Unlikely Allies

  “LOL, I think we might be long-lost sisters,” I teased. “I feel the same. I swear, I break out in hives just thinking about it.”

  “Me too!” she said, dropping her pile of silverware on the table. “Sis, I’ve missed you,” she said, dramatically throwing her arms around my neck.

  I couldn’t help laughing at her exuberance as everyone in the kitchen turned to stare at us, including the one person I wished I could avoid.

  Not being one to shy away from an uncomfortable situation, I met his stare head-on as he swept his eyes over my appearance. I cringed when I saw him take in my still sandal-clad feet and long dress peeking out beneath my jacket. He turned away in obvious disgust, but not before I saw him mutter what could only be “beach bunny.”

  Grrrr, that was one thing Amy and I didn’t see eye to eye on. I wasn’t sure if she was just too sweet to see it, but Mason was definitely an ass with a capital A.

  As we all settled in at the table, Rick introduced me to the other campers, and I tried to mentally match up the names with the faces. Travis was easy since he was the one who had pulled Amy's hair earlier. Liz and Courtney were obviously the counselors of the other girls’ dorm, and both seemed nice. They were quieter than Amy, but most people were. Ryan and John were the other two male counselors, and they instantly made me feel at home by including me in their conversation. I liked Louise as much as Amy had promised I would. Although she seemed rough around the edges, I could tell she cared a great deal for everyone here.

  Rick sat beside me and asked me questions whenever Amy wasn't dominating my attention. With one exception, everyone was so nice that I was really starting to relax and not feel so out of place.

  Mason continued his laser like stare throughout the meal. I wanted to say something, but instead just ignored him, acting like I didn't care. In reality, his hostility completely threw me for a loop. Being hated was a new experience for me. I had pretty much hung out with the same crowd all through school, and for the most part, my life was drama-free.

  "What crawled up Mason's butt?" I heard Courtney whisper to Liz as we helped Louise clear the table.

  "I'm not sure. I've never seen him look so sour," Liz said, smiling at me as I helped her carry the condiments to the kitchen.

  My heart sank. I’d heard from enough of the group now to understand Mason’s attitude since I arrived wasn’t normal. Obviously, it had something to do with me.

  I stood with the refrigerator door open, stewing on my revelation, even after I had returned the ketchup and the mustard.

  "The camp can't afford to restock the food when it all goes bad because you can't figure out where to put the condiments," Mason said behind me.

  I groaned silently, ready to strike, but quickly counted to five in my head as I closed the refrigerator and turned to face him.

  Trying the more diplomatic approach, I pasted a smile on my face. "Look, we obviously got off on the wrong foot, but maybe once we get to know each other we'll realize the other one isn't all that bad."

  "Look beach bunny, I don't need to know you better to know how I feel about you," he said as he turned and walked away.

  "What a dick," I muttered through gritted teeth, making sure no one was looking before flipping off his retreating back.

  It was going to be a long six weeks.

  Once the table was cleared off and the dishes were all washed and put in their proper places, Rick turned on some music while the guys grabbed a stack of board games and cards from a closet on the far side of the room.

  "You ready for this?" Amy asked with sparkling eyes.

  "For what?" I asked confused.

  "Mad Dash Games," she declared.

  "Mad Dash Games?" I asked, raising my eyebrow questioningly.

  "We have three different games going on at the same time and each of us will play all the games at the same time. Rick sets the timer giving you five minutes at each station. Your goal is to progress in the game as far as you can before the timer goes off and you have move to the next station. Got it?" she asked.

  "I think so," I said a little confused, but not wanting to admit it.

  She gave me a quick one-armed squeeze. "Trust me, you'll love it," she promised.

  An hour later, I had to agree with her. My side ached from laughing so hard as grumbles erupted throughout the room each time the buzzer went off. By the time it had gone off for the fourth time, I was groaning just as loud as everyone else. Just when you began to build momentum the buzzer would sound and you were forced to take over the spot of someone else. We played Mad Dash Games for more than an hour before Rick finally called out the winners of each station. Louse declared me worth keeping around when I dominated in the UNO category.

