“Like you didn’t do that on purpose,” a dark-haired guy teased as he tugged on a lock of her hair.
“Hey, that’s not true. I made a conscious effort to at least entertain the idea of helping out in the kitchen,” Amy said, going for a serious voice. “I hate anything to do with cooking,” she said out of the corner of her mouth for my ears only.
“LOL, I think we might be long-lost sisters,” I teased. “I feel the same. I swear, I break out in hives just thinking about it.”
“Me too!” she said, dropping her pile of silverware on the table. “Sis, I’ve missed you,” she said, dramatically throwing her arms around my neck.
I couldn’t help laughing at her exuberance as everyone in the kitchen turned to stare at us, including the one person I wished I could avoid.
Not being one to shy away from an uncomfortable situation, I met his stare head-on as he swept his eyes over my appearance. I cringed when I saw him take in my still sandal-clad feet and long dress peeking out beneath my jacket. He turned away in obvious disgust, but not before I saw him mutter what could only be “beach bunny.”
Grrrr, that was one thing Amy and I didn’t see eye to eye on. I wasn’t sure if she was just too sweet to see it, but Mason was definitely an ass with a capital A.
As we all settled in at the table, Rick introduced me to the other campers, and I tried to mentally match up the names with the faces. Travis was easy since he was the one who had pulled Amy's hair earlier. Liz and Courtney were obviously the counselors of the other girls’ dorm, and both seemed nice. They were quieter than Amy, but most people were. Ryan and John were the other two male counselors, and they instantly made me feel at home by including me in their conversation. I liked Louise as much as Amy had promised I would. Although she seemed rough around the edges, I could tell she cared a great deal for everyone here.
Rick sat beside me and asked me questions whenever Amy wasn't dominating my attention. With one exception, everyone was so nice that I was really starting to relax and not feel so out of place.
Mason continued his laser like stare throughout the meal. I wanted to say something, but instead just ignored him, acting like I didn't care. In reality, his hostility completely threw me for a loop. Being hated was a new experience for me. I had pretty much hung out with the same crowd all through school, and for the most part, my life was drama-free.
"What crawled up Mason's butt?" I heard Courtney whisper to Liz as we helped Louise clear the table.
"I'm not sure. I've never seen him look so sour," Liz said, smiling at me as I helped her carry the condiments to the kitchen.
My heart sank. I’d heard from enough of the group now to understand Mason’s attitude since I arrived wasn’t normal. Obviously, it had something to do with me.
I stood with the refrigerator door open, stewing on my revelation, even after I had returned the ketchup and the mustard.
"The camp can't afford to restock the food when it all goes bad because you can't figure out where to put the condiments," Mason said behind me.
I groaned silently, ready to strike, but quickly counted to five in my head as I closed the refrigerator and turned to face him.
Trying the more diplomatic approach, I pasted a smile on my face. "Look, we obviously got off on the wrong foot, but maybe once we get to know each other we'll realize the other one isn't all that bad."
"Look beach bunny, I don't need to know you better to know how I feel about you," he said as he turned and walked away.
"What a dick," I muttered through gritted teeth, making sure no one was looking before flipping off his retreating back.
It was going to be a long six weeks.
Once the table was cleared off and the dishes were all washed and put in their proper places, Rick turned on some music while the guys grabbed a stack of board games and cards from a closet on the far side of the room.
"You ready for this?" Amy asked with sparkling eyes.
"For what?" I asked confused.
"Mad Dash Games," she declared.
"Mad Dash Games?" I asked, raising my eyebrow questioningly.
"We have three different games going on at the same time and each of us will play all the games at the same time. Rick sets the timer giving you five minutes at each station. Your goal is to progress in the game as far as you can before the timer goes off and you have move to the next station. Got it?" she asked.
"I think so," I said a little confused, but not wanting to admit it.
She gave me a quick one-armed squeeze. "Trust me, you'll love it," she promised.
An hour later, I had to agree with her. My side ached from laughing so hard as grumbles erupted throughout the room each time the buzzer went off. By the time it had gone off for the fourth time, I was groaning just as loud as everyone else. Just when you began to build momentum the buzzer would sound and you were forced to take over the spot of someone else. We played Mad Dash Games for more than an hour before Rick finally called out the winners of each station. Louse declared me worth keeping around when I dominated in the UNO category.
"Looks like Mason has been dethroned as the UNO king," Amy happily chortled, skipping to my side.