10. Jack #2
She gave him a double take, then looked at Curtis, who was also chugging a sports drink. Curtis saw Russell, then looked to his tampered Gatorade. Drew started laughing at how Curtis’s lips were a bright blue thanks to the food coloring we’d added.
We ducked behind our trees. My campers’ laughs could no longer be contained. Celeste had dropped her binoculars around her neck, instead clutching her side. Camille wiped away tears. From an outsider’s view, it would appear that we had lost our minds, unable to take our eyes off the show before us.
I kept an eye on Nat from my hiding spot. She scanned her surroundings, locking onto our area with a look that said this means war.
Soon, the mayhem died down, with Nat’s pod members regaining their composure and leaving, presumably to clean their mouths out.
Nat remained fixed in her position, pouring out the tainted Gatorade and throwing the bottles back into the cooler.
My campers had left, bored once the activity died down, but I couldn’t look away.
She lifted her head in my direction, mouthing, “Game on, Hawthorne,” a promise that I’d regret my actions. Maybe I would eventually, but right now, it was worth it to see that sinister smile on Nat’s face.
Bring it on, princess.
It didn’t take long for news of our exploits to spread throughout camp, but I couldn’t have predicted what it would unleash.
Apparently, others wanted in on the fun.
I’d heard reports of hot sauce being added to the maraschino cherries, Felicia’s pod adding vinegar to water bottles.
That didn’t surprise me. Food was the easiest go-to prank.
No one had done that to me, thankfully. That would have been gross.
When Autumn cornered me later to ask if I knew how this started, I went with the tried-and-true method of lying through my teeth. Come to find out, Nat must have lied, too. By the end of the second day, Autumn still didn’t have her culprit, and the pranks were still going on.
On the second day, I woke up feeling groggy as ever, but with a new motivation as I recalled the look on Nat’s face yesterday.
I opened my bedroom door, planning to make coffee, but as I stepped into the hallway, a loud burst and a pop startled me.
I jumped back at the noise, only to jerk at another pop.
My heart raced before my sleep-deprived mind realized what it was.
Slowly, my eyes adjusted to the light, and I found the entire floor of my cabin was covered in colorful balloons.
This must have taken them forever. I stumbled out of the rainbow mess with a huge smile on my face.
I kinda loved these pranks. What was wrong with me?
I got ready, dragging my feet along the floor, careful not to pop any other balloons, and tried my best not to allow them to leave my cabin. I stopped by to see if any of my campers had something similar done to them, but they were gathered around the table, oblivious.
When I made my way to the office, I sighed.
Our Camp Starlight flag had been replaced with none other than my Hawksome T-shirt.
Rude. Because of its age and status as my most beloved T-shirt, I often air-dried it and spread it out on my porch banister in the sun.
I must have forgotten to bring it back inside.
Even when it was clean, my pit stains were showing.
Ugh, gross. Nat was playing with fire, and it looked like camp prank wars were officially on.
As I vegged on the couch that night, three stomps sounded on the steps of my front porch, and I knew exactly who was about to grace me with her presence. It gave me the high I was hoping for. The one you experience after getting revenge.
If I’d have known she was going to come by so soon, I would have at least worn a shirt.
A burst of knocks ricocheted off the wood, loud enough that her knuckles were probably hurting. Oh, the sweet sounds of my upset nemesis. I grinned and opened the door, right as she leaned in to pound again, catching her in my arms as she fell forward.
In a moment suspended in time, I held her and couldn’t help but notice how perfectly we fit together.
Something about her made me notice things about myself I usually paid no attention to. The tautness of my skin. The rise and fall of my chest. The way her hot breath against my throat caused goose bumps to climb up my neck.
I twitched at the feeling, which apparently reminded her that she was here on a mission, and cuddling with me was not it.
She pulled away quickly, and her sightline glazed a path from my abs to my eyes.
“What’s up?”
“How about you put a shirt on for this conversation?” If I wasn’t mistaken, her words were part hostile and part… aroused?
I casually leaned against the doorframe. “If I’d known you were going to come by, princess, I would have dressed up.”
The stormy clouds overhead matched her mood as she leveled me with a glare that told me she was not backing down.
But I wasn’t either, and leaving her to follow me inside wasn’t on the agenda.
So I opted out of putting on a shirt and waited for the barrage of frustration to spill from her pretty mouth.
“Where is it, Jack?” she practically growled at me, and her intensity was intoxicating. She peered around my body, but I filled out the frame, blocking her vision.
I feigned innocence. “Where’s what?”
“Don’t give me that bullshit. I want my mini fridge back. It’s important—” A gasp left her as she spotted what I’d purposely displayed on the counter behind me.
My smile curled up as she pushed me to the side so she could get a better view. I straightened my arm so she couldn’t bypass me and grab the Barbie-pink mini fridge.
“That doesn’t belong to you.” She clenched her jaw and gave me exactly what I wanted.
There was something so satisfying about getting a rise out of her. The way she looked at me when she was pissed off made me feel electric. I was becoming addicted to the feelings she evoked in me.