"Don't let me stop you. I'd hate for you to be out a dollar."
Will turned away, and after zeroing in on the rim, he sent the ball arcing toward the basket. It bounced off the rim and backboard before dropping in. That was one. Two more and he'd actually win a prize.
As the ball rolled back, the carnival worker sneaked a glance at Ashley. Ashley, meanwhile, hadn't seemed to have even noticed the worker's presence.
When the ball rolled down the net and back to Will, he picked it up again and glanced at the carnival worker. "Has anyone won today?"
"Of course. Lots of winners every day." He continued to stare at Ashley as he answered. No surprise there. Everyone always noticed Ashley. She was like a flashing neon sign for anyone with an ounce of testosterone.
Ashley took another step forward, pirouetted, and leaned against the booth. She smiled at Will again. Ashley had never been one for subtlety. After being crowned homecoming queen, she'd worn the tiara all night.
"You played well today," she said. "And your serve has gotten a lot better."
"Thanks," Will answered.
"I think you're almost as good as Scott."
"No way," he said. Scott had been playing volleyball since he was six; Will had taken up the game only after his freshman year. "I'm quick and I can jump, but I don't have the complete game Scott does."
"I'm just telling you what I saw."
Focusing on the rim, Will exhaled, trying to relax before shooting the ball. It was the same thing his coach had always told him to do at the free-throw line, not that it ever seemed to improve his percentage. This time, though, the ball swished through the net. Two for two.
"What are you going to do with the stuffed animal if you win?" she asked.
"I don't know. Do you want it?"
"Only if you want me to have it."
He knew she wanted him to offer it to her as opposed to asking him for it. After two years together, there were few things he didn't know about her. Will grabbed the ball, exhaled again, and took his final shot. This one, however, was a touch too hard, and the ball bounced off the back rim.
"That was close," the worker said. "You should try again."
"I know when I'm beat."
"Tell you what. I'll take a dollar off. Two dollars for three shots."
"That's all right."
"Two dollars and I'll let both of you take three shots." He grabbed the ball, offering it to Ashley. "I'd love to see you give it a try."
Ashley stared at the ball, making it obvious she'd never even contemplated such an idea. Which she probably hadn't.
"I don't think so," Will said. "But thanks for the offer." He turned toward Ashley. "Do you know if Scott is still around?"
"He's at the table with Cassie. Or at least that's where they were when I went to find you. I think he likes her."
Will headed in that direction, Ashley right beside him.
"So we were talking," Ashley said, sounding almost casual, "and Scott and Cassie thought it might be fun to head over to my place. My parents are in Raleigh for some event with the governor, so we'd have the place to ourselves."
Will had known this was coming. "I don't think so," he said.
"Why not? It's not like anything exciting is happening around here."
"I just don't think it's a good idea."
"Is it because we broke up? It's not like I want us to get back together."
Which was why you came to the tournament, he thought. And got dressed up tonight. And came to find me. And suggested going to your place, since your parents aren't home.
But he didn't say those things. He wasn't in the mood to argue, nor did he want to make things any harder than they already were. She wasn't a bad person; she just wasn't for him.
"I've got to be at work early tomorrow morning, and I spent all day playing volleyball in the sun," he offered instead. "I just want to go to sleep."
She grabbed his arm, bringing him to a stop. "Why don't you take my calls anymore?"
He said nothing. There was really nothing he could say.
"I want to know what I did wrong," she demanded.
"You didn't do anything wrong."
"Then what is it?"
When he didn't answer, she gave him a beseeching smile. "Just come over and we'll talk about it, okay?"
He knew she deserved an answer. The only problem was that it was an answer she wouldn't want to hear.
"Like I said, I'm just tired."
"You're tired," Scott bellowed. "You told her you were tired and you wanted to go to sleep?"
"Something like that."
"Are you insane?"
Scott stared at him across the table. Cassie and Ashley had long since headed up the pier to talk, no doubt dissecting everything Will had said to Ashley, adding unnecessary drama to a situation that probably should have remained private. With Ashley, though, there was always drama. He had the sudden sense that the summer was going to be a long one.
"I am tired," Will said. "Aren't you?"
"Maybe you didn't hear what she was suggesting. Me and Cassie, you and Ashley? Her parents' place at the beach?"
"She mentioned it."
"And we're still here because...?"
"I already told you."
Scott shook his head. "No... see, that's where you lose me. You use the 'I'm tired' excuse on your parents when they want you to wash the car, or when they tell you to get up so you can make it to church. Not when it comes to an opportunity like this."
Will said nothing. Though Scott was only a year younger--he'd be a senior at Laney High School in the fall--he often acted as if he were Will's older and wiser brother.
Except that night at the church...
"See that guy over there at the basketball booth? Now him, I get. He stands there all day trying to get people to play the game so he can earn a little money and buy himself some beer and cigarettes at the end of his shift. Simple. Uncomplicated. Not my kind of life, but one I can understand. But you, I don't get. I mean... did you see Ashley tonight? She's gorgeous. She looks like that chick in Maxim."
"And?"
"My point is, she's hot."
"I know. We were together for a couple of years, remember?"
