Half a dress is definitely better than none

One moment, Brooke Thompson was wearing half a dress. The next, she was wearing nothing at all.

She hurriedly tried to cover her breasts and her privates with her hands but it seemed obvious from the expression on Montana's face that she was not doing a very good job of it.

All the while, the camp owner and manager Margaret Booth was smirking at her, holding the dress that had been Brooke's one chance at clothing in her hand while lecturing Brooke on the matter of respect for authority.

"I'd gladly obey any rule you ask," said Brooke. "Just give me something to wear. Please."

"After what you did to this last dress?" asked Margaret. "Don't make me laugh."

"Please," said Brooke. "That was an accident. I'll do better next time. I promise."

"Of course you will," said Margaret. "Because for three months there won't be a next time. You'll be as naked as the day you were born."

"That doesn't sound very Christian of you," said Brooke.

"Hey, I'll define what's Christian here and what's not," said Margaret. "Now go ahead and eat your breakfast. We're already behind enough on our schedule without having to worry about you not eating."

Brooke looked over to the other girls for help but saw immediately from the frightened look in their eyes that they were no more eager to confront Margaret than she was. In fact, the only one who was not avoiding her eyes was Montana and she was -- wait! Was she smiling? No, wait, she was frowning now. But only after she glanced in Brooke's direction.

Oh, well, thought Brooke. Now the worst has happened. She has been totally stripped of her clothes and she's not likely to be getting dressed any time soon. It's difficult to imagine anything worse happening to her at this camp. So she might as well count her blessings, right?

Then Brooke felt something bite her on her butt. Wait! Were there mosquitoes here? Granted, they were supposed to be near a lake but surely they weren't that clo -- Ouch! There it goes again. There really were mosquitoes here.

Brooke looked at Margaret and thought about asking her for a can of Off but changed her mind as soon as she saw the frown on Margaret's face.

So instead she started to sit down, only to hear Montana cry out, "Wait!"

Brooke looked up with an expression of anticipation in her face.

"Before you sit down, Major Hottie," said Montana, "you need to put a napkin on your seat first. Just in case."

And that was the extent of the help that Brooke would get from Montana at this time.