Chapter Six

Waking up for piano practice has never been so hard. With a pounding head, I somehow dragged myself out of bed and across the camp grounds, and miraculously managed to get through practice without throwing up from the sounds of the painfully loud piano. The moment practice was done, I practically jumped off of the piano bench- well, I would've jumped up had sudden movements not hurt so much- and trudged back to my cabin.

Upon nearing my cabin, I noticed Carter walking away from it, looking very pleased with himself. Almost immediately, our conversation from last night flooded my memory, and I remembered his blue hair. My eyes dart to his head, no longer being shielded by a hood, and I frowned when I noticed that his hair was back to its usual shade of brown. Did I dream our conversation last night?

"Good morning Amelia," Carter chirps enthusiastically, a big fat grin on his face. "Wonderful weather we're having, isn't it?"

I narrowed my eyes, suspicious of his behavior. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

He grins wider, mischief shining in his eyes. "As you can see, I finally managed to get the blue out of my hair, after my eighth shower, so I no longer have to hide in my cabin."

So I didn't dream our conversation. I eye him, still suspicious as to his good mood.

Still not completely convinced, I nod slowly. "That's it?"

"That's it," He confirms. "I'm going to get breakfast. See you later, princess."

I frown as he walks away before I can reply, and I turn around to shout at his retreating figure, "Don't call me that!"

I faintly hear his laugh and shake my head before heading back into the cabins, making a beeline for the shower. I felt sticky and dirty for no real reason, but longed to stand under the lukewarm spray of the shower head, so that's exactly what I did. Carefully but quickly, I stepped out of my clothes, got underneath the spray of water, and instantly felt myself relax.

After shampooing and conditioning, I stood under the warm water for awhile longer, basking in the way it made my tense muscles relax, before I finally turned it off and got out. The mirror had fogged up in the process, and after wrapping myself in a towel, I leaned forward to wipe off the condensation from the window.

My eyes widened when I saw blue streaks in my once dirty blonde hair.

The once blonde highlights in my dirty blonde hair were stained a bright blue, with a darker blue compliment as lowlights. My hair was already feeling strangely stiff, thanks to the dye, and I stared at myself wide eyed in the mirror, unable to comprehend why I suddenly looked like a Troll doll.

Carter Miller.

Anger builds inside me as I realize that I caught him moments ago leaving my cabin, where he had put the food dye in my shampoo, and he was so happy because he had just pranked me. Although I should jump back in the shower and try to rid my hair of the bright blue color, I instead change into my clothes and march out of my cabin angrily, dead set on killing Carter.

I found him leaving the dining hall with James and Justin by his side, per usual, laughing at something that one of the boys had said. I stomped over with a scowl on my face, and James was the first one to notice me. His eyes went wide and he slapped Justin and Carter, who stopped laughing to see why he had suddenly paled.

"Miller," I seethe as I approach. "Why the fuck did you think it was okay to dye my hair blue?"

Carter, the asshole, has a smug smirk on his face. "Well, sweetheart, I was just showing you that I actually do know how to execute a prank."

I blink, confusion taking over my anger for a split second, until a memory of our conversation last night flashes in my mind. I had told him that he sucked at pranking because he didn't do it right the first time. My anger faded into a bigger vat of anger, and I narrowed my eyes at him again, barely resisting the urge to punch him in the nose.

"Did your feelings get hurt when I said you sucked at pranking, Miller?" I taunt, taking a threatening step closer.

"No, Stevens, I just enjoy proving you wrong," Carter mirrors my step, his smirk growing wider.

I shake my head, my frustration piling miles high. "You have no idea what you just started. You better watch your back, because I am going to end you."

With that, I spin around and stomp off, eager to get in the shower again to wash out the blue dye from my hair. As I'm leaving, I can hear James and Justin scold Carter for starting a pranking war with me, but I can't even bring myself to be smug; I'm too damn annoyed by his existence. For the next half hour, I seethe silently while scrubbing my hair free of the dye, thinking of ways I can end Carter Miller.

* * *

"Can you believe he had the audacity to say that? He didn't even apologize!" I groan in anger to Poppy, pacing back and forth in front of her as she sat on my bed. "I swear to God, we are going to ruin him. I don't care how long it takes, we are going to spend every day pranking him until he breaks."

"Mina," Poppy sighs dramatically.

"He better watch his back, because I am going to come at him with everything I've got. He wanted a war? Well, he's going to get a damn war," I continue, too heated to stop.