  "Looks like Mason has been dethroned as the UNO king," Amy happily chortled, skipping to my side.

  I couldn't help sending a smirk of satisfaction Mason's way.

  Once the games were stowed away, we hung around talking, giving me the chance to get to know everyone a little better. With the exception of Mason, I really liked Rick’s staff. Louise proved to be just as colorful as Amy had described. It was cracking me up to watch her policing Amy, just waiting for her to slip and drop a swear word.

  I took a peek at my watch to see it was eleven o’clock. No wonder I was starting to yawn so much. Today was a long day and I didn’t complain at all when Rick shooed everyone off to their cabins, declaring that we all had a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I threw a tired "good night" his way as Amy and I stumbled toward our cabin.

  Chapter 3

  I woke up the next morning with chattering teeth. “Mother of pearl, it’s flipping cold in here!” I griped, pulling my blanket up over my head so my breath could warm the space under my makeshift tent.

  “LOL, I told you to borrow a pair of my pj’s,” Amy said, heading to the bathroom in a cute pair of polar fleece pajamas I would have traded my soul for at the moment.

  “How was I supposed to know it would be BFC in here at night,” I said, leaving my bed only long enough to snatch one of the blankets off one of the bunk beds.

  “BFC?” Amy asked, standing in the bathroom doorway.

  “Bum Focking Cold!” I teased, pulling the blanket off my head to grin at her.

  She laughed. “I swear we could be long-lost sisters. You sure you didn’t have a twin that was snatched at the hospital by some freak-o,” she joked, spreading toothpaste across her toothbrush.

  “I wish,” I said, laughing at how morbid we sounded.

  “Me too, chick-a-roo, me too,” she said, heading back into the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth.

  “That’d be sweet,” I said, smiling as I finally got out of bed. I was relieved that Amy and I had hit it off. Sharing a cabin with someone I couldn’t tolerate would have been major suckage.

  Still shivering, I hastily pulled on a pair of my new jeans and one of the long-sleeved flannel shirts I had been convinced the day before that I would never wear. I sighed with relief as the soft material instantly began to warm my chilled skin. I mentally kicked myself for not getting more shirts, who knew flannel would feel so freaking good.

  “You 'bout ready, chica?” Amy asked, pulling on a hoodie over her own long-sleeved shirt.

  “Just about. I need to brush my teeth and run a brush through this mess,” I said, indicating my bed head. “I’ll meet you at the mess hall," I added, gathering my hair together on the side before plaiting it into a braid.

  “Right-o,” Amy said, blowing me a mock kiss as she strolled out of the cabin. I could already hear her chatting with another counselor before the door even swung closed. She was a crack-up. I was by no means quiet, but Amy even put me to shame. She would have fit in well with my crew back home. It was oddly comforting to be around someone like my friends. I liked the way she let it all hang out there. It was obvious with Amy that what you see is what you get.

  Fifteen minutes later, I was on the narrow path leading to the mess hall, on my way to find Amy, when I sa
w Rick exit the building from a side door.

  “How did you sleep?” he asked as a greeting.

  “Like a popsicle,” I quipped, feeling a little more comfortable around him after the previous night’s activities.

  “Yeah, it was colder than a witch’s ti...” he started to say. “I mean, it was a bit frigid last night,” he corrected, looking contrite.

  “Rick, you don’t have to curb your language around me. Believe me, I’m no lightweight.”

  “It’s all about manners. It’s been a while since I’ve had any kind of a real conversation with a girl. Usually, Louise deals with the girls, while I handle the guys. The language gap between guys and girls is pretty significant,” he said laughing.

  “Ha, you must not know Amy as well as I thought,” I said giggling.

  "You got me there, but she’s a different sort altogether," he said smiling at me. “So, your mom called last night at almost midnight,” he said, shifting gears as he pulled the door open for me.

