Chapter 131 An Unlikely Encounter

• The summer camp was bustling with activity. Kids of different ages moved up and down, getting their luggage and doing stuff, while Taylor stood alone in the corner, the handle of her luggage firmly gripped in her hands as she surveyed her surroundings. There was not a single familiar face there, although she was sure that her former best friend was somewhere in the camp. The sudden urge to cry and go meet someone in charge to tell them that she wanted to go back home came over her, but she resisted the urge. She was a big girl, after all, and she was going to make a lot of friends here. Raising her head, she joined the throng of milling kids and set about doing what she had to do.
• That first day, she didn’t make any friends, but at least some of the girls in her room talked with her. Two days later, she spied her former best friend with a group of some of their friends from school and some other new kids during lunch. Totally feeling alone and friendless, especially as the girl she usually talked to had spied some friends from home and had scurried off to be with them, Taylor moved closer to where Annie and her crew were seated and waited to be noticed.
• She had no idea if Annie was still mad and was not ready to be embarrassed. Some minutes later, their eyes met, and Taylor offered a tentative smile as a peace offering, managing to hold it for some seconds, but the smile began to falter when Annie only stared back at her without expression. Finally, Annie turned away and whispered something to her group of friends, whereupon they all turned as one to look in Taylor’s direction and burst into loud, raucous laughter that was lost in the din in the dining hall. Feeling tears sting her eyes, Taylor got up and made her way out of the dining hall. Suddenly, she wasn’t so hungry anymore. Most of the kids were in the dining hall, so outside was kind of deserted, which was fine anyway, because the last thing Taylor wanted to look like was weak. She made her way to sit underneath a tree, where she picked up a nearby piece of stick, and began to doodle on the ground.