CHAPTER THREE 
Flying High
IT TURNS OUT THAT FLYBOARDING starts with a really ungraceful fall off the dock into the water. Max encouraged me to keep my legs straight—the legs had to stay straight for the whole ride, unless I wanted to turn—and my head high. The woman on the Jet Ski—Max told me her name was Ruby—fired it up, and Max warned me that I would feel the power in the hose leading to the flyboard. After a few minutes, I could feel the hose getting more tense, and I raised my head, ready to rise up into the air.
It worked!
I gasped as the flyboard sent me up over the water, pausing at about five feet above the pool—a safe level for beginners, Max had told me. I looked around at my friends, who were both cheering like crazy from the shore. Xavier clapped and gave me a thumbs-up.
My legs were stiff with adrenaline and I felt like my heart might beat out of my chest, but I was doing it! I was flying, sort of! I leaned forward, trying to nudge myself forward, and began gliding across the water. I leaned back, pointing my toes skyward, and went up.
“Omigosh!” I screamed. “You guys—I’m flyboarding!”
The sun had set by now, and the lights of the Strip at dusk reflected in the pool were absolutely gorgeous. I experimented with going back and forth, then bent my right knee to turn right. I soon realized that if I kept one knee bent, I could keep spiraling in a helix shape. The lights of the Strip blurred around me and I felt like I was in a dream.
“Nancy!”
Oh no. I was tilting—my helix pointing dangerously toward the water. I tried to straighten my leg, but I was too late. I crashed through the surface of the water and quickly closed my mouth and eyes. Max had told me not to panic if I hit the water, that I might have my head under for as much as two seconds, but that the vest, helmet, and board itself all floated. Sure enough, it was uncomfortable, and water got up my nose, but before I could blink, my head broke the surface again. I tried to lie flat, and soon was back in the position I’d started from.
Bess and George were still cheering, and Xavier yelled, “Way to keep your cool, Nancy!”
Max called from the beach, “Would you like to try going up again?”
I pondered. Normally, Nancy Drew would not go up again. Nancy Drew would pat herself on the back for trying something new and call it a day. But I was learning that trying new things sometimes led to great rewards.
“Yes!” I shouted. “Let’s try it again.”
So I got up on the flyboard again, and soon the lights were swirling around me once more as I experienced what it was like to fly on the Las Vegas strip. For a while it was like everything around me faded into the distance, and it was just me and the lights and the flyboard and the water. I could feel my heart pounding, and I could hear my wild, uncontrollable laughter.
I was so glad I’d done it. So glad I’d tried. Maybe Xavier was some kind of wizard—a good one.
After a little while I decided to come down and give someone else a turn. I had to plunge into the water again, but did as I’d done before and let the equipment float me back to the surface. It wasn’t as scary this time. And soon I was back on the beach. Bess and George ran toward me and cheered. Max helped me up and began unstrapping the handholds, and then we both unlaced and loosened the boots.
As soon as I was free, Bess and George ran in for a hug. “Careful!” I shouted, laughing. “I’m soaked!”
“I can’t believe you did that,” Bess said, shaking her head admiringly. “Was it amazing? It looked amazing.”
“It was pretty amazing,” I admitted, glancing over at Xavier, who was chatting with a few guests at a high table. I waved and called, “Thanks for getting me up there!”
He smiled that million-watt smile that probably made him an effective salesperson. “You did great!” he shouted, then gave me a thumbs-up and turned back to his conversation.
By the time I’d changed out of the wet suit, the party was winding down. George reminded us that she had a full day of sightseeing planned for tomorrow. So it seemed like the right time to start the walk back up the Strip to the Soar.
As we were saying goodbye to the happy couple, Xavier nudged me and smiled encouragingly. “So if that was amazing,” he said quietly, “think about all the other things you talk yourself out of trying that might be amazing.”
I huffed out a laugh, shaking my head. “I’m not BASE jumping off the Soar, if that’s what you’re implying. You’re on your own there.”
He nodded. “Fair enough. Baby steps. But it was fun, right?”
“It was really fun.”
And later, when I was cozied up in my pj’s in bed, with my eyes closed, I kept going back to the feeling of gliding over the water with the lights of the Strip all around me. It had felt like nothing I’d ever experienced before. And I was so glad I’d done it.
The next day Bess held up a compact mirror in the back of a taxi and frowned at her reflection. “Is it totally obvious I’m sunburned?”
