Bookishly Ever After (Ever After #1)(58)

My stomach turned when every head in the room turned to look at me. This had been a majorly bad idea. Dev nudging me with his elbow didn’t help.

“It will be a lot of work, but you can ask anyone who has been a counselor before—it’s a very rewarding experience.” He started going on about what we’d need to bring and then listed all of the middle school teachers who would be “managing” us during the week, closing with, “Remember, this isn’t a chance to party in the woods. I expect you all to do Pine Central proud.”

Dev elbowed me again and I shot him a death glare. His teeth practically sparkled, like in a toothpaste commercial. “This is going to be so rewarding. Like when Cyril buried his hand in the girl’s hair.”

Part of me wanted to laugh. The rest of me wished I was safely in Zhdanova’s class and had never heard of this camp or Dev or Hiding.





35


Reaching out, I touch Dan’s elbow with the lightest of touches, pretending to be shy. My lips turn up the tiniest amount that I keep inching up as I talk. “Let’s go to the conservatory.” Letting my voice grow softer, I add, “Unless you want to hang out in my room for other reasons?” The tips of his ears turn red and he quickly shakes his head. Success. –Marissa, Hidden

“Score! This sleeping bag is rated to negative twenty degrees,” Alec said, holding up a thick, bright red roll, tossing it into my shopping cart, basketball-style. His voice echoed down the sleeping bag aisle of the camping supplies store.

I checked the tag and nearly had a heart attack. “Holy cannoli, and it’s almost five hundred dollars. My dad said he’d cover reasonable costs.” Alec opened his mouth to speak and I cut him off, pulling the bag out of my cart and shoving it back on the shelves. “There is no way this will ever be considered reasonable.”

Em was further down the aisle, squinting at a sales sign. “This one is fifty dollars on clearance.” Much to Alec’s dismay, I maneuvered the cart away from the expensive bags and towards Em. “Oh, and it comes in teal.” She pulled one of the bags off of the shelf and handed it to me.

The bag was definitely a pretty shade of teal with a grey flannel lining. I dug my fingers into the side of the roll and it was gloriously squishy.

“Sold,” I said, dropping the bag into my shopping cart.

Alec shook his head. “Teal? You’re picking by color? You two would die within seconds on that Survival reality show.”

“But at least I’d die in my favorite color.” He rolled his eyes at me and I laughed. “You know, if you’re so into this stuff, why didn’t you sign up?”

“I like survivalist stuff, not keeping a bunch of snotnosed little kids from killing each other in the woods for a week.”

“They’re ten and eleven. I think they’re probably past the snotty-nose stage at this point,” Em said, grabbing a teal camp pillow and throwing it in the cart. “Okay, sleeping bag done. What’s next on your list?” We exited the aisle and I started heading towards rows that looked like they had even more camp-ish stuff.

Alec stopped us, waving something he picked up off of an end cap. “Damn, a Swedish fire knife. That would be awesome. You have to get it.”

Em snatched it out of his hands and started studying the back of the box. “What does it do?”

“It’s a knife, but it also has a Swedish fire steel inside it. You can cut yourself out of bad situations and start a fire.” Alec took back the box and pet it like it was the One Ring.

I shook my head and kept pushing the cart forward. “I don’t plan on needing to start a fire in the near future.”

We were halfway into the next aisle before I saw him reluctantly put back the box and jog up alongside us. “What if you got lost in the woods and had to fend for yourself?”

“This is Camp Sundew. Not the Arctic or the Serengeti. I’m pretty sure I won’t get lost.”

He shook his head. “It’s your funeral.”

“C’mon. I’m sure there are matches there. And when will I ever need to start a fire?” I gave Alec a grin. “And me, with a knife? Bad idea. But thanks, oh guru of camping.”

“Somebody called for a camping guru?” A somewhat familiar voice came from behind me.

I turned around slowly, trying not to let any of my surprise show. Kris was leaning against a wall of shelves, carrying one of those camp lanterns. I choked back my initial urge to hide. “Kris?”

He glanced at my friends and full cart. “Getting supplies for camp?”

Something had to be off in the universe—Kris talking to me more than once even though he didn’t have to? Marissa would totally use this as an opportunity to set the stage for future flirting success, like the scene in Hidden where she tried to distract Dan away from the mirror. I nodded and fortunately, Alec answered while I tried to reassemble my brain and come up with something coherent.

“Trying to. Someone’s ignoring all of my legit survival advice.”

Okay, Marissa always found some excuse to touch a guy’s arm and then play to his strengths. I reached out and tapped the hand Kris was using to hold the lantern.

“Alec thinks I’m going to get lost. Maybe I should get one of those, too, so I don’t get stuck somewhere at night?” I felt stupid letting my hand linger a little bit longer than necessary, but I counted to two before pulling my hand back. My fingers still tingled slightly from the contact.