Friends Forever? (12 page)

Zee looked at the screen. Then she looked at her hands, which until that moment she hadn't realized were actually shaking. She sent the message. And waited.

And waited.

Zee peered over at Ally. Did she get the IM? Did she read
it? Would she respond? As she waited for a reply, Zee tried to type an email to her parents and Adam, but it was just too hard. How could she tell them about everything that had happened? Zee looked at the computer clock.
Ohmylanta!
she silently groaned. Only a minute had passed.
How is that possible?
Zee wondered. It seemed more like fifteen. Maybe Ally had single-handedly figured out a way to make time stand still just to torture Zee. Zee couldn't blame her.

Maybe the computer's frozen
, Zee thought. She hit a few keys to make sure everything was working. It was.

Sitting and waiting was just too much for Zee. The IM might never come. She moved her cursor across the page to log out at the top of the screen, ready to sign off for the day.

Just as she was about to click on the mouse, a response popped up.

Ohmy-ohmy-lanta!
Zee thought.
Of course!
Ally took so long because she was writing a response.

This time Zee really did log off. Then she rushed over to Ally, who jumped out of her seat. The girls hugged.

“I
'm so sorry!” Ally said. “You must think I'm completely horrible.”

“No way!” Zee said. “I wanted you to feel like you were still part of the group. And I wanted my new friends to know that they were really important to me, too. I thought it was my job to keep everyone happy.”

“Well, that is what makes you Zee,” Ally reminded her.

“Instead I ended up miserable without you,” Zee added.

“Yeah, that part of the plan didn't work out so well,” Ally said. Which made Zee crack up. Which made Ally crack up. Just like they used to laugh together.

As the girls stood there, Chloe entered the lodge with
the Mountain Man crutch.

“Don't remind me,” Zee said. “I can't believe we fell for the boys' stupid prank.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “We should have listened to Ally,” Chloe said. “She never believed he was real.”

“Are you kidding?” Ally said. “Maybe I didn't believe it at first, but by the end, I was totally with you guys.”

“Unfortunately, the Mountain Man wasn't the only monster the boys created,” Chloe went on.

“He wasn't?” Zee asked.

“No, they also made a new version of Jasper. He won't stop talking about how ‘brilliant' the plan was,” Chloe said, impersonating Jasper's accent.

“Too bad we can't get them back,” Zee said.

“That's it!” Ally said.

“What?” Chloe and Zee asked at once.

“We can get them back,” Ally told them.

“How?” Zee asked. “We're going home this evening.”

“That gives us the rest of the day to plan,” Ally said. “Plus, you're forgetting about the fact that your families are coming
here
.”

Zee looked at her friend suspiciously. “What do they have to do with it?”

“Not
them
—just Adam.”

Chloe perked up. “Tell us!”

The three girls huddled together to talk about Ally's plan. Then they sent Adam an email to tell him what he needed to do to help them.

 

The Brookdale Academy families arrived to join the campers for dinner before the talent show. Zee, Ally, and Chloe rushed over to Adam while Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael talked to Chloe's parents.

“Did you bring the supplies?” Zee asked her brother.

Adam unzipped his backpack and showed the girls his stash.

“Okay,” Ally said. “While we're eating, you need to arrange everything in cabin two.”

“Won't Mom and Dad notice I'm missing?” Adam asked.

“Don't worry,” Zee assured him. “I'll take care of them.”

As Adam went off to set the trap, Zee, Chloe, and Ally went over to the Carmichaels and Lawrence-Johnsons.

“Where's Adam off to?” Zee's mother asked.

“There's something I want to tell you, Mom.” Zee took her mother's arm and began to lead her away. “You guys go ahead and start eating,” Zee told the rest of the group.

“Oh…uh…okay, honey,” Mrs. Carmichael said. The way Zee was dragging her away, however, made it clear she didn't have much choice. Ally and Chloe led Mr. Carmichael and the Lawrence-Johnsons toward the serving line.

“What is it, Zee?” Mrs. Carmichael asked when they were safely out of earshot of the other campers.

“Guess what I got this week?” Zee teased.

“Poison ivy?” her mother asked. “Oh, I was worried about that. I hope the nurse—”

“No, Mom,” Zee interrupted. “It's not poison ivy.”

