Free Fearless by Katy Grant

ago,” said Brittany.
    I could do it. I could be Eda. I could put on the costume and carry the big clipboard and do my impersonation. Instead of just doing it in front of a few people, I could do it in front of everyone.
    I could see the scene in my mind. Me walking into the lodge dressed as Eda, so sure of myself. Delivering lines and getting laughs. What would that be like?
    But then, all of a sudden, my stomach muscles felt like a clenched fist. Was I ready for this? What if I got up there and felt like regurgitating instead of saying my lines?
    â€œI’m the director, and the director never plays a part,” I told them all. As soon as I said that, my stomach muscles relaxed.
    Melissa glanced at me and gave me a little smile. I could tell she didn’t want to stand up in front of everyone either.
    â€œThat’s not true,” said Kelly. “Lots of directors make appearances in their movies. Like Hitchcock. He showed up in all his movies.”
    â€œWell, I’m not going to!” I insisted, slightly yelling. “I just don’t want to, okay? I planned everything, so if I don’t want a part, you can’t make me!”
    Reb held her hands up. “Chill! We’re not going to force you to do it. Give me that piece of aluminum foil, and I’ll be Eda.”
    I did feel better, knowing I wasn’t going to have to get up in front of everyone.
    Once we had everything planned out, we went back down to the lodge. One by one, each cabin performed their fractured fairy tale. Cabin 3’s version of Snow White was actually pretty good, even if Whitney did overact. Everyone in Cabin 4 acted bored doing Goldilocks and the Three Bears. They’d probably put about five minutes of preparation into it.
    When it was our cabin’s turn, just seeing all my cabinmates up there in front of everyone made me nervous for them. My heart pounded so loud I could hardly hear some of the lines, and I had to keep my hands folded in my lap because they were trembling.
    I had no idea why watching everyone else mademe so uptight, but it did. Maybe because the skit was mostly my idea.
    But it was incredible. When Reb walked in with her costume, carrying that oversize “clipboard,” the whole lodge went insane, and the audience laughed for practically five whole minutes. Everyone remembered their lines, we got tons and tons of laughs, and at the end, the applause almost made me deaf. The counselors especially loved our skit.
    â€œI wish Eda could have seen that,” said Libby Sheppard. She smiled at all of Cabin 1’s actors.
    It was definitely a movie moment. And I was really okay with the fact that no one realized I’d been the one who’d planned the whole thing. The main thing was that we’d done a great skit. I should be happy about that.
    When evening program ended, we got in the good-night circle and sang “Taps,” then had graham crackers and milk before going back to the cabin to get ready for bed.
    As Molly was climbing up to her top bunk, she stopped and looked at me. “You should’ve been Eda. Reb got lots of laughs, but she made Eda sound like a little old lady. Your impersonation was much better.”
    As soon as Molly said that, I felt a sad, heavy lump in my stomach. I knew she was right. I could’ve done abetter job.
    But at least Reb had the guts to get up in front of everyone. She didn’t sit in the audience with her hands folded, trying to keep them from shaking.
    â€œThanks, but I had enough fun just planning it,” I said. My voice actually sounded slightly convincing.
    Everyone was changing and getting ready for bed. Tis was asking us all where Kelly, Reb, and Jennifer were because they weren’t in the cabin, but then they showed up, looking like they’d been up to something.
    I crawled into my bottom bunk and pulled the covers up around me. I couldn’t stop thinking about how the whole skit had gone.
    I’d