Free The Lost Summer by Kathryn Williams Page A

close—and how naked—Ransome was in the water.
    We looked at each other for a few seconds, both of us pawing at the water, until I laughed uncomfortably, not knowing what other reaction to have.
    Ransome slapped at the water, sending a spray into my face. “What are you laughing at?” he asked.
    â€œNothing!” I answered honestly.
    He splashed me again. I spluttered. “Stop!” I laughed and splashed back.
    We were circling around each other in a splashing fight, which was as playful as it could be considering we had to be quiet, when I heard Winn’s and Sarah’s voices. They had swum back closer to the dock now.
    â€œWho is that?” Winn asked urgently.
    â€œWhat are they doing?” Sarah asked at the same time.
    Winn gasped, and suddenly they were both swimming frantically for the dock. Terrified, I turned to see what—or who—they were looking at, but all I could make out were a few dark figures moving around the dock.
    Then it hit me like a brick. It was other Brownies, and they were taking our clothes!
    I raced behind Winn and Sarah to the ladder, but by the time we got there it was too late. Our clothes were gone.
    A furious Winn spun in the water to glare at the three offenders still in the lake. Nate, Buzz, and Ransome were all laughing.
    â€œYou assholes!” Winn hissed. She wanted to scream, but she knew if she did, Fred or the campers would hear us.
    â€œYou stole our clothes?” Sarah asked, stating the obvious.
    I continued to tread water and look dumbly between the guys and the girls, unsure of what to do. Shit , I thought. They’d made the first strike. Shit. We were naked, at least fifty yards from our cabins, and we had no clothes. Shit. I hoped, at least, the boys had had the chivalry to leave our shoes.
    Buzz was still cracking up. “Ha-ha. Suckas!”
    â€œYou do know this is not the beginning of some porny lesbian-camp fantasy, right, Buzz?” Winn asked.
    â€œIt can if you want it to be,” he said lasciviously.
    Sarah muttered a disgusted “Ugh,” and the three of us huddled as close as we could in a circle without touching each other.
    â€œAll right,” Winn said, trying to maintain calm. “Here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m gonna take one of their shirts and run up to my cabin and get us some towels. . . . Shit! I can’t believe we fell for this!”
    Internally, I heaved a huge sigh of relief that I wouldn’t be running bare-assed back to the cabins, dripping like a pale, wet joke.
    Winn shot the boys one more withering glare before climbing from the lake and grabbing the closest shirt she could find, which happened to be Ransome’s. She pulled the flannel shirt over her head. It hung just below her butt. I was glad, but in a weird way, slighty jealous.
    â€œI’ll be right back,” Winn grumbled. She took off running—something we were never supposed to do on the docks—toward the cabins. I could hear her footfalls retreat down the path.
    Sarah and I turned to the guys, who were watching us, greatly amused.
    â€œY’all come here often?” joked Buzz.
    Sarah sneered. “Nice, Buzz.”
    â€œWe got you good, though, right?” said Nate.
    â€œOh, it’s on ,” replied Sarah, looking to me for backup.
    â€œI hope you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.” I leveled my most menacing stare at Ransome.
    He returned it with a lopsided smile. “I think so,” he said, not breaking my gaze. I wasn’t sure he was talking about the prank war anymore.
    It felt like an eternity before Winn returned, but the guys didn’t leave until we were safely out of the water and wrapped in our towels.
    â€œRanny will bring your clothes back tomorrow,” Buzz assured, still beaming proudly as we quicky stole off the dock and up the path to our cabins.
    â€œWe’ll be looking forward to it,” Winn shot sarcastically