11 | Operation Panty Planting

Like any good secret mission, Operation Panty Planting has been planned to the last detail. On paper, the steps are simple enough.

1. Lizzie, Zack and I set our phones to vibrate at 1 AM on the dot. We get dressed in our darkest clothing, tuck ourselves in before curfew, and wait for the hours to pass.

This is obviously the easiest part of our plan, but also the most excruciating-- thanks to all the somersaults my stomach is doing, it isn't like I can get any sleep, and the anticipation has my adrenaline running on high as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and wishing I could press fast forward.

2. At 1:00, the three of us sneak out of our cabins and meet in the sparse woods near the start of the girls' area.

Again, easy enough. Lizzie and I tiptoe our way out of our cabin and over to the meeting spot, where Zack is already waiting. I can barely see him as we approach, thanks to the fact that we're all dressed in our darkest clothing, trying to blend in with the night as much as possible. The moon overhead casts long shadows from the trees and buildings, and the night is silent apart from crickets and the soft lapping of Lake Kintaw against the shore.

He whispers a greeting when we get to where he's standing. There are a few seconds of awkward hesitation, where I'm guessing their thoughts are probably the same as mine: are we really going to do this?

After all, the next step is where things start to get complicated.

3. Sneak into Rita and Mei's cabin without waking anyone up, acquire undergarments, and get the hell out.

"Okay." I tighten my ponytail, trying to act more confident than I feel. I just have to remind myself why we're doing this, and all the angry motivation comes right back, blocking out the nerves enough to convince me to keep going. "We all know what we're doing, right?"

Zack nods. "I'll keep a lookout here and call Lizzie's cell if I see anyone coming."

"I follow you and keep a lookout near the cabin while you go inside," Lizzie continues.

"I get the goods, and the three of us meet back here for phase two."

"You're sure you're okay with being the one who goes inside?" Lizzie asks, not for the first time.

I nod, knowing I'm probably the best choice. If Zack got caught sneaking around in one of the girls' cabins in the middle of the night, he'd be kicked out of camp before sunrise. And from what I've seen of Lizzie so far, she's... well, endearingly clumsy is one way of putting it. We need someone who's light on their feet and can be in and out as neatly as possible.

"I'll be fine," I say, hoping it's the truth.

Lizzie and I sneak our way back to cabin nine, and I make my way up the stairs as quietly as possible. For safety reasons, the cabins don't have locks on their doors, which makes my job a lot easier. I'm able to walk right in, the door creaking softly as I step inside.

The moon lights the room from behind the tartan curtains, providing me with enough light to see the five campers. Three are girls I've never seen before, and the other two are girls I'd like to suffocate with the pillows they're resting their heads on.

I tiptoe over to Rita, who's black hair is scattered across her pillow in loose curlers, eyes covered with a fuzzy sleeping mask. She's the definition of "glamping" if I've ever seen it. Her bedside dresser is decorated with various lotions and a sparkly bag of toiletries, as well as her iPhone. The thought of grabbing it is tempting, but it'd be useless without knowing her password, and I'd rather not get charged with a misdemeanor over stealing it unless we've got a worthwhile plan.

Instead, I slowly open the top drawer, keeping an eye on her for any sign that I'm disturbing her sleep. She stays still, breathing steady, and the only sounds in the cabin besides my ragged breathing are the soft snores from one of the other girls.

I pull the drawer out, and bingo: we've hit the underwear jackpot, people. There are two rows of lacy, frilly undergarments in various patterns and colors.

Feeling only slightly like a weirdo perv, I grab every last pair and shut the drawer, getting out as quietly as possible. The door groans shut behind me and Lizzie looks on with wide eyes, bouncing on her feet. She covers her mouth as she looks at all the colorful lace in my arms.

"Oh my god," she whispers, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a large, resealable plastic baggy with Love, Rita Wexler written on the side in permanent marker. "It looks like you just performed a heist at Victoria's Secret."

"I know." I shove the underwear into the bag as she holds it open. "And it feels like I need to boil my skin. I don't like breathing the same air as Rita, much less holding her underwear in my bare hands."

We stifle our laughter as the two of us hurry back to Zack, who's still hiding in the shadows of the woods. His eyebrows raise when he sees the bag in my hands, stuffed with multicolored fabric.

"You did it? That's really...?"

"Rita's underwear," I fill in the blank. "I don't suppose you'd like to carry it?"

He grimaces, holding up his hands. "I'll pass."