George and I exchanged an awkward glance. After a long day of sightseeing in the hot desert sun, Bess’s cheeks, nose, and forehead were roughly the color of the flesh of a guava. It was kind of obvious. But George and I were pretty pink too.
“You look fine,” I said quickly.
George glanced out the window at a wide expanse of desert, brush, and rock formations. “So this is what the land around Vegas is like, huh? Pretty different from the Strip.”
“You can say that again,” Bess said, slipping the mirror back into her purse with a sigh. “Where is this place, anyway? This doesn’t look like the kind of area where a restaurant big enough to host a rehearsal dinner would pop up.”
Mario, our taxi driver, cleared his throat. “The address you gave me isn’t for a restaurant,” he explained. “It’s… well. It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere.”
Bess, George, and I exchanged weird looks.
“Do you think this is like the engagement barbecue?” George asked, eyebrows furrowed. “Are we going to be expected to—I dunno, jump out of a plane or something?”
“Ooh!” Bess raised her hand. “Yes, please! I’d volunteer.”
I cleared my throat. “Well, I get the feeling something unusual is happening at this rehearsal dinner. But I’m not taking part tonight. Remember, George—we’re on babysitting duty.”
George nodded, lifting up a bag of coloring books, crayons, and small toys we’d put together that afternoon. “I’m kind of looking forward to it, to be honest.” She nudged Bess. “You be the social butterfly. Nancy and I will make small talk with the Peppa Pig crowd.”
Bess frowned. “Wait, I have feelings about Peppa Pig. Why do they call a shopping cart a shopping trolley?”
“Why do you watch Peppa Pig, Bess?” I asked.
She glanced at me. “It’s on all the time, Nancy. And I love the accents.”
“Here we are,” Mario interrupted as he pulled into a dusty driveway on the left that led to a parking lot for a small park. And sure enough—right there in the desert, overlooking a rocky cliff, a few rustic picnic tables were set with dinner plates and beautiful white roses. A taco truck was parked nearby, and a couple of bartenders were pouring drinks from a small bar set up just beyond the truck.
It looked like more guests had arrived over the course of the day. I saw several faces I didn’t recognize from the cocktail get-together the night before. Deanna was also there with her family, and Priya waved at us from a table where she sat with Sumit, Lakshmi, and Max.
Bess paid Mario as George and I walked over to collect Lakshmi. “Hey, are you ready to have some fun with us?” George asked with a warm smile. “We have all the best coloring books and a hundred-twenty box of Crayola. Plus—not to brag—bubbles.”
Lakshmi’s eyes widened. “Bubbles?” she asked excitedly.
“So many bubbles,” I promised.
Lakshmi looked back at Priya, who nodded encouragingly. “You go and have fun, baby,” she cooed, then turned to us. “Thank you, girls—I’m looking forward to having grown-up fun!”
“Me too,” Sumit agreed. “Vegas with a five-year-old is… well, different than I remember.”
We all laughed, and George took Lakshmi’s hand. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s go find some other kids to play with.”
After a few minutes, George and I had collected Deanna’s kids, Miranda and Luka, and settled them at a picnic table with the coloring books and toys. We were chatting happily about what we’d all done that day, our favorite parts of Vegas, and the pool at the Soar. The dinner service was starting, but we hung back and waited for the long line at the taco truck to go down. Most of the adult guests were waiting to order food, and Max was running around the whole area, capturing the party on his phone for Redd Zone’s social media.
George glanced up from the page she was coloring and followed my gaze to Max. “I wonder if he ever gets a break,” she murmured.
Max did seem to be working hard. Sweat had broken out on his forehead, and he was aiming his phone and calling questions to guests with a sort of manic intensity. Everyone was responding with good humor, and the mood at the party was chill, but Max seemed very intent on getting a certain kind of content.
“Yeah, I hope he gets to relax and enjoy a taco at some point,” I agreed.
That was when I noticed a tall figure standing behind our table in the shadows. He looked to be about Xavier’s age, but I couldn’t see his face because he was as still as a statue, facing away from us over the cliff. I glanced away, but when I looked back a few minutes later, he was still there.
Weird. I nudged George and pointed. “You know that guy?”
George looked and frowned, shaking her head. “I don’t think he was at the Polynesian yesterday.”
“What’s he doing?” I wondered out loud. Why wasn’t he moving? Why was he just staring into the darkness? Why was he so near our table?
George shrugged. She met my eye, and I could see my awkwardness reflected in her gaze: Should we be concerned?
“He’s a wedding guest, right?” I asked, feeling silly.