"And I'm not saying you have to get back together with her. All I'm suggesting is that the four of us head over to her place, have some fun, and see what happens."
Scott leaned back in his seat. "And by the way? I still don't understand why you broke up with her in the first place. It's obvious she's still into you, and you two always seemed perfect together."
Will shook his head. "We weren't perfect together."
"You've said that before, but what does that mean? Is she, like... psycho or something when you two are alone? What happened? Did you find her standing over you with a butcher knife, or did she howl at the moon when you went to the beach?"
"No, nothing like that. It just didn't work out, that's all."
"It just didn't work out," Scott repeated. "Can you even hear yourself?"
When Will showed no signs of relenting, Scott leaned across the table. "C'mon, man. Do this for me, then. Live a little. It's summer vacation. Take one for the team."
"Now you sound desperate."
"I am desperate. Unless you agree to go with Ashley tonight, Cassie won't go with me. And we're talking about a girl who's ready to 'Romance the Stone.' She wants to 'Free Willy.'"
"I'm sorry. But I can't help you."
"Fine. Ruin my life. Who cares, right?"
"You'll survive." He paused. "You hungry?"
"A little," Scott grumbled.
"C'mon. Let's get some cheeseburgers."
Will got up from the table, but Scott continued to pout. "You need to practice digging," he said, referring to the earlier volleyball games. "You were sending the ball in every direction. It was all I could do to keep us in the games."
"Ashley told me I was as good as you are."
Scott snorted and pushed up from the table. "She doe
sn't know what she's talking about."
After standing in line for their food, Will and Scott moved to the condiment stand, where Scott drenched his burger in ketchup. It squeezed out the sides as Scott put the bun back on.
"That's disgusting," Will commented.
"So get this. There was this guy named Ray Kroc and he started this company called McDonald's. Ever heard of it? Anyway, on his original hamburger--in many ways the original American hamburger, mind you--he insisted that ketchup be added. Which should tell you how important it is to the overall taste."
"Keep talking. You're just so fascinating. I'm going to get something to drink."
"Get me a bottled water, will you?"
As Will walked off, something white flashed by him, heading in Scott's direction; Scott saw it, too, and instinctively lunged out of the way, dropping his cheeseburger in the process.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Scott demanded, spinning around. On the ground lay a wadded-up box of French fries. Behind him, Teddy and Lance had their hands stuffed in their pockets. Marcus was standing between them, trying and failing to appear innocent.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Marcus answered.
"This!" Scott snarled, kicking the box back at them.
It was the tone, Will would later think, that made everyone around them tense. Will felt the hair on his neck prickle at the palpable, almost physical dislocation of air and space, a tremor that promised violence.
Violence that Marcus obviously wanted...
As if he were baiting him.
Will saw a father scoop up his son and move away, while Ashley and Cassie, back from the pier, froze on the outskirts. Off to the side, Will recognized Galadriel--she called herself Blaze these days--circling closer.
Scott glared at them, his jaw clenching. "You know, I'm getting sick and tired of your crap."
"Whatcha gonna do?" Marcus smirked. "Shoot a bottle rocket at me?"
That was all it took. As Scott took a sudden step forward, Will pushed his way frantically through the crowd, trying to reach his friend in time.
Marcus didn't move. Not good. Will knew he and his friends were capable of anything... and worst of all, they knew what Scott had done...
But Scott, in a fury, didn't seem to care. As Will surged forward, Teddy and Lance fanned out, drawing Scott into their midst. He tried to close the gap, but Scott was moving too quickly, and suddenly everything seemed to happen at once. Marcus took a half step backward as Teddy kicked over a stool, forcing Scott to jump out of the way. He slammed into a table, toppling it. Scott caught his balance and balled his hands into fists. Lance closed in from the side. As Will forced his way forward, gaining momentum, he vaguely heard the wailing sounds of a toddler. Breaking free of the crowd, he veered toward Lance when all at once a girl stepped forward into the fray.
"Just stop!" the girl shouted, thrusting her arms out. "Knock it off! All of you!"
Her voice was surprisingly loud and authoritative, enough to make Will stop in his tracks. Everyone else froze, and in the sudden silence, the cries of the toddler sounded shrill. The girl pivoted, glaring at each of the brawlers in turn, and as soon as Will saw the purple streak in her hair, he realized exactly where he'd seen her before. Only now she was wearing an oversize T-shirt with a fish on the front.
"The fight's over! There is no fight! Can't you see this kid is hurt?"
Challenging them to contradict her, she pushed her way between Scott and Marcus and stooped to the crying toddler, who had been knocked over in the commotion. He was three or four, and his shirt was pumpkin orange. When the girl spoke to him, her voice was soft, her smile reassuring.
"Are you okay, sweetie? Where's your mom? Let's go find her, okay?"
The toddler seemed to focus momentarily on her shirt.
"This is Nemo," she said. "He got lost, too. Do you like Nemo?"
Off to the side, a panic-stricken woman holding a baby pushed through the crowd, oblivious to the tension in the air. "Jason? Where are you? Have you seen a little boy? Blond hair, orange shirt?"