"Glad to know that Ethan isn't the only guy here who hasn't fallen victim to Rita's... assets."

"I have a cabin mate who'd probably pay in the triple digits for that bag."

The three of us attempt to stifle our laughter, and Lizzie whispers through a giggle, "Okay, let's do this. Before we wake up the whole camp."

By this, she means Step 4: Sneaking over to the staff area and planting the bag of Rita's underwear in Ethan's cabin.

Now, I know what you might be thinking. This doesn't exactly get back at Mei in any way, does it? Maybe not directly, but as far as I'm concerned, a shot at Rita is a shot at them both.

It's classic war strategy: take down the leader and the followers go down, too.

Thanks to Zack, who sneakily followed Ethan after lunch yesterday (and nearly got caught in the staff area by Ms. Rodriguez herself), we know that Ethan's cabin is the one just left of the bathrooms. I don't know how many other counselors are in there, but something tells me that with all of Rita's obvious flirting, there won't be any doubt who the package is for.

There's also no doubt that at least one of the counselors will go blabbing about it. It'll travel through the grapevine, eventually get back to Rita, and she'll know exactly whose cabin her underwear ended up in. That's the beauty of the prank-- it doesn't matter if Ethan knows it was a plant, or if he thinks Rita purposefully put them there for him to find. It's embarrassing for Rita either way, and that's what makes it perfect. Will she even be able to look him in the eye after this? I know I wouldn't be able to.

The three of us sneak through the woods, past the parking lot and over to the staff side of camp. It's dark, apart from the lamp posts that line the walkway between the cabins, and the always-on bathroom lights. From the looks of it, everyone's sleeping.

We stalk over to the bathroom building, and I try not to wince at the way our feet crunch against the pine needles and fallen leaves with every step. Logically, if anyone is awake, they'd brush off our noises as an animal, but that doesn't stop me from feeling like Shaefer's shiny bald head is about to poke out of one of the doors and catch us in the act.

I'm thankful Lizzie told me he bunks with the boys every year-- if it wasn't for that, this mission would be even scarier. Sure, Ms. Rodriguez is the head of the camp, but there's something about Shaefer that just screams authority. It's like his beady eyes are always on the lookout for any opportunity to dish out punishment.

We press our backs to the siding of the building, and I take in a deep breath of the cool night air. Crickets chirp around us, breaking the silence of the night.

"Okay," I whisper. "You guys ready?"

"Ready," Lizzie nods, holding out her hand for the bag.

I almost hand it over, but hesitate as I look between the two of them. "And you're both sure about this? It isn't too late if you want to back out."

Lizzie grins, shaking her head and taking the bag out of my grasp. "Del, I'm beyond sure about this."

Zack nods, standing up straighter. "We've got this. No problem."

Lizzie gives me a dramatic salute before scurrying around the backside of the building, Zack following close behind her. Their part of the job is simple, but risky: get one of the windows open (if they're lucky, one already will be) and send the bag in through it. I offered to help, but they insisted on distributing the risk fairly. I did the stealing, they do the planting.

As I wait for them to finish, I realize that I really couldn't ask for a better team. But just as I'm thanking my lucky stars that everything has gone so smoothly, there's a light squeaking from the other side of the path. My head snaps in that direction just in time for me to see one of the cabin doors opening from inside.

I hold my breath, frozen in place-- should I move somewhere more hidden, or stay pressed against the shadowy exterior of the bathrooms? If I try to move, I might draw attention, but if I stay here, there's a good chance they might see me. Crap, and what about Lizzie and Zack? If they didn't hear, they won't have any idea that someone's outside with us.

There are distinct footsteps coming my way-- is it the mystery person, or Lizzie and Zack? What is someone even doing leaving their cabin at this hour, and why would they be coming right for me? It's as if there's a big neon sign above my head saying "CAMPER WHO SNUCK OUT!"

The footsteps get closer, closer, and then... then they go into the bathrooms.

Right. I guess in my panic, I sort of forgot where I was hiding. I let out a whoosh of air, knowing we need to get out of here like, five minutes ago.

I hurry around the building and head over to where Lizzie and Zack are coming around the backside of the cabin. They grin, giving me thumbs up as they approach.

"It's in," Lizzie confirms, hands proudly on her hips.

"Good, 'cause we have to go. Someone's awake, they're in the bathroom right now. We should get out of here before they come back out."

