We ate at the good picnic table with the Sams, Jasmine, and Axl, all of them mostly talking about how hot it was and how much they wanted to go jump in Fremont Lake. This gave Izzy the idea that everyone should go on his family’s pontoon boat next Saturday for his birthday. I’d never heard of a pontoon boat, but they all seemed to think it was a great idea, so I agreed to ask my aunt and uncle for permission.

“I’ll get my brother to come,” Izzy said. “He’s sixteen.” I felt like he thought I’d understand why that was significant. I must have looked confused, because he added, “You can operate a boat without an adult when you’re sixteen.”

“Ohhhh,” I said slowly, nodding, fresh nerves breaking ground about the thought of going on any type of boat with a bunch of kids, whether one of them was sixteen or not.

I tucked in my bottom lip and bit, feeling the sting, tasting blood.

Everyone made plans for Saturday.

“You don’t have to go in the water,” Izzy whispered. “Lots of people don’t. It’s just fun being out there. And I promise my brother knows what he’s doing. He acts like an adult, which is annoying but good at the lake.”

Izzy and I held each other’s gaze, and I had to admit that something about him made me feel calmer. Being next to him was sort of like working with clay.

“Okay, I’ll ask.”

“You seem happy,” Aunt Maureen said, glancing at me as the minivan picked up speed on our way out of town late that afternoon. I rode in the passenger seat this time, since Kane hadn’t come along. He always wanted me to ride with him, and though I missed his one billion questions about every detail of camp, it was nice to be able to see the road.

“I had a good day,” I admitted, trying to keep my smile under control.

“Oh, honey, that’s great!” Aunt Maureen looked genuinely happy for me, not distracted like my mom looked sometimes when I tried to tell her things.

Stop hating on your mom. She works hard for you. You’re so ungrateful.

I know.

“Tell me about it,” Aunt Maureen said, turning off the radio altogether so she could hear me.

“Well, we’re learning to sculpt,” I began, before telling her about the four sculpting techniques and how Girl Sam had said that my dragon scales were the coolest texture in the class and a lot of people had agreed.

“I can’t wait to see it,” she said after I’d talked way too much, and I believed her.

“Thanks for listening,” I said quietly, looking out the window.

Aunt Maureen put her right hand on mine, keeping her left on the wheel.