Page 81 of Nerdplay
“He will when the time comes.”
Angela slips me a gummy. “You seem like you’re in dire need of this.”
I don’t typically indulge in gummies, but I make an exception tonight for karaoke. My mind continues to hum with memories of Cricket’s bare skin and the soft curve of her breasts. It’s hard to focus on much else.
Stefan sings “Immigrant Song.” Bradley and Hunter perform a surprisingly good duet of “Creep” by Radiohead. Fiona, Gloria, and Laura sing “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” Cricket’s song is the biggest surprise of the night, with an entertaining rendition of “The Warrior.” Not sure about her vocals, but the gestures and gyrations are on point. I would’ve assumed Joel put me off finger guns, but apparently not.
Cricket drops into the chair next to me and holds out the microphone. “You’re up, Charlie Brown. What’s it going to be?”
I wave her off. “Nobody needs to listen to me.”
“Imagine what your career would look like if you said that to your clients.” She thrusts the microphone into my hand. “You’re one of us now, Charlie. Nobody leaves this cabin without making a fool of yourself… except Stefan.”
“Yeah, he was incredible. I need him to give me some tips.”
“Have fun with it. That’s the tip.”
Someone starts chanting my name and soon the whole cabin reverberates with the same two syllables. I make a last-minute change to my selection. I don’t feel capable of “Defying Gravity,” so I go for “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver. My stomach would be in tangles if it weren’t for the gummy. Well, make that two gummies.
I only manage to get one line into the song before the whole bar joins in. Before I know it, I’m in the middle of a sing-along and can’t even hear my own voice, despite the microphone. I’m perfectly okay with that outcome.
The song ends with hoots and hollers. I’m carried off the stage on a cloud of euphoria. My head is cloudy but not so muddled that I’ll forget the way this moment feels tomorrow. As with everything related to camp, this evening is good-natured fun with nothing to be gained except pure, unadulterated enjoyment. What a novel concept.
Melody closes out the evening with “Sweet Caroline,” always a crowd-pleaser. Afterward we pour out of the cabin, sticky with sweat. The humidity outside doesn’t help.
“Midnight swim!” Fiona yells. She takes off in the direction of the lake.
My eyes meet Cricket’s. “If I offer to race you, will you come?” she asks.
“You challenge me,” I blurt. “Nobody else does that.”
“Are you sure? It sounds like your dad spends a lot of time doing exactly that.”
“What he does is different.” I have no interest in talking about my father—how he belittles and berates me. All the be’s. “You call me out on my shit, but you do it in a way that doesn’t feel threatening or critical.”
“Well, thank you. As far as compliments go, that’s a good one.”
“You’re also very pretty.”
Her eyebrows slide to her hairline. “Did Angela slip you a gummy?”
I hold up two fingers.
“Right. Never mind. Running or swimming tonight would be ill-advised.”
A bloodcurdling screech interrupts our moment. At least I think it’s a moment. Then I hear the words that inject adrenaline straight into my veins.
“It’s a bear!”
Chapter Twelve
A stampede follows the human alarm. Specks of dirt invade my eyes, kicked up by Stefan, who is probably halfway to Harrisburg by now.
“I’ll take care of it,” Charlie says without hesitation.
How does he intend to take care of a bear? Blind and confused, I stumble forward, uncertain which way to go to avoid being mauled to death.
My vision finally clears, and I see Charlie doubled over, shoulders shaking. It takes me a second to realize that he’s laughing.
