The Summer of Our Discontent (7 page)

Chapter Nine

“No snacks on the bus.” Rachel took a bag of chips from
Kaycee’s
hand as they stood near the line to board. “Lunch will be ready by the time we get there. Where’d you get these?”

Kaycee shrugged. “I
dunno
, some kid. Momma, we can’t leave until Sophie gets here.”

“She’ll be here soon, I’m sure.” Rachel looked up and said, “Kayla, do not put that gum behind your ear.” She held out the near empty bag of chips, and the sulking blonde dropped a giant wad inside.

The church parking lot was packed with cars. Young girls fanned out all over the place. Some cried, dreading to leave their parents; others giggled and chased one another. It was complete chaos.

“Here’s the roster of campers for your bus,” Keely Dawson, the camp director, chirped as she handed it to Rachel. “We’ll certainly have our hands full.” She ran a hand through her hair that looked as though it had been highlighted in chunks. Orange streaks stood out against dark brown, and the way it had been cut made Keely look as though someone put a striped bowl on her head. She was very thick around the midsection, but her legs were thin, giving her an almost avian appearance. Rachel always thought of Big Bird when she saw her, and Keely had added to the mental image by wearing orange
capri
pants with a yellow T-shirt. “All of the cabins are filled to capacity for the summer. I’m gonna have to begin booking further in advance. Glorious day,” she sang out as she sauntered off.

Rachel fought the urge to roll her eyes. She didn’t share in
Keely’s
enthusiasm. She liked it when the camp first kicked off, and there were only a handful of girls on their trip. With each year, more and more kids signed up, and additional girls meant additional problems. Rachel separated two who were already bickering over who was going to get the last seat in the bus. She gave the list a cursory glance, then blinked when she saw a familiar name—Faith Leblanc.

“Oh bull…
pucky
,” Rachel said under her breath.

“What is it, Momma?”

“Oh, nothing,” Rachel said with a tight smile. “Just got a whiff of something bad.”

Kaycee raised her hands in surrender. “I didn’t do it.”

Rachel noticed the other bus had begun loading. “Okay, let’s load up, one at a time, no pushing.”

Sticky squealing girls began to climb up the steps. Kaycee stood at Rachel’s side, her eyes trained on the parking lot. Rachel hoped on one hand that Sophie would show for
Kaycee’s
sake, and for her own, she hoped it was without her aunt. Either way, it was going to be bad. She was locked in as chaperone and didn’t want to have to start the trip with Kaycee in tears.

Kaycee pulled on her shorts. “I can’t go if Sophie doesn’t come.” She looked as though she were about to cry as the line dwindled. “She’s my best friend.”

Rachel cupped her cheek. “It’ll be okay, baby, she’ll show.” She looked out into the parking lot and spotted Faith in the distance at the bag tag table. She was not going to get her wish, but Kaycee was, and that had to make the aggravation she was going to have to endure worth it somehow. “She’s here, I see them, but don’t go running into the parking lot. They’ll be here in a minute.”

Kaycee was bouncing on her toes trying to get a glimpse, then Sophie broke through the throng of parents waiting to wave goodbye. Rachel was amazed at how close the girls had gotten in such a short time. They threw their arms around each other and danced in a circle. Relief was written all over
Kaycee’s
face. But when Rachel gazed up at Faith, “oh, hell no” was written on hers.

She stepped through the crowd with a backpack shaped like a turtle shell hanging over one shoulder, dressed in a pair of running shorts and a gray T-shirt. She glared at Rachel. “I assume you’re here to see Kaycee off,” she said, then her eyes turned dark when she noticed the light blue T-shirt Rachel was wearing with the camp insignia on it. “Please, tell me that you’re not affiliated with this group.”

“At this moment, I’d really like to say no, but luck is not on our side today.”

Faith scrubbed at her face as Sophie and Kaycee bounded onto the bus hand in hand. “This is hell. I registered for a trip straight to hell.”

“Congratulations, now get on the bus,” Rachel said as she checked off their names.

“I don’t want to,” Faith replied petulantly.

“Look, I have no problem with stuffing you in the luggage compartment, but it’s full. Get. On. The. Bus.”

Faith stared at the door with dread. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Then please don’t. Never mind that you made a commitment as a chaperone and probably knocked another worthy parent out of her spot. Forget that you’ll disappoint your niece and probably your sister, you’ve been disappointing me for years.” Rachel inhaled deeply and released a heavy breath. “Get on the bus right now, or go home. I do not care which.”

“You seem disconcerted by my presence, therefore I
will
get on the bus.” Faith jutted out her chin and marched up the steps.

The two seats at the front behind the driver were usually reserved for the chaperones, but Rachel had not bothered to tell Faith that because she didn’t want to sit with her or near her. She grinned when she climbed aboard and noticed her sitting five rows back next to Lacy Robbins, who already had gum in her hair.

*******

A couple of hours into the ride, Faith fantasized about climbing over the child next to her and squeezing her ass out the window. A drop to the pavement at fifty-five miles an hour would be painful, but it would pale in comparison to the agony she felt as young girls hit pitches that would’ve deafened a dog. She made a mental list of things she would do to Patty when she got home, all excruciating.

Rachel’s dark red plume of hair sticking out the back of her baseball cap looked like a horse’s tail. She fantasized about choking Rachel with it because of the smarmy grin on her face each time she looked over her shoulder. Faith deduced that something was seriously wrong with Rachel for willingly subjecting herself to something so mind-numbingly irritating. Then she realized why Rachel looked so peaceful—there were
earbuds
in her ears. Faith clenched her fists when she remembered that her own iPod was in the bag deep in the belly of the bus.

