Acting Out Read Online Free PDF

all huddled up with our towels wrapped around us like blankets. It was only nine thirty, and it was freezing out here. Okay, maybe not quite freezing, but it was probably in the sixties at least. When we woke up this morning, the cabin felt like a refrigerator, and we’d all worn jackets and sweats to breakfast. I had no idea the mountains got so cold at night.
    â€œI have to warn you that the final test will be really demanding,” said Alex. “You’ll have to tread water for two minutes without using your hands, swim five hundred yards without stopping, and retrieve a ten-pound object from a depth of ten feet.”
    Courtney poked me in the ribs, and I glanced at her. Her eyes widened, and I raised my eyebrows. It did sound pretty hard. Five hundred yards—that was like swimming five football fields.
    â€œI have another Guard Start class with Senior girls who are thirteen and fourteen, but most of you are twelve. So you’re all a little young.” She paced back and forth and locked her eyes on each one of us as she talked. “I fully expect that some of you won’t be able to hack it, and you’ll drop out. A few of you might get all the way through the class, but maybe you won’t pass the final test. If you do pass, your next step will be taking a lifeguarding class when you’re fifteen.” She stopped in front of us and crossed her arms.
    â€œYou’ll also be expected to complete thirty service hours—helping out with swimming lessons for the little kids. So this class is going to be a lot of hard work. Anyone who’s not ready to give it her all should leave now.”
    I jumped to my feet and waved to everyone. “I guess this is good-bye! Have fun!”
    Alex stepped aside to let me pass, but I felt someone yank my towel from behind. It was Courtney. “She’s just kidding.” She and Lauren pulled me down and made me sit between them. Courtney held on to my towel like she didn’t trust me to sit still.
    I could have easily walked away. Who needed this? I didn’t even want to be a lifeguard, so this class was a complete waste of time for me. I’d wanted to go to the climbing tower this morning, but Courtney and Lauren had dragged me here instead. They thought the class sounded cool, and then Mei wanted to do it too. So I came along, mostly to be with them. They seemed like the type of girls Chloe would be friends with.
    Alex was staring me down. “You’re welcome to go. Why don’t you leave now before you waste another minute of my time?” Courtney gripped my towel tighter, so I kept quiet and didn’t move.
    â€œAre you staying or going?” Alex asked, boring a hole through me with her blue death-ray eyes.
    I shrugged. “I might as well stay. I’m dressed for the part.” I opened and closed my towel really fast. Mei bit the edge of her towel to keep from smiling. Alex turned away and started blabbing about the five areas again.
    It felt scary being the troublemaker. But if I was going to try this out, camp was definitely the place to do it. I’d thought about it a lot since Alex had yelled at me yesterday. What could she do to me? What could any of the counselors do to me? It wasn’t like school, where you got called to the principal, or got detention, or got a note sent home to your parents. The worst thing they could do to me was send me home, but I’d have to do something major, like set the cabin on fire, to have that for a punishment. And I wanted to be a comedian, not an arsonist.
    When Alex finished jabbering, she gave us all workbooks, and we did exercises in them called “Safety First” and “Know Your PFD: Personal Flotation Device.” Then she told us all to get into the water to swim laps. “Four laps, ladies. Across the lake and back, two times.” Then she pointed to me and said, “JD’s doing five laps today. Just to show me how committed