George looked back over at him, then shrugged again. “Probably? What else would he be doing here?”
Good question. I stood up from the picnic table. “I’m just going to go say hello.”
The sky was darkening, and already sunset colors were flooding the sky—in the other direction. This guy was staring out into the gathering shadows. As I got closer, I could see that he was dressed much more casually than the other guests, in jeans and a hoodie. He had brown hair that was buzzed on the sides and long on top. I still couldn’t see his face, though.
“Hi,” I said loudly, stopping just a few feet behind him. “I’m Nancy. How do you know Veronica and Xavier?”
For a few seconds, the man didn’t move or acknowledge my question, and I could feel the hairs standing up on the back of my neck. Who is this guy? But then he slowly turned and looked at me. He had blue, sort of watery eyes, pale skin, and an amused-looking smirk. “Hi, Nancy. I’m Arlo.” He held out his hand.
“Hi,” I said, shaking it, though I was puzzled. Arlo the wedding guest? Arlo the creepy dude who’s here for nefarious purposes? “You’re here for the rehearsal dinner?”
He let out a hard laugh. “Oh yeah, sorry. I’m an old friend of Xavier’s.”
“How old?” I asked, wanting as much detail as I could get now.
“We met in middle school,” Arlo replied. “We were best buddies all through high school. But that was a million years ago. Xavier was very different then.”
“Different how?”
Arlo shook his head. “Oh, you know. Not a business tycoon yet? Not Mr. Extreme Sports?” He smiled, but whether it was warm or cold, amused or upset, I couldn’t read. Even facing the sunset, as he was now, much of his face was angled so as to still be in shadow. “Actually,” he began, and his voice got deeper, “we talked about going into business together back in high school. We were going to sell sports gear. Try to make a deal with the high school to do varsity jackets, that kind of thing. But then…”
He trailed off, and I waited, wondering if he was going to continue. He was looking over my head now, I guessed at the sunset.
“Then…?” I prompted.
He shook his head again, then looked back at me. “It wasn’t Xavier’s fault. I went through a tough time, ended up in prison.”
“Oh, wow,” I said, not sure how to respond. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was my fault. My mistake. But I paid for it, I did my time, and here I am.” He gestured around us. “Three weeks ago, I get out and one of the first pieces of mail I get is Xavier’s wedding invitation. Getting married in Vegas. Can you believe it?”
I nodded. “It’s… pretty crazy, right? Was Xavier into all this extreme-sports stuff when you knew him in high school?”
“No, all we were into was getting in trouble,” Arlo scoffed. But he was better at not getting caught.” He looked over at the rest of the party, nodding toward the bride- and groom-to-be. “Good for them, though.”
“Right,” I said, still feeling slightly uneasy. “Good for them. Well.” I looked around. “It was really nice to meet you. I think—I’d better get back and make sure the kids get some dinner. My friend George and I—she’s Veronica’s cousin—we’re babysitting tonight and at the ceremony tomorrow. My other friend, Bess, she’s Veronica’s other cousin and she’s a bridesmaid.”
Arlo nodded. “I met Bess during the rehearsal earlier tonight.”
I startled. “You’re in the wedding party?”
He smiled then, a real smile. “Can you believe it?” he asked. “I guess you never forget your real friends.”
An hour or so later, we’d eaten all the tacos we could (they were delicious) and the kids were entertaining themselves with the bubble kits we’d brought. Arlo had disappeared into the party, though there was something about him, and about our conversation, that still felt awkward to me. Max had finally put down the phone and had some dinner, but now I saw him passing the phone to Deanna as he picked up a cordless microphone and stood up from his table.
“Excuse me?” he asked, flicking on the mic and tapping on its surface. “Can I have everyone’s attention, please? It’s time for us to toast the happy couple.”
“Uh-oh,” I heard, barely audible, from George.
“What?” I asked, turning to her. “You’re afraid he’s going to say something embarrassing about Xavier?”
She looked around and shook her head. “It’s not that,” she whispered to me. “Have you ever been to a traditional rehearsal dinner where everyone makes a toast? It can go on for hours.”
“Everyone has to toast?” I asked.
“Shhh,” she replied. “I think Max is starting.”
