Cousins by Virginia Hamilton

on her forehead and the wet of her hair behind her ears. It felt cool on her face after that. Cammy closed her eyes. She knew when Elodie leaned around to try to see her. She opened her eyes. “What is it, girl?” she said, none too kind.
    “You going to sleep right here?” Elodie asked.
    “I’m taking the breeze,” Cammy said, “but if I feel like dozing off, I sure will.” She wasn’t sleepy. But she did want to be left alone.
    “If I come home with you after day camp, we can play or something?” Elodie said.
    “Girl, don’t bother me about when-we-come-home. We haven’t even started, yet.”
    Elodie set back in her seat. She knew Cammy didn’t want her over. But always, she tried asking.
    Cammy felt funny about it each time Elodie asked to come home with her. Felt funny about saying no. She didn’t want people seeing her with Elodie, that was her deep, dark secret. She was ashamed of it. But she was more ashamed of Elodie.
    She’s poor, Cammy thought and felt ashamed, thinking. Has to live at the Christian Shelter a lot, in the summer, like now. With her mom up by the lakes on a crew doing the migrant work.
    They let Elodie stay for day camp. Cammy didn’t know who “they” were, exactly. But her mama said that “they” paid for Elodie. Because cousin Marie didn’t have the money to send her to camp, but didn’t want Elodie up there with her, either. North, by the lakes, where the crew lived practically in the fields from sunup until almost night.
    “They” paid for it and helped the family so Elodie wouldn’t have to migrant labor, Cammy was thinking.
    “It’s a good town,” Cammy’s mama said often enough. Had a good Care for Cammy’s Gram. And kindness for the less fortunate, like Elodie.
    So I should be nice to her, Cammy thought. I know that! But what will other kids think if she comes to my house? Richie’s enough trouble!
    Cammy fidgeted. It’s not right to feel bad about Elodie because she’s poor and near homeless. But kids will tease me. They see me playing with her in my own yard. I could say I just ran into her downtown, or something.
    It’s different at day camp, Cammy thought. Me and Patty Ann are the best here because we have houses to live in and good stuff at home. She’s got better stuff than I have. She has nice clothes.
    It’s okay to be kind to kids that are worse off.
    Oh, I hate all about it!
    She sighed. She turned to Elodie, who was sitting there not looking out or anything. She stared straight ahead. Cammy was just about ready to invite her home after day camp today when Elodie nodded toward Patty Ann and Larry.
    Cammy looked. Larry had his arm across the back of the seat. He was playing with Patty Ann’s long, pretty braid. Then, he twisted and untwisted it around his hand, gently pulled it. The pulling made Patty Ann’s head jerk back a little each time. Larry was turned toward her, looking down at her face. Patty Ann leaned toward him. Just a little. Elodie and Cammy could see she was grinning all over herself.
    Her face, what they could see of it, looked dreamy.
    “They make me sick,” Cammy whispered to Elodie. Elodie didn’t say anything. She wrung her hands in her lap; laced and unlaced her fingers.
    “You still crazy about Larry?” Cammy asked her. She tried to speak kindly.
    Elodie nodded. She didn’t look up.
    “Well, he’s too old,” Cammy said. “He’s almost thirteen. I mean, he’s twelve,” she whispered, “but anybody that old shouldn’t be going to day camp when some of the kids on this bus aren’t but ten.”
    Elodie looked about to say something. But instead, she shrugged. Her eyes were misty. She was sure still in love, thought Cammy.
    “Listen. You can come over after day camp,” she said. “But I have to go see my Gram Tut before we can play.”
    “That’s okay with me. I always did like Gram Tut,” said Elodie.
    Well, she’s not your Gram, Cammy thought. She didn’t say it. Oh, it was hard, always thinking about