15 | Give Up and Grow Up

It's blazing hot the next day, and no one is too happy about the sudden, mandatory assembly that Ms. Rodriguez announces during breakfast. I don't have to struggle to guess what the topic of discussion will be.

Sure enough, once all two hundred and fifty-three members of Camp Create It (a number I now know thanks to Ethan) are gathered on the bleachers under the hot sun, Ms. Rodriguez steps onto the outdoor stage. Her expression is a lot different than it was the last time she was up there on the first day of camp. She looks pissed, to put it simply.

Lizzie sends me a nervous glance. Next to her, Zack watches the stage attentively as the crowd around us quiets down. He woke up late and barely even made it to breakfast, meaning we haven't had a chance to tell him what went on last night. I'm guessing when we do, Lizzie will probably want to leave out the detail about the note being from him.

Last night, while I waited for her to change into her pajamas in the bathroom, she confessed how stupid she felt for thinking the letter was from Zack. I think her exact words were, "I can't believe I actually let myself think he'd like me."

This morning she was back to her usual exuberant self, but there have been moments between conversation where I've caught her with slumped shoulders and a distant look in her eyes. She's hiding it pretty well, but I can tell she's still disappointed about how everything turned out.

To say that I'm mad at Rita would be the world's biggest understatement. Framing Lizzie would have been bad enough, but bringing her feelings into it is a new low. I guess I really shouldn't be surprised, though. If anyone's willing to stoop to that level, it's Rita.

Ms. Rodriguez stands behind the microphone with her hands clasped in front of her. Her back is ridged as her eyes scan the crowd, as if daring us all to keep talking-- we don't. The crowd falls into a quick silence, seeming to sense that something is off.

I have to wonder if some campers already know about the dock. It's unlikely that any campers caught a glimpse of it this morning since everyone tends to head straight to breakfast. But if there's one thing I've learned about camp, it's that the counselor's gossip gets around to the campers pretty fast.

Ms. Rodriguez clears her throat before starting in the most serious tone I've heard from her yet. "Some of you may already know what this assembly is about. For those who aren't, I'm disappointed to inform you that last night after curfew, someone vandalized the dock."

A murmur ripples through the crowd. Some students crane their necks towards the lake in an attempt to see the dock. Zack looks between me and Lizzie with wide eyes, and we both give a small nod, confirming that we at least had some involvement.

"Remind me never to be late to breakfast again," he mumbles, returning his attention to the stage.

Ms. Rodriguez holds up a hand, silencing everyone without a word. "I know-- I was shocked too. And angry. For years, Camp Create It has prided itself on shaping mature and responsible campers. That isn't to say we haven't had pranksters or out of hand jokes in the past, but this level of disrespect is something I haven't witnessed in all my time as camp leader."

I can't help feeling guilty. I may not have been the one who turned the dock into an abstract painting, but there's no denying I'm at least partially responsible for all this.

"Last night around midnight, paint was stolen from the supply cabinet in the Painting and Drawing Building and splattered all over the dock. I'm also ashamed to inform you that a few days ago, someone's belongings were stolen from their cabin-- but please, don't be alarmed. We're fairly certain it was a targeted incident, and the items were found the next morning."

Rita is sitting next to Mei a few rows ahead, and at the mention of her stolen underwear, she crosses her arms in a huff.

"We've called in a crew to remove the paint from the dock, and the lake will be off-limits all day tomorrow. If the culprit is discovered, they'll be asked to leave camp, and a fine will be sent for the stolen materials and labor costs. I hope you all understand that if we want to keep Camp Create It the way it is, acts like this cannot be brushed off. I want this to be a place of trust and respect, and I hope that you all agree." She sighs, seeming content with her message. "With that, you're free to enjoy the rest of your day. Thank you for listening."

Zack immediately turns to me and Lizzie as campers around us start to stand, leaving to probably go see what the dock looks like. I have to admit, even I'm curious to see what it looks like in the daylight.

"What--"

I cut him off with a shake of my head. "Not here." The last thing I want is for anyone to hear us talk about anything that even potentially ties us to the crime.

The three of us agree to meet up at the lake to fill him in on what happened last night, since Lizzie and I talked about going for a swim at breakfast. After a quick change into our bathing suits, we head over. Thankfully, the commotion over the dock has already subsided, and the area is no more crowded than usual.

"It actually looks kind of cool," Lizzie says as we walk towards the water.

She's got a point-- the bright hues stand out in the daylight, and the dock really does look like some sort of statement art piece sticking out over the water. If I didn't know Rita was behind it, I'd probably like it.

Zack shows up and the three of us grab innertubes from the shack, which narrowly avoided a few of the paint splatters. We head into the water and swim out towards the middle of the lake, away from the shore where most of the campers and lifeguarding counselors tend to hang out.

When we're finally out of anyone's earshot, Zack turns to us eagerly. His crazed expression mixed with the way his wet hair is sticking out in all the wrong places makes me have to bite back a laugh.

"What happened? Was it Rita?"

"Bingo," Lizzie confirms, lifting herself so she's sitting on the edge of her floaty.

She explains the whole situation from the beginning, saying that the note was from a "secret admirer" rather than admitting she thought it was from him. I can't help but notice Zack's expression veer slightly into discomfort-- he doesn't seem too happy about even just the idea of someone else writing her a letter like that.

