CHAPTER ELEVEN

TOMMY

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Oh-h-h-h-h!” the kids chorused and rushed to the windows.

Melissa sighed, shaking her head. “She didn’t kiss the badger.”

I didn’t answer. My breath was caught in my throat. I kept one eye on the path of the boat, another on the place where Bailey had gone in. I didn’t breathe again until Bailey surfaced. She came up like a fish catching flies, opening her mouth wide for air. A cheer rose from the other candidates as she doggy-paddled the few strokes to the ladder on the side of the pier.

She looked okay, thank goodness. That was a hard fall. I had no doubt she’d bear the battle wounds for a while. But the longer-lasting damage might be to her score. I glanced at the judges. They whispered to one another, shaking their heads, clicking their tongues, marking their clip boards.

I sighed. It was mail jumper tryouts. You were practically guaranteed a few kids would end up in the lake.

I’d just hoped it wouldn’t be Bailey.