“You’ve got to snap out of it,” Ian says. “Your mom will get over it. That’s what moms do. And Derek…well…he’s a big boy. I’m sure he’s forgotten all about the sheets by now.”
I’m not so sure Ian is right. Besides, it’s not just about the sheets. I haven’t wanted to admit it up to now, but I know Derek hasn’t done anything wrong. It’s not his fault Dad died. And I shouldn’t take things out on everybody else. I was a total jerk saying all that stuff about my cabinmates, and now I’ve blown any chance of Ainslie liking me back.
“Oh, now I get it,” Ian says when he notices me watching Ainslie pack her canoe. “Just go talk to her. Explain that you didn’t mean what you said.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
The canoes are jam-packed with everything we need for our trip. The weather is finally on our side. It’s windy but sunny. Our cabin and Ian’s have buddied up for the trip. Heather and Jen run down to say goodbye to us. I’m secretly relieved they’re not coming with us, but I don’t tell Ian this. He’s got it bad for Heather. Jen shoots Ainslie a jealous look.
“Okay, gang,” Ben says. “So you’re going to head out to the last point on your left, the one that juts out.” He shows Cole and Rick the map. “It should take you about two hours to paddle there, maybe less if the wind is on your side.”
There are six canoes in total. Ian and I end up being the last to leave the cove because of Duncan. He was supposed to go in another canoe, but he refused. Now he keeps dipping his paddle in the water for two strokes, then dragging it back so he can watch the ripples.
“Duncan, you can’t do that,” I say. “You’re making us turn. I’m the one steering. Cut it out.”
“I’m paddling,” Duncan says.
“Yeah, I get that.”
Ian and I both try to explain to him how to paddle properly, but it’s useless. He’s determined to do it his way. But then he suddenly lets go of the paddle and says, “I’ve learned enough good things about canoeing.”
After retrieving the paddle we try to catch up with everyone by paddling super fast. Duncan loves it and makes his swishing noises. Every once in a while he dips his fingers into the water, which causes us to tip slightly. But he soon figures out that he has to sit perfectly still if he doesn’t want Ian or me to freak out.
Little Cove disappears as we head out into the open water. The sun’s rays sparkle on the water, making it hard to see without squinting, but the wind is behind us, so we’re moving fairly quickly.
Ainslie is two canoes ahead of us. Philip sits perfectly still in the middle of the canoe. I didn’t think he was capable of not rocking. Ainslie sings songs with some of the other paddlers, like they don’t have a care in the world. I wish I could feel like that.
The farther away we get from camp, the choppier the water gets. It’s getting hard to paddle. We’re trailing behind everyone. Duncan keeps getting sprayed with water. “The water tastes like salt,” he complains. I stop paddling for a second to rummage through my bag to find him something to eat.
“Here, have this. It will take the taste out of your mouth.” I pass him a chocolate bar Mom packed for me. He gobbles it down in two seconds and then returns to whining about getting wet. So much for that idea.
Ahead, Cole has everyone wait for us. By the time we catch up, I’m exhausted. I didn’t realize how far we were from them. Ian and I grab hold of the nearest canoe. The water laps against the canoes, causing them to bob up and down and scrape against each other.
“Is it my imagination, or is it getting a little rough out here?” Ainslie asks.
“It’s a little rougher than I’d like,” Cole admits. And then I hear a blood-curdling scream coming out of Duncan. I can see that his hand is jammed between the canoes.
“Oh my god! Push away!” I yell to Ian.
I hold on to both sides of the canoe, trying to steady us, but Duncan is flailing his hand in the air, which makes us rock even more. “Duncan! Stop moving!”
Ian turns around and tries to help. “Here, Duncan. Let me…” The canoe wobbles. “Oh NO!” Ian yelps as he loses his balance and falls into the water.
SPLASH!
I frantically try to rebalance the canoe, but Duncan gets scared and stands up. “Don’t!” I yell as we both fall out of the canoe. We are underwater briefly, and then our life jackets force us above the surface. Duncan coughs and slaps his hands in the water.
