Chapter Eleven

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenge found us on Wednesday evening. All of our doorknobs had been slathered in Vaseline, our toothpaste had been switched for mayonnaise, and baby powder covered anyone who used the hair dryers after showering. Lucky for Hannah, I’d found out about the toothpaste before her when I’d wanted to brush the taste of garlic out of my mouth before she’d showered.

“New toothpaste,” I said to the girls as I walked back in from the health center with five new tubes of paste. Anna had raised her brows at my request for the toothpaste and she’d snickered under her breath when I mentioned the word ‘mayo’.

Everyone took turns brushing their teeth and it took me three tries to get the taste of mayonnaise out of my mouth. Jenny had been the only one spared when Drew, true to this word, hadn’t let his campers mess with her special tube. While I’d been gone, Hannah had cleaned all of the Vaseline off of the door knobs and tried to run the hairdryers until the powder was gone.

When I called lights out, the girls got in bed without complaint, but I could hear them all whispering about the possibility of our next prank. I just smiled as I pulled the counselor door shut and looked at Hannah.

“We need to one-up them.”

She laughed as she watched me pull on my running clothes. “I have an idea that includes shaving cream and their shoes but execution will be tricky.”

“Oh, I like that,” I replied as I pulled my hair into a ponytail. “If we can get in there while they’re swimming, the cream would still be fresh when they came back to change their shoes.”

“Good call. Let’s bring it up to the girls tomorrow.” Hannah opened her journal as she sat back against her headboard and looked at me. “Be careful out there.”

I ran around the lake in silence, something I was getting used to. I normally ran with my earbuds in at home but all of my music was on my phone. I’d just come back around the camp side of the lake when I spotted Drew walking away from the boys’ cabins.

“Hey, Moore. Feel my hands- they’re super soft and moisturized tonight.”

He turned his head when he heard me and a brilliant grin lit up his face. “Yeah? Glad to hear that. Did you know that the oil in mayonnaise is supposed to be great for your gums?”

I gagged slightly and shook my head as I remembered the taste of the mayo in my mouth. “You guys got us pretty good.” I fell into step next to him and he shrugged his shoulders.

“I told you to expect retribution, Shay,” he replied simply. “Besides, do you know how fun it is to play basketball without any underwear on?”

I laughed out loud and gave him a cocky look. “When did you finally find them?”

“Not until yesterday morning. So, thanks for that.”

“Hey, I had no idea which bed was yours.” I shrugged as I reached up to tighten my ponytail.

“Just finishing your run?” Drew’s eyes ran up my sweat soaked body and I scoffed slightly.

“Eyes are up here, Moore. But, yeah, I just ran. Where are you heading?”

He gestured towards the staff lounge. “Poker game. Want to come? We could turn it into strip poker if you do.” He reached over and used the palm of his hand to swat my behind and I just sent him a glare that lacked any malice.

“Every time you have a decent human being moment, you ruin it.” Honestly, his moments of obnoxiousness were starting to become endearing rather than annoying the more I got to know him. He wasn’t a pig like I’d originally thought but just an extremely playful person. I couldn’t let him know that I’d caught on to that, though. I made my legs move again, falling back into a jog as I headed towards my cabin. “See you.”

We waited until the Cabin Seven had headed to the lake for their scheduled water time on Thursday afternoon. The twelve of us filled the toes of all of their sneakers with shaving cream and changed the time on all of their clocks to read something different. I knew we were successful because during dinner time that evening, all of Cabin Seven was wearing flip flops or sandals. When I caught Drew’s eye from across the dining hall, he just mouthed ‘you wait’ with a huge smile on his face.

That night, the entire camp gathered around the lake and watched as fireworks where shot off from the other side, near the Holcomb’s residence. The kids were given sparklers and music was piped in to celebrate the Fourth of July.

As I stood watching the nighttime sky light up with brilliant colors, I snuck a look over to Drew. To my surprise, his eyes were on me and not pyrotechnics above us. We locked gazes for several moments and I felt heat shoot through my veins. I hated that I was so attracted to him but craved it at the same time. I finally escaped the intensity and focused back on the fireworks, refusing to look over at him again for the rest of the night.

Friday, we came back from canoeing to our sneakers all tied together and strung across the ceiling and all of our pillows missing. I found our pillows in plastic bags and hanging from the tree outside our cabin. We were able to get them down but didn’t get all of the knots undone on our shoelaces until Saturday.

“We need something big and awesome,” Emma said on Saturday night as we got ready for the week three bonfire. “And we need to strike when they don’t expect it.”

I loved how all ten girls looked so fired up and I didn’t miss the daggers they shot Cabin Seven when we reached the fire pit. Like the weeks before, they were allowed to sit anywhere and I noticed that the two cabins refused to be within the same proximity of each other.

“Our girls are taking it personally now,” Hannah said with a chuckle and I nodded in agreement.

