Unscripted - Nicole Kronzer Page 0,26

back to camp. I was what? I was . . . I tried to fill in the blank. Why hadn’t he finished his sentence? If it was a normal, improv coach to improviser thing to say, he just would have said it, right? You are funny; you are going to be okay; you are learning . . . But he didn’t think he should be saying whatever it was. That was why he’d cut himself off, right?

You are . . .

Was this what it felt like to be Will and Jonas? Or Sirena and Emily? Was Ben saying he liked me? Nothing even remotely close to this had ever happened to me before. I was relying on books by Rainbow Rowell and Nicola Yoon and Maurene Goo and on movies like The Princess Bride and Love, Simon and . . . that was it, actually. Just on books and movies.

What else could make him cut himself off?

I followed him wordlessly for ten minutes, but before the last turn, his feet stopped and so did my heart.

“Don’t . . .” He turned to face me and put a hand on my shoulder. Then he looked down, his thumb slowly tracing a path back and forth. “Don’t, uh, tell anyone about today. We don’t want anyone to say the only reason you’re on Varsity is because . . . well . . .”

My body stiffened. “Is what?”

He chuckled and dropped his hand. “You know.”

Is because he likes me? “It isn’t, though, right?” I asked, avoiding his eyes and biting my thumbnail.

“God, no. But you know how guys can be. I’m just trying to protect you. Give me a couple minutes before you follow, okay?”

He took my other hand, squeezed it, and left, leaving me to wonder what the holy freaking hell had just happened.

CHAPTER TEN

In trying to make sense of my day, I wandered. There were probably trees and paths and flowers and buildings and people, but I was distracted by the questions in my head.

Did Ben like me? Or was he just looking out for me?

Either way, he was in my corner . . . right? I hadn’t just made the team because of a quota? Because I was a girl?

I wandered so much, by the time I decided to stop, dinner was over.

When I opened the door to Gilda Radner, there was a party going on. By the looks of it, both JV teams were squeezed inside.

“Zelda!” Emily shouted. “You were right! Jonas is so nice! And Hanna is so nice! And everyone is so—”

Beyoncé was blaring loudly, and I lost Emily’s last word. “What?”

“NICE!” she yelled near my face. “WOOOO!”

“Typical white girl,” Jonas smiled, sidling up next to me as Emily danced away. “Can’t handle her Beyoncé.”

I laughed. “It’s so good to see her feeling more comfortable.”

He nodded as she twirled to the music. “Yeah. Today was really good for her, I think.”

My eyes sought Will’s as he reached for Jonas. “Be happy for us, Z, because, baby, we are out!” Will shouted and the cabin cheered.

Grinning, I sought Sirena’s eyes, and she grinned back at me.

“Kiss!” someone yelled.

“Not that out!” Will shouted again. Everyone hooted. He took my hands. “Dance, Z!”

I shrugged and joined in.

It still hurt to breathe, but the music sort of made me forget that for a while. As I danced, I tried to push all thoughts of Ben and Varsity out of my brain, focusing on these people, this joy. Be in the moment.

Between songs, Paloma shouted, “Water break, people!”

Hanna put her hands up in protest. “Come on, Mom!”

“You’ll thank me when no one gets altitude sickness!” she retorted.

“But we won’t thank you when we get up five times in the night to pee!” Hanna said.

We laughed as Hanna turned down the music and people flopped on beds, mainlining water.

“Hey!” a JV guy exclaimed, jumping up from the bed he’d just sat on. “What’s this?” He held up a flat, square, plastic case.

“Our Pacific Coast Whale Sounds CD!” Emily exclaimed. “Where did you find it?”

The guy probably explained, but I watched Emily, who beelined to her suitcase and pulled out the bright yellow Discman. Wordlessly, she slipped the CD inside, then connected a double-ended aux cable to the Bluetooth speakers. Soon, lonely moaning filled the cabin.

Hanna put her hands on her hips. “What circle of hell is this?” she demanded.

“It’s peaceful!” Emily and Sirena insisted, but they were already giggling.

As the debate continued about whale sounds (relaxing or slow torture?), I clambered up on