"Mina!" Poppy exclaims, jumping up from my bed, effectively making me come to a halt. "I've listened to you vent about this for the past hour. Take a deep breath, would you? You're going to kill yourself if you stay this angry."

I take her advice and take a deep breath, trying to regain some composure.

"That's better," She praises, then smirks a little bit. "How about instead of talking, we start planning?"

When I see the mischievous look in her eyes, I can't help but smirk too. We immediately get to planning, speaking in only hushed whispers so no one else in the cabin can overhear us. After an elaborate plan is in place, we decide to strike tonight, while everyone is out at Cabin 14. The boys in Carter's cabin were all notorious for partying, so I know it would be empty for at least a few hours in the middle of the night.

Our plan was deliciously precise. We spent the rest of the day gathering the necessary materials: nine cans of shaving cream, a tub of vinegar, and a jar of honey for good measure. Poppy and I hid all the evidence under my bed and didn't tell a soul of our plans- not even Rachel or Julie- in fear that they would ruin it before it even began. I wasn't going to let anything ruin my revenge. This was personal.

By the time midnight rolled around, Poppy and I were clad in all black. I was sporting a black long sleeve, black shorts, and even black socks to make me invisible. Similarly, Poppy was in black leggings and a black tank top. Once we stepped outside of the cabin, we blended into the darkness of the night, and quietly made our way over to Carter's cabin with our armfuls of materials to help us exact revenge.

I opened the cabin door the tiniest bit and stuck my head in and, like expected, no one was inside. I give Poppy the signal- two head nods- and we work our way inside, quietly shutting the door behind us. Using the flashlight on my phone as the only source of light, I check the bunk beds to try and distinguish Carter's from the other boys.

Conveniently, there was a duffel bag on top of a poorly made bed that was detailed with the initials CM. I smirked when I spotted it, and turned around to see Poppy setting the vinegar, honey, and bottles of shaving cream out on the table by the front of the room.

"We have to work quickly," I say quietly, and then nod toward the shaving cream. "Toss me a few bottles and I'll get started on his bed."

Poppy smirks mischievously, and then tosses me a few cans of shaving cream. Unfortunately, Carter had the top bunk, so I had to stand on the bottom bed to do most of the work. I threw his bag on the ground and pulled his sheets back, and then got to work. Quickly, I sprayed the contents of three bottles of shaving cream evenly on the mattress of his bed, making a thick layer of white foam.

When every inch was covered, I carefully pulled the sheet over the foam to cover it, and smiled victoriously. I set his bag down by the edge of his bed as to not crush all the foam, and climbed down to see Poppy working with the vinegar. She was carefully spreading it all over the floor, leaving a thin layer of the slippery substance behind her as she worked. I suppressed evil laughter as I watched her, and then moved onto the next task.

Just to be a pain in the ass, I added a layer of honey on the door handle inside the cabin so the boys would have a nice little surprise when they tried to open the door in the morning. Unfortunately, I didn't totally think this through, and by the time Poppy was finished, we had to escape through the window. We decided to hide out near the cabin so we could see the full effects of our pranking ability.

Apparently I dozed off while waiting, but when I awoke, it was from the sounds of crashing and shouting. I jolted awake, as did Poppy, and I saw that the cabin light was now on. Quickly, I leapt up from my position on the ground and ran over to the window, standing on my tippy toes to get a glimpse of the unraveling. And boy, did things unravel.

Carter and a few other boys were on the floor, thanks to the slippery vinegar. The smarter of the bunch had either jumped to their beds or waited outside the cabin altogether, scrunching their noses up at the odor. I watched as Carter scrambled up, slid over to the bunk bed, and then climbed it to get away from the ground. A scowl was set on his features, and I couldn't help but giggle when I saw the ugly green-yellow color that coated his backside.

"Good idea with the vinegar," Poppy giggles beside me as we appreciate the work being done.

I grin even wider when Carter jumps onto his bed and shaving cream oozes out of the side of his sheets. It drops onto the ground before he notices that it's even there, and as he struggles to pull his vinegar soaked shirt off his body, he falls onto the bed, face first into a pile of shaving cream not hidden from the sheet. His eyes grow wide and, from outside, I can hear him shout.

"What the fuck!" Carter growls loudly, his eyes ablaze when he realizes his bed is ruined.

Satisfaction pours through me. I told you not to mess with me, Miller. I want to shout the I-told-you-so at the top of my lungs, but his murderous expression kept me from doing so. Instead, I sunk beneath the window to where Poppy had dissolved into laughter, and join her.