“I have an idea but it’s kind of mean and I can’t do it until after our day off next week when I can go to the store.” I caught sight of Jordan and Drew heading our way. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Hey, ladies,” Jordan said with a grin that matched his roommate’s. “I see you’re both wearing sneakers, too.”

Hannah held up her hand to show him her fingers. “I think I have a blister from undoing knots.”

Jordan grabbed her hand and brought her fingers to his lips, causing me to roll my eyes. Drew caught the action and just laughed.

“You’re quite the tree climber, Shaylee.” His eyes ran down my body and landed on my scraped up shin.

I folded my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t forget, Moore. We’re still ahead. I really think you’re going to look great in my pink thong.”

Drew’s eyes twinkled in the firelight and he shook his head. “Jordan and I are really looking forward to our personal lap dances, Butler.”

“What lap dances?” Christy asked as she walked up and snaked her arm around his waist. I didn’t miss the way he flinched slightly at her touch but otherwise everything was normal. He was explaining something to Christy but didn’t bother listening. The week before we’d been naked together, having sex, and now he was standing across from me cuddling with another woman. With that reminder at the forefront of my brain, I couldn’t even look at him.

I turned and headed towards the snack center to help get everything together. More campers showed up and I was just putting popcorn kernels in the machine when Christy appeared next to me.

“You realize that Drew and I have been together for over a year, right?”

I turned my head to look at her with a frown. “Congratulations?”

“Look, Shaylee. I can tell you have some little crush on Drew and he seems to throw you some pity flirts now and then.” She opened up the next bag of kernels and handed it to me. “But we’re going to move in together after he graduates next year.”

I raised my brows at her in surprise. Christy’s perception of their relationship was a lot different than Drew’s. I poured the kernels into the machine and closed the door.

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you, Christy.” I wiped my hands on the towel before turning to look at her. “Maybe you should be having this conversation with Drew.”

I walked away from her then and found a spot next to Audrey and Joanne, opting not to sit with Hannah, Jordan, and Drew. Aubrey nudged me with a smile.

“Cameron asked me out for our next night off.”

“That’s awesome.” I squeezed her hand and returned her smile. “He’s a really great guy.”

“Hello, campers!” May stood at the bonfire and smiled out at everyone, causing me to cut our conversation short. “Week three is over. Can you believe it? Time is moving pretty fast. I just want to remind you of a few things…”

May went on about how people need to wear pants when they’re riding horses, helmets on the bikes, and closed-toed shoes at the obstacle center. She talked about the Sunday night movie that was playing the next night and the importance of participating fully in every activity.

After she was done, the songs began and the snacks were passed out. I was participating marginally but zoning out for the most part when someone started yelling. I moved to my feet, realizing it was Cate and she was pointing at someone next to her. I pushed my way through the kids until I got to where they were and realized something was wrong with Jenny. Her face was swollen and she was gasping for air. Panic gripped my chest but I didn’t let Jenny see that.

“My… pen… is…in…the… cabin,” she gasped and I shook my head.

“I’ve got one, Jen. Hang on one second.” I glanced up at the group around me. “Someone get Anna.”

I opened the storage on the clipboard I’d been carrying and grabbed Jenny’s EpiPen that I’d been keeping in there for emergencies. I pulled the cap off and ran my hand down her thigh before looking into her eyes. With her brown ones locked onto mine, I stabbed her muscle with the pen and held it there forcefully to allow the medicine to enter her body fully. After about ten seconds, I pulled it away and shoved it back in the clipboard before massaging where I’d injected her.

I clutched Jenny’s hand and she squeezed mine so tight that it almost hurt. I watched her face and wanted to cry when her breaths started to come easier. I wrapped her in my arms and held her to my chest as I let out a long sigh.

“What happened?” Anna appeared at my side as she put gloves on her hands.

I shook my head and looked around to see if I could find what she was eating. “She had an allergic reaction to something.”

“Oh, no,” Cate gasped with tears running down her face. “I grabbed a chocolate bar that had almonds in it. I put some of it in the s’more I made for her.”

Hannah wrapped her arms around Cate from behind and shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Cate. It was an accident.”

“Let’s get her to the health center. Now.” Anna stood up and I was trying to decide if I could carry her when Drew suddenly pulled Jenny into his arms with ease. I watched as he began to follow Anna and May away from the fire and I turned to Hannah.

“I’m going to go with them. You have the girls?”

She nodded, her arms still around a bawling Cate, and I pushed to my feet before jogging after them. May heard me coming and grabbed my hand immediately when I caught up.

“You did great, Shaylee,” she praised quietly as she pat our conjoined hands with her free one. “You reacted perfectly.”

I sighed and shook my head slightly. “That was one of the scariest moments of my entire life.”

“Oh, baby girl.” She dropped my hand so she could wrap an arm around me and we didn’t say anything else as we walked to the health center.

