Free Camp Confidential 03 - Grace's Twist by Melissa J. Morgan Page A

skip arts and crafts today as long as you stay in the bunk and read.”
    “Really? You rule!” Grace bounced up and down in happiness. “I don’t have to skip drama too, though, do I?” she asked.
    “No way,” Julie said. “I know what your priorities are.”
    “I just love it,” Grace admitted.
    “I know. You never take a long time to read scenes that you’re doing in class,” Julie said. “So obviously you can read fast when you want.”
    “I’m reading the book fast now, too.” Grace jumped back onto her bunk and pulled out The Call of the Wild .
    “Okay. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes,” Julie said. “I have a quick meeting with Kathleen and then I’ll swing by art and crafts and tell Richie where you are.”
    “Mm-hmm,” Grace said, already back in the world of Buck the dog.
    She read straight through lunch and continued in the drama shack right until Bethany called them all to attention. Grace finally put the book away and looked around. Gaby was sitting as far from her as possible. And Devon was standing up in front of the class with Simon, Natalie’s sort-of boyfriend.
    “Okay, boys,” Bethany said. “Show us the scene you’ve been working on.”
    For the first time all day, Grace forgot about Buck and the Yukon. The two boys were acting out a scene from an old movie called The Outsiders . Simon’s character was dying, and Devon’s character, his best friend, was there by his side in the hospital.
    Most of the kids who took drama at camp liked to goof around and play improv games. But Simon, and especially Devon, obviously took the class seriously. They were really acting. Even Brynn would approve. Grace found herself getting caught up in the lives of the two characters. She could swear she saw tears in Devon’s eyes as he spoke to his best friend for the last time.
    When the scene ended, she clapped so hard that her hands hurt. Devon shot her a smile and nodded to say thank you.
    “Somebody liiikes you,” Brynn said in a singsong voice, nudging Grace.
    “No way,” Grace said quickly. “He was just saying thanks for the applause. You know, from everyone. He was thanking everyone.”
    “Uh-huh,” Brynn said sarcastically.
    “He was really good in that scene,” Grace added.
    “Uh-huh,” Brynn said again, wiggling her eyebrows.
    “Oh, be quiet,” Grace mumbled. “I just think he’s a good actor.” And a cute one, she added silently. She didn’t usually like boys, but she wouldn’t mind doing a scene with him.

    When Grace got back to the bunk, she was surprised to hear voices coming from inside. Everyone else was supposed to be at a camp-wide nature meeting. Dr. Steve had gotten an environmental conservationist to come and teach them about endangered species. Grace thought it sounded interesting, but reading was more important right now. She’d gotten permission to go back to the bunk so she could spend her time with Buck in The Call of the Wild .
    But somebody else was clearly there.
    Grace was about to open the door when she heard Chelsea raise her voice. “Because I said so!” she was saying. She sounded angry.
    Grace hesitated. Maybe she shouldn’t interrupt.
    “But, Chelsea, I love water parks,” Karen’s quiet voice drifted out. “The most fun I ever had was at a water park when I was eight.”
    “Have you ever seen what people look like when they go on those rides?” Chelsea argued. “Your hair gets all flat and stringy, and your makeup washes all off.”
    “I never noticed that,” Karen replied.
    And why does it matter? Grace wondered. Should she go in there? Part of her wanted to rush in and help Karen deal with Chelsea. But those two were best friends, after all. They seemed to be having an argument, and Grace didn’t think she should stick her nose in their business.
    “Well, it’s true. We’d look horrible if we went on all those rides.”
    “But it would be fun.” Karen sounded wistful. Grace was surprised Karen was disagreeing with