Gah! It was so frustrating not to be able to tell her that I was totally fine! And that this was the most excitement I’d had in my entire life! All I could do was smile harder and hope I didn’t look like I’d lost my mind.
We trudged back to the stables sopping wet, but yeah, also a little victorious. Trinity walked on one side of me, holding Jolie’s reins, Lulu on the other, watchful and careful while she held the reins of both her horse and Trinity’s. And I came to a decision. No way was I telling Mom and Dad about this. They’d never let me near a horse again! And I was not gonna let that happen.
CHAPTER 41
Of course, because of rules and regulations and stuff, just before dinner Trinity told me that she was required by both the rules of the camp and the laws of the state to call my parents to report the “incident.” Cassie was already getting the necessary paperwork ready.
Nooo! Mom would pull out her hair with worry, and Dad would get into the car and come bring me home immediately. Nooo! So I tapped, “What if you help me write a message to them first?”
She agreed that was an excellent idea.
This was what Trinity and I composed together:
Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad! I’m having a great time at camp! Today I got to ride a horse! Yep, me on a big brown horse. The day started out sunny, but then it rained and I accidentally kicked her and she ran down the road. Oh, forgot to mention—I was on her back when she did that! I was only a little scared. Well, maybe a lot. But I pulled the reins and stopped the horse—all by myself. I was so proud of me! I am fine. Cassie will call you. Don’t freak out. Camp is awesome.
Love, Melody
We all got totally drenched again going to dinner—the storm laughed at our pathetic raincoats and baseball caps. But it was worth the trek, if only for dessert. Lemon meringue pie!
CHAPTER 42
When we got back, Trinity took the time to wipe down my wheelchair to make sure no water had collected in the moving parts. Fortunately, I’d left Elvira in the cabin, so she was safe and dry.
The wind continued to whistle and the thunder crashed overhead. Our battery-powered lanterns flickered just enough. Athena, snuggled with Blankie, seemed more relaxed now.
“So, how about we do our own private story time tonight?” Lulu suggested.
The four of us looked at each other in dismay.
“Maybe we can tell ghost stories,” Trinity suggested, all perky.
“Or tell jokes.” Sage, perkier.
None of us replied—louder this time.
“Maybe have hot chocolate or caramel?” Trinity offered. Perkiest!
That got the loudest no reply!
Jocelyn interpreted our silence for them, her arms tight across her chest. “Boring. Boring. Boring.”
I looked from Karyn to Athena to Jocelyn, and the four of us nodded at the same time, like a visual fist bump.
I put Elvira’s speaker on her loudest level. “Can we have some chill time alone? Please?”
The rain pelted the roof of the cabin. Lightning lit the sky—a storm bonfire! And the four of us waited for a reply.
“Well!” Trinity said at last while pulling her braids into one thick ponytail. “In my four years of being a counselor, I’ve never had a group of young women who’ve bonded so well and deserved some time off more than the four of you. So how about this? We get you all into your PJ’s, then we ‘helicopter counselors!!’?”—and here she gave us a sly look—“will disappear for an hour or so, and the four of you can do your thing?”
We all double fist-pumped into the air, whooooo!
It took just a few minutes to get us changed and meds taken. And true to their word, the counselors actually left us alone in the cabin! Okay, they were three minutes away in the kitchen, and they made us swear on Athena’s blanket that we would not, under any circumstances, leave the cabin. We pinky promised.
I couldn’t believe how good it felt to have the cabin to ourselves. The room was warm, and we all felt like friends at a sleepover staying up past our bedtime.
“Sooo, what do we do now?” Karyn asked with a giggle.
“What do you think of camp?” I asked, starting off the conversation.
“I like swimming and art,” Karyn said.
“And the zip line is the bomb,” Jocelyn said next. “Feels like flying, flying, flying.”
“Yeah, before this, not much flying in my life—actually not ever,” I admitted.
“Me either!” Athena added.
“This is fun—I’ve never been able to hang out with my friends before.” Then I added, “Okay, truth. I’ve never had friends before!”
Karyn said, “I have a couple of friends at home, but they don’t always get it. We hang out sometimes, but lots of times they’re ‘busy’ when I call them.”
Jocelyn said, “Yep, yep, yep,” as she slid off her bunk to the floor and leaned against the bedframe. “Friends to giggle with—never had that before.” She didn’t repeat herself, but hugged her shoulders three times. We all exchanged smiles.
Then Athena, cozy-looking in fuzzy pink pajamas, suggested, “Hey, I know what! Let’s tell stories!”
I’m in! I thought.
“Can I go first?” she asked.
“Go, girl,” Karyn urged her.
Athena stood up, Blankie wrapped around her shoulders like a cape. She took a second to wipe her glasses with a tissue and put them back on.
“Once upon a time,” she began. Then she stopped and asked, “Do I have to say ‘once upon a time’?”
“Nope!” Jocelyn confirmed.
Athena thought about that, then said, “Twice upon a time there was this girl named Athena.” She paused, and made a tiny curtsy.
“Athena loved dancing, so she asked her mom if she could take dance lessons. Her mom thought it was a good idea, so she called a dance studio. They said no.
“So her mom called another studio. They also said no. Athena cried. She just wanted to dance like they do on TV. Finally her mom called a place that said, ‘Sure, bring Athena to our studio.’