“I’m drowning!” he sputters.
I try to swim closer to him, but a rope is wrapped around my foot. My heart pounds as I frantically try to get untangled from the canoe, but the life jacket is keeping me above water. “My foot is caught!” I yell.
Everyone’s shouting as we bob up and down in the waves. Our supplies float away. Ian has managed to swim to Duncan and pulls him toward Ainslie’s canoe. Cole jumps in and swims toward me. “You okay?”
I nod as I catch my breath. “It’s my foot. I can’t untangle it from the rope.” I try to stay calm, but I’m freaking out inside.
“Okay, let me look,” Cole says, shaking his hair out of his eyes. His feet kick and splatter water in my face as he dunks underwater, but his life jacket won’t let him go deep enough to get it. “I need to use my knife,” he says, sputtering as he comes up for air. He treads water while he wiggles out of his life jacket and removes his knife from his belt loop.
“I’m drowning!” Duncan keeps yelling.
“You’re going to be okay,” Ainslie reassures him. “You’re Spider-Man, remember?”
“I’ve got you,” Ian says, holding on to Duncan’s life jacket with one hand and Ainslie’s canoe with the other. “You’re not going anywhere.” Duncan seems to settle down. Thank god he loves the water.
Cole manages to cut the rope tangled around my foot. I shake it off, and the two of us grab hold of my overturned canoe. He slings his life jacket back on, and together we kick to push the canoe toward the next nearest one so we can flip it over.
We had practiced the canoe-over-canoe rescue in the cove dozens of times, but it is much harder in rough water. After a few failed attempts, eventually we manage to do it, but getting Duncan back into the canoe is no easy feat. I’m not quite sure how we have the strength to do it, but we do. It is such a relief to be back in the canoe. My entire body feels weak.
“I need something for Duncan. He’s freezing.” I don’t realize my lips are chattering as well.
Cole passes me a sleeping bag to wrap around him. “Here you go, Spider-Man.”
“My hand hurts,” he whimpers.
I glance at his hand. It’s the same one he hurt last winter. His fingers and wrist are swollen.
It suddenly hits me. It’s so much easier for me to be in Duncan’s world than for him to be in mine.
“I’ll make it better,” I say.
“How?” he whines.
“It will be a surprise.”
I have no sweet clue what, but right now that’s the best I’ve got.
“I like surprises,” he whispers.
“Let’s head over there.” Cole points to the nearest island. “We’ll take a better look at Duncan’s hand and then regroup.”
Ainslie paddles near us and throws me her pink sweatshirt. “Here. Put this on.”
“Thanks,” I say. “I owe you one.”
“Yeah, this is getting to be a habit,” she says, smiling.
I grin back.
I stand next to Ben while he talks to Mom on the phone. He tells her that two of Duncan’s fingers were badly jammed and that one of them is probably broken. His wrist is sprained too. When I hear her voice in the background, I suddenly want to talk to her.
“Hang on, Annie. Max wants to talk to you.” Ben passes me the phone.
“Are you okay, honey?”
As soon as I hear her voice I get all emotional, but I try not to show it. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Oh, I’m so relieved. You know, I had this funny feeling all day in the pit of my stomach, and I couldn’t figure out what it was. Ben said you were out in pretty rough water and that you handled things really well. I’m so proud of you.” She laughs when I tell her how Duncan thinks his finger splint has superpowers.
Before I hang up, I say, “Um, about the other day…I’m sorry I said all that stuff.”
Pause.
“And that I was such a jerk to Derek.”
“Oh, Max.” She pauses. “I’m sorry that this is so hard on you.” Her voice cracks as she adds, “I miss your dad too. So much.”
I don’t say anything. I can’t. She continues. “I love you and Duncan more than anything, but I also have loads more love in me to share. Derek is a really good guy.” She’s quiet for a moment and then says in a softer voice, “I want you and Duncan to be happy, but I deserve to be happy too. Dad would want that.”
“I know, Mom. It’s just hard.”