“What is it, then?”

Zee leaned closer. “My period,” she whispered.

Mrs. Carmichael instantly squeezed Zee in a hug. “That's so wonderful!” Then she stepped back. “Are you okay? I mean, you didn't have any supplies with you.”

“I'm fine,” Zee assured her. “Kathi helped me out.”

“That was nice of her,” Mrs. Carmichael said. “We'll have to make sure you have your own now that you're all grown up.” She wiped at a tear in the corner of her eye.

“Mom,” Zee said. “It's not that big a deal.” She wanted to tell her mother about the really big deal—the kiss with Landon—but she figured that she'd told her enough big news for the moment. Plus, she needed to stop the water-works before her mother completely embarrassed her.

Then out of the corner of her eye, Zee watched her brother come through the lodge doors. When she glanced his way, he gave her a thumbs-up. Zee could see that his backpack was no longer full.

“I'm hungry,” Zee said to her mother. “We should eat.”

“Good idea,” Mrs. Carmichael said, turning around. “Oh, there's Adam. He must have gone to the bathroom.”

 

At the end of the meal, Mr. P stood up. “Attention, campers and seventh-grade families,” he shouted so everyone could hear him. “It's time for the students to get ready for the talent show. Our guests can find their seats at the outdoor
stage area while the performers prepare in their cabins.”

Zee hopped out of her seat. “Bye, Mom and Dad,” she said. “Gotta go!”

“Yeah, see you later,” Ally added.

“Where are you girls going in such a rush?” Mr. Carmichael asked.

“We have to change into our costumes,” Chloe explained as she followed the other two. But the three girls didn't head to the cabin right away. Instead they found Missy, Kathi, and Jen.

“Hurry!” Zee told the other three girls. “We've got a surprise for you.”

“What?” Kathi asked suspiciously.

“Trust me,” Zee said. “You will not want to miss this.”

“Excellent!” Missy said, moving faster.

That was all Kathi needed. She wasn't going to let Missy be part of the surprise without her.

The girls rushed to their cabin, but Zee stopped them at the door. “Don't go in yet,” she explained. “The surprise is out here.”

They waited anxiously for the cabin-two boys to come.

Finally, the boys arrived—with Adam.

“What are you guys waiting for?” Conrad asked when he saw them standing outside. “The Mountain Man?”

“Ha ha!” Chloe said.

“We were just thanking Adam for giving us the idea in the first place,” Marcus said as the group continued to walk by.

Zee laughed and Ally whispered to Chloe, “They won't be thanking Adam in a minute.”

Suddenly, one by one, Marcus, Conrad, Landon, and Jasper shot out of cabin two.

“Aaaaaaa!” they screamed in unison.

“They're all over the place!” Conrad yelled.

“I think one is still on me!” Marcus added.

“Crikey!” Jasper held on to his arm as he ran. “I think one bit me!”

The boys scrambled in all directions, screaming louder than Zee had ever heard anyone scream.

Eventually Adam appeared at the door to cabin two. The girls rushed to him.

“What did you do?” Missy shouted excitedly.

“What a bunch of immature babies!” Kathi said.

Jen followed behind. “I have got to see this.”

“Just don't freak out,” Adam said as they entered the cabin. “It's all fake.”

Like a carpet over the wooden floor, snakes were everywhere.

Zee scooped down to pick one up. “Rubber,” she said, holding it out to show everyone.

“That actually went much better than I'd planned,” Ally said.

“That's because I made it better,” Adam told them. “I rigged a sheet up to the ceiling. When the boys opened the door, it pulled the sheet over, and the snakes came tumbling down on top of them.”

“That's awesome!” Chloe cheered.

“I have to admit, it is cool beans,” Zee said. “But don't let it go to your head.”

“I know,” Adam said, patting her on the shoulder. “I know.”

Zee rolled her eyes. “Stop doing that before I take back the compliment.”

“You can't. I have witnesses.” Adam began collecting his snakes and putting them in his backpack. “Now excuse me while I clean up. I think I might need these again this week.” He smiled deviously at Zee and Ally.

“Ohmylanta!” Zee groaned. “Now
I've
created a monster.”