Charmed Forces #19 Read online

  Priya just shrugged. “All we talk about lately is soccer, baseball, and food. Which is cool, I guess. If I liked a good friend of his, I’m not sure how much I’d want to tell him, either.”

  “I guess I’ll find out how he’s feeling tonight,” Brynn said.

  “I’m in the same boat with Logan,” Natalie said. “We only broke up because the long-distance thing was getting too hard. Our plan was to see how we felt once we got back to camp, but now I feel really awkward around him. Especially since I met Reed in L.A. Uggghhhh! I’m all confused!” Natalie had met Reed, the son of a famous director, while visiting her dad in Los Angeles. But since Nat lived in New York, things never had a chance to get serious.

  “Are you and Reed official?” Alyssa asked.

  “Not really,” Natalie said. “We promised to keep in touch. We didn’t say anything about being official boyfriend/girlfriend, or about not seeing other people.”

  “So that means you’re free,” Valerie said. “Like me.”

  “And me,” Priya said.

  “And me,” Chelsea said. “For a change of pace . . .” Chelsea was very pretty, but she’d never had a boyfriend at camp. Maybe because she knew all too well how pretty she was. And also because she used to be, well, difficult was the nice way of putting it, Alyssa thought.

  “And me,” Sloan said. “The only boy I know here is my brother, Alaric.”

  “Is he cute?” Gaby said.

  “Adorable,” Sloan said. “But he’s only ten. What about the counselors? Are they mascara-worthy, or is it a waste of energy?”

  “There are a few cute new ones every year,” Gaby said.

  “Well, I’m staying off boys this year,” Candace said. “I’ve declared this to be a boy-free summer.”

  “What?” said Brynn. “Why?”

  “Why? Boys are too distracting,” Candace said. “Next year we’ll be in ninth grade, and it’ll be time to start applying to high schools. I’ve got to save my energy for my schoolwork—and my extracurriculars.”

  “That sounds to me like your parents talking,” Brynn said.

  “It does sound like my parents talking . . .” Candace said. She had an awkward tendency to repeat what other people said. She was known as the Human Echo. “Well, they were the ones who got me thinking. They said they thought it would be smart to keep away from boys for the summer. I’m going to concentrate on sailing. It’s the one sport I have a chance at a scholarship in. It’s not nearly as popular as basketball and soccer.”

  “We’ll see if you stick to that,” Valerie said.

  “I’ll stick to it. I’ve got to try, at least,” Candace said. “I promised my parents.”

  Alyssa had never seen Candace talk so much. She must have been more comfortable around everyone now that she and Brynn were friends at school.

  “What about you, Alyssa?” Natalie asked.

  Alyssa shrugged. “I’m going to wait and see. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it wasn’t meant to be.”

  “You are getting way too mellow,” Gaby said.

  Chelsea collapsed on her bed and fanned herself with a magazine. “Ugh, it’s almost too hot to think about boys. Why isn’t this stupid camp air-conditioned?”

  “I don’t care how hot it gets,” Gaby said. “Bring on the boys!”

  “I’m skipping dinner,” Candace said, “and going right for the watermelon.”

  “Check out the guy slicing the watermelon,” Priya said. “New counselor?”

  When it was time for dinner, Candace and the rest of bunk 6B trooped over to the big soccer field for the cookout. The field was already crowded with campers old and new and the food lines were long.

  A blond, tan, surfer-type in a counselor’s green T-shirt was cutting watermelon slices for the dessert buffet. Candace hadn’t noticed him at first, but now that Priya mentioned it, he was extremely cute. She immediately tried to shove that thought from her mind. But her friends were no help.

  Tori growled like a cat at the sight of the new counselor. “I think I’ll start with some watermelon, too.”

  “Remember, you’re off the market, Tori,” Valerie said.

  “I know,” Tori said. “And I’m glad. But sometimes, you know—it’s a shame.”

  The girls went to the watermelon station to grab slices to tide them over while they stood in the dinner line.

  “Hi,” Tori said to the cute new counselor.

  “Hi,” he said. He sliced open another melon while Tori took a plate.

  “Hi,” Valerie said, taking her piece.

