as possible. That wasn’t too hard anyway as they were doing their very best to stay away from me. The camp wasn’t all that big though, and despite our best efforts, we often bumped in to each other. Then they acted like I smelled bad, and skipped off, giggling and holding their noses.
The worst thing was, I still had to share a room with Alice and Hazel, so every night after nine o’clock it was just the three of us trapped inside the small room. I felt like a kitten being forced to share with two angry wolves.
As soon as lights went out every night, I got into bed, and cried myself to sleep. At first I tried to cry quietly, afraid that if Alice and Hazel heard me, they’d start mocking me. It didn’t matter though. They just went on with their lives as if they could neither see nor hear me. In the bedroom at night, they were so busy texting Conor and Lee, and swapping iPods, that I could have stood in the middle of the floor and jumped up and down and shrieked at the top of my voice, and still they’d have acted as if I didn’t exist.
On the third day after the sneaking out day, Gloria called me aside after lunch.
‘You and I need to talk,’ she said.
She led me into a quiet corner of the garden, and sat beside me on a bench. At first she talked about trivial kind of stuff, but I knew what she was building up to. It didn’t take her very long.
‘Is Alice giving you a hard time?’ she asked.
How could I answer that?
Alice was giving me a hard time – a very, very hard time.
But was it fair to tell on her?
Gloria folded her arms.
‘I’ll take that as a yes, then,’ she said.
I still didn’t know what to say. Even though Alice was being totally mean, I didn’t want to get her into even more trouble.
‘Would you like me to have a word with her?’ asked Gloria.
At last I was able to answer.
‘No way. I mean no. No thanks.’
Gloria smiled at me.
‘I can be very delicate. She wouldn’t have to know that I’ve spoken to you.’
I shook my head.
‘She’ll figure it out. She’s not stupid. And if she thinks I told you she was being mean to me, she’ll find a way to hate me even more than she does already.’
Gloria sighed.
‘Poor Megan. Life doesn’t always seem fair, does it?’
I shook my head.
‘That’s what Hazel said too.’
Gloria gave a small chuckle.
‘Well, Megan, between you and me, I think it’s less fair than usual when there are girls like Hazel around.’
I tried to smile. Gloria patted my hand.
‘Maybe you should just give Alice more time.’
‘But she’s had three days. Camp will be over, and she’ll still hate me.’
‘Well, I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but in the great scheme of things, this camp won’t turn out to have been so important,’ said Gloria. ‘You and Alice will get home, and in a few days, it will be like none of this happened.’
I didn’t answer. Clearly Gloria didn’t know Alice as well as I did. Alice could be the most stubborn person in the world when it suited her.
Gloria stood up.
‘You just stick with Sarah for a while. She’s a nice girl. And Sam …’ she hesitated and gave me afunny look before continuing. ‘… is it just me or are you and Sam especially friendly?’
I knew I was going red.
Gloria laughed.
‘It’s OK, you don’t have to answer that one,’ she said. ‘And come talk with me, if things get too much for you. I’m always available.’
Gloria went back inside and I stayed sitting on the bench for a while. It was a beautiful day, and the sun was warm on my face. I even started to feel a bit better for a while, but then Alice and Hazel went past, arm in arm, and everything seemed just as bad as before.
Chapter twenty-two
N ext day, (as if things weren’t bad enough), was the day of the disco.
When I woke up, Alice and Hazel were already awake. They were lying on Alice’s bed, texting as usual. As soon as Hazel saw that I was awake, she started her daily attack on me.
‘Oh look.
The worst thing was, I still had to share a room with Alice and Hazel, so every night after nine o’clock it was just the three of us trapped inside the small room. I felt like a kitten being forced to share with two angry wolves.
As soon as lights went out every night, I got into bed, and cried myself to sleep. At first I tried to cry quietly, afraid that if Alice and Hazel heard me, they’d start mocking me. It didn’t matter though. They just went on with their lives as if they could neither see nor hear me. In the bedroom at night, they were so busy texting Conor and Lee, and swapping iPods, that I could have stood in the middle of the floor and jumped up and down and shrieked at the top of my voice, and still they’d have acted as if I didn’t exist.
On the third day after the sneaking out day, Gloria called me aside after lunch.
‘You and I need to talk,’ she said.
She led me into a quiet corner of the garden, and sat beside me on a bench. At first she talked about trivial kind of stuff, but I knew what she was building up to. It didn’t take her very long.
‘Is Alice giving you a hard time?’ she asked.
How could I answer that?
Alice was giving me a hard time – a very, very hard time.
But was it fair to tell on her?
Gloria folded her arms.
‘I’ll take that as a yes, then,’ she said.
I still didn’t know what to say. Even though Alice was being totally mean, I didn’t want to get her into even more trouble.
‘Would you like me to have a word with her?’ asked Gloria.
At last I was able to answer.
‘No way. I mean no. No thanks.’
Gloria smiled at me.
‘I can be very delicate. She wouldn’t have to know that I’ve spoken to you.’
I shook my head.
‘She’ll figure it out. She’s not stupid. And if she thinks I told you she was being mean to me, she’ll find a way to hate me even more than she does already.’
Gloria sighed.
‘Poor Megan. Life doesn’t always seem fair, does it?’
I shook my head.
‘That’s what Hazel said too.’
Gloria gave a small chuckle.
‘Well, Megan, between you and me, I think it’s less fair than usual when there are girls like Hazel around.’
I tried to smile. Gloria patted my hand.
‘Maybe you should just give Alice more time.’
‘But she’s had three days. Camp will be over, and she’ll still hate me.’
‘Well, I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but in the great scheme of things, this camp won’t turn out to have been so important,’ said Gloria. ‘You and Alice will get home, and in a few days, it will be like none of this happened.’
I didn’t answer. Clearly Gloria didn’t know Alice as well as I did. Alice could be the most stubborn person in the world when it suited her.
Gloria stood up.
‘You just stick with Sarah for a while. She’s a nice girl. And Sam …’ she hesitated and gave me afunny look before continuing. ‘… is it just me or are you and Sam especially friendly?’
I knew I was going red.
Gloria laughed.
‘It’s OK, you don’t have to answer that one,’ she said. ‘And come talk with me, if things get too much for you. I’m always available.’
Gloria went back inside and I stayed sitting on the bench for a while. It was a beautiful day, and the sun was warm on my face. I even started to feel a bit better for a while, but then Alice and Hazel went past, arm in arm, and everything seemed just as bad as before.
Chapter twenty-two
N ext day, (as if things weren’t bad enough), was the day of the disco.
When I woke up, Alice and Hazel were already awake. They were lying on Alice’s bed, texting as usual. As soon as Hazel saw that I was awake, she started her daily attack on me.
‘Oh look.
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