Alex's Challenge (3 page)

“Um, well,” Julie said carefully, “not really, sweetie.”

“Okay, okay,” Alex answered, sensing that Julie was about to be disappointed in her.

“Sweetie, you are
the best
,” Julie said, hugging Alex. “I can always count on Camp Lakeview's very own Mia Hamm. Don't you worry, either. There's a really nice instructor in there, and you're always a star at everything you do.”

Alex smiled a little bit, even though she was disappointed. When it came down to it, she loved making other people happy, especially Julie. Alex just wished that something would start going her way. She didn't understand why she was feeling so sad.

chapter
TWO

 

When Alex was on the soccer field, there was no Chelsea to antagonize her. There were no free-choice mishaps. There was no Brynn overdramatizing about her drama class. There were no cranky campmates. There was, for once, only Alex. And she was the star.

She had been looking forward to the afternoon because that day, for their usual post-breakfast bunk activity, her mates were taking on their rivals, the girls from 3A. Both bunks had chosen to play soccer.

When the announcement was made, Alex felt like finally she would have a good day, and she was right.

As usual, she had been chosen as the leader of her 3C team, and that made her feel confident. She wasn't the fastest runner—Sarah had that strength. She also wasn't the strongest goalie—Jenna could make that claim. But Alex
was
the most fearless player. The ball was her pet. Alex could skillfully follow it, volley it, chase it, and kick it as if it were attached to her Diadora soccer cleats. The soccer ball met its match every time Alex took to the field.

But the other team, the girls from bunk 3A, were playing a really good game. Alex wanted to win, and the score was six for her team, eight for the enemies, er, opponents. She started to freak out. Alex would rather lick bugs every day for two weeks than lose a game of soccer.

She thought of her favorite childhood book,
The Little Engine That Could.
She knew it was silly, but that story—one her mother had read to her once a week from nursery school through the first grade—always got her spirits up. She'd tell herself
I think I can, I think I can
whenever she got nervous before a test or game or meeting with a teacher. Then during whatever made her nervous, she'd change the words to
I know I can, I know I can
.

Today, with the other team's score creeping up, she added another line to the cheerleader in her head. She thought,
I know I can. I know we can. I know, I know, I know.
She didn't like to brag or anything—bragging was bad manners according to Alex—but she had to get herself psyched to win three more points and take the game. As the next time-out happened, she took charge—something she'd been doing a lot this summer—and gave the only advice she knew that would help them win.

“You all are awesome! You are better than these girls! You can kick their tails—I've seen you do it before. Now come on!” she yelled. The girls from 3C just watched her.

Candace said, “We can kick their tails!”

Jessie yelled, “You betcha!”

Others stood in the huddle with their mouths open. Some were really passionate about soccer, but most just saw it as a way to have some fun. Those who weren't as competitive were the ones Alex had to get pumped up.

“My shins are getting sore,” Alyssa said, bending over to rub them.

“My throat hurts,” Chelsea whined, twirling her hair around her pointer finger.

That's when Valerie stepped in, “You all are fine. You have to be! We're gonna win!” Valerie was always like that—she had the sunniest attitude of anybody. Alex was starting to realize that Val was never, ever in a bad mood.

“That's right, we are,” Jenna added with pursed lips and furrowed brows. She took soccer as seriously as Alex did.

“Who's the best?!” Alex yelled, relieved that the whiners—there were always two or three on every team—had been shut down. She was even more relieved that Valerie had been the one to do it. She was such a cool girl. No one could argue with Valerie.

“Um, you are,” Natalie answered, looking at Alex.

“No!” Alex laughed. “
We
are!”

After the pep talk, Alex started talking strategy. She told Sarah to run past the other team's best runner—that would distract her from the game at hand. Jenna had three girls to cover. Brynn was supposed to stand near the goal and block anyone who came toward Alex when she went in for the point. Even the whiners came on board for the winning plans.

