There's a Bat in Bunk Five by Paula Danziger Page B

talk much to my mother about it, even when she sat me down and told me the facts of life. Somehow that was hard because I kept thinking she and my father must have done it, since Stuart and I are here, but it’s weird to think of your parents having sex.
    I’m not just shy, I’m tired, very tired. It’s been a long day.
    I’m almost asleep when I hear screams of “raid” and someone playing a trumpet.
    Suddenly the whole bunk is filled with kids from the boys’ intermediate cabin.
    The girls are screaming again.
    I quickly jump out of bed.
    Corrine grabs her robe and puts it on.
    I grab mine and do the same.
    Opening the door, we get bombarded with water balloons and shaving cream.
    Rolls of toilet paper are flying.
    The trumpet’s still playing.
    Pillows are being thrown. Feathers are flying.
    As quickly as it began, it’s ended.
    Bunk five’s a disaster area. It’s filled with toilet paper, water, and shaving cream.
    There are also frogs running around, obviously collected and saved for just this occasion.
    â€œSomeone stole Paddington,” Stacey yells. “He was my favorite stuffed animal.”
    â€œI managed to bite one of them,” Ginger calls out.
    Alicia curses in Spanish.
    â€œGet those frogs out of here before I die,” Linda yells.
    â€œTry catching them and putting them in a blender,” Helene yells back.
    â€œNot funny.” Linda stands on her bunk. “Please, if you catch them, I promise I’ll never tell those two jokes again.”
    The frogs are caught—I hope we got all of them—and taken outside.
    â€œEverything okay now?” Corrine checks.
    â€œSomeone stole my bra,” Robin says.
    â€œDon’t worry. You don’t really need one anyway,”Ginger says. “A Barbie doll’s got bigger boobs than you do.”
    â€œI’m going to kill her,” Robin yells, lunging at Ginger.
    Corrine holds her back, while I say, “Ginger, apologize.”
    â€œRobin, I’m sorry you don’t really need a bra.”
    â€œThat’s not what I meant.”
    Ginger sneers. “Sorry.”
    Some of the girls give Robin a hug and say things like “Don’t let her get to you,” and “We should have made her eat those frogs.”
    Corrine looks around the room. “Let’s get this all cleaned up and then we’re going to have to go down to the showers to clean off.”
    We clean up.
    We troop down to the showers.
    I’m past being exhausted. I’m not even sure I’m alive anymore.
    Everyone looks the way I feel.
    Finally we all go back to bed.
    It’s finally quiet.
    I wonder what Ted’s doing right now.
    The sheep I try to count are all jumping over rainbows. Frogs are hopping under those rainbows.
    Someone from the bunk yells, “Revenge will be ours.”
    I hug my pillow, pretending the pillow’s Ted, and fall asleep.
    Reveille.
    Someone should shoot the kid with the bugle. Or at least put a muzzle on him.
    I’m tired. The only reason I can think of for getting up is to see Ted at breakfast.
    That’s enough of a reason.
    I jump out of bed.
    Giggling. I hear giggling. How can anyone be alert enough to coordinate their giggling mechanism after all of last night’s disturbance?
    I’m almost afraid of what I’m going to find when I open the door.
    I peek out, into the righthand part of the cabin.
    No one’s there.
    They’re all on the left side.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” I ask, wiping the sleep out of my eyes.
    All of the girls, except Ginger, are sitting together, looking guilty.
    I repeat my question.
    Risa says, “We were just practicing kissing.”
    â€œEach other?” I ask.
    â€œNo, ourselves. Look.” She shows me her arm.
    I look.
    She’s given herself a hickey, a big red mark on her arm.
    The rest of the girls hold out their arms. They’ve done the same to themselves. All of