“Please, it’s not even the best part,” Marley scoffed. She held her free hand up in the air. “Nicky, look.”

My spit turned thick as peanut butter. “I’m going back to the pool,” I said as I swallowed back. I hated when she treated me like Little Ollie.

“Please stay,” Nick pleaded. Panic set fire in the blacks of his eyes. He’d already seen what I had yet to notice.

Marley’s hand was no longer held high. It was wrapped around her back to join the other. She looked at once vulnerable and fearless, standing tall on her parents’ bed in her bright red bikini. I leaned all my weight to one side so I could see what she was holding.

“It’s not loaded. I checked,” she whispered, showing us the gun.

10

In sleep, I fell. Down and down from heights unquantifiable. Once awake, I remained suspended, like I’d tripped but the ground never caught me. When I entered the kitchen, Dad and Aidy put an abrupt stop to their hushed conversation.

“Morning,” I said to them both.

“I made pancakes,” Dad said. “They’re on the counter.” As I prepared a plate for myself, he stood to hold a private conference with me, mere feet from Aidy, who did her part and pretended not to be interested. “Were we not clear about the rules of your punishment?”

I might have cowered in the face of his intimidation, but I could always see what was meant to be hidden, like the way his hand did not firmly hold the refrigerator door. How his eyes searched the space around my body, incapable of keeping me in clear view. “You were,” I said with a smile.

He wanted to ask where I’d been the night before, but I’d given him kindness when he expected a challenge. He didn’t know what move to use next, so he said, “Don’t let it happen again,” and patted my back. On his walk back to the table, he reconsidered, adding, “Looks like Camp Califree’s got some new staff. The woman I spoke with on the phone said they’ve made quite a few changes since you were last there. They’ve completely redone the ropes course, apparently.”

It was a smart play, but I was in no mood for a real match, so I nodded and said, “Cool,” in the type of voice adults use to mock teenage apathy.

I sat next to Aidy and poured syrup over my chocolate chip pancakes. Dad sipped at his coffee. After a weighted beat, I said, “You look nice today.”