Relief crossed her features as soon as she spotted him. She adjusted the baby on her hip as she rushed to his side.
"You can't run off like that, Jason!" she cried. "You scared me. Are you okay?"
"Nemo," he said, pointing at the girl.
The mother turned, noticing the girl for the first time. "Thank you--he just wandered off when I was changing the baby's diaper and--"
"It's okay," the girl said, shaking her head. "He's fine."
Will watched the mother lead her kids away, then he turned back to the girl, noticing the kind way she smiled as the young boy toddled off. Once they'd moved far enough away, however, the girl suddenly seemed to realize that everyone in the crowd was staring at her. She crossed her arms, self-conscious when the crowd began to part for a rapidly approaching police officer.
Marcus quickly murmured something to Scott before melting back into the crowd. Teddy and Lance did the same. Blaze turned to follow them as well, and surprising Will, the girl with the purple streak reached out to grab her arm.
"Wait! Where are you going?" she called out.
Blaze shook her arm free, walking backward. "Bower's Point."
"Where's that?"
"Just head down the beach. You'll find it." Blaze turned and rushed after Marcus.
The girl seemed unsure what to do. By then the tension, so thick only moments before, was dissipating as quickly as it had arisen. Scott righted the table and headed toward Will just as the girl was approached by a man he assumed was her father.
"There you are!" he called out with a mixture of relief and exasperation. "We've been looking for you. You ready to go?"
The girl, who'd been watching Blaze, was obviously unhappy to see him.
"No," she said simply. With that, she strode into the crowd, heading for the beach. A young boy walked up to the father.
"I guess she's not hungry," the boy offered.
The man put his hand on the boy's shoulder, watching as she descended the steps to the beach without a backward glance. "I guess not," he said.
"Can you believe that?" Scott raged, pulling Will away from the scene he'd been observing so closely. Scott was still hyped up, the adrenaline surging. "I was about to pound that freak."
"Uh... yeah," he responded. He shook his head. "I'm not sure Teddy and Lance would have let you."
"They wouldn't have done anything. Those guys are all show."
Will wasn't so sure about that, but he didn't say anything.
Scott took a breath. "Hold up. Here comes the cop."
The officer approached them slowly, obviously trying to gauge the situation.
"What's going on here?" he demanded.
"Nothing, Officer," Scott answered, sounding demure.
"I heard there was a fight."
"No, sir."
The officer waited for more, his expression skeptical. Neither Scott nor Will said anything. By then, the condiment area was filling with people going about their business. The officer surveyed the scene, making sure he wasn't missing anything, then suddenly his face lit up with recognition at the sight of someone standing behind Will.
"Is that you, Steve?" he called out.
Will watched him stride off toward the girl's father.
Ashley and Cassie sidled up to them. Cassie's face was flushed. "Are you okay?" she fluttered.
"I'm fine," Scott answered.
"That guy's crazy. What happened? I didn't see how it started."
"He threw something at me, and I wasn't going to put up with it. I'm sick and tired of the way that guy acts. He thinks everyone's afraid of him and that he can do whatever he wants, but the next time he tries it, it's not going to be pretty..."
Will tuned him out. Scott was always a big talker; he did the same thing during their volleyball matches, and Will had learned long ago to ignore it.
He turned away, catching sight of the officer chatting with the gi
rl's dad, wondering why the girl had been so intent on getting away from her father. And why she was hanging out with Marcus. She wasn't like them, and he somehow doubted she knew what she was getting into with them. As Scott went on, assuring Cassie that he could easily have handled the three of them, Will found himself straining to overhear the police officer's conversation with the girl's father.
"Oh, hey, Pete," the father said. "What's going on?"
"Same old stuff," the officer responded. "Doing my best to keep things under control out here. How's the window coming?"
"Slowly."
"That's what you said the last time I asked."
"Yeah, but now I've got a secret weapon. This is my son, Jonah. He's going to be my assistant this summer."
"Yeah? Good for you, little man... Wasn't your daughter supposed to come down here, too, Steve?"
"She's here," the father said.
"Yeah, but she left again," the boy added. "She's pretty mad at Dad."
"Sorry to hear that."
Will watched the father point toward the beach. "Do you have any idea where they might be going?"
The officer squinted as he scanned the waterline. "Could be anywhere. But a couple of those kids are bad news. Especially Marcus. Trust me, you don't want her keeping company with him."
Scott was still boasting to a rapt Cassie and Ashley. Blocking him out, Will suddenly felt the urge to call out to the police officer. He knew it wasn't his place to say anything. He didn't know the girl, didn't know why she'd stormed off in the first place. Maybe she had a good reason. But as he saw the concern crease her dad's face, he recalled her patience and kindness when she'd rescued the toddler, and the words were out before he could stop them.
"She went to Bower's Point," he announced.
Scott stopped talking in midsentence, and Ashley turned to him with a frown. The other three studied him uncertainly.
"Your daughter, right?" When the father nodded slightly, he went on. "She's going to Bower's Point."
The officer continued to stare at him, then turned back to the father. "When I finish up here, I'll go talk to her and see if I can convince her to go home, okay?"