When she gets to the end of the story he shakes his head, looking back towards the rainbow covered dock as he rests his arms on his innertube. "I can't believe she took it that far."

"I know," Lizzie sighs, lowering herself back into the water. "I get that she's vicious enough to try to get me kicked out of camp, but I didn't realize she hated me enough to risk getting herself kicked out."

Not for the first time, I'm staggered by just how mean Rita can be. "To think she's that angry just because we gave her a taste of her own medicine..."

"If she can't take it, she shouldn't dish it out," Zack says. "She's obviously threatened-- you guys have managed to one-up her twice now. She's probably terrified imagining what you'll come up with after all this."

Zack's words make Lizzie smile, but they make me anxious-- he's right, we still need to come up with something to get back at Rita with. But how can we even come close to something so extreme? I don't want to risk getting kicked out of camp, but a juvenile practical joke isn't going to cut it this time.

The three of us spend all morning in the lake, skin wrinkling as we talk about our workshops and our plans for the big art show that the camp holds at the end of the summer. Lizzie's already started working a "through the decades" collection of skirts to display, and Zack's working up the nerve to put together a selection of his poems for people to read. I'll probably keep it simple and display my favorite photos from the summer, since I don't really have any ideas for a theme.

When the speakers finally turn on and Ms. Rodriguez announces lunch (her tone back to its normal cheerfulness), we swim to shore and dry off with the towels we left on the dock. As we're walking up the beach to head back to our cabins and get changed, I spot Rita and Mei coming our way.

Zack sees them, too, and subtly steps in front of Lizzie. You know, for how obsessed she is with him, you think she'd notice this stuff too.

"Keeping your top on this time, Lizzie?" Rita sneers as she strolls past.

"Keeping your underwear in your own cabin, Rita?" I snap back.

She freezes in her tracks and swivels on her heel, glaring at me as she storms up to us. "Unless you all want a repeat of last night, I suggest you give up and grow up already."

"You won't get away with something like that again," Lizzie warns, crossing her arms.

Rita smirks. "I can get away with anything."

I roll my eyes at her cockiness. Mei hugs herself, her gaze landing everywhere but on us.

"You should know that by now," Rita continues. "I mean, I got you to show up to the scene of the crime, didn't I? I knew you'd come if you got an invite from loverboy, here," she says, eyeing Zack.

His eyebrows furrow in confusion, and Rita doesn't miss it. She also doesn't miss my wide eyes, or the way Lizzie's face instantly goes red.

Her jaw drops, and a self-satisfied laugh comes from her chest.

"Oh my God, you didn't know?" she asks Zack. "I signed your name at the bottom of the love letter."

She looks back to Lizzie, whose face has somehow gotten even more flushed. "With the way you follow him around all the time, I knew you'd be too excited to be suspicious. I guess I should've figured Huggies here would screw it up, though."

I clench my teeth so hard that I'm sure I'll break a crown. Zack turns to Lizzie, who flinches away from his stare.

Her eyes are wet, and her breathing is fast, like she's about to burst into tears at any second. She looks between the four of us and opens her mouth to speak, but she can't seem to find any words. She shakes her head and hurries off, feet kicking up sand as she speed-walks towards the cabin area.

"Liz!" Zack calls after her, but she keeps going, disappearing behind the thick treeline.

Rita laughs, placing a hand on her heart like she genuinely can't believe how amazing it all is. "I can't believe you didn't know! I mean, I don't even pay attention to her and it was obvious. Even Mei could tell she's like, in love with you."

I take a deep breath, trying to convince myself not to smack her. I can't even stop glaring at her to catch Zack's reaction to the words-- all I see is a vision of me tackling Rita to the ground and removing that stupid smile from her face.

"Can we go eat?" Mei finally speaks up, shifting her weight from side to side.

"Sure, I'm starved," Rita agrees, turning away. "I think we're done here, anyway."

I want to threaten them, to tell them to sleep with one eye open. But instead, I stay silent, watching them walk away as the gears turn in my head, attempting to come up with something, anything that could be even half as evil as what Rita's done in the past twenty-four hours.

"Is that... I mean... she really thought it was from me?" Zack questions, breaking me out of my fury-induced trance.

I turn to him, finally noticing his blushing cheeks and wide-eyed look of disbelief. Some of my anger melts into a smile. Hopefully, Liz won't mind me confirming the truth. "She did."

"And she... showed up?"

I nod slowly as if I'm explaining it to a child. "She showed up because she thought it was from you."

He lets out a short, flustered laugh as a grin grows on his face. "Really?"

"Yes, Zack, really," I emphasize. "And I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you would've shown up too if the roles were reversed."

"Well, I mean, yeah, obviously. I've... I mean, I've liked Lizzie since last year," he confesses, seeming to genuinely think that I hadn't caught onto that yet. "But I never thought she would... you know..."

I pat his shoulder as he deals with the information. "Look, go get changed. I'll go convince Lizzie to show up to lunch, and you two can talk."

He nods and eagerly agrees, and I start towards the girls' area, wondering if Rita's evil nature might have accidentally just done something good.

What do you think of Lizzie's crush finally being revealed? 💕

What would you have done in her position? 😳

(Honestly, I probably would've ran away too LOL)