The Girls of Firefly Cabin by Cynthia Ellingsen

Author:Cynthia Ellingsen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Published: 2019-07-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

The outdoor pavilion at the boys’ camp smelled like sweat, cedar, and lake water. Isla would have been disgusted by the smell before camp started, but now she wanted to bottle it like a well-loved perfume. The fact that Jordan would soon be somewhere in this very amphitheater made her heart pound with excitement.

The boys were supposed to sit on the wooden benches, fifteen or so rows back, while the girls sat in the front rows, but the boys hadn’t yet arrived. Isla wanted to look over her shoulder to watch for Jordan but didn’t dare. She tried to focus on the festive feeling in the air instead of the fact that, before she knew it, she’d be singing onstage. The thought made her stomach clench with nerves.

“You doing okay?” Lauren asked for the fiftieth time, and Isla nodded.

It was obvious Lauren was in a panic about the competition. The idea of letting her down was even worse than the thought of passing out and falling face-first off the stage. She fidgeted, half hoping for a natural disaster. If a lightning storm hit, or even a tornado, the entire thing would get canceled. Unfortunately, the sky gleamed bright blue.

“Don’t be nervous.” Archer kicked her boots against the dirt floor of the outdoor auditorium. “Focus on what matters: the pig roast afterward.”

Isla made a face. “I don’t eat pork.”

“More for me,” Archer said cheerfully.

The counselors had planned a coed celebration down by the beach, complete with pig roast. Everyone was supposed to swim and participate in balloon tosses and potato sack races all day, followed by a big bonfire with fireworks at the end of the night. The whole thing sounded hot, sweaty, and disgusting. The only thing that made the thought bearable was the idea of hiding out somewhere in the shade to spy on Jordan and his friends.

Assuming I’m not being rushed away in an ambulance for passing out and falling face-first off the stage.

Taylor took center stage with one of the counselors from the boys’ camp. They both had microphones, and suddenly, music blasted out over the loudspeakers.

“A bright Blueberry Pine and Blueberry Lane welcome,” Taylor cried. “Everyone, get on your feet!”

An upbeat version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” started to play, and suddenly, there were a hundred or so boys crowding the stage, singing a rousing rendition of the national anthem. They each held a small flag, and a few of them waved around sparklers.

The girls cheered, jumping up and down while singing along. Isla scanned the crowded stage and almost passed out when she spotted Jordan. He stood over to the side with a group of boys, looking serious and waving a flag.

“Is that him?” Lauren whispered, nodding in his direction.

“Shh!” Isla’s entire body went hot with mortification. “Don’t look!”

Jordan could not catch her staring at him. That would be the height of humiliation.

The national anthem ended and the boys launched into a joyful rendition of “America the Beautiful.” They filed off the stage and into the outdoor auditorium amid applause and cheers, giving shy smiles to the girls.

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