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

even though she was stuffed, she still managed to find a tiny bit of room leftover for s’mores. She hated to admit it, but there was something cool about roasting marshmallows over an open campfire—not more special than having them brought to your table in a New York City restaurant, but different. Good different.

    The girls in her bunk were good different, too, Natalie had decided. Even though she still wasn’t thrilled with things like spiders in the bathrooms and bug juice for lunch, the girls in 3C had a nice chemistry. Even now, they were all huddled in one large circle, stuffing themselves with graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. Julie and Marissa were off to one side of the barbecue talking to Pete, who had manned the grill, and a few of his kitchen buddies, including one named LJ who Natalie really liked. LJ was really funny. He refused to tell her what his initials stood for. He told all the girls in 3C that if they were lucky, he’d let them know at the closing banquet, at the end of the summer.

    “Have you girls had your fill?” Kathleen, the head of the third division, walked by, smiling knowingly. Kathleen was energetic and always friendly, and could tell by the girls’ expressions that they had eaten more than enough for the evening.

    “Oh, gosh, I’ll never eat again,” Grace moaned, dropping the long stick with her marshmallow to the ground beside her. She bent over and clutched her stomach dramatically.

    Kathleen grinned again. “I sort of doubt that,” she said, and wandered over to speak with Julie and Marissa.

    “Alex, you were smart not to have any,” Grace said, still feigning her stomachache. “I really need to learn some limits.”

    “Oh, well, uh, you know—I like to take care of myself, for soccer, you know,” Alex replied. Natalie looked up. Was it her imagination, or did Alex look slightly uncomfortable? But what would she have to feel uncomfortable about? So she didn’t eat junk food. So what?

    Natalie offered up her best fake burp. All the girls shrieked with laughter.

    “Ugh, that is so gross,” Brynn said, giggling. “Does Simon think that’s cute?”

    Natalie blushed. “What are you talking about?”

    Brynn rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, it’s so obvious. You completely stare at him every time we’re in the mess hall. You luuuuuv him,” she sang.

    “Okay, fine, he’s cute, so what?” Natalie protested.

    Grace made little gagging noises. “Cute, yak. Boys are icky, not cute.”

    “Oh, come on,” Natalie insisted. “You’re telling me there’s not a single boy in camp you’d be into?”

    All the girls shook their heads emphatically. “It must be something in the Manhattan water, Nat,” Sarah said. “You’re the only one so far.”

    “You make it sound like I have some kind of disease,” Natalie said, laughing. “Whatever. At least this way I don’t have to worry about any of you guys going after him!” She glanced at Chelsea as she said this. But Chelsea was focused intently on fishing out a graham cracker from a newly opened box and didn’t—or wouldn’t—look up.

    “My dad says I can’t go on a date until I’m in high school,” Karen said. “That’s fine by me. Anyway, we play board games on Friday nights. He’s a teacher, and sometimes he makes up cool games all on his own.”

    “Oh, that’s so fun!” Candace said. “My dad’s a boring lawyer and the only thing he brings home is his laptop.”

    “Mine’s a lawyer, too,” Alex put in. “It looks like the dullest job in the world. Whenever we go on vacation, he spends half the time screaming into his cell phone.” She shifted her weight and stretched her legs out in front of her, closer to the warmth of the fire. “What about you, Natalie? You never talk about your father,” she said.

    “Huh?” Natalie said, stalling for time. “He’s, uh . . . well, my parents are divorced.”

    “Oh, that’s hard,” Sarah said sympathetically. “Do you