Camp Wisahickon

Chapter Forty

Okay guys, this is it! Sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoyed :)

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TWO MONTHS LATER

"Hey!" I shout at Hyde, a younger camper. Although he was only eight, he had just as much mischief in his bones as me, Poppy and Carter combined. "Put down the can of paint."

Hyde turns around innocently with a paintbrush drenched in blue paint in his left hand and the can in his right. "Why?" He pouts. "I'm not done my masterpiece."

I eye his 'masterpiece' on the side of the dining hall and hold back a smirk. "That's the point," I tell him as I approach. "If you're going to pull a prank, you have to be a little more creative. Painting your name on the side of the building makes it a little obvious whose fault it is."

Hyde looks between me and his name, a huge painted "H-Y-D-E R-O-C-K" on the side of the building. He was halfway through the 'S' when I had ordered him to stop. The kid looks back at me and shrugs.

"I don't see the problem," He says.

I take a deep breath and try again. "To keep yourself from getting caught, maybe don't sign your name," I explain. "Instead, write something funny or draw a funny picture."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Marcus, the camp director, walk over to us with a perplexed expression. As Hyde opens his mouth to keep brainstorming new ideas with me, I put my hands on my hips and pretend I'm furious.

"You can't deface camp property, Hyde!" I scold extra-loudly, to make sure Marcus hears me. "This isn't funny. You're going to have to stay to wash this off."

"Is everything okay over here?" Marcus asks as he eyes Hyde's masterpiece. "What's going on?"

I turn to Marcus and feign disappointment. "Hyde thought it would be funny to paint on the building. But don't worry Marcus, I'm handling it."

Marcus regards me, mildly impressed, and nods once. "Thanks, Amelia."

"Of course," I tell him with a responsible smile, and when he walks away, I look at Hyde to see him giving me a look. I just shrug. "Sorry, man. Can't let the boss know I'm trying to help the quality of your prank."

"Thanks a lot," Hyde mutters.

I grin at him. "No problem. Now go inside and grab a bucket with soapy water and a sponge. See if the paint is wet enough to wash off."

Hyde mutters something under his breath as he trails inside, and I hear a disappointed sigh from behind me. I spin around, an apology on the tip of my tongue for Marcus, but instead I see Poppy standing there shaking her head.

"We really were the last good generation of prankers," She sighs. "This stuff is child's play."

I nod in agreement. "Give him a few years. Maybe his technique will improve by the time he's a teenager."

"Don't be so hard on him," A new voice adds, and I glance behind Poppy to see Joey approach. He slings an arm around Poppy's shoulder and grins at us. "He's still learning."

A beam of light slices through my gaze, and I look behind Joey, off in the distance, to see Carter by the trees, bouncing the sunlight off his phone to get my attention. When he realizes he's got it, he waves me over to the tree line.

"Joey, I'm glad you're here," I say, barely paying attention to him. "Make sure Hyde cleans up his bad prank."

I start walking away before I finish talking, but I can still hear Joey cry, "Why do I have to do it?"