The Other Boy

Hailey Abbott

catching her breath, clinging to his strong shoulders.

“Thanks a lot!” she finally managed.

He looked abashed. “Sorry about that—I didn’t mean for you to swallow water. You can get me back.”

Suddenly, she was conscious of how close she was to him. She released her hold quickly and swam away. “I’m okay now!” she called back over her shoulder.

“You sure?” he called after her.

“I’m fine!” she said, breaststroking along the waterline. Now that she was more used to it, the contrast between the warm sun on her shoulders and the cool water felt good. She swam laps for a few minutes, plotting out a little friendly revenge. Some long strands of pondweed floating near the surface of the water close to the shore gave her an idea, even if it was a little silly. She pulled up some of the slimy green weeds and twisted them into a cool, wet wad. Then, holding her weapon in one hand, she paddled back toward David. She was pretty near him when he saw her and said, “Hey. What’s up?”

“This!” she yelled, and threw the pondweed. She scored a direct hit right on his forehead. He yelped and pawed the stuff off before dunking his head in the water to get rid of the sliminess.

He was laughing when he came up. “Oh, you’re bad,”

he said. “Better run away.” He tried to grab her around the waist but she slipped out of his hands and back122

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stroked across the lake beyond his reach. “Bye!” She waved.

“Nice try!” he called and swam rapidly toward her, beating the dark water into white froth behind him. Maddy shrieked with pretend fright and paddled in a large circle. David snared her, this time successfully wrapping his arms around her. She felt a thrill of excitement at the touch of his smooth chest, deliciously warm under the cold water.

“Arrrrahh!” David attempted a kung fu yell and, lifting Maddy like she weighed nothing, threw her into the water. She shook her hair out of her face as she came up.

“You’re in so much trouble, jerk!” she yelled, and flung herself onto his back, sticking there like a suction cup. They sank and David started swimming near the bottom of the pond, Maddy still hanging on to his shoulders.

All of the surface noises disappeared, leaving the two of them in cool green silence. The pondweed waved beneath them, and dark logs lay here and there, half buried in the underwater mud. Maddy felt like she and David had entered their own world for a moment—

a bubble where no one existed but the two of them. Then the spell was broken as David swam upward and they surfaced. “Woo-hoo!” Maddy gasped. “I had no idea I could hold my breath that long!”

“You just have to practice—Jeremy Olson and I used 123

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to have contests in his basement in fourth grade. First one to black out was the loser.”

Maddy laughed, still panting. She treaded water, holding on to his shoulder with one hand. “Sounds great.” The words died on her lips as she suddenly realized how close their faces were—only inches away. Her eyes were drawn to his lips like magnets. Her hands grew numb and her face started tingling as she realized he was staring at her too.

What are you doing, Maddy? A little, sane voice in her head pushed through the haze in her mind. Excellent question. She ripped her eyes from David’s face and, turning, swam slowly back toward the dock, which was now only a thin gray line above the water. David paddled by her side.

For a minute, neither spoke. Maddy cast a glance at David under her eyelashes. His face was pleasant as usual but told her nothing about what he was thinking. Then he turned to her. “Can I tell you something?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said, watching the dock slowly grow larger in front of them.

“I was wrong about you.”

Maddy blinked at the boldness of his words. “What?”

He turned his head as best he could while still swimming. “I mean it. When I first met you, I thought you were someone different than you are.”

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Maddy was almost afraid to ask. “What . . . what did you think I was?”

“Oh, I don’t know—maybe a little snobby?”

She opened her mouth.

David rushed ahead. “Hey, that’s not what I wanted to tell you. I was wrong, because it turns out that you’re really a hell of a lot of fun. I know this isn’t exactly the summer you’d hoped for. It wasn’t my plan, either. But this summer is turning out fifty times better than I thought it would. Score one for changing plans!”

Warmth flooded Maddy’s body as she took in his words. She felt buoyant, like she could just float across the lake instead of swimming. She gri

David pulled himself out onto the dock, but Maddy swam to the shore and waded in, wrinkling her nose at the feel of the muddy sand. Her parents and Fred had returned from their walk and were busily shaking out blankets and folding chairs. Maddy wrapped a towel around her shoulders. David came up behind her, panting a little and dripping. Maddy picked up an armful of blankets and worked her feet into her flip-flops.

“Back to the grind tomorrow,” she said to David with a mock sigh as they struggled toward the woods.

“Yeah, we can inhale bleach fumes together all day. I’m sure I have a few brain cells left that haven’t been fried yet.”

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Maddy pulled a mournful face, but the truth was, as they all walked together toward their trucks, tired and sandy, she didn’t really mind the thought of working on the tasting room with David. She actually couldn’t think of anything else she’d rather do.

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Chapter Fourteen

!

Maddy sat with her parents in the living room that night after di

The windows were open and the white lace curtains fluttered softly in the night breeze. Maddy’s mother was 127

Hailey Abbott

curled up in a big soft armchair, reading under a pool of yellow lamplight. Dad had stretched out on the slouchy green velour sofa. He looked like he might fall asleep any minute. Maddy snapped two puzzle pieces. Her mother looked up from her book and cleared her throat. “Maddy, honey.”

“Yeah?”

She leaned forward. “Your dad and I were talking about your birthday and considering what you said last week.” Maddy’s heart leaped for a minute. Maybe they had changed their minds. “And while we haven’t changed our minds about a trip to the city, we understand that you want to see your friends.”

Maddy nodded. “I do, Mom.”

“So we thought that you might want to invite Brian up to the vineyard for a birthday di

Maddy considered the offer. It wasn’t what she’d had in mind, but it was better than nothing. At least they were trying. “Thanks, guys. I think that would be great.”

Her mom relaxed visibly.

“I know this hasn’t been your ideal summer, honey,”

she said. “But I want you to know just how much we appreciate all your hard work on the tasting room and around the place. You’ve done a really nice job.”

“Thanks,” Maddy said. “I’m going to go call Brian then, okay?”

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Maddy’s room was filled with the scent of honeysuckle from the night air. Her dad had installed some screens, so now she could keep her porch doors open without getting eaten alive by mosquitoes during the night. She didn’t bother turning on the lights. Just enough light filtered in from the kitchen windows below. Maddy pulled on a pair of soft gray jersey shorts and a camisole and stretched out on her bed. She reached for her phone, ignoring the nervous feeling in her stomach. She and Brian still had talked only once since David had grabbed the phone, and it hadn’t gone particularly well. It was weird calling and not knowing if Brian would be mad or not. Hopefully, this invite would just smooth everything over. He could come up here and they could pick up right where they’d left off. Maddy smiled at the thought and speed-dialed Brian’s number.