Mia's Baker's Dozen by Coco Simon

psyched about going to this camp if I’d known Sydney was going—or at the very least that she’d be on my bus. It definitely put a cramp in my happiness.
    Jake rested his head back against the seat and promptly fell asleep. In a minute his head was resting, sweaty and heavy, against my shoulder. First days can be hard for anyone, especially little kids. At least tomorrow we wouldn’t have the same problem. I looked out the window and prayed that Sydney Whitman wasn’t in my group.
    At camp, we got off the bus and a crowd of cheering counselors with painted faces was there to greet us. My mom must’ve called ahead to tip off someone because one really pretty girl counselor was holding a sign like people do at the airport. It said OFFICER JAKE TAYLOR . That at least allowed me to peel him off and hand him over so I could go with my group, Team Four, to our rally zone (whatever that was) at the arts and crafts center. The boys and girls have separate areas of campus, so I wouldn’t see Jake again all day, thank goodness. And thank goodness again, because Sydney Whitman headed off in the opposite direction with Team Five.
    I didn’t have a minute to review who was on whose team, and anyway I didn’t know a lot of the kids here, but I did know that wherever she was, Alexis and I would be together. (We requested it, and my mom promised me that she spoke to the camp director.) And that’s all that matters.
    As I headed across the green lawn to the arts and crafts center, I heard someone calling my name. I turned, and it was Alexis, of course! I had never been so happy to see her in all my life.
    â€œThank goodness!” I cried, and threw my armsaround her like a shipwreck victim who has finally been saved.
    Alexis isn’t much for big displays of affection, so she patted my back awkwardly, but I didn’t mind. Plus, she just saw me a few days ago.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” she asked as we separated and followed our counselor.
    â€œJake drama. Screaming, puking, the whole deal.” I lowered my voice. “And Sydney Whitman saw the whole thing.”
    Alexis waved her hand in the air like, whatever! That is just one of the many things I love about Alexis. She doesn’t care at all what other people think. “Too bad he didn’t puke on her,” she said with a laugh. “Or did he?” Her eyes twinkled mischievously.
    â€œNo such luck. But the good news is, we aren’t on the same team as her.”

    We’d reached the log cabin that was the headquarters for our team. On its porch stood two teenage counselors—a guy and a girl. As the crowd amassed in front of them, I counted twelve campers: all girls, of course. Yay! Finally! A break from all the boys in my life!
    â€œHello, people! Listen up!” The guy counselorwas clapping his hands and kind of dancing around in a funny way to get our attention. Everyone started laughing and listening.
    He bowed and said, “Thank you, ladies! My name is Raoul Sanchez, and this is my awesome partner, Maryanne Murphy.”
    Maryanne did a little curtsy, and we all clapped. She is pretty, short, and cute, with red hair and freckles. Raoul is tall and thin with rubbery arms and legs, and his face has a big goofy smile, topped off by black hair in a crew cut. It was obvious that neither of them is shy.
    â€œWe are going to have the most fun of any team this summer! Raoul and I personally guarantee it!” said Maryanne enthusiastically.
    Raoul nodded. “If this isn’t the most fun summer of your life, I will take you to an all-you-can-eat pizza party when camp is over, on me.”
    There were cheers and claps.
    â€œOkay, we have a lot to tell you, so why don’t you all grab a seat on the grass and get ready to get pumped!” said Maryanne.
    Raoul and Maryanne then proceeded to tell us how we’d get to pick our own team name. (“Team Four” was just a placeholder,