IT’S ALMOST MIDNIGHT. I’VE WAITED forty-five minutes, and there is still no sign of Courtney or Sam. Now is the perfect time to make a call, which is why I’ve jumped out of bed and quietly broken into Courtney and Sam’s room. Courtney’s phone is waiting for me exactly where she said it would be. My fingers tremble as I put in the familiar number.
“Hello?” A sleepy voice answers.
“Margo, it’s me!” I whisper.
“Harper?” Margo instantly sounds more awake. “What number are you calling from?”
I need to be cryptic to protect the innocent. “A camp pay phone.” I keep my eye on Courtney’s bedroom door for movement.
“They still have those up there?” Margo says with a yawn.
“Um, yes! So how are you? Are you going to Hallie’s Fourth of July party this weekend?” I try not to sound wistful.
“We were going to, but now Kate has a new plan,” Margo says sarcastically. “She wanted to go to the Jersey Shore for the Fourth, but I said no. I am not leaving you out of that trip!”
“Thanks.” Margo is so good to me. “I can’t believe she wanted you to change it. We always said we’d go in August together when I got home.”
“You know Kate—once she gets an idea in her head, it’s all she can think about,” Margo says. “She has us hanging out with this girl we met at the cabana last weekend. Her name is Amber and her mom is that supermodel Anastasia. She’s getting her own reality show or something, and she gave Kate all these free clothes, so now Kate is obsessed with her. Get this: Kate asked if we could take Amber to NJ with us instead of you. Can you imagine? I told her—BEEP—and now I’m on her bad list, too. Oh, wait, that’s her beeping in. What’s with everyone calling at midnight? Hold on.” CLICK.
It feels like I am on hold forever when it is probably only thirty seconds, but when you’re not supposed to be using a phone in the first place, every second counts. I’m kind of regretting this phone call now. I feel worse than I did that time I tried a new spa for a facial and broke out in hives. How could Kate write me off so quickly? I’ve only been gone a couple of days. I’m about to hang up when I hear Margo again.
She groans. “Kate wants you to call her. I slipped and said I was on the phone with you.” She yawns again. “And don’t worry. You are not missing much. If anything, I wish I could get away. I need a break from Kate the Great.” I giggle. “Miss you tons.”
“Miss you, too,” I say. I hang up and quickly dial Kate. I’m on borrowed time.
“Hey!” Kate sounds happy to hear from me. “I’m so glad I caught you!”
“Sorry I haven’t been able to call. I have limited phone access, and I only called Margo because I had to ask her something.” It’s not entirely true, but I don’t want Kate to think I’m playing favorites.
“I heard about losing your phone. Bummer,” Kate says. “But you’ve got one now, so we can chat. I really want to hear about camp—another time—but right now I have a crucial favor. Can I pop over to your house and raid your closet? I figure you’re not wearing Laundry dresses in the woods and someone should be seen in them!” She laughs. “We have so many parties coming up, and Margo and I met this awesome girl at the beach club—Amber—you will love her. I need some threads to keep up with her!”
I laugh weakly. So that’s why she wanted to talk to me? To steal my clothes? “As long as you have everything back when I get home in three weeks,” I say.
“Three weeks? Oh, I thought you were gone longer.” Kate sounds sort of disappointed. “Okay. Oh, and if your dad gets any good concert tickets while you’re gone, be sure to tell him to send them my way. Amber would love to go to a concert. I’ve got to get to bed. Love you! Thanks! I’ll talk to you soon.” CLICK.
I exhale. I will be home in three weeks. Everything will be back to normal when I get home. I’m sure of it. I guess I should e-mail Mom though and warn her that Kate will be knocking on our door tomorrow morning.
FROM: HarperMc15@gmail.com
TO: HomeBody@gmail.com
SUBJECT: I’m still alive
Hi, Mom! Thanks for overnighting me some new tees!
I’ve survived my first few days! Would you believe I’m a natural at paddleboarding? My new friend Lina is forcing me to do some sports electives with her (crazy, right?). I’m not thrilled, but she agreed to take a hip-hop dance class, so I had to compromise. What I won’t compromise on is a good breakfast. I asked for an egg-white omelet with soy cheese the other morning and our cook, Beaver (yes, that is his real name!), harassed me about it. Their menu here needs some help. The best thing they serve is this stuff called bug juice (which is a camp drink staple, I’m told).
I’m taking a videography class, too. McDaddy would be proud, I know, but do not tell him! I’m still mad. The counselor who teaches it says I have an eye for detail. Must be in the family!
Miss you a ton. Write me back soon. How did your blog session with HGTV go?
P.S.—Kate is stopping by tomorrow, I think, to borrow some clothes from my closet.
XO, H
CREAK.
