“Nice,” Connor said, clapping Jordan on the back. “Well done, man.”

Ruby was practically jumping up and down. “I can’t believe we’re going to swim in Dennis Martin’s pool!” She squeezed one of Jordan’s arms and one of Connor’s, which was just greedy. Shouldn’t she at least have to choose? And how were they going to swim in a pool when none of them had bathing suits? Were they going to swim in their clothes? Or—ack—not in their clothes?

“This seems like a pretty bad idea,” Jeremy whispered as the whole group started the trek across the street.

He and Annabelle were at the very back, and Annabelle was thinking the same thing: This seemed like a terrible idea. Especially after Ruby took out one of those e-cigarettes. In theory, Annabelle knew there were high school kids who vaped or smoked or whatever. But she’d never actually been hanging out with any of them when they did, and now the ice cream she’d rushed to finish churned in her belly.

Kayla hung back to wait. “You guys should bike home now,” she whispered.

Annabelle looked down the side street where she’d parked her bike, and she pictured herself safe and free, riding back home with Jeremy like they’d done a million times before. The still-warm evening air would rush through her hair as they watched the horizon go orangey-pink and talked about Bertha the shark, or what made the sky change colors at sunset, or which talking animal video was the funniest. They’d pedal themselves away from Ruby’s vaping and Jordan’s seagull laugh and even Connor, who thought swimming in some famous person’s pool sounded like a great idea.

“Mom wouldn’t want you doing this,” Kayla said to Jeremy. “Your mom wouldn’t either, Annabelle.”

Jeremy let out a snort-laugh. “And you think Mom would want you breaking into some movie star’s yard?”

Movie director, Annabelle thought, annoyed that Jeremy didn’t know.

“It’s . . .” Kayla’s eyes darted up to the rest of the group. “It’s different for me.”

Annabelle blinked. She’d thought Kayla saw her as an actual friend, not just Jeremy’s little buddy. She’d thought being on the relay team together made them more equal and it didn’t matter that Kayla was three years older than she was. But maybe that did matter to Kayla after all?

Jeremy looked at Kayla for a long time, and Annabelle recognized the expression on his face. It was the same one he used to get in math class before he got moved up, when he would hold himself back from answering every single question because he didn’t want to rub it in that he knew more than everybody else. He had something else to say to Kayla now, but he hadn’t decided whether or not to say it.

Finally, he shook his head. “Whatever, Kay,” he said, and then he turned to Annabelle. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

And somehow, knowing that Kayla thought she and Jeremy were too young to come along and hearing Jeremy suggest exactly what she’d just pictured doing made her change her mind.