Chapter 24

Calvin’s parents and Coach Kainoa go quiet and look at me, worried. They didn’t hear what had just happened between Calvin and me.

I can’t look any of them in the eye, so I stare at my shoes as I explain about my call with Coach Lewis and that I want to go to Branford.

There’s a long pause. I keep looking down, afraid of the angry faces I might see staring back at me.

Then I feel a pair of arms wrap around me. Mrs. Gibson is hugging me.

“Congratulations!” she says. “That’s absolutely amazing! Your father would be so proud.”

“It’s a great school,” Mr. Gibson adds. “They are lucky to have you.” He claps me on the back.

“I don’t want to disappoint you,” I tell them. “Or Calvin. I really appreciate all that you’ve done for me, but this is something that I’ve always wanted.”

“You need to do what’s best for you,” Coach tells me. I can see he’s happy for me—proud that I’ve been able to find a place where I feel like I belong.

“But what about Calvin?” I ask, looking around at the three of them.

“He just needs to process everything,” Mr. Gibson says. “Give him time. He’ll understand.”

***

We eat dinner without Calvin. After I’ve thanked Coach and Mr. and Mrs. Gibson one more time, I head out to find Calvin. His car is still in the parking lot, so he can’t have gone far.

As I walk up the beach, I listen to the sound of the ocean. Giant waves come crashing to shore. They slam against the sand with a roar just in time for the next swell to rise up. The water sounds angry as it rips down on the sand.

After a little while I can see someone standing in the shallow water along the shore. Even in the twilight, I don’t need to get much closer to be sure that it’s Calvin. I could recognize his lanky frame anywhere.

I walk up behind him, and as I get closer he looks back at me. His face is still hard.

“Hey,” I say. “Look, I know you’re upset, but—”

Before I can finish, Calvin turns away from me and dives deeper into the water. He pops up farther away from me.

I yell out, “I don’t want this to change anything between us!”

The waves crash around Calvin and he dives down deep to avoid the worst of the impact.

When he pops back up he yells back “You made a commitment to UCC! To me! Why would you go somewhere else?”

Another big swell crashes, and Calvin bobs down low again.

I kick off my shoes and start walking into the water. The tide pulls at me with every step. I can barely see Calvin in the dark water when he resurfaces. I yell back at him, “It’s not about that! Look—”

But before I can finish the sentence, a huge wage smashes down on Calvin.

I wait for him to come out of the water again, but it’s taking too long.

“Calvin!” I yell. He doesn’t respond. I don’t know if I don’t see him and he isn’t responding because he’s angry with me . . . or if he’s still under water. I start running farther into the water.

“Calvin!” I scream again, and I see his head break free from the surface. He’s gasping for air as another wave comes crashing down on top of him.