“Lighten up. I was kidding. I could barely keep up with you. Couldn’t you give me a tiny break?”

It was only then I noticed him panting for breath. “Oh.”

“And I’m tired. I thought I was going to drown out here in the middle of nowhere and you’d be all the way to the island, leaving me with no help.”

His smile made it hard to tell if he was still kidding or not.

“That was the last chance I had to make a grab at your foot before you were gone.” He looked down at the water, his head bobbing with his movements.

The people back on the shore looked as tiny as insects. The island was closer. If he really was having trouble swimming, the island was where we needed to go.

“I think I can make it,” he said, probably noticing my analysis. “Do you think there are fish out here? I’m kind of scared of fish. At least there aren’t any sharks. Do you swim in the ocean a lot?”

“Rarely,” I said. Even though we lived within a five-minute drive of the Pacific, the waves didn’t mimic my race conditions so I didn’t practice there much.

“If . . .” His eyes got wide, then he looked down again.

“What?”

“Did you feel that?”

“No.”

“It must’ve been noth—” He went down fast, under the water, and out of sight.

I gasped, then reached forward, feeling around for him. I dived under, but between the murky water and the dark night, I couldn’t see a thing. I surfaced and propelled myself in a circle, panicked. The people back on shore couldn’t hear me through their loud music as I yelled for them. I gave up and continued to search around me.

A full minute later, Jackson broke the surface fifty feet closer to the island. “I think I’m going to beat you.” With those words he began to swim.

My heart turned from beating in fear to beating in rage. I couldn’t believe I fell for that after I had just reminded myself what he had done to Mindy in the cafeteria. “You are the biggest jerk,” I called. But he acted like he couldn’t hear me as he closed the distance to the island. I thought about turning back to shore but then I wouldn’t get to pummel him with no witnesses.

With a kick of my feet, I took off.

By the time I got there, Jackson had dragged himself onto the island and sat on one of the benches—his wet jeans making puddles below him. Hopping out of the lake, I lunged at him, punching him on the shoulder several times.

“It was the only way I could win.” He grabbed my fists, laughing.

“You are such a jerk. I thought you drowned.” I relaxed my arms and he let go of my hands.