From the back, Troy and Zander could be twins. They have the same athletic build, the same blond hair cut short. I half expect it to be Zander when he turns around, but Troy doesn’t actually look anything like Zander. His face is rounder, the skin along his cheeks slightly scarred from acne. And he’s missing the blue eyes. Aiden and I wave when Troy catches us pointing at him.

Ellis motions me and Aiden over, and then the whole group is moving, shuffling away from the boathouse, through the wooded area and back toward the river. We bypass the main launch and go down a little path two hundred feet or so to the left, until I can see the shiny water glinting through the trees. There’s no dock here, just a cleared patch along the bank where three canoes are pulled half out of the water, paddles piled up on the grass in front of them. Beth picks up a paddle and steps into the middle canoe. The boat barely rocks as she steps in, like she’s light as a feather and not this towering skyscraper of a girl. Troy follows behind her, guiding the back of the boat into the water as he steps in.

Ellis is holding a paddle and waves me over. He places it in my hand, like he’s not sure I’ll take it, and nods toward the front of the canoe. I sling my bag into the middle of the boat and immediately regret it. I gave the “don’t leave anything sitting in your canoe if it’s not in a plastic bag” speech at least twenty times today. Crap. I twist suddenly, sending the canoe jarring to one side, as I try to reach for the bag. Ellis laughs.

“It’s fine, Olivia”—he must see the panic in my face—“we just say that for liability. As long as you don’t tip, it’ll be fine.”

I smile before turning back toward the river. The boat jerks a little as the back plops into the water, and I brace myself with the paddle stretched across me.

I expect to push out into the water, but I’m just sitting here. I turn to find Ellis still on shore, squatting with one hand on the canoe, keeping me from drifting away. He nods at Aiden, who is walking over with a paddle.

“I guess we’re official canoe partners now.” Aiden smiles.

Jaz steps into the front of the last canoe and Ellis sits down behind her, pushing them out into the water.