  “Hi.” The counselor glanced up at them and smiled, but he was too busy to flirt. “Keep the line moving, girls.”

  Candace grabbed her slice and followed the others to the grill line, which snaked around the picnic tables. Looking at the sea of faces, she felt happy to be back. The little first-year kids ran around shrieking with excitement, chased by their harried counselors. The older kids sat back, checking one another out, or ran squealing across the field to hug old friends.

  Meanwhile, Candace’s friends—the senior girls of the camp—scoped the boys. And they weren’t the only ones.

  “What’s going on over by the drink station?” Jenna asked.

  A swarm of girls buzzed like flies around a picnic table loaded with ice and sodas. Surely they couldn’t all be that thirsty.

  The crowd of girls parted for a brief second and Candace caught a glimpse of the boy at its center. Tall, tan, a mop of wavy dark hair, a puka shell around his neck on a leather strap, a Puma T-shirt, and best of all, a wide, easy smile.

  “Nothing wrong with that,” Valerie said.

  “Nothing at all,” Chelsea added, munching her watermelon.

  “Dibs!” Gaby said. “He’s mine.”

  “You can’t call dibs on a boy,” Valerie said. The line moved and they all took a few steps forward.

  “I think I just did,” Gaby said.

  “I think it’s a little more complicated than that,” Valerie said. “Doesn’t the boy get any say in the matter?”

  “Not if I have anything to do with it,” Gaby said, all glitter eye shadow and determination. She beelined for the guy. Priya and Valerie trailed after her, forfeiting their places in line.

  “Hey!” Chelsea called as she ran after them. “You can’t get away with this!”

  Candace licked watermelon juice off her fingers and moved forward in the line, which had just gotten a little shorter.

  “Is everybody at this camp always so boy crazy?” Sloan asked.

  “Boy crazy? This year looks like it’s going to be worse than usual,” Candace said.

  “That guy is pretty cute,” Alyssa said.

  “You think?” Candace stood on a picnic bench to get a better look at him. “Yeah, I guess he is. Everybody else sure thinks so.”

  “I wonder who will snag him,” Alyssa said.

  “If anyone does,” Sloan said. She finished her melon and tossed the rind in a garbage can.

  “Do you think he’ll ask someone to the Midsummer Dance?” Brynn said.

  “I don’t think he’ll have a choice,” Alyssa said.

  “Want to take bets?” Jenna said. “I think Chelsea’s going to snag him.”

  “I think he’ll go for Valerie,” Brynn said. “If he’s got any taste at all.”

  “Hey—the line’s moving on without us,” Candace said. She pressed on Alyssa’s back to move the group forward.

  “Maybe he’ll end up with a fifth-division girl,” Alyssa said.

  “Boo. Hiss,” Brynn said. “That’s no fun.” She spit a watermelon seed onto her plate.

  “Poor guy,” Candace said. “We don’t even know what his name is yet and we’re already making matches for him.”

  “Poor guy? Please,” Sloan said. “I don’t see him suffering much, do you?”

  The crowd parted and the guy carried his soda to a picnic table full of sixth-division guys. The girls tagged after him, offering more soda, a napkin, a plate.
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  “Look at them,” Brynn said.

  “Look at them. Pathetic,” Candace said. “One thing I promise you: That is not going to be me this summer.”

  “Let’s get something to eat,” Alyssa said.

  The girls finally reached the head of the line. They picked up paper plates and napkins and plastic forks and spoons. Mandy ran over to join them. “Here you are!” she said. “May I cut in?”

  Candace made room for her. “I’m starving,” she said. “But I really don’t feel like a hamburger or a hot dog.”

  Two counselors manned the grills. Just beyond them was a table laden with ketchup, mustard, relish, buns, and . . . pasta salad.

  “Oh my gosh,” Brynn said.

  “Alyssa, look! They’ve got pasta salad!” Candace said. “Just like you predicted!”

  Alyssa’s jaw dropped. “Wow. That’s . . . amazing.”

  “Oh, come on,” Mandy said. “It’s a hot night. It makes sense that they’d serve something lighter than usual. They must have served pasta salad before—haven’t they?”

  “I don’t remember ever having it at the welcome cookout,” Jenna said. “And I’ve been coming here forever.”

