Free Camp Confidential 05 - TTYL by Melissa J. Morgan Page B

the ride to school, and when their mom pulled up in front of the school building, she jumped out of the car, yelling a quick good-bye and adding a small cough for good measure. Without waiting for Adam, she ran into the building.
    She had a few minutes before she had to be in homeroom, so Jenna walked to the library. The night before, she’d gotten excited about Natalie’s posting on the blog. She was so happy to be part of the book club. She browsed through the library’s stacks, and finally found The Pinballs and checked it out at the desk. “Great book!” the librarian, a tall, slender woman with curly black hair, said.
    “I’m reading it with some friends,” Jenna told her.
    “That’s great!” the librarian responded. “I’m in a book club, too.”
    “Really?” Jenna asked. “Is it fun?”
    “Definitely,” the librarian said happily. “We get together, eat snacks, and talk about books—it’s great!” She laughed, and Jenna laughed with her.
    “Well, my book club is over the Internet,” Jenna admitted. “But I’m excited for it to start. I’d better go. I’ll be late to class!”
    “Enjoy the book,” the librarian told her.
    Jenna stopped by her locker to drop off her bag. She planned on bringing the book to homeroom, so she could get a head start. On her way to the classroom, Nicole ran up to her.
    “Hey, Jen!” Nicole said, falling into step beside Jenna.
    “Hi!” Jenna replied.
    “Did you talk to your mom about this weekend?” Nicole asked, stepping out of the way of some boys walking in a pack down the hall.
    “No . . .” Jenna said impishly. “But . . . I did start coughing a lot!” She laughed as Nicole’s eyes lit up.
    “You did? Do you think she bought it?”
    “Yeah, totally. I told her some of my friends at school were sick.” They stopped outside Jenna’s homeroom. “See you at lunch?”
    “Definitely! See you later!” Nicole said. “Bye!”
    A strange feeling of guilt crept into Jenna’s stomach. She knew that a few faked coughs weren’t exactly lies, but they weren’t telling the truth, either. Was it worth it, just to go to a party? She hated to lie, but she also hated the idea that everyone would be hanging out without her. Maybe Adam was on to something—not with dropping it, of course, but with thinking of it as just another prank. Pranks were harmless, right? Except for that one at Lakeview that didn’t go exactly as planned. . . .
    She pushed the bad feeling out of her mind and walked into homeroom just in time for roll call.

chapter SIX

Natalie> TUESDAY

    After school, Natalie found Hannah at her locker. They hadn’t talked to each other the day before, and Nat really hoped Hannah wasn’t still upset about the school dance. “Hey, Han,” she said tentatively.
    Hannah smiled and closed her locker. “Hi, Natalie.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry about Friday. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble with Kyle. I was just having a bad day.”
    “It’s okay,” Natalie said. “I talked to Kyle after you left. So everything is fine with me and him. I just hope everything is okay with me and you!”
    “It is,” Hannah said. “Want to walk home together?”
    “Of course,” Natalie said, feeling hugely relieved. “Let’s go!”

    “I mean, ever since that day when we bumped into each other in the mess hall at camp, Simon and I hung out all the time,” Natalie said as she and Hannah slowly walked up Fifth Avenue. “So I don’t understand why he hasn’t called, or e-mailed, or anything!”
    “Yeah, that’s weird,” Hannah said, slowing to peek into a store window displaying lots of colorful bags and shoes.
    “I would call him, of course,” Natalie went on, “but I don’t want to be too pushy. And I did send him an e-mail right after we got back from camp, but I haven’t heard anything.”
    The girls came to a crosswalk and waited for the light to change. “I don’t think you should worry, Nat,” Hannah said.
    As the