Here is a short excerpt from Dee Nights. Dee Nights makes the perfect read if you're gearing up for camp this summer. Remember, Dee Nights is FREE with the purchase of Dee Days.
Down
the center of the tables sat all the fixings for burgers and humungous bowls of
salads. Servers brought out platters filled with burgers and tall pitchers of
juice. Everyone grabbed at the stack of burgers like they never had one before.
I kind of stood back and watched the feeding frenzy, since manners were such a
huge deal at home.
“She
thinks she’s better than everyone,” Kat said behind her hand and pointed to a
girl at the next table. From the number of gold necklaces and a ring on almost
every finger, she looked like she came from money.
“Who is
she?”
“I
don’t know, I can just tell.” Kat shrugged and took a big bite of her burger.
I
wasn’t sure how she figured someone out by the way she looked. I couldn’t see
anything except for the way she dressed that might make Kat talk about her that
way, unless of course she was a little jealous.
We all
swarmed outside after they cleared the tables and sat at picnic tables near the
lake. The clear water sparkled, making me wish we could go swimming. Under the
shade of a tree, Steven was talking to a kid with a buzz cut, and when he saw
me, he smiled and waved.
Phew!
He isn’t mad at me. I waved back and returned the
smile.
“My
name’s Rhonda, what’s yours?” The rich girl sat down next to me and flicked her
blonde hair over her shoulder.
“Deedee.”
I smiled but couldn’t help being a little wary as to why she introduced herself
to me.
“He’s
cute, isn’t he?”
“Who?”
Rhonda
frowned. “Who do you think? The boy you just waved at.”
“Steven?”
I laughed, thinking it hilarious to talk about Steven this way.
Rhonda’s
cheeks turned pink and her blue eyes not so friendly anymore. “What’s so
funny?”
“I’m
sorry, I’m not laughing at you. I’ve known Steven for a long time. I just never
thought about him like that.”
“You
have got to be kidding! Do you think you can introduce him to me?”
The
whole conversation made me a little uncomfortable. I hadn’t even spoken to
Steven in almost a year. Lucky for me, a guy wearing a camp T-shirt
stood up on a picnic table and blew a whistle. Rhonda ran over to sit with her
group.
“Okay,
ladies and germs, right now every cabin needs to come up with a name and a
little jingle for your group,” the leader of Steven’s group shouted.
A
mixture of reactions traveled through the crowd. Some laughed, but most groaned
dramatically.
“We’re
going to have a big bonfire tonight, and I expect each group ready to perform
for each other.”
Oh, great, I get to make complete fool of myself in front of
everybody. Can it get any better?
Kat tugged at the back of my shirt. “Come on, let’s get to work.”
I sighed and shook my head. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.”
Everyone from my cabin followed Shadow down to the water and sat under
a shade tree. She kneeled, facing us. “Okay, first we have to come up with a
name. Any ideas?”
We all sat there looking at each other. Shadow arched a brow and put
her hands on her hips. She’s cute, in a tomboyish kind of way.
“C’mon, guys!”
Susan sat up on her knees. “How about Tater Tots?”
Everyone burst out laughing. Even Jessica, who barely said two words
since we got to camp, giggled behind her hands.
“Ha, ha. I don’t hear anyone else speaking up!” Susan sat down and
folded her arms across her chest.
“Thank you, Susan. Good for you. Anyone else? Deedee?”
My heart jumped to my throat, and I choked. Heat rushed to my face, which
meant I was beet red. Kat thumped me on the back.
“Um…” I coughed. “How about…” I cleared my throat and wiped the tears
from my eyes with the back of my hand. “The Misfits?”
Surprisingly, nobody laughed. Everyone got real quiet, and I held my
breath, waiting for a reaction.
“I love it!” Shadow clapped her hands.
“I like it too!” Jo joined in.
“How about we vote? Hands up for The Misfits.”
I couldn’t believe it. Everyone’s hand shot up. Even Susan raised her
hand.
“The Misfits it is. Good job, Deedee!”
Someone tugged at the back of my
shirt. “What?” I spun around to an empty space. I looked all around me. Most of
the group stared at me in strange way. The hairs on the back of my neck stood
on end.
