Camp Idol

Episode 4

"What?" Cori panicked. "Well, where did it go? Do you think it washed back to the other side of the lake?"

"Or the bottom," Tanner shrugged, starting back for the woods.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Cori shouted.

"To get out of these muddy clothes," he said.

"But what about my boat?" she cried, half-chasing after him.

"It's gone," Tanner answered simply. "We'll have to figure something else out. Now, come on. I wanna change."

"Wait up!" Cori called, but he continued into the trees, leaving her no choice but to follow.

~~~

"Hey! Looks who's back!" JM shouted from the dock by Miracle 10's cabin.

"You just couldn't stay away, could you Cori?" Kole teased from his inner tube.

"Her boat's gone," Tanner told them, turning for the cabin.

"Whoa! What happened to you?" Axel climbed out of the water with a laugh.

"Yeah, your shirt's gonna be so stained, man!" added Kole.

"Well, then it's a good thing this is Nicky's," Tanner smirked, sauntering into the cabin.

"What'd I miss?" Nicky swam over and stepped onto the shore, slicking back his wet hair. The sun glistened off the water droplets on his chest and red board shorts as he grabbed a towel to dry off. "Oh! Hey! You're still here!" he smiled, noticing Cori.

"Her boat's MIA, Nicky," Kole told him, now joining the others on land, too.

"After a storm like last night, that's not hard to believe," said Nicky, looking at her sympathetically.

Cori looked nervously at her feet, unprepared to be facing Miracle 10 again.

"Um, could I use your phone?" she asked guiltily. "Maybe I can call the camp I came from across the lake and they can bring another boat over to get me."

"You can't," said Kole. "All the power's still out and the phone line, too."

"Oh," Cori frowned. "Then can I borrow your guys' boat?"

"We don't have one right now," JM told her. "It's on the mainland getting a paint job," he explained. "We weren't supposed to be coming out here for another few weeks."

"Like I said. Some week we picked," Axel sighed. "No boat, no power, no anything."

"Yeah, and no way to even contact the power company," said Kole.

"Might as well have just stayed at the recording studio like our manager wanted," grimaced Axel.

"But if you don't have a boat, then how'd you get onto the island?" Cori knit her brows.

"Personal helicopter," grinned Kole. "Dropped us off yesterday morning and isn't picking us up until Friday."

"It was the easiest way to keep private about being here," Nicky told her.

"Oh," Cori frowned again. "So then if you don't have a ride until Friday, and I can't call anybody, what do I do?"

"You'll just have to stay," said Nicky.

~~~

"So, you're saying I have to share a room for the rest of the week with The Snore King?" Tanner squinted with displeasure when everyone had joined him back in the cabin at lunchtime. He had changed out of his muddy attire into another neon tank and shorts.