Part 13 (1/2)
”Uh, no.”
”Well, he is.” She nodded slowly, like she was giving him some very privileged information. ”Very successful.” successful.”
”Cool.” Josh smiled politely at Olivia. He obviously had no idea how this information related to him.
Strawberry and Cam stopped walking once they came to a fork in the road. One trail led up into the woods and the other continued along the lazy river. They pored over the map, trying to decide which way to go.
”Hurry,” Olivia urged. ”I'm getting hungry.”
”We're trying,” Strawberry barked.
Claire expected her to scold Olivia for complaining and not helping. But Olivia's flowing blond hair, navy eyes, and clear white skin made her look like a fragile woodland fairy. And Strawberry probably thought it was wrong to shout at someone who looked so innocent.
”Why don't we just follow the sound of those cheering voices and go left,” Plovert suggested. He was leaning on his crutches, with his head c.o.c.ked to the side.
”What cheer-” Cam started to ask but stopped once he heard them.
”Who's that singing about loving mac and cheese?” Olivia asked.
”Dylan,” Claire confirmed.
”Sounds like we lost.” Strawberry sulked. She turned left and everyone followed in silence. ”It's not like we didn't try, right? I mean, Olivia, you were great at finding out who Josh wants to kiss. And Plovert, every time we started to pick up speed you really helped out by falling. And Claire-”
”All right, enough,” Cam snapped. ”We lost a stupid race-it's no big deal.”
Had Cam just defended her? Claire felt a jolt shoot through her body. It recharged her. It made her want to sprint through the woods as quickly as she, could. It made her want to hug Cam and sniff the side of his neck.
Strawberry karate-kicked a low tree branch. It snapped and dropped to the ground. ”Loser!” she shouted at the fallen wood, then stormed off.
Claire picked up her pace, quietly leaping over errant logs and rocks so she could catch up to Cam without sounding like she was trying to. In a matter of seconds she was back in the Drakkar zone.
”Thanks for coming to my rescue.” Claire felt her hands go clammy. It was the first time she'd spoken to Cam in days.
”It was no big deal,” Cam said to his beat-up hiking boots. ”I was just tired of hearing her voice.”
Then he sped up.
Claire stopped walking and hunched over. She couldn't tell if Cam had really punched her in the stomach or if it just felt like he had.
”You okay?”
She felt Josh's hand on the small of her back.
”Fine, thanks.” Claire straightened up and hurried down the trail.
She was one of the last people to step into the clearing. Almost everyone else beat her to it and was either celebrating their victory or mourning their loss.
”Congratulations to pod number one. You really worked well as a team,” Mr. Myner announced.
”And my crew got some great shots of you boys crossing the river,” Merri-Lee added. ”It was like The Amazing Race The Amazing Race,” she gushed.
”Fixed,” someone coughed.
”Fixed,” someone else coughed.
Suddenly everyone was coughing, ”Fixed,” because Dylan's team, the only one with its own camera crew, had happened to win.
”Jealous,” Dylan coughed back. Her teammates joined in.
”All right, that's enough.” Mr. Myner raised his hand. ”Nothing was fixed. Team one showed some wonderful ingenuity. You could all learn something from them. While they are enjoying a delectable gourmet lunch, the rest of you will eat by the fire pit. After a short break, Mr. Dingle will take you back into the woods for a quick tutorial on map reading and I will lead the hot air balloon expedition. Have a good afternoon, everyone.”
The losers, including Mr. Dingle, groaned while the winners jumped up and down and hugged one another.
”Hey, Block,” Derrington shouted from the winner's circle. ”Aren't you going to give me a kiss goodbye?”
Everyone stopped and faced Ma.s.sie. But she just stood there with a shocked expression on her face. Claire looked away. It was hard to see Ma.s.sie at a loss for words. It seemed unnatural.
”What if I die in the air balloon?” Derrington said. ”It may be your last chance.”
Ma.s.sie took off her Oliver Peoples sungla.s.ses and tapped one of the arms against her bottom teeth. Claire could tell she was trying to think of a comeback, but everyone else probably thought she looked like a seductive movie star.
”Derrick.” Ma.s.sie p.r.o.nounced his name like a disappointed teacher. ”Are you having a soccer finals flashback?”
”What?” Derrington was confused. ”No, why?”
”Because you seem a little desperate to score,” Ma.s.sie said.
The Briarwood soccer boys busted out laughing and messed Derrington's hair.
”She totally dogged you!” Kemp smacked his own thigh.
”Your loss, Block.” Derrington looked genuinely hurt.
Ma.s.sie must have picked up on this too, because she quickly moved closer to him and softened her tone.
”Look,” she whispered. ”I just think it's a little tacky to kiss in public, especially in broad daylight.”
”So then later?” Derrington raised his eyebrows.
”Later.” Ma.s.sie turned and walked back to her friends, but the MUCK girls got to her first. They couldn't wait to congratulate her on her performance.
”This way.” Mr. Dingle waved the losers toward the trail back to camp.
”What's wrong with you?” Layne asked Claire as the defeated group walked back in silence.
”Nothing.” She didn't want to talk about Cam because if she did, she'd start bawling. Besides, he was only a few steps ahead of her, helping Plovert. ”How was your morning?”
”Awful,” Layne whined. ”I have the worst cramps from you know what. It feels like I swallowed a squirrel and now it's trying to claw its way out through my belly b.u.t.ton.”