Anna directed Drew to put Jenny on the bed in the back and she immediately began a full examination. May released her hold on me and walked over to speak with Jenny and Anna quietly. The swelling in Jenny’s face was already starting to go down and I was hoping that was a good sign.

“You okay?” Drew asked as he wrapped an arm around my waist. I let him in that moment because the comfort was what I needed. I just nodded and let my head drop to his chest. I reached up to push some hair off my face and I saw that my hand was trembling.

“Why don’t you sit down, Shay?” he suggested quietly, causing Anna and May to both turn to look at me. May smiled when she saw the two of us together but Anna frowned.

“You’re really pale, Shaylee. Do you feel faint?”

I lifted my head up and shook it. “I’m really okay. It was just a scary moment.”

“I’m sorry,” Jenny croaked and I pulled myself out of Drew’s hold to walk over to the bed. I gave her a smile and shook my head.

“Don’t apologize, kid.” I pat her shoulder gently. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Anna nodded her head and put her hands on her hips. “She’s going to be fine after I get this antihistamine in her. I need to call her parents but I don’t think she’s going to need to go to the hospital. I’m going to keep her in here tonight, though.” She glanced at me and nodded. “That was great work with the epinephrine, Shaylee. Her parents left me five pens for the summer and I was hoping to not use any but let’s restock the one you carry tomorrow.”

“Okay. I’m going to run and grab her pajamas.” I squeezed Jenny’s shoulder one more time. “I’ll be right back.”

I ignored everyone as I walked quickly out the door. I’d just rounded the building towards the direction of the cabin when the tears came. I leaned against the back wall of the health center and couldn’t stop the sob that escaped my chest. The emotions poured out of me for a moment and a few minutes later, someone appeared in my peripheral.

“Oh, Shay.” Drew crouched in front of me and put his hands on both of my knees. “It’s the adrenaline.” He reached out to push some hair off of my face and I flinched back, hitting my head on the wall behind me as I did.

“Please, don’t touch me.” I moved to my feet and he immediately respected the distance that I put between us. I thought about everything Christy had told me and shook my head as I wiped the tears from my face. “I can’t be a part of this game you’re playing.”

He frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets, staying where he was. “I’m not playing any game.”

“I don’t know if I’m just some challenge for you, Drew, but this needs to stop. Christy basically accosted me at the snack center to tell me all about your post-graduation plans.”

He raised his brows and shook his head. “What plans?”

“See?” I demanded. “This game. I can’t handle it. We’re not friends. Hell, I don’t even like you. Just stop.”

I didn’t wait for him to answer as I sidestepped him and hurried to my cabin. I immediately went to Jenny’s bunk and pulled the pajamas out from under her pillow. She didn’t have anything else on her bed that she usually slept with so I went back to the health center with just the pajamas.

Jenny’s eyes were heavy when I made it back so I hugged her tight before thanking Anna and heading back to the bonfire. Hannah was sitting with the girls and Cate looked miserable from where she was leaning into her. I sat between Emma and Nicole and just nodded when they all asked me if Jenny was okay.

After the fire was dismissed, we walked back to the cabins silently and I sat them all down as soon as we were in the door.

“She’s fine, guys. She’s really going to be okay. Anna’s keeping her in the health center tonight just to make sure she’s completely back to normal tomorrow.” I grabbed Cate’s hand and offered her a smile before glancing back out to the girls. “Jenny’s allergies are pretty severe and she’s allergic to a lot. I know you’ve all been really careful so far but let’s double those efforts, okay?”

When no one smiled or said anything I looked at Hannah and shrugged slightly. She smiled and stood from the bed.

“Fine. If it will stop your pouting, we can spend tomorrow morning at the lake.”

That had an immediate effect and the girls started chatting excitedly. We made them get in the shower and I hung out in the main part of the cabin crocheting and chatting with them all until it was time for lights out.

“Still running tonight?” Hannah asked as we went into our room and I nodded quickly.

“With everything that happened, I need to. It will help me get out of my head.” I smiled at her as I changed my clothes and waved before heading out the side door. I was antsy and I started jogging before I’d even made it to the trail. I ran more fiercely that night than I usually did. I pushed my body so that I was alternating between sprinting and running until I was passing the Holcomb’s house. I finally brought my pace back down to a jog and maintained that until I got back to campus.

The endorphins flooding my body made me feel better but I’d pushed myself harder than I had in months. I really just wanted to shower and cuddle up in my bed. So, when I saw Drew sitting on the steps of the staff lounge, his eyes just watching me, I didn’t stop. I felt bad for what I’d said to him earlier. I’d been too harsh but I felt like a yo-yo with him.

We locked gazes as I passed and his face looked sad. I held up my hand in a small wave and he offered me a tiny smile. Our eye contact finally had to break and I didn’t bother to look back.