Sure enough, Max was talking about when he and Xavier were kids and Xavier had a crush on their babysitter. He detailed all the silly things little Xavier had done to make the babysitter notice him, leading to him taking her out on what he understood to be a “date.” Hijinks ensued. It was a pretty funny story, and soon the party guests were cracking up. Even Xavier seemed to be enjoying it. But then Max pivoted. “And since then,” he said, “I’ve never seen Xavier so hyperfocused, so totally in love with a woman… until you, Veronica.” He lifted his glass. “So I’d like to toast my brother and the spectacular woman he loves. May your life together include reaching the highest peaks, experiencing the biggest thrills, and never forgetting that the most exciting adventure is experienced with the person you love.”
“Hear! Hear!”
We all raised our glasses, and a few people applauded. After we’d all sipped our drinks, Deanna stood up and took the mic.
“My big sister,” she began, her eyes large and teary. “I’ve looked up to you my whole life.”
Deanna’s speech was short and sentimental. She talked about introducing Xavier to Veronica, and how she knew immediately that they were made for each other. She talked about how Xavier had brought out parts of her sister she never knew and had helped her experience things Deanna never would have imagined.
“I love you both so much,” she finished. “I hope you have a long and happy life together, and that our kids get to play together in Mami and Papi’s backyard.”
We all raised our glasses and drank. Then a woman I hadn’t seen before took the mic and introduced herself as Xavier’s aunt.
George was right. The toasts went on and on, and began to blend together. Veronica’s sorority sister. Xavier’s college roommate. Xavier’s first boss. Everyone was so loving, so complimentary, and so happy for the couple. I was carefully watching the kids as it grew darker, wondering how much more good behavior they had in them before boredom and sleepiness took over.
After a half hour or so, Priya stood up. She seemed a little wobbly, like she’d been enjoying her champagne for a lot longer than the toasts had been going on. She looked straight at Veronica and called her a sister, telling stories from their years at college about how devoted they had both been to each other. “You are perfect just as you are,” Priya said earnestly, leaning in toward Veronica, who looked a little uncomfortable. “Don’t change for anybody, please, Ronny. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”
There was silence for a moment, Priya’s warning hanging in the air. Was it a blessing or a curse? No one seemed to know how to react until Veronica raised her glass high, said, “I love you, Yaya,” and took a big sip. That seemed to break the spell and give the rest of the party guests permission to do the same.
Still, George nudged me. “What do you think that was about?” she whispered.
“If I were to guess,” I whispered back, noting that Veronica and Xavier were also whispering fiercely to each other, “I would say Priya is not a big Xavier fan.”
More toasts followed. Veronica’s coworker. A cousin I didn’t know. And then a familiar face stepped up to the mic.
“Arlo,” I whispered to George, who nodded. I’d told her a little bit about my conversation with him earlier.
“I’ve known Xavier since we were kids,” Arlo said. “In some ways, he hasn’t changed at all. In other ways, I barely recognize him.”
The crowd grew quiet, not seeming to know how to take Arlo’s words. But Xavier was watching his old friend warmly.
“Xavier is the absolute best. The life of every party, the charmer who can win over your mother. He always has a dream, and he’ll do whatever it takes to reach it. I love you, dude, even if I could never count on you for anything. Have a happy life!”
As with Priya’s toast, the crowd was silent for a little while after Arlo finished speaking. I could never count on you for anything? George mouthed to me, and yeah, it seemed a little harsh for a rehearsal dinner speech. But Xavier didn’t seem angry at all—he was laughing, raising his glass high. Arlo walked over to him, and they hugged it out. Soon the rest of the party seemed to follow Xavier’s lead, drinking and laughing. Arlo faded back into the crowd.
I tried not to stare at him. There was something about the guy that set me on edge.
Yet more toasts followed. Soon there was just a tiny ring of orange on the horizon where the sun had disappeared. Candles were lit on each table, and fairy lights came on around the taco truck and the bar. But mostly, it was dark.
When finally, a toast was finished and no one came up to claim the microphone after, Xavier stood up to enthusiastic applause. I noticed Max take his phone and begin filming again.
“Thank you,” he said. “I’m a lucky man, because tomorrow, I get to marry the love of my life. Not many people can say that. And Veronica knows how I feel about her, because I tell her every day. But even so, baby: I love you to the moon and back. There’s no one else I would ever want beside me as copilot on this crazy ride called life.”
Cheers from the audience, and applause. Xavier leaned in to kiss Veronica, and she happily accepted.
“And now!” Xavier yelled into the mic when they’d finished. “In celebration of our love, Veronica and I are going to do something amazing—we’re BASE jumping off this cliff in wingsuits, son!”
