Part 11 (2/2)
”We're not?” Derrington wiggled his b.u.t.t.
The boys laughed. A light breeze blew Cam's thick dark hair to the right of his face, revealing his blue eye. Claire sighed. She knew it would be a matter of days before another girl stole him away for good.
”Let's hang here,” Ma.s.sie declared. The girls stood under a tree a few feet away from the log. Now that Ma.s.sie had marked her turf, it would be the Pretty Committee's spot for the rest of the trip. When Alexandra, Carrie, Livvy, Olivia, and Layne showed up a few seconds later, they automatically knew to keep a reasonable distance. The only one stupid enough to stand right under the tree was Strawberry. She walked right over to the girls and started chatting like they were all the best of friends.
”So, what do you think our first activity is going to be?” she asked.
”I heard we're all going to stand around and watch Mr. Myner pitch a tent.” Ma.s.sie tried not to laugh at her own joke, but she lost it the second Dylan and Alicia cracked up.
Claire felt bad. It was obvious Strawberry didn't get it because she just stood there, then nervously grabbed a handful of her pink hair and stuffed it under the hood of her gray sweats.h.i.+rt.
”It's so funny how the boys are standing by the log and we're back here by the tree,” Claire mused.
Ma.s.sie, Dylan, and Alicia looked at her, their eyebrows raised.
”Why?” Ma.s.sie sounded slightly annoyed. ”How should should it be?” it be?”
”Well, at my old school in Orlando everyone would be together.”
”Perv,” Alicia sneezed.
Dylan cracked up.
”Oh, that'll happen,” Ma.s.sie a.s.sured her. ”You'll see.”
Claire regretted having said anything, knowing Ma.s.sie would now make it a point to force the s.e.xes together just to prove that OCD was as cool as any public school in Florida.
Mr. Myner and Merri-Lee walked out of the dining pavilion laughing, the two-man camera crew following closely behind.
Mr. Myner's smile faded when he noticed that everyone was on time. ”Sorry we're late. I had an important meeting with the chef.”
Merri-Lee rubbed her flat belly, licked her lips for the camera, and gave it a thumbs-up.
”If they were eating while we were left out here to starve, I'm suing.” Dylan folded her arms across her chest.
”I doubt they were eating,” Strawberry chimed in. ”It looks like your mother hasn't had a meal in five years.”
”Say one more thing about my mother and you'll be speaking out of your b.u.t.t.”
Strawberry lifted her hand in the air and shook it, to joke about how nervous she was. Then she went to join the other girls on the outskirts of the tree.
Merri-Lee waved at her daughter and mouthed, ”Hi, Pickles.”
”Gawd, I'll never make out with Plovert as long as she's she's here,” Dylan moaned. here,” Dylan moaned.
Cam jumped off Powwow Log when Mr. Myner and Mr. Dingle stepped up.
”Okay.” Mr. Dingle clapped his hands, then quickly rubbed them together. ”Who's ready to get started?”
”What about lunch?” Kemp Hurley shouted. His hands were in the pockets of his baggy skater pants and he swayed from side to side.
A chorus of yeahs yeahs rose up from the crowd. rose up from the crowd.
”Lunch comes after,” Mr. Myner explained.
Everyone groaned.
”It's all part of surviving. I need you hungry and motivated.”
Merri-Lee stood beside Dylan, put a bony arm around her, and smiled for the camera, like this was how they always stood. Dylan shook free immediately and rolled her eyes.
Mr. Myner rested his man-hands on his hips and waited for silence before he continued.
”We are going to divide you into three different survival pods and those are the people you will be working with this afternoon. They are your lifeblood. You must work together to traverse the terrain, interpret the maps, and reach the final destination.”
Mr. Dingle jumped in. ”The first pod to arrive will get a gourmet lunch in the dining pavilion, consisting of lobster mac and cheese, Caesar salad, and prime rib with herb-and-b.u.t.ter sauce. For dessert you will have your choice of bananas Foster, deep-fried ice cream, and double-fudge chocolate brownies. The losing pods will be served deviled eggs and saffron rice by the outdoor fire pit. No dessert. Aaaand the winners will also go on a hot air balloon ride so that they can admire the park's breathtaking topography.”
Everyone started talking at once until Mr. Myner put his hands on his hips again.
”Now, these maps are very basic. We've been teaching you how to read them in cla.s.s for the last two weeks. If you've been paying attention, your only challenge will be working together.” Mr. Myner pulled a rolled-up stack of papers out of his back pocket and handed them to Mr. Dingle, who just stood there, looking from the maps to Mr. Myner, then back to the maps.
Mr. Myner thrust them in front of Mr. Dingle's face. ”The fabulous Mr. Dingle will hand out the maps while I divide you into your pods.”
Mr. Dingle must have loved being called fabulous, because he finally wiped the offended look off his face and lifted the maps above his head.
Claire took her copy and examined it closely. It looked pretty simple. Some squiggly lines that indicated a river, a few solid black lines that represented the different trails, and a circle in the bottom left-hand corner of the page that must have been their endpoint. How hard could this be? Claire's mouth watered as she pictured herself digging into a steaming bowl of lobster mac & cheese.
”Pod one,” Mr. Myner announced, ”is Alexandra Regan, Kemp Hurley, Livvy Collins, Derrick Harrington, Steven Parker, and Dylan Marvil. Your captain is Paul Danno.”
”Who's that that?” Dylan hissed.
Ma.s.sie, Alicia, and Claire shrugged.
”Uch, there's no one no one on my team,” Dylan sneered. on my team,” Dylan sneered.
”You have Derrington,” Ma.s.sie whispered.
”And how does that help me?” Dylan snapped. ”Last time I checked he was your your crush.” crush.”
Ma.s.sie shrugged.
”Don't worry, Pickles.” Merri-Lee pinched her daughter's b.u.t.t. ”I'll be with you.”
Dylan rolled her eyes and left to join her LBR group. Merri-Lee and her crew hustled to catch up.
”Pod two,” Mr. Myner continued.
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