[quote]“I’m sorry, Matty,” his mother said softly as she parked beside the flagpole in the middle of camp. “I know this isn’t what you wanted, but I need you to give it a try.”[/quote]

Pulling the suitcase from the trunk of the car, his brother Danny said, [quote]“Come on, Matt. You know what happened. This place sounds great. I’m sure you’ll love it here.”[/quote]

Kicking at the dusty road in front of him, Matt wanted to argue longer, but there was no point. His mother had explained that she had tried to register him for Camp Champion, the sports camp his brother had once gone to, the one his two best friends, Tobias and Mackenzie, were going to this summer, but like everything else in his life, he had missed that opportunity and was stuck going to Camp Wyaconda, the place with the stupid name.

With a frustrated huff, he yanked his backpack from the rear seat of the car and flung it over his shoulder. His baseball glove hung from one side, and the zipper pocket barely closed over the Fear Street novel shoved inside. Looking around, he saw the ancient looking wooden cabins. Main Lodge. Dining Hall. Everything was labelled with signs in old wooden frames and paint that was blistering from years in the sun. He turned to his mom one more time and whispered, [quote]“Mom, can’t I just stay home with Danny and Danielle? I promise you won’t have to worry about me.”[/quote]

Seeing the look in her eyes, Matt knew the answer before she had a chance to begin. They had talked about it for the last three hours as they drove to camp. Mom and Dad were going to Europe. Danny had his first summer job and would hardly be home. Danielle was going to be spending most of her time with Taylor and Becky, and it wasn’t fair to ask her to babysit her younger brother. Matt let out a quiet sigh. He had heard the quiet conversations late at night. Mom and Dad had said they were going to Europe to try to rekindle their relationship, one last chance before they decided if they could stand living together any longer.

When she wrapped an arm around his shoulder, he pulled her in and wrapped his arms around her waist, squeezing her tight. It wasn’t the idea of camp he hated. It was the thought that when he came home, everything could be different. Mom and Dad could be in separate houses, his brother, sister, and him travelling back and forth between one parent and the other. Two houses. Two Christmases. Weeks split between parents.

[quote]“Matty,” she said again, brushing his messy hair back from his forehead, “I promise you’ll love it here. Taylor’s mom said Taylor had the best summer of her life at this place.”[/quote]

Nodding his head, Matt gave his mom one more squeeze and quietly pulled away. Finally noticing the campers around them, Matt saw kids like him, some older and some younger, most wearing matching green CAMP WYACONDA shirts and all heading toward the dining hall. Some walked in groups already laughing like they’d known each other forever. Others looked nervous and awkward, dragging their feet behind them.

As if it would make a difference, he gave it one final shot.

[quote]“Mom, I’m three days late,” he said. “Everybody probably already knows everybody else. I don’t even know what cabin I’m supposed to be in.”[/quote]

Danny chortled and grabbed the suitcase handle.

[quote]“Little bro, relax,” he said. “Mom already talked to one of the camp counsellors. They know you’re coming.”[/quote]

Then his older brother grinned.

[quote]“And if anybody bugs you, just throw a baseball at their head ... like you do to me.[/quote]