His announcement was met with a confusion of sounds. Some cheers. Some gasps. Priya yelled, “What?” in a not-very-enthusiastic voice.
Max put down his phone. “We’re still doing that?” he asked Xavier.
Xavier looked from Veronica to his brother, confused. “Of course we are! This whole night was planned around it, bro.”
Max gestured to the cliff, cloaked in darkness. “It’s much darker than we’d planned.”
Xavier shrugged. “So? The toasts went long—and that’s fine. Veronica and I, we felt a lot of love tonight. Maybe it’s later than we’d planned on doing the jump. But if you know what you’re doing, it doesn’t matter.”
Max didn’t say anything, but he stared at his brother challengingly. Xavier stared right back. After a few uncomfortable seconds, Max shook his head and sighed.
“All right. But we need to hurry to catch the light that’s left.”
Xavier, Veronica, and Max all jumped up and hurried to the edge of the cliff, where I could now see that equipment had been stowed in some brush. They began putting on gear as I turned to George, eyes wide. Bess, who had been sitting at another table, stood and walked over to ours. She had a perturbed look on her face.
I heard Lakshmi shrieking, “Not fair! That’s my bubble wand!” as Bess leaned in.
“Are we… happy about this?” she asked, gesturing vaguely at the cliff.
George turned to look at Veronica and Xavier, biting her lip. “Mmmm—undecided?” she replied.
“I don’t do enough BASE jumping to know,” I said. “Is doing it in the dark dangerous?”
“It doesn’t seem like a great idea,” Bess murmured.
We were all looking over at Max and the marrieds-to-be now. Xavier and Veronica had put on these bizarre flight suits, which, yes, had funny wings sewn in between the sleeves and body.
“Do they just—fly on those wings?” I asked. “Should I know what’s going on here?”
Bess pointed a finger in the air. “No,” she said, “but I know a little about it. I researched the most popular extreme sports after I tried bungee jumping. I guess with a BASE jump using a wingsuit, the suit acts as a sort of hang glider, keeping you aloft as you glide forward. But eventually, you have to deploy a parachute. And BASE jumping is especially dangerous because the suit only allows you one parachute. There’s not a backup, like there is in skydiving.”
I shivered. Too dark, no backup—none of this sounded good. But Xavier was waving people over, and we joined the other guests in getting to our feet and carefully making our way to the edge of the cliff. I corralled Miranda and Luka while George took Lakshmi by the hand. I could tell from the look in George’s eyes that she felt the same way I did: desperate for this to end safely, so we could all go back to worrying about the wedding tomorrow.
Max had set up a few bright lights that lit up the area Xavier and Veronica would be jumping from, if not much of the drop beyond. As we moved closer to the cliff, I couldn’t help pushing the kids back and stepping up to peer over the edge. Immediately, icy cold panic slid up my spine. The drop was at least five hundred feet. In the distance were a few rock formations, and the desert floor was studded with brush and a few spiky trees. But mostly, what I saw was a dark, gaping maw. If you fell, you would not walk away.
“Are we ready?” Xavier yelled.
“Never been more ready!” Veronica shouted back.
Max raised his phone again, ready to capture the jump for posterity.
“Let’s count down,” Xavier said. “We’re losing daylight, so only from three. Everyone ready? Three… two…”
I felt my chest clench with panic as the whole crowd shouted, “One!” and Veronica and Xavier stepped off the cliff—and leaned into the darkness.
It was hard to keep sight of the couple over the darkening desert, but every so often I could see the blue-white of their suits as they seemed to glide weightlessly on currents of air. Little by little, they descended more and more, until finally one jumper sent up a parachute that filled and slowed their fall with a loud poof!
“That’s Veronica!” Bess cried. “Hooray, she’s safe!”
But what was Xavier doing? He was getting closer and closer to the ground, and he seemed to be struggling, his arms working furiously at something….
“Oh no,” George whispered. “Is the parachute jammed?”
“No!” Bess cried.
My heart began pounding faster and faster as Xavier’s figure kept falling. He was moving so fast—too fast to survive without a parachute. Instinctively I took the kids by the shoulder and gently pulled them back from the edge of the cliff.
“Do you guys have bubbles left?” I asked, fishing around in my pockets to distract them. But I felt sick with dread.
Crash! A loud sound emanated from the desert floor.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Bess cried. “He landed in a tree!”
“But is he all right?” asked George. “Can you survive that kind of fall?”
Bess was quiet for a moment. “I’m not sure,” she said finally. “He isn’t moving….”