“Strands you? That’s a little dramatic, don’t you think? If you weren’t a strong swimmer, you shouldn’t have swum out there.”

“I’m a strong swimmer. I did beat you, after all.”

I started to protest, to tell him he only beat me because he cheated, but I stopped myself. That’s what he wanted me to do.

He bent down and picked up something off the ground by my foot. When he stood, I noticed it was my earbuds. I held out my hand for them. “Oh, thanks.”

He just tucked them into his pocket. “I better go turn these in to Lost and Found.”

“They’re mine.” I kept my palm outstretched.

“They were just sitting on the cement. They could be anyone’s.”

I sighed. “Jackson. They’re mine.”

He took them out of his pocket and held them over my hand. When I reached for them, he tugged them just out of my grasp. He laughed and did the exact same thing again. “You just have to grab them.”

“Why are you such a child?” Even his hair seemed to laugh at life. It was a curly mop on top of his head that he didn’t feel the need to tame.

“Why are you always so serious?” He dropped them onto my hand.

I wasn’t serious all the time. I had fun around the right people. Just not people who thought life was a big joke.

As if reading my mind, the smile on Jackson’s face disappeared. “Hey,” he said in a tone as sincere as his new expression. “I’m sorry if I offended you the other day. I didn’t think my joke out in the lake would scare you.”

“I . . .” wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence. I was sure he was seconds away from laughing and saying, Just kidding.

“You . . . ?” he prompted.

“Yeah. No big deal. It didn’t really scare me.”

“I think what you meant to say was, ‘Jack, not only did you not scare me, I thought it was hilarious. You’re the funniest person I know.’”

A breeze filled with salty ocean air blew a piece of my hair across my face. I pushed it out of the way. “Why is it so important that I find you funny? The rest of the school feeds your ego enough.”

“You’re the last holdout.”

“I’m positive I’m not the last.”

“Really? Have you started a club?”

I smiled a little. “Maybe I should. The Jack-haters club.”

“I’d totally join that club.”

I shook my head. “I bet you would.”

He gave my arm a playful punch. “See you around.”