Read Online Camp Confidential 03 - Grace's Twist by Melissa J. Morgan - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Melissa J. Morgan
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parents.”
“I know. This was a short message,” she said. “Anyway, thanks again for letting me use the computer.”
“No problem, Grace.” He went back to his paperwork, and she pushed open the door and stepped out into the sunshine. It felt weird to thank him for the computer when she didn’t want to use it at all. If not for her father’s phone call to Kathleen demanding daily e-mail updates on her reading, Grace would have spent the summer happily ignoring her parents. She wouldn’t even have known that Dr. Steve had a computer with Internet access that the campers could use. And she would have gone on the field trip and tried out for the play and been totally happy.
She caught up with her bunkmates outside the mess hall, where everyone was milling around as usual before dinner. They all turned to stare the instant she walked up.
“Since I have your attention, I’d like to make an announcement,” Grace said. “I no longer have to do chores. You will all take turns doing my chores for me for the rest of the summer.”
Everyone laughed.
“What? I mean it,” Grace said, laughing along with them.
“You wish,” Alex told her.
“So where were you?” Chelsea asked. “You keep going off by yourself lately.”
Natalie and Alyssa wouldn’t meet her eyes. Obviously they’d told everyone about the scene between Gaby and Grace, and now they felt guilty. Grace sighed. They shouldn’t have to feel bad when she was the one who hadn’t been telling the truth.
“I’ve been keeping a secret from you guys,” Grace said, sticking her hands in her shorts pockets. She hated having to be all serious with her friends. Friends were supposed to be the people you had fun with! “You know how I’ve been reading Call of the Wild ?”
Everybody nodded.
“It’s not for fun.”
“Shocker,” Jenna said. All the other girls cracked up, but Grace frowned.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “I could be reading for fun. Lots of people do that. Look at Alyssa!”
Alyssa snorted. “Thanks.”
“Grace, Alyssa likes to read,” Brynn pointed out. “You don’t. All last summer, I never once saw you with a book in your hand.”
“Me either,” Alex agreed.
“All we mean is that obviously you’re not reading that book because you want to,” Jenna said. “If you actually wanted to read it, you’d be done with it by now. So what’s the deal?”
This was it. Grace couldn’t put off telling them for another second. She bit her lip, hard. Were they going to think she was a total loser? Were they going to laugh at her? “You guys all have reading in school, right?” she blurted. “We have it as a separate class.”
“So do we,” Natalie agreed. “Every day we go to a different teacher for reading.”
“Yeah, well, I failed it.” Grace forced herself to say the words. “I got an F.”
“In reading?” Chelsea said incredulously. “What kind of idiot fails reading?”
Grace winced. That was exactly the reaction she’d been expecting, and it hurt even more than she’d thought it would.
“Chelsea!” Natalie hissed.
“Chelsea!” Candace cried.
“What?” Chelsea said. “Grace knows how to read—we’ve all seen her do it. So how could she fail? The only reason people fail reading is because they’re dyslexic or something and they need more time for the tests.”
Everyone looked at Grace.
“Um, nope, no learning disability,” she said. “I just failed.”
“What happened?” Alyssa asked gently.
“Nothing really,” Grace admitted. “I don’t love to read, as you obviously all noticed. And there was always something better to do—talk to my best friend, play video games, act in the school play . . .”
“And?” Jenna prompted.
“And so I was busy goofing off, and I never finished any of the books I was supposed to read,” Grace said in a rush. “And they failed me.”
“So what now?” Valerie asked.
“You mean after my parents considered locking me in my room
“I know. This was a short message,” she said. “Anyway, thanks again for letting me use the computer.”
“No problem, Grace.” He went back to his paperwork, and she pushed open the door and stepped out into the sunshine. It felt weird to thank him for the computer when she didn’t want to use it at all. If not for her father’s phone call to Kathleen demanding daily e-mail updates on her reading, Grace would have spent the summer happily ignoring her parents. She wouldn’t even have known that Dr. Steve had a computer with Internet access that the campers could use. And she would have gone on the field trip and tried out for the play and been totally happy.
She caught up with her bunkmates outside the mess hall, where everyone was milling around as usual before dinner. They all turned to stare the instant she walked up.
“Since I have your attention, I’d like to make an announcement,” Grace said. “I no longer have to do chores. You will all take turns doing my chores for me for the rest of the summer.”
Everyone laughed.
“What? I mean it,” Grace said, laughing along with them.
“You wish,” Alex told her.
“So where were you?” Chelsea asked. “You keep going off by yourself lately.”
Natalie and Alyssa wouldn’t meet her eyes. Obviously they’d told everyone about the scene between Gaby and Grace, and now they felt guilty. Grace sighed. They shouldn’t have to feel bad when she was the one who hadn’t been telling the truth.
“I’ve been keeping a secret from you guys,” Grace said, sticking her hands in her shorts pockets. She hated having to be all serious with her friends. Friends were supposed to be the people you had fun with! “You know how I’ve been reading Call of the Wild ?”
Everybody nodded.
“It’s not for fun.”
“Shocker,” Jenna said. All the other girls cracked up, but Grace frowned.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “I could be reading for fun. Lots of people do that. Look at Alyssa!”
Alyssa snorted. “Thanks.”
“Grace, Alyssa likes to read,” Brynn pointed out. “You don’t. All last summer, I never once saw you with a book in your hand.”
“Me either,” Alex agreed.
“All we mean is that obviously you’re not reading that book because you want to,” Jenna said. “If you actually wanted to read it, you’d be done with it by now. So what’s the deal?”
This was it. Grace couldn’t put off telling them for another second. She bit her lip, hard. Were they going to think she was a total loser? Were they going to laugh at her? “You guys all have reading in school, right?” she blurted. “We have it as a separate class.”
“So do we,” Natalie agreed. “Every day we go to a different teacher for reading.”
“Yeah, well, I failed it.” Grace forced herself to say the words. “I got an F.”
“In reading?” Chelsea said incredulously. “What kind of idiot fails reading?”
Grace winced. That was exactly the reaction she’d been expecting, and it hurt even more than she’d thought it would.
“Chelsea!” Natalie hissed.
“Chelsea!” Candace cried.
“What?” Chelsea said. “Grace knows how to read—we’ve all seen her do it. So how could she fail? The only reason people fail reading is because they’re dyslexic or something and they need more time for the tests.”
Everyone looked at Grace.
“Um, nope, no learning disability,” she said. “I just failed.”
“What happened?” Alyssa asked gently.
“Nothing really,” Grace admitted. “I don’t love to read, as you obviously all noticed. And there was always something better to do—talk to my best friend, play video games, act in the school play . . .”
“And?” Jenna prompted.
“And so I was busy goofing off, and I never finished any of the books I was supposed to read,” Grace said in a rush. “And they failed me.”
“So what now?” Valerie asked.
“You mean after my parents considered locking me in my room
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