CHAPTER 5
After school, Riley and Blake walked home together. “Are you sure you don’t want to be on the swim team?” Riley asked. “It could be fun.”
Blake looked at him and laughed. “Are you kidding me?” he said. “The only thing more boring than gym has to be swim team practice. I’ve seen those guys. All they do is swim back and forth. For hours. Besides, who wants to hang around a bunch of jocks, anyway?”
“Okay, okay,” Riley said. “Forget I asked.”
“Speaking of swimming, do you want to go back to the cliffs again this Saturday?” Blake asked. “We could do the jump again. Only this time, maybe you’ll learn how to land instead of doing a belly flop on your back.” He laughed.
Riley felt a nervous, sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. I never want to go back there, he thought. But he looked at Blake and smiled. “Yeah, sounds great,” Riley said. “I’ll definitely be there.”
* * *
On Friday morning, Mr. Casey asked Riley to stay after class. After he showered and changed back into his normal clothes, Riley found Mr. Casey in his office.
“I want to talk to you about the swim team,” Mr. Casey said. “I know Blake doesn’t want to join, but I thought I’d ask you again.” He paused, and then added, “You know, you don’t have to listen to him about everything.”
Riley frowned. “I don’t listen to him about everything,” he said. “I do what I want.”
“Well, I hope you’ll think about joining the team,” Mr. Casey said. “It’s a lot of fun. You would be very good at it. And the other guys are really great.”
“Blake’s a good guy too,” Riley replied.
“I know he is,” Mr. Casey said. “I’d like Blake to join the team too. If he’s not interested, that’s okay. I just want to make sure you’re making this decision on your own.”
Riley looked down at the floor. “Yes, I am,” he said.
“Okay,” Mr. Casey said. “But just in case, practice starts Monday after school. So there’s still time to change your mind.”
Riley nodded. “Okay, thanks,” he said.