When I woke up the next morning, Alice and Hazel were already gone out of the bedroom. I was glad. I was tired of Hazel’s sniping and picking on me. I was tired of Alice hating me.
I was glad too that it was the last full day of camp. The next day we’d be going home, and I could start trying to make it up with Alice.
I rolled over in bed and closed my eyes. I tried not to think what my life would be like if Alice stayed fighting with me. We’d been friends for so long, I couldn’t imagine life without her. When she moved to Dublin for six months earlier that year, I thought that was the worst thing that could ever happen. I was wrong though. At least then we used to ring each other, and e-mail, and see each other every now and then. This was much, much worse. This was the very worst thing ever. Half the time we’d be living next door to each other, but we might as well be a million miles apart.
Alice and I had been friends since forever. Mum has a gross picture of Alice and me sitting on a rug, and we’re both still wearing nappies. (And as if that’s not bad enough, my nappy is an ancient, yellow cloth re-usable one, with a huge pin in the middle of it, like something a cartoon baby would wear.)
Alice and I used to watch Barney together, and play Barbies and do Postman Pat jigsaws together. We made our Communion and Confirmation together.
And now we came away to summer camp together, and we looked forward to it for weeks.
And what did I have to show for my time in summer camp? A fancy dribble in basketball, and no best friend.
I could hear girls moving around, and getting ready to go down for breakfast. There was no time to waste – two more proper breakfasts, and then it was porridge again for me.
I got up and got dressed, and went out into the hallway. I headed for the dining hall. As I got to the second stairs on the way down, I noticed that Hazel was half way up. I sooo did not want to meet her. I looked quickly around, but there was no sign of Alice. In fact there was no sign of anyone else at all. It was just Hazel and me. All of a sudden I felt kind of afraid.
I stopped at the top of the stairs, and pretended I was tying my lace. Hazel came and stood beside me.
‘Need some help to tie your laces, little tell-tale baby-girl?’
I didn’t answer. I stood up, and set off down the stairs. I’d only gone about three steps, when Hazel was beside me again.
‘Oh, I nearly forgot, Alice asked me to tell you something,’ she said.
I stopped walking. Why would Alice ask Hazel to bring me a message?
But then, why would Hazel lie?
‘So get on with it. Tell me,’ I said, trying to sound braver than I felt.
Hazel smiled an evil smile.
‘Alice was going to tell you herself, but then she got embarrassed, so I said I’d help her out. I loooove helping people out.’
‘Get on with it, Hazel,’ I muttered. ‘Have you got a message for me or not?’
Hazel smiled again.
‘Oh yes, the message. What was it again?’
She stopped for a moment and scratched her head like she was thinking hard. Then she said,
‘Oh yeah, I have it now. It’s that Alice hates you.’
Well that was no surprise. I knew that Alice hated me. But I was going to work on that. As soon as we got away from camp, and from Hazel, I was going to explain everything properly. When Alice listened properly, and heard how worried I had been about her, she’d forgive me in the end. I was sure of it. All I had to do was get through one more day.
Hazel seemed disappointed that I didn’t react to her so-called message from Alice. She put her face close to mine. I could smell the expensive perfume she always wore.
‘Oh yeah,’ she said. ‘There was something else too. Now what was it?’
She scratched her head, and did her pretend-thinking thing again.
I don’t think I had ever in my whole life hated anyone as much as I hated Hazel right then. I always used to hate Melissa, the meanest girl in my class, but she was nothing compared to Hazel.
I felt like punching her pretty face. I wondered what she’d look like if all her perfect white teeth were cracked and broken.
Would her face be so pretty if her nose was all bloody and pushed to one side?
But those were stupid thoughts. I’d never punched anyone in my life, and I wasn’t about to start now.
Hazel was still pretending to think. I’d had enough. I set off down the stairs again. Hazel put out her hand and grabbed my arm.
‘Don’t go, Megan,’ she said. ‘I haven’t got to the best bit of Alice’s message yet.’
‘So get on with it,’ I said. ‘I have to go down to breakfast.’
Hazel shook her head.
‘Children these days have no patience,’ she said.
Then she tossed her head, and spoke all casual,
‘Alice asked me to tell you that she never liked you anyway.’
I shook my head.
‘That’s not true. I know it’s not true.’
Hazel smiled her evil smile again.
‘Trust me, it’s true all right. She said she hates your stupid boring clothes and your silly laugh and the way you’re afraid of everything.’
I shook my head again.
‘I know you’re lying. Alice was always my best friend. Even when she went to live in Dublin we were best friends. She told me so. She always said it. She even sent me e-mails about it.’
‘Yeah, she told me all about that. She told me about how you kept chasing after her. She said she used to go along with it, just because she felt sorry for you.’
I stamped my foot.
‘That is so not true. Alice wouldn’t say that. She wouldn’t think that.’
Now Hazel smiled the most evil smile of all. Her eyes narrowed as she spoke.
‘Don’t believe me, do you?’
I shook my head.
‘No. Actually I don’t.’
‘Well believe this then,’ she said. ‘Alice told me all your little secrets. She told me about your mother the crazy hippy. She told me how your house is like something from an ancient history book. She said you live life like it was still the time of the dinosaurs. She told me how your mother goes on and on and on about the environment, and how you’re never allowed to do anything fun. Alice said that everyone in your family is a total loser.’
I didn’t know what to say.
Why would Alice betray me like that?
Why would she tell Hazel, of all people, about my mum?
Maybe what Hazel said was true.
Maybe Alice had never really liked me at all.
Maybe she just hung out with me because I was handy, because I lived next door.
I could feel tears coming to my eyes. Everything went bright and blurry. I soooo did not want Hazel to see that she had made me cry. I shook my arm until she let go of it. Then I pushed past her, and took a few more steps.
Hazel called after me.
‘Now you know the truth. Alice has hated you for years. Get over it, why don’t you?’
Now rivers of hot tears were pouring down my face. They were dripping down my cheeks and into my mouth. I had to get away from Hazel. I just had to. I had to find someone to help me. I had to find Gloria, Sarah, Sam, or even Alice – anyone who could make Hazel stop.
I started to run down the stairs. Hazel was running after me, taunting me, saying even more horrible things about Alice and me.
It was a huge curving staircase, (the one Alice had slid down on our first day at camp – that day long ago when I had been so happy). The stairs seemed to go on forever, like an enchanted stairs in a fairy-story.
I was almost half-way down, when my foot missed a step, and I stumbled. I reached out and grabbed for the banister. My fingers brushed the smooth wood, but couldn’t grip it. I lurched forwards and lost my balance. My shoulder hit the edge of a step. I rolled once, and gave a small scream as my elbow cracked hard against the wall. Things seemed to be happening slowly. One of my shoes fell off, and I could feel my back getting grazed as it slid over a step. I heard a voice calling ‘Megan!’ and then I rolled again, and hit the tiled floor with a dull thud.
I felt a sudden sharp pain in my head, and then everything went black.