Uh-oh! Someone is up! I slip Courtney’s phone back under her mattress, then hurry out of the room and into the bathroom so it looks like I was there the whole time. When no one appears after a few seconds, I slip back out and hurry into bed. When I look at the piggy alarm clock it says 1:00 a.m. Wow, I was on the phone awhile. Good thing everyone’s plan has free minutes after nine p.m. Within a few minutes, I’m asleep.
BEEP, BEEP! TIME TO GET UP! TIME FOR MORNING EXERCISE!
Huh? I feel like I just fell asleep! I rip off my sleep mask to look at the time. It’s actually six fifteen. I set my piggy alarm clock so I wouldn’t be late for breakfast duty. I had so much fun working with Beaver on kitchen cleanup that I volunteered to help him out with the cooking this week as well.
Maybe I’m going insane.
BEEP, BEEP! TIME TO GET UP! TIME FOR MORNING EXERCISE!
Why did I set this darn alarm clock so loud?
I pull back the drapes on my sheer canopy and punch at the buttons in a half-slumber state, trying to find the one that shuts my piggy off.
“Harper!” Camilla yells. I’ve noticed she’s the worst early morning riser.
“We talked about this!” Vickie chimes in. It’s hard to understand her with her mouth guard. “Stop setting your alarm! That’s what the bugle is for!”
“I need to get up before the bugle!” I say. My piggy alarm clock seemed like a good option for an earlier wake-up call, but the girls hate how loud it is. I can’t find the button, and for some reason, the alarm only gets louder the longer you let it go on. At this point, I hear the door to Sam and Courtney’s room open and girls in both bunks moving around. I’ve woken up the whole cabin.
Jeanie climbs up my ladder, scaring me half to death. Her hair looks like it’s been in a windstorm. She grabs my piggy and I’m afraid she’s going to throw it, but instead she finds the battery compartment and yanks out four AAs. Everyone applauds.
“I’m holding on to these until breakfast,” she says in a gruff, sleepy voice. “And don’t ever think of putting that pig on again.”
We’ve had this same conversation every morning for the last few days. Somehow they keep missing my point: I don’t have a phone that I can set on vibrate mode to the time I need to get up. I’ll just have to make the volume on my piggy alarm lower.
“Sorry, everyone.” I instinctively bite my nails. Must stop doing that. I see they’re all yawning and stretching. Courtney is standing in the middle of our room, rubbing her eyes. “Go back to sleep! I had to get up early to help Beaver. I volunteered for breakfast duty this week.” Courtney raises an eyebrow. “I know what you’re all thinking: me! A girl who hates breakfast is making it, but that’s what I’m doing and—”
“Jeanie, think you can find the batteries on Harper and take them out, too?” Camilla interrupts, and Jeanie and Addison giggle. Trisha snorts loudly.
I’m not fond of Trisha. Any girl who wears clogs can’t be trusted.
“I’ll be on my way now,” I tell Courtney and Lina, who is still half-asleep when I climb down my ladder. They are the only ones who really care where I’m off to, anyway.
Snakes in the lake and mandatory rock climbs might be awful, but the worst part of being at the Pines is the fact that my bunkmates still won’t give me an inch.
Can I help it if I like looking good? Or care about fashion? A person can look nice while hiking. If she couldn’t, there wouldn’t be countless outdoor clothing magazines dedicated to such a thing. I want to tell the rest of our bunk that it wouldn’t kill them to wear a skirt once in a while.
“I’ll go with you. I’m up.” Lina stumbles out of bed to find something to wear.
“Just shut up already,” Jeanie moans.
Hey, she’s wearing her sleep mask! I don’t say anything though as she’s in a bad mood. Thanks to me. I hurry into the bathroom to wash up. I’m not showering. I learned that lesson the hard way yesterday. After two hours in the kitchen, I smelled like a combination of burned toast and pancake batter.
In ten minutes, we’re on our way to the mess hall. The camp is quiet at this hour, and the two of us are still pretty tired, so we barely speak, which is okay. The sun is coming up over the trees, and it basks the lake in a warm orange glow. The birds are chirping happily because no one is telling them to shut off their alarm clock, and the air feels cool rather than sticky. Since most of the camp is still asleep, no one is outside, and it feels like Lina and I have the place to ourselves.
I like it that way.
As we near the mess hall, things get louder. Lina and I look at each other when we hear music blaring from the kitchen. Beaver has been up for hours getting ready for breakfast, but he’s still not the kind of guy I’d expect to have London Blue blasting at seven a.m. Lina practically races to the door when she hears who is playing. Then she stops short.
“What?” I ask. She points inside. I peek in and gasp. She throws her hand over my mouth.
Harper McAllister @HarperMc
Getting up early has its perks: Not only can you see the sun rise, you can also spy on the boys’ pop-song sing-along! #campperks