  “Maybe it was before your time,” Mandy said.

  “Alyssa,” Brynn said, “the amethyst was right!”

  “Maybe it really does have powers,” Alyssa said.

  “Of course it does,” Sloan said. “That’s what amethysts do. They heighten your psychic powers.”

  “Come on, girls,” Mandy said. “Let’s not blow this out of proportion. It’s a coincidence.”

  Candace looked at Alyssa, who skipped the grill and loaded up her plate with pasta salad. “You really didn’t know ahead of time?” Candace asked her.

  “I really didn’t,” Alyssa said. “I swear. I’m as blown away by this as you are.”

  chapter TWO

  As soon as Gaby saw the adorable boy in the puka shell necklace, she forgot about food. The cookout became all about him. The enticing smells of grilling meat, the sound of gossip, the heat of the day . . . all that fell away and she focused on the adorable boy.

  The adorable boy walked from his picnic table to the food line to the watermelon table and back to the drinks table, trailed by girls wherever he went. Gaby couldn’t get him alone. She knew she’d make no impression on him as long as he was surrounded by the competition. And the competition included several of her bunkmates.

  “Give it up, Gaby,” Chelsea said. “We’ll have other chances to meet the guy.”

  Aha. The competition was starting to fade. “Heading for the food tables?” Gaby said.

  “I’m hungry,” Chelsea said. “We’ve been here for an hour and we haven’t eaten yet. All we’ve done is follow this guy around.”

  “Hunger is for the weak,” Gaby said. “You go ahead and give up. I want to at least find out his name.”

  “He’s cute, but he’s no Justin Timberlake,” Chelsea said. “Want me to bring you a burger?”

  Gaby waved her away. “I’m beyond food.”

  At last, like magic, the swarm of girls disappeared. It was as if someone had sprayed some kind of anti-girl pesticide into the crowd. They’ve given up, Gaby thought. Wimps. But I have the stamina to outlast any girl with a mere crush. This is beyond a crush. This is . . . fate. Not to get all Alyssa about it.

  “Hi,” Gaby said, sidling up to the boy.

  “Hi.” The boy looked startled to see her. Gaby was surprised. He should have been used to girls introducing themselves to him by now.

  They were standing at the end of a long line. Gaby didn’t care what they were waiting for. She assumed it was ice cream or something. The line moved slightly. The boy stepped forward. Gaby stepped forward, too.

  “First year at Lakeview?” Gaby asked.

  “Yep,” the guy said. “I used to go to a sailing camp on the Chesapeake, but it closed down last year.”

  “We’ve got sailing here,” Gaby said. She wasn’t much of a sailor herself, but she made a mental note to sign up for sailing immediately.

  “I know,” the guy said. The line moved again, and the guy took another step forward. “That’s why I came here. Plus I thought it would be fun to do some other activities besides sailing, for a change of pace.”

  “Gotcha,” Gaby said. “Jewelry-making is fun. So’s ceramics.”

  “Uh, yeah,” the boy said. “I was thinking more along the lines of baseball, soccer, maybe photography.”

  “Those are all great, too,” Gaby said. So, he was a jock. Sports weren’t really Gaby’s thing, but how hard could photography be? Point, snap, you’re done. That could work . . .

  The line moved forward a few steps. Another guy got in line behind them.

  “So, I’m Gaby, by the way,” Gaby said to the adorable boy.

  “Donovan,” the boy said.

  Donovan. Yes! A total hottie name. “If you need anyone to show you around or if you have any questions or anything, you can totally ask me,” Gaby said. “I’ve been going here since I was ten, which is, you know, a long time.”

  “Awesome,” Donovan said. “Thanks, Gaby.” The line moved forward again. “Actually, I do have a question for you.”

  “Ooh, what’s that?” Gaby beamed, ready to help with whatever totally hot problems Donovan might have.

  “Why are you standing in line for the boys’ bathroom?”

  Gaby looked around. It was true: The line she stood in was made up entirely of boys. Why hadn’t she noticed that before? And it ended at the boys’ bathroom. No wonder she’d finally been able to get Donovan alone!

  The other boys in line laughed. Gaby’s face got hot. She looked like an idiot, and she felt like one, too. But in true Gaby form, she tried to cover her mistake with bravado.

