Free The Summer of Our Discontent by Robin Alexander

table that she could actually taste it. She’d fought the good fight, but when a cockroach the size of a bird flew at her face, she retreated from the cabin. Her back ached from sleeping on the hard wood of the table. But what kept her warm in the chill of the night beneath a damp sheet was the white-hot anger she felt for Rachel. The veteran campers were supposed to take the newbies under their wings. Rachel would’ve probably skewered her with a talon, but she still could’ve warned her about the bugs. Rachel demanded civility, but she was dishing the shit. Perhaps that was something best served early—in bed.
    *******

    The slamming of a door awoke Rachel. Bleary-eyed, she sat up, and her bladder began to complain. With a yawn, she threw her sheet aside and put her feet on the floor. Something didn’t feel right. She jerked her foot up, and in the gray light of dawn, she noted the word spelled out in dead roach carcasses. Ass . One of the S’s was malformed because she’d stepped on it. “I’ll show you ass,” Rachel said lowly between clenched teeth.
    Faith wasn’t in her cabin, and the mess hall wasn’t open yet, so that meant she could only be one place. Rachel charged into the bathhouse and heard water running in one of the showers. She’d already planned for this eventuality and brought along a cup, which she filled with cold water. Without looking, she jerked the curtain back and threw its contents on the unlucky bather. It wasn’t Faith’s scream that met her ears because Rachel knew that well.
    “Chauvin! What the hell?”
    The cup fell from Rachel’s limp fingers. “Keely?”
    The water shut off, and a hand protruded from behind the curtain and grabbed a towel. Seconds later, Keely ripped open the curtain and stormed out. “We’ve never played pranks on each other, so I can only assume you thought I was Leblanc,” she said, dripping all over Rachel as they stood toe to toe.
    “I…uh…she put roaches in my cabin.”
    “What’re you—six?” Keely bellowed. “You could’ve given me a fucking heart attack just now.” She inhaled sharply. “I have violated my own profanity rule twice, and you’ve been at the scene of the crime both times, Rachel Chauvin!”
    “Can you…would you…brush your teeth before you continue this butt chewing?” Rachel said, taking a step back. Bad suggestion, she knew, but it was out there, and Keely puffed up like a dead possum on hot asphalt. “You find Leblanc! I want you both in my office in thirty minutes.”
    “Will do.” Rachel turned and ran out of the bathhouse. In the distance, she could see Faith jogging one of the trails near the lake. She walked out to meet her, and by the time she got to the water, Faith was standing on the pier, arms over her head breathing deeply.
    “Keely wants to see us both in her office in twenty-five minutes.”
    Faith turned and looked at her. “For what?”
    “I just doused her with cold water in the bathroom because I thought she was you.”
    “So what does that have to do with me?” Faith asked nonchalantly.
    “You put roaches in my cabin.”
    “You lucked out because had your mouth been open, I would’ve loaded it up,” Faith shot back, and Rachel’s lips disappeared as she clenched her fists. Faith pushed a little harder. “Don’t blame me for accosting Keely in the shower. Is that how you get your action these days? Rumor has it since Cyn dumped you, the only person that’s touched that spot between your legs was Lottie Bishop, and that was with the heel of her shoe. Oh, are we mad, Ms. Civil?”
    Faith took a step back when Rachel took one toward her. She’d found Rachel’s magic button and not the one that brought on intense pleasure. The button Faith was relentlessly pushing caused waves of anger to course through Rachel’s veins.
    “Chauvin…are you about to put your hands on me?”
    “Just your neck,” Rachel said with a growl as she took another step forward.
    Faith’s head sank down