Read Online Camp Confidential 03 - Grace's Twist by Melissa J. Morgan - Free Book Online Page B

with a pile of books until I’m in college? We made a deal. I promised to read the two books I didn’t read for class, and they let me come to camp this summer.”
    “They thought about taking away camp?” Alex sounded faint at the very idea of it.
    “Yeah.” Grace shuddered just remembering how upset she’d been at the prospect of missing Lakeview this year. “It was the worst. My dad had totally made up his mind that I was going to stay home all summer and read. It took me two solid days of begging before he changed his mind.”
    “And he came up with that bargain?” Brynn asked.
    Grace nodded. “I agreed that during the first session I’d read Call of the Wild , and during the second session I’d read The Jungle Book . So they let me come.” She looked around at all her bunkmates. “You guys, I’ve never been so upset in my whole life,” she whispered. “Can you imagine if they took camp away?”
    “But the first session is over,” Karen said, horrified. “And you’re still not done with Call of the Wild .”
    “That’s why on Visiting Day I didn’t have as much fun with my folks as any of you had with yours,” Grace replied. “My father almost had a cow. He wanted to drag me back home that second.”
    “Oh, no,” Brynn said. “So what happened?”
    “They called Kathleen the other day to find out how I was doing with the book. That’s when she and Julie called me aside. They made me go call my parents and tell them what page I was on.”
    “I knew it! I knew you were getting in trouble that day!” Chelsea cried triumphantly.
    “Chelsea, don’t,” Karen said.
    Everybody held their breath. Karen never corrected Chelsea. How would Chelsea handle it?
    “Excuse me? Don’t what ?” Chelsea demanded, turning on Karen.
    “It’s just . . . you’re just . . .” Karen stammered. She looked terrified. “Never mind.”
    “So what happened when you called your parents, Grace?” Sarah asked, trying to draw attention away from poor Karen.
    Grace winced just remembering that awful conversation. “My dad said I couldn’t do the field trip or try out for the play until I’d finished Call of the Wild . And for this past week, they’ve been making me go to the office and e-mail them mini book reports so they’ll know I’m reading it.”
    “But you haven’t been reading it,” Valerie said.
    Has everyone been watching me? Grace wondered ruefully. It’s not just Julie. All the girls in the bunk seem to know how much I hate reading! “I know,” she said aloud. “I’m doomed.”
    “No you’re not,” Jenna said. “You’re just being a flake.”
    Grace’s mouth dropped open. She hadn’t been expecting that. All she could think to do was laugh. “Excuse me?” she said.
    “It’s totally simple,” Jenna went on. “Stop fooling around and read the book so you can come to the water park with us.”
    “Yeah,” Alyssa put in. “Just read it. We don’t want to leave you here all alone while we’re at WetWorld.”
    “Especially not since you had to have such a fight just to sit with us on the bus,” Nat added.
    “I know!” Grace cried. “I can’t believe Gaby told on me! She listened in on a private conversation between me and Julie.”
    “Well, you can’t trust a girl from 3A,” Brynn sniffed. “Anyway, you shouldn’t have been keeping this a secret. It’s no big deal.”
    Grace gazed around at the faces of her friends. They all looked concerned. Not one of them seemed about to tease her. Not even Chelsea. “I thought you guys would make fun of me,” she said.
    “For failing a class?” Alyssa asked. “Why would we make fun of that?”
    “Yeah. That’s not funny,” Candace agreed.
    “It’s kind of embarrassing,” Grace said.
    Jenna snorted. “You can’t be embarrassed in front of us . We’re a team.”
    “You’re right,” Grace said, feeling better than she had all week. “I should have told you guys.”
    “That’s right,” Natalie said. “Believe