Alex's Challenge Read online

  The other girls from the bunk flocked to Julie’s sign-up clipboard. Julie was always smiling, and everyone loved her. It didn’t even bother her to get bum-rushed by a gaggle of excited girls. While Alex waited patiently for the mob to clear, she heard Jenna ask to be in photography with her brother Adam again. Alex was happy to see they were getting along better. Jenna’d had a rough spot a few weeks ago when she pulled a crazy prank, letting all of the animals free to howl and poop and cry during the camp social. Jenna had temporarily lost her brain, but thankfully, it seemed to have found its way back into her head. Grace and Brynn signed up for drama, and they vowed to be partners so Grace wouldn’t end up with a bully like Gaby again. Natalie and Alyssa asked to be on the newspaper together, and Val, always the independent one, signed up for woodworking.

  “You just want to be with the boys!” Chelsea teased Val. The boys were a divisive issue for some of the girls. Jenna and Alex were on the anti-boy, anti-flirting side, while some of the others were starting to have crushes. Alex couldn’t understand why boys were so important. Her friends were talking about them, walking around with them, and worrying about what they did or didn’t do. Alex thought it was just easier to be friends with them—just friends—so they didn’t take any time away from her already jam-packed life. She had a lot of guy friends—she loved playing soccer with Theodore Cantor and Andre Derstein back home—but that didn’t mean she wanted to hold hands with either of them. In fact, the idea creeped her out. Alex figured she was lucky she felt that way. Her parents were so conservative that she knew she wouldn’t be allowed to date until she was at least thirty.

  “Oh, yeah, the boys,” Valerie said. “I’m not stupid,” she added, flipping her long cornrows into Chelsea’s face. Alex knew that Val was just playing along, though. Val was really good at woodworking, whether half the boys happened to be in that class or not. She’d already made a cutting board, a lamp, and a carved plaque with an elephant on it that hung on her bunk. Valerie had the funkiest jewelry and decorations and clothes. Alex was always admiring her stuff in their bunk. She felt like her own choice of decor—plain navy sheets that matched her mostly navy and white outfits—were getting totally boring.

  Thinking about trying new, artsy things, Alex got excited again. She had told Grace that arts and crafts were smelly and boring just a few weeks ago, but she didn’t feel that way anymore. It was time to try something other than sports. Alex had been inspired by the Ninja Supertwins book she was reading—one of the twins is an awesome sculptor—and by her friend Bridgette from home who had signed up for painting class at the local art museum. Alex had been in a funk lately—she hoped a change of pace would help. So when the other girls had made their picks, Alex made her move.

  “Here comes young Mia Hamm,” Julie said, making Alex smile, not to mention blush. “So, what’ll it be?”

  “Ceramics, please,” she answered, moving her knapsack—the one she always carried—to the opposite shoulder. Alex had seen the necklaces some girls had made in the last session. They were these shiny, round beads that hung from a leather strap. Alex knew her mother, an art teacher, would love to have one. Her mother would be so happy to get a necklace from Alex, too, since Alex was rarely interested in noncompetitive activities. Alex had always known she was a little bit more like her dad, a litigations lawyer who lived for trials that put the bad guys in jail.

  “You want ceramics?” Julie asked, totally surprised. She’d known Alex for years, and when she put Alex in arts and crafts three years ago, Alex had cried. (Alex was still embarrassed about that, but she figured she was only eight years old then!)

  “Hey, I may be an old dog,” Alex started, “but I can still learn a few new tricks.”

  “I think that’s so awesome of you!” Julie said, paying close attention to how Alex felt. Julie always paid close attention to everyone, and that’s what made her so special. Julie could have five girls screaming in her ear all at once, and each girl would still know that Julie was listening to her. Alex saw Julie as a role model. She could totally see herself becoming a counselor at Lakeview one day.

  “Wait, um, Alex,” Julie called a few seconds later. “Could you please do me a favor?”

  “Sure, anything,” Alex said. Julie’s face was wrinkled and unsmiling, and that made Alex worry.

  “I can’t believe I have to tell you this, but . . . hmmm . . . ceramics is full, and I would’ve saved you a spot, but I just didn’t have a clue you’d pick an arts activity,” Julie said. “I feel so bad about this, Alex.”

  “Um, well,” Alex replied, her hopes sinking into the hungry part of her stomach. “Okay,” she added. She mentally kicked herself for not putting ceramics on her free-choice list that Julie kept earlier. It’s my own fault, she thought. It seemed like she was always missing out on things because she just didn’t speak up in time. She could’ve been the captain of her soccer team back home—she was the best player on her fifth-grade team—if she had just said that she was interested. She hadn’t, so one of her teammates got the role.

  “But I can put you in woodworking,” Julie said.

  Alex’s faced dropped. She imagined splinters and nails and difficult projects—and way too many boys. Julie patted Alex’s back and started to smile.

  “Come on,” Julie said. “It’s so creative. It really is. You can still try new things in there. I absolutely promise that you will have fun.”

  “Do I have any other choice?” Alex asked.

  “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 o
r 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.