  “Oh?” I said, feeling guilty for not calling her. I had every intention to call her, but the crappy cell service didn’t improve anywhere in the camp. Short of climbing one of the tall trees, I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I was in the place where cell phones go to die.

  “She was making sure you got here all right. She sounded very sad,” he added.

  “Aren’t you mad that she never told you?” I asked, lowering my voice as we sat at the same round table from the night before.

  “I was stark raving pissed at first, but now I’m just grateful she finally did tell me. I don’t want the short time we have together to be ruined over anger. I want to get to know the person you are,” he said, rising from the table to head to the kitchen.

  I sat back in my chair while I pondered his words.

  “This isn’t a restaurant, sweetheart,” a condescending voice said behind me.

  “What?” I asked, wondering what I had missed.

  “We all work together here,” Mason said, looking at me with mild disgust. “It’s called teamwork,” he added, emphasizing the word. “No one’s going to wait on you.”

  “Did I ask you to wait on me?” I asked, feeling my blood start to boil. “Do you order training manuals on how to be an asshole, or does it just come naturally?” I asked, pushing myself back from the table and stomping off to the kitchen.

  I was still fuming when I reached the refrigerator where Amy was pulling out several different beverages.

  “Whoa, who got your panties in a bunch?” she asked, taking in my anger.

  “Mason,” I said, dragging out his name with disgust. “I don’t know what the frick his problem is.” I complained, grabbing the pitcher of milk in one hand and the orange juice with the other.

  “I know, right? I totally picked up on his AMS last night. What was the deal with that?”

  “AMS?” I asked.

  “Arrogant Male Syndrome,” she answered seriously, like it was a legitimate diagnosis.

  I couldn’t help laughing. “That’s classic, and fits him to a T.”

  “Either he has serious issues sharing daddy with you, or he’s holding back some repressed hormones. Because let’s face it, shy of pulling your hair or sticking a frog down your shirt, he seems to be crushing on you or something,” she whispered as we approached the table.

  I snorted in the most unladylike fashion. “It’d have to be option number one,” I said out of the corner of my mouth.

  “Oh sure, because you’re not attractive or anything,” she mouthed between giggles as she started loading up her plate.

  The other occupants at the table looked at us curiously, but I shrugged my shoulders like I didn’t have a clue.

  As I sat eating, I observed the dynamics of the group much like I had the night before. Everyone was nice enough to include me in their conversations, but I still couldn't help feeling like the odd man out. The majority of them had been coming to camp Allies for years. They all seemed to have a million stories of previous years and escapades they had witnessed. I was tempted to clear out my ears when they implied that Mason was the biggest prankster the camp had ever seen. It seemed hard to believe that Mr. Permanent Scowl, who seemed to have a problem with my very existence, had a fun side to him.

  Once breakfast was over, Louise shooed us out so she could clean the kitchen and we could start our training. I groaned at the thought. I’d always loved swimming and going to the beach, but I’ve never taken any kind of CPR class. The idea of giving mouth-to-mouth to a stranger always kind of grossed me out. I knew that sounded selfish, considering it was crucial to saving someone’s life, but I’d always been a firm believer that the only mouth-to-mouth I wanted to do was in the form of kissing.

  Rick led our group out to the clearing between all the cabins and the mess hall. I sat on a bench by the fire pit with Amy while Mason and Travis unloaded the CPR gear. I was relieved when I saw them pull out the lifelike CPR dummy.

  At least we wouldn’t have to practice on each other.

  “All right, I know all of you with the exception of Kimberly have taken CPR before. The state requires you take a refresher course every two years. I require that you take it every year. Saving a life is no joking matter. We’ve been lucky over the years, but that does not mean an accident can’t happen,” Rick said, placing the dummy on one of the benches. “I’m going to go over the basic moves and then all of you will pair up and go through the maneuvers.”

