Page 29 of Puck Your Friend

Jace stands twenty or so feet from a cargo net that turns into a slide leading toward my section. I stand a good distance from the ladder for the last slide.

The girl beside me shakes out her arms. She’s taller than me and can cover more ground quickly. I don’t care, I know I can smoke her as long as the guys pull through.

The horn blares and Ford takes off.

He dives into the tunnel headfirst. He’s faster than I expected with the inflatable swaying under us. He makes it through clean and passes the red foam baton to Logan.

Logan launches across the beam. He holds his arms out as he puts one foot in front of the other. He almost tips over when the second guy gets on and makes the weight uneven, but he finishes it and heads for Jace.

The wall blocks Jace from view, but the crowd screams their heads off. I watch the top, either he or the other guy will pop up.

They both do, each taking the wide slide at the same time. We’re not allowed to shove each other, so Jace has to deal with it.

I brace, turning slightly so I can get up the ladder before she does.Jace has a slight lead and smacks the baton into my palm.

I take off just as her teammate reaches her.

My feet slap against the plastic as I get to the ladder. It’s made up of round yellow steps and isn’t very high. I climb fast. She’s on my tail. I waste no time, take a deep breath, and go head first down the slide, diving into the lake.

The cool water hits hard on my head, but I’m used to it with how much we swim at our spot.

I just have to make it twelve yards, that’s nothing. Using the freestyle stroke, I propel myself forward. I can feel her trying to overtake me. Her length gives her an advantage.

I’m not losing to her. I pour all my energy into kicking as hard as I can with the dolphin kick and reach the dock before her. I climb the ladder as she’s reaching to pull herself over the edge. I dive for the flag and snatch it just as her fingers graze the pole.

Raising it above my head, I show the others our victory.

We won.

The girl sits on the dock. “For such a tiny thing, you sure are fast.”

The comment rubs me the wrong way. I’m not that tiny. I try to let it roll off my back as I jump in the lake and swim to the shallow end before standing.

The guys meet me in the water, all smiling as they clap me on the back.

Counselor Ted lifts the megaphone to his mouth. “Team E wins! Snack tokens will be deposited onto your food cards by the end of the day! Everyone else, head out! You don’t have to go back to your cabins, but you can’t stay here. The lake is closed for the rest of the day. We’re going to get rain soon.”

The younger kids groan, disappointed they didn’t get a chance to try the obstacle course.

“Jace, Wes, and Logan. You’re on dessert duty tonight in the kitchen, report to the Mess Hall in five minutes.”

All three of them groan as we head back to the shore and I go to my duffle that has a shirt and shorts I can throw on over my suit.

Jace hums. “At least we get free samples.”

Logan rolls his eyes. “You doing poison...” He raises his fingers in quotation marks. “...testing doesn’t count as free samples.”

Wes shakes his head and waves at Ford and me. “See you guys at dinner.”

I watch them go. My gaze lingers on Wes. The kiss from the other day keeps playing in my head. I want to do it again, longer this time. I didn’t get enough of a chance to fully experience it.

Is it wrong that I want to kiss all of them?

Ford nudges me after I get my clothes on. “C’mon, there’s something I want to show you.”

There’s a glint in his brown eyes that makes me curious, so I follow him.

My hair’s damp at the ends when I pull my camp shirt over my head. The cotton sticks for a second, then settles. My shorts are easy to slide on, even with wet skin. Ford waits while I shove everything else into my bag and tie it closed.