Home felt so far away.

“I promise,” I said.

Sam held up her pinkie for me to shake. Even though it ripped my heart in half, remembering the millions of pinkie promises Colette and I had made, I did it anyway.

Seb slowed the boat and killed the motor, leaving us floating in the middle of the lake. Birds chirped all around us, their songs bouncing off the steep, sharp hills that surrounded the water. The pontoon settled to a gentle rocking motion, one-inch waves lapping against the side of the boat. The lodge was miles away, and huge cauliflower clouds were both above us and reflected on the surface of the water.

I helped Sam set out snacks on top of the storage compartment where our life vests had been, and everyone loaded up plates of cheese and crackers, deli meats, cut veggies, popcorn, and birthday brownies with caramel swirls that Izzy’s mom had made. Most of us sat down on the floor of the boat, up front, in a misshapen circle.

“Let’s go around and say one nice thing about Izzy, since it’s his birthday and all,” Jasmine said, pretty in a sheer black cover-up with a white bikini underneath and a huge sun hat. She looked ready for a tropical vacation.

Everyone agreed, and Jasmine told Axl to go first. He swallowed a cracker and said, “Props to you for taking us out today, man.”

Jasmine shook her head. “I meant something nicer. Like”—she looked at Izzy—“you’re thoughtful. You brought me my math homework for a week when I got bronchitis last winter.”

Izzy’s cheeks turned pink as he went to get more food. I’d barely started eating, and his plate was empty. Since the motor was off, he could still hear us from the back of the boat.

“He loaned me his copy of Turbo Seventeen, since our moving boxes aren’t here yet,” Boy Sam said. “That was cool.”

“I wondered where that went,” Seb said jokingly, adding, “He’s also a halfway decent brother.”

Instead of coming back to the circle, Izzy kept his distance, eating his second helping standing up. He shifted from one retro sneaker to the other, obviously uncomfortable with everyone talking about him—but judging from the grin he was fighting to contain, seeming to like it, too.

“What do you like about my brother?” Seb asked Jake, who was stuffing his third brownie into his mouth.

Jake seemed to think about it for a few seconds, long enough for him to swallow the brownie. “He never laughs at me. He also never tries to touch me or my turtle and will sometimes but not always play wall ball.”

Seb half smiled, and Izzy said, “Thanks, Jake.”

Girl Sam’s hand shot up in the air. “Remember when Izzy did magic in the fourth-grade talent show?”

“No,” Jake said flatly.