Maddie's Camp Crush (12 page)

Libby raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask any questions
as Maddie got up and walked over to Gabriel's table.

“Hi, Gabriel,” she said, her heart racing. “Can I talk to you a minute?”

Brandon and Jared smirked.

“Go say good-bye to your girlfriend,” Jared teased, giving Gabriel a nudge, and Maddie saw Gabriel blush a little. He got up and they took a few steps away from the table.

“I wanted to apologize for the other night,” Maddie said quickly, before her courage left her. “I didn't really know what to do or how to act. This year has been full of changes for me and next year will be too and right now . . . well, right now I just need things to stay the same for a little bit. I'm sorry if I acted like a crazy person.”

Gabriel smiled. “You didn't act like a crazy person,” he said. They stared at each other for a moment. Then finally Gabriel spoke again. “I'm not sure what to do, either, Maddie. I like you, but there are quite a few changes in my life too. I'm nervous about camp ending and starting a new school and living so far away from my dad. And, you know, the whole living in a new country thing. Actually a new continent.”

They both laughed. “Well, welcome to your new
continent!” said Maddie. “Changes are hard. I get it. And I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings the other night. When we stopped meeting at downtime I figured I'd really messed up.”

“I thought that's what you wanted,” Gabriel said.

Maddie shook her head. “Not really,” she said. “I like hanging out with you. And I'm glad we talked about it before camp ended. I can't believe it's over already.” They were both quiet. Maddie realized that she wouldn't see Gabriel for a whole year. That was weird. Would he be different next summer? And if so, how? Better? Worse? What if he turned into a jerk? Or what if she didn't think he was cute anymore? Maddie stole a sidelong glance at him. No, she would definitely still think he was cute.

“Can I text you after camp?” Gabriel asked suddenly.

Maddie beamed. “Of course! I can help you if you have any questions about school in the states, or well, with anything else.”

“Excellent,” Gabriel said, smiling.

He leaned in for a hug, and Maddie didn't back away. Her stomach did a flip-flop, but it was a fun one. Instead of feeling confused and anxious, she felt excited.

Hug number two! I can't wait to tell Libby and
Emily
, she thought.
And I've got to write to Liza!

“So do you think you'll be back next summer?” Gabriel asked as they broke off the hug.

“Definitely!” Maddie answered. “For the whole summer!”

“Well then, I guess I'll see you next summer, Madeline,” Gabriel said, his eyes twinkling.

Maddie giggled. “See you next summer, Gabriel. Good night.”

She watched him walk back to boys' camp and every few steps he turned around and waved. She giggled and waved back. Next summer seemed so far away.

She stepped away and walked off, staring up at the beautiful sky. A bright white star was twinkling right overhead, and Maddie made her wish.

I wish that I can always remember how I'm feeling at this very moment right now.

And then she rolled back to the bunk . . . merrily.

Here's a sneak peek at the next book in the series:

Lindsay likes Nick

Does he like her too?

Lindsay's Surprise Crush

“DID YOU HEAR WHAT HAPPENED TO NICK LOPEZ?”

A tingle rippled up and down Lindsay Potter's spine. She stared at her friend Rosie. “No! What? What happened to him?” she asked.

“You'll never believe it,” said Rosie, lowering her voice to a whisper. Then she glanced at someone over Lindsay's shoulder. “Oh! Look! Sasha got her hair cut!”

Lindsay turned, trying not to show her frustration, and smiled and waved at Sasha, who was just stepping off her bus to join the throngs of kids milling around and socializing on the first day of school. She turned back to Rosie, trying to keep her voice even and not sound too anxious. “
What
happened to Nick?”

“Oh! Right. Nick. Well, I heard from Chloe, who heard from Jenn, that he . . . ”

“Move along, girls, the bell's going to ring any
minute,” said Mr. Drakely, the teacher on morning bus duty. He was herding middle schoolers in the direction of the main school entrance. Sure enough, the bell rang a moment later.

“See you fourth period!” called Rosie, hustling up the steps, her new purple backpack bouncing on her back.

Lindsay's thoughts were swirling as she made her way quickly to her locker. She knew just where it was—she'd had the same one last year, her first year of middle school. She spun the dial for her combination and wondered if anyone had managed to fix the sticky door over the summer. One yank told her no one had. Sigh. Another year with a sticking locker door.

Twang!
The locker finally decided to open. She smooshed a few things into it and slammed it closed again, eager to get to homeroom to find out what had happened to Nick.

Nick was her best friend. They'd been babies together. Actually, their friendship was even older than that. Their moms had met in pregnant-lady-exercise class!

How could she not know what major catastrophe had happened to her best friend? True, they hadn't seen each other since June. She'd gone off to visit her cousins in
Cleveland for a week, and when she'd gotten back, he was already gone—first to baseball camp, then soccer camp, then some other kind of jock camp way out in the wilds of Maine, near where his dad lived. And when he finally returned, she had been gone again, first to music camp, and then driving her older brother up to college to help him move in.

Maybe Nick had broken his leg or something! She frowned. Maybe whatever had happened to him was the reason he hadn't returned her texts last night. She'd texted him twice, once to tell him they were in the same homeroom, and then again to ask him if he'd heard the rumor that Mr. Bates assigned homework to his homeroom students. And he hadn't responded. Was he in the hospital? In traction? No, he would have been able to text if he were in traction. Maybe both his hands were bandaged with second degree burns or something? She swallowed uneasily. What a way to start seventh grade.

She walked into Mr. Bates's homeroom. The second bell had not yet rung, so kids were wandering around, chatting, hugging long-lost friends, and complimenting haircuts and new sneakers. She looked around the room quickly, trying to spot Nick. He wasn't there. Maybe
something truly terrible had happened to him!

She saw Jenn, who waved her over toward the desks near the window. She also saw some really tall new guy who was surrounded by kids. He seemed to try to catch her eye, but she looked away quickly. She could feel the worry creeping over her.

“Hey, did you see Nick?” a voice whispered from her right side.

She turned. It was Sasha.

“No!” she said. “Where is he?”

Sasha pointed quickly with her finger. A tiny giggle escaped her.

Lindsay followed her gaze. Her brow furrowed. What was Sasha talking about? She seemed to be pointing toward that new kid. He was a head taller than all the other kids in the room. He looked tall enough to be in high school. Was he standing in front of Nick? Lindsay craned her neck to get a better look. The new kid had really dark hair and broad, muscular shoulders. He looked really cute from behind. And then he turned around. He . . .

 . . .
was
Nick.

ANGELA DARLING
was nicknamed “The Love Guru” by her friends in school because she always gave such awesome advice on crushes. And Angela's own first crush worked out pretty well . . . they have been married for almost ten years now! When Angela isn't busy watching romantic comedies, reading romance novels, or dreaming up new stories, she works as an editor in New York City. She knows deep down that
every
story can't possibly have a happy ending, but the incurable romantic in her can't help but always look for the silver lining in every cloud.

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

SIMON SPOTLIGHT

An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division

1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

www.simonspeakers.com

Copyright © 2013 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Text by Tracey West

Designed by Dan Potash

Cover design by Dan Potash

Cover illustration by Autumn Whitehurst

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

SIMON SPOTLIGHT and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

ISBN 978-1-4424-8334-7 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-4424-8335-4 (hc)

ISBN 978-1-4424-8336-1 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number 2012950723