's confidence sagged.

Slowly, the Red Team inched their way backward. The Blues' bottoms hit the ground as their last bit of sheer willpower washed away. They slid forward, defeated.

“Go, Red!” Julie yelled. “We rule!”

Brynn and Sarah and Candace and Jessie and Karen hugged one another. Tears nearly sprung from Alex's eyes. She couldn't believe the Blues had lost. She blamed herself because she hadn't tried hard enough. She couldn't believe that she was an outsider to her ex-best friend.

“It's okay,” Jenna said. “None of them are good at basketball. They might as well take this win while they can get one.”

“Except for Sarah, she's, like, good at everything,” Chelsea said in a voice that was much more quiet than usual.

Chelsea was right—Sarah was a great athlete. But Alex team-hugged Jenna. Together, they wouldn't let the Reds win again.

I think I can, I think I can,
Alex thought to herself.

Alex started strategizing. She wondered and calculated and figured what she'd have to do to get back in the right mindset to win. She thought of the Ninja Supertwins. In tug-o-war, she had her former best friend's determination and spirit. It was what she loved best about Brynn, and seeing it had made her wistful. That sad, longing feeling took away Alex's competitive edge. Alex was uncomfortable playing against Brynn; it was like an allergic reaction. It made her throat get thick and her head ache. Alex turned her thoughts to soccer that afternoon. It would be easier.