I arrive at camp at ten. Odelia’s already there, with her new outfit on! What possessed her to add a sparkly headband that’s as close to a tiara as you can get, I. Have. No. Idea.
The campers call out my name and when things settle down, Nellie pulls me over. “Nellie Frances O’Malley and Bernice are BFFs!”
I nod and sit with her. She picks up a fat pencil, then puts it down. She takes my face in her hands and stares at me, exactly like she did the first day we met.
“What’s wrong?” I ask. I wonder if a boogie is lurking in my nose or if that zit that’s been hiding behind a thin curtain of skin has decided to make its debut.
Nellie squints one eye, then the other. “Bernice is boo-ti-ful,” she says. “Very, very, very bootiful.”
My cheeks feel warm. Lately, I’ve been changing cheek colors faster than a chameleon. And chameleons are not beautiful.
I blow my nose in a tissue. I pick at my cheek. No zit. Nellie puts her concentration back into writing. She practices the same numbers until they are perfect. Twos and fives are hard for her, yet she doesn’t give up. When I get on that half-pipe again, I’m channeling Nellie. Nellie is not a quitter.
Miss Robyn notices how well I get along with Nellie, so she assigns me to Robbie and Claire’s project—building a tower out of cardboard boxes. The big ones go at the bottom, the small ones at the top. It’s supposed to help with Robbie and Claire’s coordination. Miss Robyn also mentions it’ll help with their interpersonal skills. I have no idea what she means.
Every time Claire and I stack a box, Robbie knocks the tower down.
“Robbie, we can’t do this if you keep destroying what we’ve built,” I tell him.
Robbie shows me his meanest face. “Robbie is Destroyer Man. Robbie is Destroyer Man.” He kicks the boxes across the room.
I gather up the boxes and start again. Claire balances one on top of the other. This isn’t easy for her. Her vision stinks, and those thick glasses she wears don’t seem to work that great.
Seconds later—WHAM! Robbie knocks the tower down again. “Robbie is Destroyer Man.”
Claire’s glasses get foggy. “No!” she cries.
I quickly reset the boxes. Claire takes off her glasses and wipes her drippy eyes on her sleeve.
Robbie hits the boxes again! They fly everywhere.
Claire screams. “Tower! My tower!”
I can’t take this. Seriously. “Stop it, Robbie. Stop knocking down the tower!”
“Destroyer Man! Destroyer Man!” Robbie jumps on a box, smashing it flat.
“That’s it!” I yell, tugging on Robbie’s arm above the elbow. “You are not Destroyer Man! Now, get over here and start acting normal.”
As soon as those words leave my lips, I feel dizzy with regret. Robbie will never be normal, at least in the way I think normal is normal. I back away. My blood feels like it has left my body.
Miss Robyn is at my side. “Bernice, please come with me.”
I shoot a glance at Odelia. She’s grumbling under her breath like Mom and Dad do when they’re about to lecture me for doing something stupid. Every boy, girl, and camp counselor stares at me as I leave the room.
Once inside Miss Robyn’s office, I sit and bite a hangnail. I feel terrible. I am a terrible person. I know what’s coming. I’m getting fired. I should get fired. I am worse than terrible. I should be arrested.
“What happened in there was unacceptable,” Miss Robyn says, pacing around her office. “You need to monitor what you say.” Miss Robyn slaps her hands down on her desk, and I jump.
“I just lost it,” I say, not really offering an explanation.
With less of a harsh tone Miss Robyn adds, “I’m at fault, as well. I should never have put you in that situation with Robbie and Claire.” She paces around the room and flips a pencil through her fingers like a baton. “You’re usually such a good role model. I know it’s hard to process this, but you are about the same age as many of the campers, and it’s good for them to be around you. They look up to you, Bernice.” Miss Robyn sighs. “But you are a work-in-progress yourself. You have lots to learn.”
“I’ll make it up to Robbie. I won’t come back tomorrow.”
“Please do that.”
I feel sick—throw-up-faint-dead-away sick. I get up to go.
Miss Robyn continues. “Let’s both take a deep breath and sit. Let me be clear. We are returning to the playroom where I want you to apologize to Robbie loud enough for every camper to hear. In the future, remember your manners. If you had used a calmer tone and said ‘Please,’ Robbie might have responded differently.”
“In the future?”
“Yes,” Miss Robyn replies. “Stay on as a volunteer. Please stay. The kids love having you here.”
“I like being here,” I mumble.
When I find Robbie, I stoop down so we’re eye-to-eye, and tell him I’m sorry. He puts his pudgy hands on my shoulders and plants a soggy smooch on my forehead. My heart swells.
I get back to our tower. “Robbie, can you put this box on top of mine and leave it there? Please?” Robbie cocks his head, picks up a box, and puts it in place. Next, Claire balances her box on top of Robbie’s. She shoots Robbie a deadly don’t-you-dare look.
Robbie walks around the tower. I can feel his tension building.
“Hey, Robbie, when we’re finished, we get to glue all the boxes together. Won’t that be fun?”
Robbie takes off “flying” for the supply shelf, yelling. “Robbie is Glue Man! Robbie is Glue Man!”
I’m relieved that Robbie is now a superhero instead of a destroyer.
I leave Smile Academy and ride home. It’s been a tough morning. I can’t wait to go skateboarding. Roxanne meets me at my front door and reminds me about my meeting with Roxy, Super Stylist to the Stars.
“I’ll French braid mine first, then yours,” she says.