  “I just thought you might like some company while you waited,” she said. “But I guess I’d better get out of here before I find myself standing in front of a urinal.”

  The boys laughed again, and Gaby hurried away. Rats, she thought. So much for getting off on the right foot. She’d really stepped in it this time.

  Well, at least she’d made an impression on him. Out of all the girls he’d met that day, he wouldn’t forget the one who stood in line for the boys’ bathroom, that was for sure. She’d have time to make a better impression later. Like maybe at sailing practice . . .

  “There’s Jordan.” Brynn gripped Alex’s arm, her heart suddenly beating faster.

  “He looks good,” Alex said, and Brynn agreed. His messy brown hair was even longer than it had been a few months ago, and his green eyes seemed, impossibly, greener than ever. He batted a beach ball around with a thin girl whose dark hair was plaited into a thick, heavy braid.

  “Who’s that girl with him?” Brynn asked Alex.

  “I’m not sure,” Alex said. “I think she’s in fifth division.”

  Jordan spotted them. He smiled and waved, but he didn’t come over to say hello. The dark-haired girl turned around to see who he was waving to. Then he hit the beach ball to her and she swatted it back.

  “That’s it?” Brynn said. “A little wave, and back to the game?” She wanted to turn away, to stop watching him, but she couldn’t. He shook his hair and her heartbeat sped up even more.

  “It does seem a little strange,” Alex said. “But he’s busy. Maybe he’ll say hello later.”

  “Later?” Later didn’t seem good enough. Brynn was surprised at the force of her reaction. She hadn’t seen Jordan in a few months, and she’d been curious to see how he’d changed, how she’d feel about him. They hadn’t been sure if they’d get back together this summer, and that had been fine. They’d decided to play it by ear, see how they felt, blah blah blah, and she was cool with that.

  But she hadn’t expected this. To feel so emotional at the sight of him. One look and bam!—she was right back where they left off. Crazy for him.

  “You could go over and say hi, too, you know,” Alex said.

  “I know,” Br
ynn said. “But I want him to come to me.”

  If only she knew how he felt, everything would be easier. But this wondering . . . it was hard. Did he like that girl he was playing with, whoever she was? Hadn’t he missed Brynn at all since they broke up?

  “Come on—let’s go get you some cookies.” Alex pulled her away toward the dessert table, where Jenna and her twin brother, Adam, were munching on snickerdoodles. Alex didn’t have these problems. She and Adam were as tight as Brynn’s waistband after Make Your Own Sundae night.

  “I can’t take this,” Brynn moaned. “If Jordan’s going to be weird and noncommittal all summer, I’ll lose my mind. I’ll have to leave Lakeview and check myself into a psychiatric hospital that deals with lovelorn trauma—”

  “Stop being so dramatic,” Alex said, but Brynn couldn’t help it. Being dramatic was her nature. “He smiled, didn’t he? He waved. He’s not avoiding you. It will all work out.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Brynn said. “Because if you’re wrong, it’s going to be a long hot summer.”

  “I hope it’s a long hot summer anyway,” Alex said calmly.

  Brynn sighed. Alex didn’t understand. She was always so levelheaded. How did she do it?

  “Hey, Nat. What’s up?” Logan stopped Natalie on her way to the salad table. He was manning the barbecue, cooking hamburgers and hot dogs in an apron that said BOY MEETS GRILL, with a cartoon picture of a grill with eyes, lips, and legs in high heels.

  “Not much,” Natalie said. Logan was more gorgeous than ever. Even a cheesy apron couldn’t make him look bad.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “You look a little . . . I don’t know . . . worried or something.”

  Actually, Natalie was worried about something. Just before she’d left for camp, the vet had found a lump on her boxer Tumtum’s abdomen. They were going to do tests this week to make sure the lump wasn’t cancer. Her mother had promised to take good care of the puppy no matter what. Still, Natalie couldn’t help being worried about him. But she hadn’t told anyone about the tumor. It could turn out to be benign, so why upset everyone over nothing?

  And now, instead of burdening Logan with her troubles, she only said, “No, everything’s fine. I’m just hot, that’s all.”