Love and Pollywogs from Camp Calamity Read Online Free Page B

She knew how especially thrilled I was since I’d never been on vacation before.
    Nit and Aurora hurried over to where I stood. I squeezed their hands, and the three of us grinned at each other.
    “The twenty-five of you are the fifty-eighth class from Saint Dominic’s to go to Camp Wickitawa,” Principal said. “I know that you will bring honor to our school, just as every single class has. Camp Wickitawa looks forward to Saint Dom’s coming every year, because our students are truly exceptional.”
    We all hooted and cheered at that!
    “You will be following in the steps of more than a thousand scouts from our school who have gone and left their mark with inspired science and nature projects, exciting team events, and even some rather memorable Talent Night performances.”
    We laughed and cheered again. It was like a pep rally,and the pep was all about
us
. It made me feel so grown up. Mom came up behind me and gave me a squeeze around the shoulders. Normally, I would have squeezed her back, but I wasn’t completely over being mad at her for letting Maxey come to my camp.
    Sister Lucille shouted over the noise. “It’s time to say goodbye to any electronics you haven’t parted with yet. Cough up any cell phones, video games, and music. Parents, make sure your campers are leaving all that with you. You all have my cell number and you can call me, if needed. And you have the main office number at Camp Wickitawa on the sheets I passed out.”
    The big stinky bus roared up and farted smoke in our faces. I didn’t even mind. It was the smell of travel and adventure!
    Mom twirled me around and gave me a tight hug, and one of her famous Coach Maloney butt smacks. I’ll probably get one of those even on my wedding day after she walks me down the aisle.
    She held me by the shoulders and looked at me. “I know you’re still sore at me,” she said. “I promise you that you’re going to have the time of your life.”
    It would have been so easy to bury my head in the center of her that very second, but I didn’t. I looked down at my tennies and bit down on the inside of my cheek hard. I hadn’t wanted to say goodbye to Pretty Girl that morning, and I did not want to say goodbye to Mom, either.
    She sighed and pulled me close. Kissed the top of myhair. “You’re a Maloney dame, for sure,” she said. “They don’t come any more stubborn than that.”
    Aurora’s head popped out the bus window. Nit was in the seat in front of her, waving like mad. “Effie, come on! We’ve saved you a place.”
    Mom pulled a tissue from her bag and blew her nose. She was losing it. Next to her, Becca’s dad was dabbing at his eyes with a man hanky.
    I hitched up my backpack and swallowed. I did
not
want to start crying. I turned and raced toward the bus. Camp Wickitawa, here I come!
    •   •   •
    The ride to camp went by super fast even though it was a three-hour trip. The girls sat all the way in front and the boys sat in back. Even though we were going to the same place, it was sort of like two different camps. We’d have meals together in the same dining room but at different tables, I was pretty sure. Some classes we’d have together. And Talent Night was for boys and girls. Donal was the only one who didn’t seem to get it. Even though Frank had him sitting with the boys, he kept shouting things up to us.
    Donal transferred to our school this year from Ireland, but he still hasn’t made any friends with the boys. They all think he’s a very peculiar kid. Which he is. But girls get along better with peculiar kids than boys do. It’s hard to tell if Donal is strange or just Irish. Nit was his first officialfriend, and so I guess that made him my friend too. And Aurora’s.
    On the way to camp, I got to talk to Cricket, who would be our CIT.
    Since Phil was only in seventh grade, she was the junior CIT and Cricket was the real CIT and Phil’s boss. Thank God. Sister Lucille was our counselor and in charge of