Unlikely Allies

“I’m Kimberly,” I said, reaching out to shake her hand. “BFN?”

“Yeah, you know, Bum Fock Nowhere,” she said laughing.

“Fock?” I asked.

She laughed harder. “Sorry, I promised Louise I wouldn’t swear anymore,” she said, plopping down on the bunk opposite of me. “I normally swear like a frat boy, but Louise promised to help me find bargain furniture in the fall for my apartment off campus if I stopped. Key word being bargain,” she emphasized making air quotes with her fingers. “Since my funds are limited. Thank goodness I’ll be eligible for student loans, otherwise I’d be shi… oops, I mean SOL,” she corrected herself laughing. “I’m still trying to get the hang of this no-cussing gig. It’s almost like I’m learning the English language for the first time.”

I couldn’t help gri

“So, who is Louise?”

“Louise is the chef and camp assistant extraordinaire. She keeps me in line. She’s been after me for years to clean up my mouth, but hell, when you’ve been bounced around as much as I have, you’re bound to be exposed to some colorful language. Oops, don’t tell her I said the H word. I’m pretty sure she’d count that as a curse word,” she said giggling.

"Oh, I love your bracelets," she said, switching gears and taking in the vibrant clay bead bracelets that lined my right wrist.

"Thanks. I made them. Here, you can have these," I said, pulling off two of my favorite ones.

"Shut up," she shrieked, throwing her arms around my neck. "You seriously made these?"

I nodded.

"Wow, you have some serious mad skills."

I couldn’t help laughing. Her bubbly personality sucked me in right away.

“Did you say years?” I asked, returning back to our original topic.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’ve been coming to Camp-I-Wish-This-Was-My-Home since I was ten. I was devastated the summer I turned sixteen and knew I was too old to be a camper anymore, but Louise contacted my foster home at the time and asked if I’d be interested in being a camp counselor. I jumped at the idea. My foster home at the time was a total drag. This’ll be my third summer as a counselor,” she added proudly.

“Wow, you must seriously like this place,” I said, looking around doubtfully at the sparse living conditions.

“Like? Dude, I love this place. Rick, or I guess I should say, your dad, which BTW, how totally awesome is it that Rick is your dad?” she said, wistfully switching gears. “All of us used to wish that he’d take us under his wing, like Mason. Have you met Mason, BTW? OMG, is he the yummiest nugget you’ve ever seen?” she rattled off in one breath.

My head spun trying to keep up with her. “Yeah, I met him. He’s a complete ass if you ask me.

“What? Are you sure you met Mason? Tall, blond, eye-candy galore, sweetest-guy-you’ll-ever-meet, Mason,” she added, looking at me skeptically for the first time.

“Yeah, that would be him. You don’t think his whole I-could-be a Greek-god act is a bit arrogant and a

“Kim, trust me, Mason is the least arrogant person you’ll find. He works his cute little hiney off around here. Rick’s always telling him to take a break, but it’s like Mason is bound and determined to make it up to Rick for saving him.”

“How did Rick save him?” I asked just as an old-fashioned bell rang outside.

“Oops, it’s di

I snatched one of my new hoodies out of the bag as I followed behind her. My head was spi

The mess hall was filled with oversized round tables that easily sat at least fifteen people each. The far corner housed a kitchen with no separating walls. I watched as everyone pitched in to carry large serving dishes from one of the long counters that ran the length of the kitchen. They were joking and laughing as they deposited the dishes in the center of one of the round tables in the middle of the room. Rick was on the far side of the kitchen making a large pitcher of lemonade. He smiled at me when he spotted us standing in the doorway.

“Looks like we missed all the work,” Amy giggled, grabbing up a handful of napkin-rolled silverware that was on a low table near the door.

“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 bu

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.