Free Camp Boyfriend by J. K. Rock Page A

Kayla wore a bright canary T-shirt off the shoulder with the words “Juicy” in glitter letters. She hitched at the strap of the turquoise dance leotard she wore underneath. “And your chassés were awesome.”
    “Thank you,” I muttered, too surprised to think through any possible ulterior motives on Kayla’s part. “I started taking dance last summer to help with cheerleading.”
    “She’s a cheerleader now too?” Piper remarked darkly from somewhere behind me.
    “Is that a crime?” Spinning on my heel, I faced her as Leslie Kim dismissed us.
    “No,” Piper shot back, her over-sized green recycling T-shirt almost swallowing her whole. “But you used to talk about science fairs and honor society instead of high kicks. Remember?”
    She stomped to the back of the studio to retrieve her bag. It clinked with recovered cans which, for some reason, struck me harder than her words. Piper was passionately dedicated to a cause. Every year that I’d come to camp, she’d been saving the earth, whether by planting trees or convincing Gollum to offer a sustainable garden. Year in and year out, she was the same Piper.
    Unlike me.
    I’d come to camp a different person and expected everything to be the same.
    “See you tomorrow,” Kayla said out of the blue. I’d forgotten she’d been standing next to me. She gave a wave as she went off with her friends.
    While her group filed out of the dance studio, my friends put their shoes on.
    “I still like science,” I said, to myself as much as anyone else. If Dad had gotten the letter of reference for me, I might have e-mailed my NASA Aerospace Scholars application early. When he hadn’t come home in time to say goodbye, I’d left the file open on his computer. Hopefully he got my silent message.
    “You still like science, but you liked Matt more. Maybe that’s why a summer boyfriend is a good thing.” Siobhan handed me my bag.
    “What do you mean?” We walked out into the sunshine. Jackie had jogged ahead to catch up with Piper, who was halfway back to the cabins.
    Trinity and Alex stayed with us, although I think that was because the boys from Seth’s cabin were playing lacrosse on the field outside the dance studio. Alex waved to Vijay, who was tossing the ball back and forth with Julian.
    “I mean summer is a good time for having fun.” Siobhan paused next to Alex to watch the guys. “It’s one thing to date during the summer when classes are out. But during the school year, boyfriends steal focus.”
    “And how would you know?” Alex teased over her shoulder. She’d found her pack of gum by now, and was back to chewing with enthusiasm.
    “I have eyes.” Siobhan poked Alex in the shoulder. “I don’t need to date to know my mom is right on this one. Guys are a distraction.”
    As if hearing her mother’s voice in her head, she turned on her heel and headed back toward Munchies’ Manor, perhaps remembering some homework she needed to tackle. I went too, sad to think about Seth missing these moments with his friends.
    Alex and Trinity followed as a group of junior campers streaked by on a scavenger hunt. A few of them wore floral crowns, a craft I used to love. One year, all of my cabin mates and I made matching wreaths out of maple leaves instead of flowers. We wore them for two weeks until they were nothing more than twigs and Gollum made us stop.
    “You’ve changed a lot for Matt.” Trinity breezed ahead of me as we reached the girls’ cabins. “We’re worried.” The screen door rattled shut behind her.
    I flopped on the porch’s wood-slatted rocker and fanned myself with a fly swatter. Alex leaned against the railing and crossed her arms.
    “I didn’t change for Matt.” My fingers drummed on the chair arms. “There’ve just been a lot of changes in my life. Period. Like my dad is never around, and when he is, it’s like he’s not really there.”
    “But I thought you two were tight.” Alex held up twined fingers, the friendship