Their confident expressions turn into wide-eyed panic and fast nods of agreement. I lead us back around behind the bathrooms, then around the side, pausing to listen for any sign of movement. When I determine that the coast is clear, I wave my hand for them to follow behind me. And as I exit the shadowy side of the building, I come face to chest with someone's bright yellow t-shirt.

Crap.

"Delena?"

Wait a second. I know that voice-- I've been replaying it in my head way more than I'd like to admit.

I feel the blush on my face before I even look up to confirm that it is in fact Ethan, who's staring down at me with a look between confusion and amusement. There's a snap behind me, which draws his attention, and he tilts his head as Lizzie and Zack step out from behind the building.

"Um... this probably seems... suspicious," I manage, wiping my sweaty hands on my leggings.

He laughs slightly, and I'm thankful he's-- for some reason-- keeping his voice down too. "Yeah, you could say that."

"We can explain, really," Lizzie insists, joining my side.

"Right," Zack continues. "It's... we were just..."

"I'm guessing this has something to do with another prank," Ethan gathers, looking between me and Lizzie before his eyes trail to Zack, who's fidgeting and looking about as guilty as anyone I've ever seen. "And it looks like you two have been recruiting help."

I bite my lip, knowing I should at least try to deny it, but also knowing that it'd be pointless. Ethan obviously isn't stupid enough to believe this doesn't have something to do with getting back at Rita.

Lizzie sighs, clearly knowing it too. "They got us back for our pizza prank."

Ethan smiles at me knowingly. "I figured-- Delena mentioned something about starting a war this morning."

I can practically feel the we-are-so-talking-about-what-that-means-later side-eye from Lizzie, since I sort of forgot to mention my run-in with Ethan to her. I didn't think girl talk and gushing over everything that happened on the trail would do me any good on the whole trying not to develop a crush thing.

"We're in the middle of retaliation," I tell him. "And I know it's asking a lot, but it'd be better for us if you didn't turn us into Ms. Rodriguez."

He puts a hand on his chin, dramatically thinking it over for a few seconds. "Tell you what. You let me paint your portrait this summer, and I'll pretend like I never saw you three tonight."

"Deal!" Lizzie says before I can respond. I turn to her with wide eyes, but she gives me a shrug and an innocent expression.

My face flushes again-- why would he want to paint a picture of me? He said before that he likes figuring out everyone's unique features. That's probably all it boils down to. Right?

I wish I wasn't so hoping that I'm wrong.

And I guess Lizzie's right-- I'd be stupid not to accept, even if this does mean spending time with Ethan, and spending time with Ethan undoubtedly means catching more feelings.

"I..." I hesitate. Ethan waits with a patient expression, gaze fixed on me. "Sure, deal. Thanks."

He grins, and again, I'm taken aback by how gorgeous he is. The dim moonlight glows perfectly against his skin as the smile lights up his face. How can he look better in his pajamas than most guys would in a custom-tailored suit?

"We'd better go," Lizzie says, grabbing my arm and pulling me from my Ethan-induced trance. "Before someone else needs a bathroom break."

"Try not to get caught on your way back-- It'll be hard to paint a picture of you if you get kicked out of camp." With that, Ethan waves and heads back to the cabin across the path, leaving me red-faced and still overthinking his request. Between the nerves I get from him and the adrenaline I have from sneaking around, I don't think my heart could beat any faster of it tried.

"Okay, there is so much we need to talk about at breakfast," Lizzie says to me.

"Yeah," Zack agrees, watching Ethan shut the door behind him. "Starting with the fact that I picked the wrong cabin."

It seems to dawn on me and Liz at the same time, our heads looking back and forth between the buildings-- the one Ethan just entered, and the one that a bag of Rita's underwear is now sitting in. Two very different buildings.

If we didn't put the bag in Ethan's cabin, who's cabin did we put it in?

"I swear, Ethan went into that cabin after lunch," Zack whispers, running a hand through his hair. He's clearly upset about the mistake, but I shake my head, waving it off.

"You couldn't have known he wasn't staying in there. Besides, the main thing is that someone now has a very personal package with Rita's name on it."

"Exactly. And on the bright side, Ethan's been spared of the trauma. Still a success as far as I'm concerned." Lizzie smiles, shrugging. "Now let's motor while we still have the chance."

Any opinions on their prank? Do you think it was too mean, or are they justified? 👀🩲

What do you think about Ethan wanting to paint Del? 🎨

This chapter was so difficult for some reason! I almost depleted my backlog of pre-written chapters from being stuck on it for so long 😳😬 But I'm really happy with how it came out in the end, and I hope you guys enjoyed it! 😊