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THE CAMPFIRE CRUSH Contest
Chapter 1
As your parents pull out of the parking lot, you’re a little sad … for about two seconds. Every year, it’s the same thing. Lots of minivans, sad-looking moms saying goodbye to their kids, and the campers with their huge backpacks and sleeping bags all lining up to get on the buses. It’s almost like time stands still from one year to the next. Except this year, one thing is different --- really different. You’re not just another camper; you’re a counselor. (Well, a junior counselor, but still!)
Then you see Missy, your best camp friend, pulling her gear out of her parents’ car, and she spots you, too. “Hey!” she screams, jumping up and down. It’s been about nine months since you’ve seen each other.
“You look different,” you have to admit, taking in the suddenly tall and super pretty girl in front of you. “When did you get your braces off?”
“Three weeks ago.” Missy grins big, showing you her perfect white teeth. “It’s the best --- I’m so happy. You look different, too,” Missy says, looking you up and down. “In a good way, a really good way! I can’t wait to see what Seth does when he lays eyes on you!” She giggles.
You feel yourself blushing. “Who knows if he’s even going to be here this year … I mean, did you hear that he was?”
Just then, a piercing whistle cuts through the crowd.
“Oh no,” you whisper to Missy, eyeing a tall, severe-looking woman with a clipboard standing by the bus. She has her trademark silver whistle on a cord around her neck, just like last year and the year before that.
“It’s the Skunk!” Missy whispers back. Your least favorite camp leader is back for another year --- Ms. Sally, aka the Skunk Lady --- not that she smells, but her jet-black hair has a big streak of white in the front. And, as with a skunk, you have to be really careful around her, because she can turn on you in a minute.
“Hello, girls,” Ms. Sally says stiffly to you and Missy. She looks down at her clipboard. “Junior counselors this year?”
“Yup,” Missy says, unable to hide her enthusiasm. “We’re really excited to meet our campers and --- ”
“How nice for you.” Ms. Sally cuts her off. “Now why don’t you get excited about loading this gear on the bus; that’s the duty of the junior counselors.” Ms. Sally points to a huge pile of backpacks and sleeping bags.
As you start loading the heavy bags, Missy groans, “I thought being a counselor would be fun, but so far …” She looks at the pile of bags and lets out a sigh.
“You guys need a hand?” a voice says from behind you. You turn and lock onto the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen.
“Uh, yeah,” you say, almost stuttering. He’s tall, blond --- and totally out of your league.
“Absolutely,” Missy agrees.
“I’m Rob,” he says. “I’m a counselor for the boys’ camp this year.” You watch as he lifts two heavy bags and tosses them into the bus with ease. He’s got to be older; the guys at your school do not have arms like that.
“What school do you guys go to?” Rob asks, lifting another bag.
“I’m at Marlborough, the girls’ school” Missy says, and you tell him the name of your school, too.
Rob stops and stands up for a second, wiping his hands on the front of his jeans. “High school?” he says, looking skeptical, and his eyes meet yours for a split second, making you feel a little dizzy. “Oh …” He bends and picks up a few bags. “I thought … well, I’m starting college in the fall.”
You and Missy exchange a quick glance, and she mouths the word “hot.” You stifle a giggle and keep loading the bags. With Rob’s help, you’re finished in minutes.
“I’ll see you guys there, I guess,” Rob says awkwardly as he heads for his bus.
“Absolutely,” Missy says, “And Rob? Thanks for the help.” She gives him a big, perfect smile.
“You and that new smile of yours!” you joke with her as you climb onto the girls’ bus; then you see the mayhem in front of you and stop laughing. The bus is full of girls --- all kinds of girls, from age seven and up, and they all seem to be talking at once. Pigtails flying here, a princess outfit there; one girl is trying to put on nail polish while the younger ones are actually jumping on seats. It’s a madhouse.
“Uh … ,” Missy says, taking in the scene.
Ms. Sally’s whistle cuts though the noise as she comes up the stairs behind you. “Girls,” she says, looking at you and Missy. “You need to help me get the campers in line!”
You and Missy just stand there, not knowing what to do, so Ms. Sally takes over. “THAT’S ENOUGH!” she hollers in her booming voice, and the bus falls silent. “Get into your seats now! I’m counting to three!” Every girl on the bus scrambles. Missy grabs a seat near the front and you slide in next to her as Ms. Sally begins to rattle off the rules for the ride. “There will be NO standing while the bus is in motion …”
It’s the same speech she’s given every year, but this year it’s a little different. Because this year, you’re not hearing it as an unruly camper, but as a counselor --- someone who’s supposed to be in charge. “Were we this crazy when we were campers?” Missy whispers to you. You can only shake your head and look out the window as the bus rolls slowly from the parking lot. “All I have to say is thank goodness we’ll at least be together, right?” Missy asks.
“A cabin full of crazy girls, by myself? No, thanks!” you agree.
“And thank goodness that the boy’s camp is so close,” Missy says slyly.
