Boot Camp

04

"You know what, Mom? I'm done."

Before our mom could finish her diatribe, Poppy marched through the foyer and up the stairs. I fell onto my front as I tried to escape and leapt into my bedroom through the other door. Poppy stormed down the hallway and slammed the door of my bathroom shut.

Hard.

The car rolls to a stop. "So, here it is," my mom says, breaking the awkward silence. "Wow."

"Yup. There it is." I fold and unfold my hands, not budging from my seat. "This should be great."

She smiles, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure you'll have fun. Keep an open mind, and make sure to stay in touch with us all."

I nod, reaching over the center console to give her a hug, and she kisses my cheek. "Bye, Mom. Love you."

I step out of the car and open the trunk to get my bags. I observe a large, modern building with windows on all the sides, resembling the science centers at the college nearby. Behind it are the dorms, where we will all live for the next five weeks. The email said to meet in the central building, room 100.

I start making my way there as my mom drives away, waving to me from inside her car. From the corner of my eye I spot another girl walking towards the central building, lugging two purple duffel bags and sporting an extremely high ponytail. I hold the door open for her, and she gives me a big smile, showing off her bright white teeth.

"Thanks," she says, walking inside. "Do you know where we're supposed to go? The email had some room number, but I guess I didn't look at it close enough."

"It's room 100," I say. My suitcase's wheels make an annoying squeak against the polished floor as we walk. "Ah look, there it is."

We walk through the frosted glass doors and find the inside of the room itself mostly empty, its endless brown hardwood floor reminding me of a dance studio. There are about eleven girls in the corner sitting next to their bags, some engaged in lively conversation, while a few others are glued to their phones. Several look up when they see us, giving a mix of smiles and oh-God-what-did-we-actually-sign-up-for expressions.

High ponytail girl turns to me. "I'm Natalie, by the way."

"Whitney," I say. "Do you want to sit over there?" I motion to an empty area on the right, a few feet away from twin girls. Truthfully, I want to sit there to take a better look at them; I don't think I've ever seen two girls so identical.

"Sure," Natalie chirps. We set down our suitcases and take a seat on the ground. I fix my attention on the twin girls, seeing a duplicate set of big brown eyes, pouty lips, and sleek hair, although one's is jet black and the other's dark brown. Natalie tries to spark some conversation, sliding a little closer. "Out of curiosity, what made you want to join this camp?"

"Honestly, some combination of nonexistent athletic skills and nothing else better to do this summer. What about you?"

She giggles, her light brown eyes twinkling. "I want to play varsity tennis next year, but my coach said that unless I become a stronger player, I don't stand much of a chance."

Great, another tennis player. Do I have some strange affinity for them? "Oh, my best friend is a tennis player—top in the state to be exact."

"Really? Wow, that's awesome," she says. "A lot of girls made it in their sophomore year, but I didn't. Still hoping to join the team my junior year. How old are you?"

Natalie did look a bit younger when I first saw her, but maybe it's just the juvenile sense of enthusiasm warping her true age. "Eighteen. I'll be a freshman in college at the end of this August."