Read Love and Pollywogs from Camp Calamity for Free Online Page A

Mess, which worried me. Maybe she was having altitude sickness too and went home without me. It could run in our family!
    “Do you guys see my sister anywhere?” I asked Nit and Aurora, who were in front of me in line. They both looked around and then shook their heads.
    “Maybe she works way in the back,” Nit suggested. “That would be great—then you wouldn’t have to see her! I’m stuck with Phil in my face all day long.” She put a pinky in one of her macaroni shells and then sucked it off. “Yum!”
    “Mr. Coco!” I shouted over all the noise. “Can you tell me where Maxey Maloney is? She’s my sister and she works here.”
    He didn’t even look up but kept spooning gross globs of mac ’n’ peas onto plates.
    I shouted louder. Maybe he couldn’t hear from being in the war. “She’s very
skinny
and nearly an
albino
. Without the
pink eyes
, though.”
    He looked up, then motioned with his shoulder toward the back. “She’s out back washing spuds. Butdon’t interrupt her! I finally got her to stop blabbing. She’s got a lot of work. Eat your lunch. You’ll see her later.”
    I turned toward the dining room and watched where Aurora and Nit set their trays. Donal was making a happy dash toward them. I still needed to get my drink.
    They did have a soda machine with as many refills as you wanted, just like Maxey said! I studied all the flavors—lemonade, root beer, punch, iced tea, and Coke. But
no
orange soda—which is my favorite! I’d been sure they’d have it, and I had planned to drink it at every meal. I wondered if this was all they would have all week. I filled my glass with iced tea, but without any ice. I was not very happy about it.
    I drug myself across Mess and set my tray down next to Nit’s. She and Donal were going yakkety-yak about ninety miles an hour. Aurora thumped her basketball like a drum on her lap and sucked down her second glass of Coke. She looked extremely happy. As happy as I wanted to be—as happy as I’d thought I was gonna be as soon as I got to camp.
    I started plucking the peas out of my mac ’n’ cheese, but I doubted it would do much good. I would still be able to taste them.
    “Don’t ya like peas, Copperknob?” Donal asked. “Fork ’em this way!”
    Donal’s CIT, Matt, came over to the table and laid a hand on Donal’s shoulder. “Over here with the menfolk, Donal. Let’s leave these nice ladies to themselves.”
    Donal opened his mouth to complain, but Matt shot him a no-nonsense look. Donal lifted up his tray like it weighed a ton and followed him back to one of the boys’ tables. He turned back once and gave Nit a sorrowful look and shrugged his shoulders.
    “Did you find Maxey, Ef?” Aurora asked.
    “I didn’t see her, but Coco said she’s in back cleaning potatoes.”
    Nit giggled. “Oh, man, I bet she is hating her life right about now. Coco looks like he might be a bit tough on kids too.”
    “Be good for her,” Aurora said.
    “Can I get any of you a drink refill?” We all looked up to see the most gorgeous boy any of us had ever laid eyes on. He looked like he’d just stepped out of the Snow White fairy tale. He was super tall—maybe seven feet—and had eyes as blue as a Wild Thunderberry shake at Big Arlene’s. And he had a lot of shiny brown hair that was tucked up in a hairnet.
    “I’m Swat, by the way,” he said, pointing to his name tag.
    “Hi-i-i-yah!” Aurora said, her mouth dropping open. “Do you play basketball?”
    He laughed. “Yeah, that’s how I got the name.”
    “Oh-h-h,” Aurora breathed. “You defend the paint!”
    “Yup! That’s me. You play?”
    “Whenever I can.” She grinned, giving her ball a twirl on her index finger.
    He whistled through his teeth. “Very nice! So, what are you girls having? I’m filling drinks.”
    I realized then that Maxey would probably be willing to peel potatoes all day long—with her bare teeth, if she had to. Just so she could be near Swat.
    After he walked