By the end of the time-out, no one was unmotivated anymore. Instead, their expressions were determined. The girls looked like they took this game seriously, and even better, they looked like they wanted to win.

They huddled up in a circle like a bunch of NFL football stars and yelled their bunk cheer, “We be 3C!” It wasn't poetry, but it was catchy. They high-fived and cheered one another as they ran back to the field.

The other team watched them quietly. Alex could tell her opponents were worried, and she was glad. Her team really did have the edge on the winning mindset, which meant they were halfway there.

Alex was so pumped. She stole the ball from Gaby, wheedled it through the players with ease, and scored. Then she scored again. And again.

Because of Alex's talent and the rest of the crew's enthusiasm, they were able to take the game, and they took it fast. Neither team could even believe what had happened. The girls from 3C, with Alex in the lead, had won. But most surprising was that it hadn't even been very difficult. Alex was proud and happy and confident all at the same time.

Afterward, panting and sweating like happy puppies, the girls congratulated the other sullen-faced team, and then they hugged one another. They clapped and laughed and basked for just a few extra minutes.

Even if they were getting the end-of-the-summer blues at times, everyone really had bonded over the last few weeks. They'd proven it on the soccer field—whenever someone needed support, another girl ran to her rescue. Together, when 3C needed to rally, they could do it.

Alex couldn't have been more pleased—she forgot all of her problems for that second. Nothing else mattered except that she had done her job, and she had done it well.

Of course, that was typical for Alex. Anytime there were tasks to be completed, Alex was always asked to do them. Teachers knew if they needed help grading papers, Alex was their girl. Moms would let their kids stay out later as long as Alex was with them. Friends could count on Alex to help them with their homework or any other problems that they had. Alex just had this way about her of doing the right thing. But she was really hard on herself—she was a total perfectionist.

Alex wasn't judgmental of others, though. She figured that people had their flaws, and those flaws made them unique, even cute. Meanwhile, she beat up on herself. She couldn't remember the last time she'd received a B in school. Anything but an A-plus was unacceptable to her. Report card day always made Alex's parents so happy—they were big on good grades.

It wasn't just school either. At camp, Alex always got up five minutes earlier than everyone else so she could tidy up her stuff after she got ready in the morning. She'd make her navy and white bed and neatly stack toiletries into her cubbyhole. Even her shoes were lined up alongside the foot of her bed. She never went frantic looking for a lost flip-flop or barrette like Brynn did. Alex never left her room—or her bunk—unless everything was in order. She was always on time (even though she was always sneaking off to take care of a secret personal errand) and during the school year, she always carried around her to-do list.

Alex's mom thought she put too much pressure on herself. She was always giving Alex those relaxing CDs where frogs chirp and water gurgles. Alex knew she should try to take it easy, but it just didn't seem like she was built that way. She hadn't even ripped open the plastic on those calming CDs that were tucked away deep in her summer suitcase.

“It's too bad you're too young to be Color War captain,” Jenna said as they headed back to the bunk to get cleaned up for dinner.

“Really? You think I'd be a good captain?” Alex asked, surprised.

“Duh!” Jenna yelled, rolling her eyes.

“But Jenna, you're really good at soccer, too,” Alex said.

“I just have to admit that you're better,” Jenna added. “I wish I could be captain—it would be so cool—but I was watching you out there. You've just got
it
.”

Alex could feel her heart beating fast, her body getting excited. She tried not to smile too much—she didn't want to be braggy—but she almost couldn't help it. “Got what?” Alex asked.

“It!”
Jenna and Brynn yelled at the same time.

That was a big thing for Jenna to say. She had been upset when Alex had turned out to be a better diver a few weeks ago. Alex did everything she could to help Jenna with diving—even spent time with her at the lake—but Jenna just kept getting more and more upset when she couldn't do it right. They worked it out, though, and Jenna even improved her diving.