“My brother says if you pick your nose, you go to hell,” Lacy said as she stared up at her.

“It’s true,” Faith agreed with a nod. Behind her, she could hear Sophie’s laugh. She hadn’t stopped since they’d boarded. Faith took some comfort in knowing that she was enabling Sophie to take a memorable trip with her best friend. She remembered the time her father let Denny come with them on a camping trip. That was one of the best weeks she’d ever had, then she came home and promptly whipped Rachel’s ass, feeling like she’d been in withdrawal.

The bus seemed to bounce off the asphalt highway onto a rutted gravel road. Faith held on to the seat in front of her as the ride turned really rough. She looked over at Lacy, who had her finger buried in her nose up to her knuckle. “Remember what your brother said.” She looked away in disgust, thinking there had better be a soundproofed chaperone lounge where beer ran like water. If not, she’d seriously consider walking home. If she started then, she’d be there by the time the bus arrived with Sophie on the trip back.

Chapter Ten

The noise grew louder as veteran campers spotted the green tin roof of the large pavilion by the lake. Seconds later, the water came into view, and all the girls on the left side moved to the right to look out the windows. Faith was the only one who remained seated, and she stared straight ahead as though she were either sleeping with her eyes open or she’d already lost her mind.

Rachel felt a sliver of sympathy for her as she looked over her shoulder. On her first trip to Summer Sun, she pretty much looked the same way. At least she was a mother and had experience with children. Faith looked woefully unprepared for what was in store.

She faced forward again as the bus slowly lumbered toward the mess hall, a long slender building, and the only one with air conditioning. At the end of it was a small commissary that sold stuffed animals, magazines, and toiletries that one often forgot, like toothbrushes. Beyond were the multicolored cabins in neat rows beneath tall pines. Each one slept ten children with a small separate room for a camp scout. The chaperones’ bungalows lined up behind the cabins. The bathhouse was at the far end opposite the mess hall. Two fire pits surrounded by rocks were the centerpiece of the courtyard.

A group of high school girls stood outside of the mess hall cheering for their charges. Each camp scout was assigned a cabin and was responsible for the girls who occupied it. They all had on a colored T-shirt that corresponded to the name tags the girls had been given when they checked in their bags. Veteran campers lined up in front of the scouts according to color as they disembarked the buses. The new children followed their example.

When everyone was in order, Keely stood atop a picnic table and addressed the group in her unflappable cheery manner. “Welcome to Camp Summer Sun. If you’ve been here before, raise your hand.” More than half the girls threw their hands into the air. “Now look around you at all the new faces that are joining us. When you first came here, someone helped you learn how things are done. It’s your turn to do the same. Find someone in your line and shake her hand, tell her that you’ll take her under your wing and show her the ropes.”

Rachel watched as Kaycee grabbed Sophie’s hands. She could hear her daughter’s voice above the others. “I will show you everything. We’re gonna have so much fun!”

Keely let the girls chatter for a few minutes, then called them back to order. “I know your parents went over the rules with you, but let’s just run through a few of them again quickly. Camp scouts and chaperones are your leaders, obey what they tell you. Any area that has red tape on it is unsafe and you are not to enter under any circumstances. Camp curfew is at ten p.m. No one is allowed outside their cabin for any reason, unless accompanied by an adult or scout.” Keely smiled at the faces staring back at her. “I know I don’t have to say this because you all look like friends to me, but fighting is not tolerated. If an argument arises and you can’t resolve it yourselves, then you should see me, any of the scouts, or the chaperones. We have a wonderful lunch prepared, so, friends, enjoy Camp Summer Sun.”

The scouts began moving their groups into the mess hall as Keely approached Rachel and motioned to Faith, who was keeping her distance to join them. “Ladies,” she began in her cheery way and waved at the other chaperones as they followed the kids into the mess hall. Keely was all smiles until the door closed behind the last woman, then her face turned to stone. “I went to school with both of you, and I know your reputations. Show your asses in front of these kids, and I’ll kick them up between your shoulders.” She pointed a finger in Rachel’s face. “That badge won’t protect you out here. I’ll go all razors and barbwire on the both of you before you can blink. The same goes for you, Leblanc. Are we clear?”

Rachel held up both hands and nodded. Faith stood at attention and saluted.

Keely’s
sunny disposition returned. She flashed them a wide smile. “Have a wonderful time, ladies,” she said before she walked off toward the mess hall.

Faith had begun to follow when Rachel said, “Faith, wait a sec.”

She spun on one heel. “I smell barbecue, make it quick.”

Rachel took a step toward her and spoke lowly. “You act civil, I act civil. Time here is going to draw out painfully. Don’t make it harder on yourself.”

Faith cocked her head. “Was that a threat? It sure sounded like one to me.”

“I don’t make threats, I make promises. You of all people should know that.” Rachel waved a hand. “Just be human, and I’ll do the same.”

Faith turned and began walking again. Without looking over her shoulder, she asked, “You gonna kick me in the ass now?”

“Oh, no, if I wanted to hurt you, I’d just drag you behind the mess hall and…hey, Trudy, good to see you again,” Rachel said with a smile and a wave at the camp nurse. She lowered her voice and moved close behind Faith. “Remember her face, you may need her.”