Free Camp Confidential 01 - Natalie's Secret by Melissa J. Morgan Page A

part is that he let me give the interview instead of taking sports!” Nat exclaimed, causing Alyssa to nearly choke on her food in laughter.

    “Ow,” Alyssa grimaced as Jenna slid into the bench next to her, giggling mischievously. “And you’re sitting on my lap because . . .”

    “Sorry,” Jenna said, slightly breathless. She was peering across the table, over Alex’s shoulder, to the table behind them.

    “What did you do?” Alex asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. Of all the girls in 3C, Alex was most disapproving of Jenna’s pranks, mainly because she hated to get into trouble herself.

    “Nothing,” Jenna said, but she looked ready to burst out of her seat with excitement.

    “Something,” Sarah, who sat directly to Alex’s right, chimed in softly. “Definitely something.”

    Suddenly, the boys at the table jumped up, all mumbling variations on “ugh,” “ew,” and “gross.” Jenna burst out laughing.

    “Isn’t that your brother’s bunk’s table?” Sarah asked Jenna.

    But Jenna just looked off to her right, humming a little bit to herself. Whatever she’d done to her brother and his bunkmates, she wasn’t telling. And it looked like for now, at least, she wasn’t going to be found out.

    Natalie knew that whatever joke Jenna had pulled, it was probably really funny. Just like last week, when she had hidden all the silverware from 3A’s lunch table. But she was worried about her friend. That was just Natalie’s way, when she cared about someone. What if Jenna’s little practical schemes were actually a sign of a bigger problem, like something that was on Jenna’s mind? Or, if they weren’t a sign of a problem, they were going to be the cause of one, soon. How long could she get away with these pranks before she got into serious trouble?

chapter EIGHT

    “So, making s’mores is actually really easy—” Jenna explained. She held out a graham cracker and a square of milk chocolate in preparation for a big demonstration.

    “—believe it or not, J, I’ve actually had s’mores before,” Natalie said, cutting Jenna off before she could launch into the full-blown lecture. She really liked Jenna, but the girl had at some point decided to “adopt” Natalie and show her the ins and outs of camp. Which was great in theory, but Natalie was independent by nature, and not too crazy about being adopted. Still, she tried to be patient. She knew Jenna was just being nice.

    “I thought you’d never been to camp before. When did you make s’mores?” Alex asked, overhearing the girls’ conversation.

    “Oh, there’s a restaurant in New York that will bring them right to your table for you. You cook the marshmallows on these little burners. It’s so cool,” Natalie said, feeling a little wave of homesickness pass through her. What surprised her, though, was that it was just that—a little wave of homesickness. Could it be

    that she was actually starting to enjoy herself at camp? Too weird.

    “Maybe you’re just too sophisticated for sleepaway camp,” Chelsea said. She didn’t make it sound like a compliment.

    “Yes, well, I left my diamonds back in the city. I figured I can do without them for the summer, dahling,” Natalie laughed, putting on a fake “proper” accent. She had decided that the best thing to do with Chelsea was to pretend that her comments were intended as light-hearted jokes—even when they obviously weren’t. So far, the tactic seemed to be working. Chelsea pursed her lips but she didn’t say another word.

    From across the campfire, Alyssa nodded to Natalie—a tiny, almost imperceptible gesture. Someone else might not have even noticed it, but Nat knew that her friend was giving her props for not letting Chelsea get to her.

    It was Tuesday night, and bunk 3C was having a cookout. After all the camp food, Natalie could understand why so many campers got so excited over barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers. She had eaten one of each, herself, and