Camp Confidential 09 - Best (Boy)friend Ever (16 page)

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Authors: Melissa J Morgan

BOOK: Camp Confidential 09 - Best (Boy)friend Ever
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“Thanks for making me do it, though,” Priya said. “I probably would never have slept again for the rest of my life if I hadn’t.”
“That’s what girlfriends are for, right? Making you do the things you don’t want to do,” Brynn said.
“I’m still trying to figure the girlfriend thing out,” Priya admitted. “I mostly hang with boys. I mean, at camp I do stuff with whoever is in my bunk, but . . .”
“But no secrets or confessions or advice?” Brynn started toasting herself a marshmallow.
“When I asked you guys what you thought it meant when Jordan brought up kissing—that was my first real girlfriend conversation, I think,” Priya said.
“Hey, you made me a marshmallow for my s’more. How sweet,” Grace said, plopping down next to Brynn and commandeering her marshmallow.
Priya laughed. “I’ll make you one,” she told Brynn.
“Later,” Brynn said. “Jordan’s coming over to talk to you.”
“Maybe he wants to talk to
you
,” Priya said, her heart starting to do an imitation of bumblebee wings.
“He’s looking right at you,” Brynn answered.
“Right at you,” Grace agreed. “I’ll sign an affidavit or whatever they’re called.” She moved down to the next log. So did Brynn. Priya started to move.
Brynn pointed at her. “Stay!” she ordered.
Priya stayed. She still owed Brynn . . . about a million. And if Jordan wanted to talk . . . well, she owed him about a billion, so she’d let him talk.
Jordan sat down next to her. But he didn’t say anything. He stared straight ahead at the fire. Then he reached out and took her hand.
Oh, wow. Wow! Jordan was holding her hand. Did that mean . . . ? It seemed like maybe her best friend wanted to be her boyfriend.
Priya stared straight ahead too. They looked into the fire without speaking. Priya’s shoulders started to cramp up, but she was afraid to move. This was so . . .
It was so . . . strange. And there was no hot shiver.
She shot a glance at Jordan out of the corner of her eye and caught him looking at her. It wasn’t a lovey-dovey look. It was a this-is-strange look. Priya got a zap of best-friend telepathy. Jordan wasn’t getting the hot shivers, either.
So . . . hmmm. What did that mean? Priya wished she could have a confab with all her new girlfriends. But she was pretty sure it meant that maybe Jordan wasn’t meant to be her boyfriend after all. Maybe he was meant to be just her best friend.
Priya let go of his hand and gave a little shrug. Jordan gave a little shrug back. Then they both cracked up.
They were back!
Muscles loosened all over Priya’s body. Muscles she hadn’t even realized she’d been tensing.
This was . . . good. This was better than good. Like being best friends was better than anything.
“What were you doing holding my hand?” Priya joked. “I’m the nutso who thought I was in like with you. Not the other way around.”
Jordan rolled his eyes. “I started thinking that if the only way I could stay friends with you was to be your boyfriend, I’d have to at least try it. Even if it was kind of insane.”
“Which it was,” Priya agreed. “Hey, you know today at the lake? When you thought I was avoiding you?”
Jordan’s shoulders tightened up.
Priya lowered her voice. “I wasn’t going in the water, because I have my period. It felt weird to tell you when I thought I was in like with you.”
“Whoa. Too much information.” He held up both hands.
“Wimp,” Priya teased.
“That’s not wimpy. No guys want to know that. Not just me,” Jordan said.
Yeah, they were sooo back!
Priya pounded down the court, feinted left, then shot the ball to her right. She knew Jordan would be there. And he was. In the perfect position to take the shot.
Swish!
Beauty.
“That’s the game, my friends,” Jordan called. He slapped hands with Priya. “Nice one.”
“Back at ya,” she told him. “I have some contraband soda. Want to go sneak one? Maybe do some burping?”
“Nope. I’m meeting up with Brynn.” Priya could tell Jordan was trying not to smile, but a big, doofy grin spread across his face.
“Um, Jordan, Brynn told me she told you that—”
“—that she just liked me as a friend,” Jordan finished for her. He nodded. “Turned out that she said that because she didn’t want to get in the middle of whatever was happening between us. She liiiikes me.”
“Whoa. I’m—I’m shocked. She is so much nicer than I am!” Priya exclaimed. She was going to have to find something super cool to do for Brynn. The girl knew how to be a true, true friend.
“Not hard to be nicer than you,” Jordan said with a grin. He gave the basketball a bounce. “Oh, yeah. She likes me. She thinks I’m fun-ny. She really likes me.”
“Does she like the way you brag?” Priya asked, using two fingers to flick the ball away from him.
“It’s one of her favorite things.” Jordan got the ball back and spun it on his finger. “Listen, I feel like saying this is a very bad idea, but you know Spence?”
“Spence? As in Spence who we play cards with practically every night?” Priya shook her head. “Of course I know him.”
“Well, he wants to hang with you after dinner during free time,” Jordan said.
“We can still play cards if you and Brynn want to do something different,” Priya told him. “We will manage to survive without your presence and your freaky food phobias.”
Jordan lightly bounced the ball off her forehead. “No, moron. He wants to do something just the two of you. Cause he liiiikes you.”
“Are you messing with me?” Priya demanded. “This is payback, isn’t it?”
“I’m not mean the way you are,” Jordan told her, stopping the rolling ball with his foot. “So, what should I tell him?”
“Spence is a cool guy. It could be fun. So tell him . . . tell him yes.” Priya said. “Except saying that makes me feel a little nauseated. I hope he doesn’t expect me to be some sort of girly girl. I know I was sort of girly on the cruise, but I’m not always like that.”
“Take it from me,” Jordan advised. “All you have to do is be you.”
Priya thought she could handle that.
Turn the page for a sneak preview of
 
