Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita Read Free Book Online Page B

me of a horror movie. Sure, there were counselors on patrol, but I still had never run into one. The place was eerily quiet, except for the sounds of crickets or the occasional owl. When it was breezy and the wind blew a few dead leaves across the dirt paths, I always jumped. A wolf could sneak up on you and you wouldn’t have a chance. Suddenly I heard a noise and gripped what I hoped was Grace’s arm.
    “Would you stop worrying about the wolves!” she admonished. “I told you I’ve never seen a wolf here.”
    “Even if there are no wolves, there are counselors roaming about,” Em warned. “I’m sure they’re all at the counselor lounge, but we should move quickly if we don’t want to bump into one of them.”
    “What happens if Ashley and Gabby wake up and see we’re missing?” I asked.
    “They won’t wake up,” Court said firmly. “And if they do, I have something over on them — I was awake when they snuck out on Monday night and I didn’t say anything. If they tell on us, then we tell on them.”
    A little blackmail never hurt anyone, I guess. “So where are we going?” I wanted to know. “It’s kind of dark to record here.”
    “That’s why we’re going to the mess hall,” Court said matter-of-factly.
    “The mess hall?” I squeaked. My voice bounced off the nearby buildings.
    “Keep your voice down,” Grace hissed.
    “It’s the safest place to go,” Court explained. “It’s not like anyone is there at night and besides, we can get a snack.”
    “I wouldn’t do it if I thought we would get caught,” Grace assured me.
    That was true. Grace was like the model Pines camper.
    Ten minutes later, after we were safely inside and had closed the blinds in the kitchen, I pulled out my recorder. The mess hall was equally eerie at night. The hum of the refrigerators put me at ease, but it was strange seeing the kitchen look so neat and tidy when I knew for a fact it looked anything but during food service. We decided to hang out in the kitchen rather than the mess hall table area because that had too many windows and we had turned on two of the lights so that we could see. We were sitting on one of the stainless steel tables eating popcorn, some leftover cake from the Fourth of July — it was sort of soggy at this point — and apple slices Em had found in the refrigerator. Court had turned on the radio they kept in the kitchen and was playing it low. I was still a little freaked out about being in here, but I tried to relax.
    “Do you think we should have snuck over to Hitch’s place first to tape him on the phone with your mom?” Court asked. Everyone laughed.
    I groaned. When I had made my weekly phone call to Mom from the main office yesterday, she had broken the news that she and Hitch were trying to find a way to go on a real date. She wasn’t sure if Hitch was going to come down to Long Island on a day off or if Mom was going to drive up here. “Between Mal’s lousy tape and my mom admitting she and Hitch were trying to plan a proper date, it’s been some week and it’s only Wednesday.”
    “I think it’s kind of sweet,” said Em. “The idea of people the age of Hitch and your mom finding love again is rare. Even in my romance novels.”
    “Em, it’s not sweet if I have to move to the boonies and I’m stuck with Ashley as my stepsister,” I moaned.
    Em picked up the recorder and was examining it. “What about Mal? Have you made another video for her to tell her how you feel?”
    I shook my head. “I’m not really in the mood.”
    Court grinned. “Good! So let’s get started with our video then. How do we do this?” she asked and swiped the camera from Em.
    “I’m not really sure,” I admitted. “I’ve never taped anyone other than myself before.”
    “Maybe we should just say what’s on our minds,” Em suggested.
    I picked up the recorder and pressed record. Then we just sat there staring at each other.
    “I feel weird,” Grace said and laughed