Alex understood that Jenna could be really competitive. That's why it was especially nice for her to say these things to Alex now. After all, the two of them had been coming to Camp Lakeview together forever. Even though they were close, it always felt like they were rivals, albeit friendly ones.

“Oh stop it, you all,” Alex said, hoping that she really would get to be the captain in a few years. She couldn't help but think about how she'd missed being captain of her school soccer team last year.

“You're going to give Alex a big head!” Brynn interrupted, teasing her.

“Nah, we won't,” Valerie added, smiling.

“Doesn't that distinction go to Chelsea, anyway?” Grace whispered to Alex.

“Can we stop talking about it, please?” Alex asked, embarrassed by all the attention. She hoped they all meant it—she was thrilled!

Do they think I'm the best at sports?
she wondered, smiling.

“Um, okay then,” Karen said, and everyone hushed to look at her. Karen rarely spoke out loud. She could only be seen whispering to Chelsea, although lately she'd been standing up for herself more and not letting Chelsea boss her around
quite
so much. “I have a question for Alex. Could you tell me, what's Color War?” Karen said.

Alex liked Karen a lot, even though the girl was a different kind of person. She had about twenty stuffed animals around her bed. Alex understood that some girls still liked their stuffies—but everyone else had only brought one, if that.

“You've got to be kidding me,” Chelsea answered, irritation in her voice. She hated when someone else got all the attention.

Alex sidled up to Karen and started telling her all about it—Color War was absolutely Alex's favorite time at camp. “That's when everyone here gets divided up into two groups, Red and Blue. For two whole days, we compete with each other—even with the girls in our own bunk—to see which team will win the Lakeview Champion Title,” Alex explained as her heart started beating faster.

“Um, cool,” Karen said. Karen wasn't very competitive, so Alex wondered if she really meant it. But at least Karen seemed genuinely interested.

“Most of the competitions are sports,” Alex said, “but not all of them. I mean, we do soccer, blob tag, Scrabble, basketball, canoeing, croquet, swimming, and singdown. For the first time all summer, bunkmates could be on separate teams, and best friends could be enemies,” she added.

Luckily for Alex, though, she had always managed to be on the same team as Brynn. She couldn't imagine trying to beat out her best friend in anything.

To Alex, Color War was special because, while it tore the camp apart for two days, it also brought everyone closer together at the end. Unlike other camps, at Lakeview, the winners had to do something really nice for the losers—this year, like last, they would have to make chocolate chip cookies. That was always fun because those who make the cookies also get some of the dough, of course. Alex enjoyed the process and the camaraderie and delivering the treats to the other kids at the end of dinner last year. She hoped it would be just as much fun this year—even though she definitely wouldn't be having any treats.

Getting ready for Color War was just as much fun as actually doing it, too. The teams always got together in secret huddles to pick outfits, mascots, and cheers and to make signs and to plan pranks on their opponents. Even though Alex knew the drill by now—she still totally loved Color War at Camp Lakeview.

Last year, Alex, Sarah, and Brynn had been on the winning team together. Because they understood one another so well, they were able to score the last point for their team during a lay-up competition on the basketball court. After a perfect pass from Sarah, Alex threw the ball into the basket while Brynn cheered them on. They were so happy to win for their division that Alex cried a little while everyone yelled and screamed her name. She was sweaty and hugging her best friends, so she didn't think anyone had noticed how emotional she'd been.

It was a special day and a very lucky shot. She went home savoring her victory. She thought last year was the best time she'd ever had away at camp. She didn't think it could get any better.

“You're going to love it,” Alex told Karen, who was a first-year. “I hope we get to be on the same team. I'll show you the secrets to winning all the different events.”

Karen was so quiet that Alex hadn't gotten to know her very well. She really did hope that the two of them could hang out some more before it was time to pack up and head home in less than two weeks. But Karen was always with Chelsea, though she had been branching out after the incident at the water park. Alex was so glad that Karen wasn't letting Chelsea be so pushy anymore.