My group was taken to the first station, an awkward three-legged relay race. I asked AJ to be my partner and he agreed. We were a good match, being about the same height. Once we were tied together at the knee by a bandana, AJ began calling out directions. “Outside leg! Inside leg! Outside! Inside!” Before I knew it, we crossed the finish line, laughing, AJ’s brow covered in a light sheen of sweat.
At the next station, our group played a game where we had to pass an orange around in a circle using only our necks. It took a lot of chest and chin strength to retrieve an orange from someone’s neck and then pass it on to the next person without dropping it. I’d played this game before, but somehow, I felt weird playing it with a mixed group of boys I didn't know that well. The angle at which I had to approach AJ’s neck looked like the same angle one might use when going in for a kiss. He was very good at this game too, exhibiting excellent chin control, so much so that he and I were the last pair standing at the end of thegame. For our success, we each won a piece of candy from a prize bag. I chose Skittles, intending to share them with Matt later.
After that, our group moved to a craft station, where we were instructed to make “love bugs” out of pipe cleaners, foam hearts and googly eyes. Once each bug was complete, a counselor used a hot glue gun to attach it to a clothespin. We were told “Once it’s dry, you can pin the bug on your crush.”Really? I’d rather die, thanks.The twisty-legged little bug I made would actually make a good clip to hold the stationery I used to write letters home to my mom. AJ made a daddy long legs spider using entire pipe cleaners. It was the size of a dinner plate when he was done. He clipped it to the fringe on the bottom of my shorts, and I shrieked.
“Ew, AJ! Get that thing off me!”
“It’s not a real bug, you know,” he laughed.
“I know it’s not real,” I began, “but it’shuge! And super creepy!” I unclipped the bug from my shorts and tossed it on the ground.
AJ frowned, picking up his bug from the asphalt of the rec field basketball court. He stepped away. Suddenly, I felt a pang of guilt.Does this mean AJ likes me?I wondered.I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings.
At the next station, I found a way to make it up to him. There, we were taught to make dirt cups: a sweet treat made of crushed Oreos, chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and gummy worms. After preparing the dirt cup, I snatched a handful of gummy worms and lined the outside of my cup with them. I carried the creation over to AJ.
I extended my arm, cup in hand, offering it to him. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I made this extra wormy dirt so your bug would have some friends to hang out with.”
He smiled. “That’s dumb,” he replied.
I laughed. “Yeah, it is.”
AJ took the cup from me, plucked out a gummy worm, and bit into it. “These co-eds are dumb, too. I’d much rather be playing Color War or Capture the Flag.”
“Agreed.”
Suddenly, a roar erupted from the station where the orange-in-the-neck game was being played. I looked over. The green group was standing in a circle and from what little I could see through the crowd, everyone was staring in the direction of Matt and Lisa. I heard some older boy call out, “Yo, man! You don’t just leave a girl hanging like that!”
“Yeah, kiss her back!” another boy heckled.
I moved instinctively in the direction of the yelling, hearing shouts from the counselors. “Pipe down!” “That’s enough now.” “Amateurs.” More snickering. I approached the circle of kids. Lisa and Matt faced each other. She had the orange in her hand and a smug look on her face. He looked incredulous, like a deer caught in headlights. Callie grabbed Lisa by the wrist and pulled her out of the group, leaving Matt standing there, surrounded by people but clearly alone.
“What were you thinking?” Callie reprimanded Lisa off to the side, in the distance.
Matt caught eyes with me, then looked away, embarrassed.Did she just kiss him?An unfamiliar feeling bubbled up in my belly as "Cotton Eye Joe" suddenly burst out through the speakers and the DJ announced that the dance floor was now open. My fingers clenched into fists, fingernails pushing into the skin of my palms.
Suddenly, AJ was beside me. “What happened?”
I shook my head. “I’m going to kill her,” I mumbled.
“Who?”
But I was on the move. With laser-focus, I ran past the now-mixed crowd of kids line-dancing on the basketball court, not caring aboutthe staff’s attempt to diffuse the situation with a high-octane distraction. Lisa sat on a bench on the far edge of the rec field, alongside the third base line where the dirt met the grass. Callie was gone, undoubtedly having left to get Lisa’s mom, Dottie D’Angelo, the camp cook. She noticed me approaching and stood up, flashing a proud smile.
“Told you I was gonna—”
Like an out-of-body experience, I watched with awe as my open-palmed hand swiftly flew through the dead air between us, landing on Lisa’s arrogant, round cheek with a firm slap. The sound made me jump out of my skin and come to my senses.
Shocked, Lisa turned her face back to me and lifted a hand to her reddened cheek. “What the hell?” she yelled.
I was frozen, unable to explain. We stood like that for a suspended moment, the music in the background disappearing into the night air. I was unsure of what to expect next, readying myself, eyes fixed on Lisa. “He’snotyour boyfriend,” I finally said.
“Oh yeah? Well, he’s not yours either! What are you, hismommy?”
An image of Matt’s mom appeared behind my fluttering eyelids: her warm smile, the chocolate chip coconut cookies she baked for me every time I went to their home to visit, the way her perfume smelled a little like funeral flowers. Without thinking, I reached over and grabbed a handful of Lisa’s thick, dark hair and pulled as hard as I could.
“Hey!” Lisa squealed, twisting under my grip. Lisa whipped around, clawing at my arms and torso with her long, painted fingernails. We fell to the ground, Lisa howling like a cat in heat. We bent in unnatural ways, me swinging at whatever my hands could find, Lisa kneeing me in the stomach and trying to right herself on the ground only to be pulled back down by the shirt, scraping her elbow. Suddenly, I heard a voice louder than Lisa’s, more commanding, yelling at usto stop. Two strong forearms linked under my armpits and untangled my rage-filled body from Lisa’s. I twisted to try and escape the strength of the grip, but it was too powerful. I saw that Lisa was being restrained by Hannah—and that one of her stupid eyelashes was hanging from her face. Finally, I gave up, collapsing into the arms of Callie, who had dragged me away.
“Are you twokiddingme?” Callie screamed. “Sit down now! Both of you!” she ordered, gesturing at the bench.