camp
CONFIDENTIAL
OVER & OUT OVER & OUT
available soon!
chapter
ONE
Hey Matt (aka Einstein wannabe),
How’s it going, Dr. Bloomenstein ? I can’t believe Mom let you set up a mini - science lab in the basement. That’s a scary thought. With all those test tubes you’ve got, you could be creating radioactive cockroaches down there or something. Just be sure to let them loose in Adam’s room, not mine, k?
I can’t believe there’re only two weeks left here at camp. The summer’s gone by way too fast. It’s such a downer to think about leaving. But I’m still planning on getting in as much fun as possible while I’m here. No, Big Bro, before you start with one of your lectures, this doesn’t mean pranks. Since I got in trouble with Dr. Steve last summer for all my pranking (the animal-shack fiasco in particular), I’m breaking new records for good behavior (even without Stephanie around to play the “Third Parent” . . . ha -ha). I only raided Adam’s cabin once so far—talk about exhibiting amazing self-control. Besides, I’ve got way more important things to worry about right now.
Color War starts next week, and I’ve been putting in some serious preparation time on the soccer field and basketball court. Remember how I was voted MVP for the Blue team last year? It’ll be tough to top that, but I’m gonna try! Alex and I have been scrimmaging on the soccer field in all of our free time. She’s even better than last year, Matt! I really hope we’re on the same color team again this year. If we are, we might be able to bring home a Lakeview Champion title. Even though we’re in different cabins (which was a major bummer at the beginning of the summer) we’re still awesome friends like always. And we’re ready to kick some big-time Color War butt!
Anyway, enjoy your—ugh—science. Just don’t blow any thing up unless it’s Mom’s spinach casserole. That I can live without. I better sign off. Natalie and Alyssa are threatening to toss my candy stash in the lake if we don’t go to dinner RIGHT NOW. Yeesh. They must really be starving if they’re this excited about the mess-hall food . I’m just hoping it’s not a mystery meat loaf day. I miss you, and I’ll see you soon.
Love,
Jenna
Jenna Bloom looked hungrily at the platters of french fries that the CITs, or counselors-in-training, were marching through the mess hall.
“Are you seriously going to eat those?” her friend Alex asked.
“Yup.” Jenna grinned. “They’re the only things that look edible.” She and Alex had to eat at separate tables with their different bunks, but they always had a few minutes to chat beforehand. She saw Alex sizing up a tray of mac and cheese. “Don’t tell me that you’re going to eat
that
? It looks a little curdly, if you ask me.”
“It doesn’t look that bad,” Alex said. “But then again, I have to think positive about it, since I’m sick of french fries and this is the only other thing I can eat. Besides the mushy broccoli.”
“Sorry about that,” Jenna said. “But you’re probably way healthier than any of the rest of us, especially me.” She knew from their last summer together that Alex had juvenile diabetes and had to be really careful about what she ate. Pasta and vegetables were good for her, but some other kinds of food, especially ones full of sugar, were dangerous for her to eat. But now that all the girls knew about Alex’s condition, they were careful to be understanding of it. Jenna grinned and elbowed her playfully. “And if it makes you feel better, I asked my mom to send some honey cookies in the last box of goodies she mailed me. Just for you. The package came this morning, and it’s sitting under my bunk . . . right now. I figured we’d both need some extra energy to perfect our soccer skills for Color War,” Jenna said. “Hey, what did you request for your final electives?”
“I asked for sports and photography,” Alex said as they headed toward their tables.
“Photography?” Jenna asked. “I didn’t know you were into taking pictures.”
Alex blushed. “Well, I—I’ve been wanting to learn the right way to use my camera for a while now, and . . . and . . .” She stammered, and the words died away.
“And you wanted to be in an elective with Adam?” Jenna teased, watching Alex’s cheeks flush bubblegum pink. She rolled her eyes. Adam, Jenna’s brother, was the camp’s best photographer. Last summer, Alex had had a tiny crush on Adam, and every once in a while Jenna still caught Alex looking at Adam with a shy smile on her face. But there was no way Alex could possibly
really
like Adam Spasm again, was there?
Alex giggled. “I don’t know. I might not even get to be in photography. What electives did you ask for?”
“I asked for sports, too, of course,” Jenna said. “If we both get sports, we can practice soccer and basketball every day. Man, if we’re on the same color team, we’ll be unstoppable!”

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