Camp Payback by J.K. Rock

Author:J.K. Rock
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Camp Payback
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Published: 2014-09-10T04:00:00+00:00

Alex

Teeth chattering, I danced from one foot to the other to stay warm in the dark outside Warriors’ Warden shortly before midnight. I’d been waiting for Javier to return from the meeting with Gollum for almost half an hour.

I jumped up and down in between the juniper trees, sticking to the shadows since a few lights stayed on around the perimeter of the boys’ camp at night. Had the temperature really dropped into the fifties or was I just shivering from fear? I knew a storm was coming, and I’d even worn a hoodie. But I think most of the chill came from the inside.

Javier was going to get booted out of camp, and it would be completely my fault.

At the sound of a twig snapping, I flattened myself to a tree, heart racing. There were wild animals out here. Dangerous ones.

But as I searched the dark woods, the tree bark biting into my cheek, I recognized the sound. Someone walking toward the boys’ cabins without a flashlight.

“Javier?” I shout-whispered. “Is that you?”

The walking stopped. The shadow stilled. I swallowed my tongue because whoever it was stood tall enough to be a counselor.

“What if it wasn’t me?” the voice shot back. Javier’s voice, thank you, God.

He sauntered over while I peeled myself off the tree, my knees shaky.

“What happened?” I could see him fine when he got close. “They didn’t kick you out, did they?”

I reached for him before I could stop myself, my hand landing briefly on his bare forearm. Tense. Muscular. Warm.

I stepped closer. He stepped back. Pulled away. It hurt me to see how much he wanted me to stay away from him.

“They didn’t kick me out. Yet.” His white teeth flashed in a grimace as he flexed his fingers.

“Are you okay?” His knuckles looked scraped.

“It’s nothing.” He stuffed his hand in his cargo shorts pocket. “Look, thanks for checking on me, but everything’s fine.”

My teeth clenched. How easily he brushed me off like I meant nothing. Like my concern meant nothing.

“What did Gollum say? Did you tell him the fight was between Vijay and Jake? That you only went…because of me?” I squeaked out the last part, the guilt choking me.

“Bam-Bam intervened. He’d heard what happened from Emily and…” He took a deep breath and stared off in the direction of the moon, still kind of low over the lake where we could see it through the trees. “Bam-Bam went to bat for me. Really fought hard to make Woodrow let me stay. He told him I’d do some kind of overnight intervention thing with him.”

I silently vowed to be extra-nice to Emily for the rest of the summer. “He seems like a good guy. I just hope they kicked Vijay out.”

“As if. Vijay hasn’t used up all his chances like me. His punishment is to have an activity period taken away so he’ll sit in the mess hall for an hour a day.” He shook his head. “Right where I get to look at his ugly mug.

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