“And that our new friend Rob is so very helpful,” you add.
“Rob?” Missy raises her eyebrows. “Once we get to camp and you see Seth, you’ll forget all about Mr. Biceps.”
You look out the window and watch as the town falls away behind you, giving way to trees and the countryside, lush and green. You hate to admit it, but Missy is right. There’s just something about Seth, or at least, there was something last summer --- a spark between you. Unless you just imagined it all.
“Do you think Seth’s going to be a junior counselor this year, too?” you ask Missy.
“I might know something,” she says, a little grin on her face. “But don’t you think it’s so much better to be surprised?”
You have to smile --- it’s great to be back hanging out with Missy. This is going to be an amazing summer. The two of you catch up on everything that happened over the school year during the hour-long trip, and before you know it, the bus is turning down the dirt road lined with tall pine trees that will end at the lake, and Camp Butterfield. The small log cabins surround one side of the lake, the boys’ camp over on the right, the girls’ camp on the left. The main hall, where all the meals are served --- and all the parties and dances are held! --- sits right in the middle, between the boys’ and girls’ camps.
“All right, campers,” Ms. Sally says as the doors swing open. “Off the bus in a single file and line up according to cabin; then you can get your bags and settle in.”
Some of the campers look so young, you can’t believe their parents would let them come here alone. You and Missy do your best to get the girls lined up and into groups.
“Let’s get you into a line,” you say to one girl, who looks about nine years old.
“You’re not my counselor; you can’t boss me around,” she snaps back, chewing her gum loudly. Her name tag says her name is Sofie.
You’re about to say something to her when Ms. Sally toots her whistle and says, “I need all the girls’ camp counselors over here. Now.”
You and Missy exchange a look and gather with the other counselors near the bus. “Unfortunately, one of our counselors has broken her leg and won’t be joining us. That means we are one counselor short. I need a volunteer to be the sole counselor of the seven- and eight-year-olds cabin,” Ms. Sally says, pointing to the cabin on the edge of the lake, nearest the boys’ camp. “Anyone?”
You look over to the cabin, and you see him --- it’s Seth! He’s taller, even cuter than last year, but it’s him for sure! And he’s moving his campers into the cabin right next to the one Ms. Sally is offering up for grabs.
You look around the group of counselors. A few of them look older than you and Missy, but everyone here is probably hoping to be in a cabin with a friend --- not going it alone. “Erin, you up for it?” Ms. Sally asks a pale pretty girl with long black hair. She looks old enough to be in college. “No, thanks, Ms. Sally,” Erin answers. “I want to stay with Natalie this summer.” She gives the girl standing next to her a big smile.
“How nice for you,” Ms. Sally says sarcastically. “Anyone else? How about you?” Ms. Sally asks, pointing at you. You bite your lip for a second to think. You could either share a cabin --- and the counselor responsibilities --- with Missy, or take a chance on running a cabin of campers all by yourself --- right next door to the boys’ camp.
“Well? I’m waiting,” Ms. Sally says impatiently. You look over at Missy --- if you took the job being a solo counselor, you’d still see her at activities. And you’d be right next door to Seth. But it just wouldn’t be the same as being in one cabin and doing the job together --- that’s the whole reason you decided to take the counselor job in the first place. So you …
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THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED.
Official Rules for THE CAMPFIRE CRUSH Contest
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
ELIGIBILITY: The contest is open to all legal residents of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico) and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 13 years of age or older. The following persons and their dependents are not eligible to enter or win: employees of Teenreads.com or The Book Report, Inc. and their affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, and the immediate families (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) of each of the above.
HOW
TO ENTER: The contest is open from 9AM on March 22, 2007 thru 11:59PM on April 24, 2007. While the contest is posted on Teenreads.com, you can enter by sending your name, mailing address and story choice to YouSaid@Teenreads.com --- with the subject line THE CAMPFIRE CRUSH. Note that all entries will be deleted from our email after the contest has been completed and no further contact will be made to those who have not won the contest..
HOW
TO WIN: Total number of eligible entries received determines odds of winning. From all eligible entries received, Teenreads.com will randomly select ten (10) winners on or about Wednesday, April 25, 2007. The winners will each receive one (1) copy of THE CAMPFIRE CRUSH by Cylin Busby. (Retail Value: $6.95) In the event the Potential Winner is a Canadian resident, he/she (or, if the winner is a minor, his/her parent or legal guardian) will be required to correctly answer a time-limited skill testing mathematical question to be administered by mail to receive the prize.
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Winners of THE CAMPFIRE CRUSH Contest
Congratulations to the 10 readers who received a copy of THE CAMPFIRE CRUSH:
Alexis from Avalon, PA
Amanda from Galveston, TX
Brittany from St. Louis, MO
Cassandra from San Antonio, TX
Christina from Sparks, NV
Janese from New Hope, MN
Katherine from Las Vegas, NV
Kathleen from Anaheim, CA
Lisa from Cheverly, MD
Rachael from Brooklyn Park, MN
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