Page 29 of Disharmony

Other campers’ eyes stay firmly fixed on their trays, but the uneasy hush that has descended over the mess hall shows they are listening. They shuffle awkwardly in their seats with a fearful look on their faces. Something happened here last year that everyone knows about. Something to do with what happened to our cabin. Something that no one wants to talk about.

“I get it, Lei.” Conor reaches out to put his hand on her arm. “We all do, but don’t blow this.”

“Screw you,” Leila hisses as her eyes blaze in anger. “Screw all of you. Do you want to sit around and see this happen again? I stayed quiet with Riley, but I’m not going to stay silent now.”

“They’ll throw you out,” Declan warns. “You can’t—”

“Jacqueline can throw me out if she wants to.” Leila rises from her seat. “I already have a European tour booked after camp. I don’t need their fucking connections anymore. The only reason I came back was to see you guys.”

“Come on,” Conor pleads. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Oh, I won’t,” she says in a tone that implies exactly the opposite. “I’ll catch you all later.”

She stomps out of the mess hall, barging past anyone who stands in her way.

I turn to the others and ask, “Anyone care to tell me what’s going on?”

None of them dare to look at me.

“Forget it, Ash,” Cookie whispers. “Please.”

“We’d better get going to class,” Declan says quickly, standing up. “Race you, Con!”

Behind the beautiful lake view, Camp Harmony isn’t as harmonious as its name. A bitter competitive spirit brings out the worst in people and, if Cookie won’t tell me what’s going on, I’ll have to find out the truth about what happened last year another way…

eight

Ash

Dancing in the gorgeous glass dome is far from the sweaty rundown studio I attended for years back home. Our teacher, Desiree Clare, is harsh but fair. She enjoys pushing her students to their limits to bring out the best in them. Unlike McCallister, she does it without making me look like a total fool.

“Great job, Ashley,” Desiree compliments, correcting my pose. “That’s perfect. Just keep your arms up a little higher. Focus on pointing your fingers. People notice the small details.”

I do as she asks, and Desiree goes to help another camper. Behind me, a group of girls snicker. I see in the mirror that one of them is a member of the Lockets that I recognize from their campfire performance.

“I don’t know why she’s even here,” the girl says loud enough to make sure I hear. “She’s a charity case. Everyone knows that. Did you see how desperate she was to get the Lionhearts attention?”

“It’s a good thing Tiffany isn’t jealous,” another nods in agreement with her. “Did you see her making eyes at Zach? As if he’d be interested in her.”

I resist the urge to tell them I couldn’t give any less of a shit about the Lionhearts. They clearly believe whatever trash Tiffany feeds them.

Their whispers keep coming.

“What was the song she was singing? Like, what was that? Who does she think she is?”

“She doesn’t belong here. A viral video doesn’t make you the right fit for Camp Harmony.”

“She’s not even pretty. She’s too tall for a girl.”

“Did you see what was written on her cabin? It’s true. She’s a wannabe. That’s all she is.”

“I heard she got kicked out of school for burning the place down because she went crazy.”

“I read online that her mom was crazy, and she takes after her.”

That’s the final straw. My arms snap back to my sides, and I spin to face them. It’s okay if they want to insult me, but no one says anything about my mom.

I narrow my eyes. “What did you just say?”

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