"His face," Poppy says through her laughter. "God, that was great."

I smirk. "He should've thought twice before putting that food dye in my shampoo."

She laughs, and shakes her head as the bubbly laughter dies down. After a few more enraged shouts, we decide to take refuge in our cabin, where I slept peacefully all night knowing that I had gotten revenge on Carter Miller.

* * *

I woke up an hour before practice feeling extremely well rested, and the second I remembered my prank last night, a satisfied smile stretched across my face. I almost immediately began wondering the state that Carter's cabin was probably in, and couldn't help myself from walking over to check.

Still clad in pajama shorts and a long sleeve that I wore to sleep, I walked over to the boys cabins and assumed position by the window from where I watched Carter crumble last night. When my gaze found his empty bed, I looked around, wondering if he was already awake this morning.

My eyes landed on one of the twin beds, but there were two people in it. Cuddling. I briefly thought that a guy had brought a girl back to the cabin sometime after I left, but when I saw Carter's mop of brown hair, I knew exactly who it was. I laughed outright, and then clamped a hand over my mouth, careful not to let anyone hear me.

I tip toed to the cabin door and pushed it open while I retrieved my phone from my slipper, where I had stashed it when I left my cabin. Carefully, I approached the bed, where Carter was sleeping peacefully, being the little spoon to Justin. I snapped the photo and, unable to help myself, let out a snicker. Unfortunately, that's all it took to wake Carter up.

His groggy gaze met mine in confusion, and I stared back wide eyed, my phone still pointed to him. All at once, he realizes the position he's in, and his eyes widen to the size of saucers. Once mobility reestablishes itself in my system, I run out of the cabin, shutting the open door behind me, completely aware of what will happen to Carter if he tries to open it.

"Fucking hell, what is this?" I hear an annoyed voice groan behind me, and I turn to see Carter sniffing his hand.

"Honey?"

I begin laughing, which draws his attention to me again. His face sets in a scowl as he shuts the cabin door behind him, and I decide not to run away, but to stay and fight. After all, I have the upper hand, what with my genius prank and the photo of Carter cuddling his friend.

"Nice move with the vinegar and shaving cream," Carter surprises me by commenting, his voice only with a little malice. "But I'd like that picture deleted now."

I smirk, not at all threatened by the boy with bedhead and honey dripping off his right hand as he stood in front of me. I mock sweetly, "What's the magic word?"

His eyes are hard as he says through clenched teeth, "Please."

I pretend to think about it for a second, and end with a short shake of the head. "Nope, I think I'm going to keep it. Thanks for asking politely, though."

Carter's fists are clenched by his side, but suddenly a thought crosses his mind and his blazing eyes cool down a little, his hands stretch back out, and he assumes a nonchalant smirk. "Alright, sweetheart. I can play dirty."

My confidence dissipates at the authority he holds in his low, almost husky voice when he speaks. He was watching me with a calculating gaze and a growing smirk, like he knew that his confidence jarred me. I mean, here I was, with a photo of him cuddling James, his cabin a mess from my retaliation prank, and he was threatening me. In an attempt to hide the fact this bothered me, I rid my expression of emotion, and feigned nonchalance.

"You haven't had enough yet?" I ask, my voice almost a taunt.

For some infuriating reason, though, it felt like he could see right through me. Right through the bullshit.

Because he looks like he knows what I'm doing, and he's smirking because he knows he has the upper hand, and while I fake nonchalance, he's the poster child of cool and confident.

Amusement dances in his eyes as he answers simply, "See you soon, princess."

And then he turns around, hands in pocket, to walk back to his vinegar-smelling, shaving-cream-covered, honey-dripping cabin. Slightly stunned, I watch him walk away, and then an expected feeling of dread seeps into my stomach. He didn't give up. Why didn't he give up?

I walked back to my own cabin, tip toed around the beds of sleeping campers, climbed the bunk bed to get to Poppy, and shook her awake to ask her the very question. She woke up in a groaning daze, unable to figure out why she was awake at such an hour, and when he finally came to, she gave me a hateful glare.

"Why are you waking me up before ten?" She grumbles, clearly displeased.

"Why didn't he give up?" I repeat, very disheartened. "We ruined his bed, have an incriminating photo of him, and made his entire cabin reek of vinegar. I don't get it."

Although I was thoughtful, Poppy was tired and crabby. "He's a stubborn dick hole."

I snorted a laugh at her answer, and then decided to let her go back to bed so I could go to the auditorium to practice before practice. The entire time I played, though, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell Carter was going to do next.