  My stomach dropped at his words. I looked around horrified, expecting everyone to share my dismay, but no one else seemed surprised. Great, I was the only prude in the whole group.

  “Okay, the important thing to remember is that any CPR is better than no CPR. There has always been a required regiment cycle that they felt needed to be mastered, but over the years they’ve also realized that any help is better than nothing. So, the first thing you do when you see someone laying unconscious is to see if they’re breathing. You shake them and ask if they are all right. If you get no response and are not alone, you tell the other person to call 911, while you tilt the victims head back like this,” he said, using his finger to tilt the head back of the practice dummy. “Once their head is tilted back, you rest your hands on this soft spot right below the ribs. Place your hands over each other, linking your fingers like this,” he said, holding up his linked hands so we could see. “It’s three pushes down and then a breath. When you’re doing the breath, you pinch the victim’s nose closed like this, and blow into their mouth once, and then do three more pushes on their stomach. You repeat these steps until help arrives. If you run out of steam and are not alone, switch off so that you can provide the best care possible. Does anyone have any questions?” he asked, looking directly at me.

  I shook my head. I was surprised it was so simple.

  “All right. Mason, why don’t we let you give an example?” Rick asked.

  “Sure thing,” Mason answered, sauntering over to where Rick stood.

  “Kimberly, why don’t you come up and help him,” Rick said, jotting something down on his clipboard.

  Mason looked at me sardonically as I sat there for a second, trying to figure out the most tactful way to protest, other than to just shout out, “hell no!” I would rather crawl through a pile of broken glass than play doctor with that jerk, but Rick stood there, staring at me with a hopeful look on his face, so I had to suck it up. Besides, when our eyes met, I could see that Mason expected me to chicken out and I definitely wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.

  Every swear word I knew ran through my head as I reluctantly stood up. This was no big deal. I’d been kissed before. I could get through this and prove to Mason who was the adult here, and who was the creep.

  “Okay, good,” Rick said, thankfully. “Kimmie, we'll have you be the victim first so you can see Mason go through the motions, and then you can go next,” Rick added like it was no big deal.

  “Fine,” I said, glaring at Mason as he smirked at
me.

  As I lay there on the rough bench, wishing more than ever that I were back home at the beach, I could feel everyone’s eyes on focused on me.

  “It might be hard to pretend you can’t breathe with all the air in your head,” Mason quietly mocked for my ears only as he leaned over me.

  I fought the urge to smack him in his nose. I figured it wouldn’t win me any brownie points to bloody Rick’s star pupil’s nose in front of everyone.

  “Enjoy the moment, pretty boy. I’m sure this is the most action you’ve gotten in a while,” I added, lacing my voice with sweetness.

  His eyes narrowed and I couldn’t help smiling in satisfaction.

  Everything changed when he moved into position over me. My smile quickly disappeared and I felt a tingle as my body reacted to being so close to him. I was expecting to be disgusted, considering he blatantly thought so little of me, but I found myself lost in his blue eyes as they focused on mine. I continued my gaze down his face and settled on his lips, anticipating how they would feel on mine. I could hear Rick going over the procedures again, but his voice seemed to trail off in the distance as Mason placed his hands between my ribs. My pulse quickened at his touch and my confusion-laced eyes met his. What was happening here? I hated him and yet, I wanted the heat of his hands to never leave me. Using the techniques Rick had given us, he pushed on my torso three times before moving up to pinch my nose closed. I was surprised at his gentle touch and couldn’t stop my body from tensing as his lips moved closer to mine. I nervously moistened my lips with my tongue and watched as his eyes followed, focusing on my mouth. He was a breath away and I parted my lips, ready to know if his were as soft as they looked. He paused above my mouth, blowing out slightly before abruptly moving away from my face. Confused, I felt him place his hands on my torso again and push down three more times before lightly pinching my nose and blowing on my face again.

  I waited for Rick to criticize him for cheating on the breathing step, but it slowly became obvious to me that I was the only one dumb enough to think Mason was actually going to place his lips on mine.