At that moment, a tall brunette walks in from the bathroom and scowls. “What are you doing by my bed? Move away.” She pushes past me.
Before I can respond, Fallon steps up. “What did you do with Cassie’s clothes, Mindy?”
“You mean the garbage? I set it on the bunk by the bathroom. I need space, and since we aren’t full, there’s no reason I can’t have that space.” Mindy shrugs and goes to unpack her suitcase which sits on top of the dresser.
I beat Fallon to the punch this time. “If you ever touch my stuff again, it will be the last thing you touch. I don’t deal with bullies, so watch your step.”
“Fallon, did you hear her threaten me? That’s against the rules. I think she should be removed from the cabin, if not the camp.” Mindy’s smug attitude makes my arms quake. I clench my fists in an effort to calm down.
“Mindy, messing with other’s belongings is also against the rules. If you would like to move cabins, I’m sure I can arrange that with Kelly.” Fallon backs me up, and it’s obvious she doesn’t like Mindy, either. “Even though we’re not at capacity, we still only get three drawers plus the cubby. I’d also like you to move bunks. Cassie can take either the top or bottom bunk, now.” Fallon turns to me with a serious expression. “Cassie, I’d appreciate you not threatening the other campers. This is your warning.”
Fallon plays the moderator well, so I nod my head. Today has been up and down so far. If the rest of my time here remains like this, I may regret not leaving when Simon offered.
“I’m going to talk to my father about this. I was in the room first and claimed my bunk. I’m not moving.” Mindy storms out the door, slamming it shut on her way.
Fallon stares at the door and shrugs her shoulders. “You met her dad at registration.”
“Mr. Pratt is her dad. She’s Mindy Pratt?” Now, I worry. If one of the administrators stands against me, my life here becomes harder than it needs to be. This situation mimics a time when a teacher didn’t like me because of my family life. They automatically assumed I’d cause trouble.
“Don’t worry about him.” Fallon waves her hand through the air “He’s nothing more than a glorified secretary. Him working here is the only reason Mindy is allowed in. I’ll go talk to Kelly about what happened. For now, leave your stuff. Since Mindy already put some of her stuff in the bottom drawers, we don’t want you touching it.” Fallon’s shoulders slump as she ambles to the door.
“Lily and Lara, please make sure Cassie makes it to lunch. I’ll meet you guys there. Pick a table for all of us.” Fallon leaves the cabin and shuts the door behind her.
I put my head in my hands and sigh. What have I gotten myself into? Or worse, what have I gotten Fallon into? She’s been nothing but nice, and now, I end up dragging her into this mess.
A hand rubs circles on my back, and I glance around to see who it is. Lily lightly shoulder checks me. “This isn’t your fault. Mindy’s a bitch. She always has been. She thinks because her dad works here that she can get away with anything. Fallon will straighten everything out.”
“Thanks, Lily. I’m not normally an emotional person, but this place is messing with me. Please tell me it gets better.” I try not to mope, but my chest feels like it weighs fifty pounds. This negative mindset swirls throughout me, making me lightheaded. Mindy’s opinion doesn’t matter because Mindy doesn’t matter to me. I cannot allow one person to ruin my life or my time here.
Lily’s sunny disposition shines back on us. “Oh, didn’t I mention it already? This place is great. Just wait until you see the pool, or we get to go down to the lake. There are bonfires with marshmallows.” She bounces away, still chanting about all the great things camp offers.
Lara joins me. “I’m sure it’ll be all right. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m with you. I’m not sure what this place is about. I guess we’ll learn more as we go.”
Since I don’t know where I’ll end up, I sit on one of the empty bunks. Lara goes back to unpacking her stuff. Lily greets new campers as they walk through the door. Luckily, none of them notice me, or if they do, they ignore me.
After about twenty minutes, Fallon returns.
“Kelly is having Mindy moved to cabin four. She felt it was better to put some distance between the two of you rather than force you to live together. She knows how Mindy is. Mindy wasn’t happy, but no one argues with Kelly.” Fallon’s smile grows as she relays the message. “Anyway, it’s finally time for lunch, and I’m starved!”
Lara, Lily, and I follow Fallon out the door. The others in the room take the hint and follow as well.
CHAPTER FOUR
Each time I travel the gravel road, the time between areas seems to shorten. On the way to the cafeteria, Lily explains the dining hall is nicknamed the Corral because of the split-rail fence that lines the front of the porch. Fallon says the nickname means meal times tend to be like feeding frenzied animals versus uber-intelligent teenagers. Their light banter lifts my mood as we enter the building.
The spacious room feels cozy with its dark-stained, wood ceiling. An unlit fireplace rests the back, left corner surrounded by leather couches and chairs. Worktables of different shapes and sizes dot the area beyond the fireplace. To the right, rectangular tables with four chairs on each side line the main aisle. On the wall beyond the tables is a long counter with buffet style bins behind it. Men and women of all ages rush around, refilling empty food containers.
Fallon leads us up the front, right side of the building. The staff set it up with a clear entrance and exit for the food line. It flows up the front of the building and then down the middle of the room. In the back, right corner of the room, a large window, which looks like the place to drop off our used trays, plates, and silverware, opens into the kitchen area.
As we reach the final two tables before the lunch line, a foot, belonging to Mindy, quickly shoots out into the aisle. It appears she wants to trip me. As I take my next step, I purposely step onto her toes. I haven’t made eye contact with her, so I plan on playing dumb.
“I’m so sorry!” I quickly apologize as I meet her eyes. I keep reminding myself to steel my features to stop from bursting into giggles. It becomes harder when Lily snickers in the background. “I didn’t see your foot there. You should be more careful where you put it, especially if you know people will be walking by.”
Mindy’s glare could melt a tin roof. “You did that on purpose, bitch.”
I open my mouth to respond when a tanned, muscled arm reaches out between us. “Don’t fight ladies. There’s enough Lucca to go around.”