Part 6 (1/2)

”Your guns look like they're out of ammo.” I laughed. There was no way I was letting one of them be in charge of steering this thing. If I was forced to go out into the middle of the lake with these two idiots, at least I wanted to know I would be able to steer my way back.

Leisner's face screwed up as he stepped closer to me. ”Maybe I should test them, Ca.s.sie.”

Was he starting something? I hoped so. I wanted to punch the curls right out of his hair. ”Call me Ca.s.sie one more time and it will be your last.”

”Wick,” Rawe yelled.

”Leisner,” Nerone yelled.

I got into the back of the boat before Rawe could say anything else. There was no way I was doing push-ups on sand covered with dead fish guts.

”Sorry, Ca.s.sie,” Leisner taunted as he got into the middle seat.

I picked up the paddle and ignored him. I knew how to steer a boat. My brother and I used to go fis.h.i.+ng on Lake Erie when I was a kid. During the summer we would stay for a week with my dad's sister who had a beach house that she lived in all year round. It was filled with seash.e.l.ls and too many cats. Every morning, before anyone woke up, my brother and I would sneak out and down the path to the rowboat rocking in the water at the dock. We would row into the middle of the lake to fish while the sun rose, talking about how we could survive on a desert island without anyone in our stupid family.

So yeah, I knew how to steer a f.u.c.king boat.

I also knew that once the 'roids were out of Leisner's system, I could probably lay him out with one punch.

Eagan got his life jacket on and sat in front of the canoe. With everyone in place, we finally pushed off, gliding on the water, our paddles thrusting us forward.

”You know drowning is the fifth highest cause of accidental death,” Eagan said.

”So is talking too f.u.c.king much,” I yelled up to the front of the boat. My voice echoed off the metal of the canoe and the water below us.

”Ben said you were feisty.” Leisner said. I could hear the smirk in his voice.

Feisty? I'd been called a lot of things in my time, but feisty was not one of them.

”Ben's an a.s.shole,” I said, staring at the back of Leisner's curly blond head and picturing myself drop-kicking it.

”He said you'd say that,” Leisner added.

”Can we please stop talking about Ben?” I kept paddling. My arms already ached, water splas.h.i.+ng underneath us as the canoe moved forward.

”Who's talking about Ben?” Leisner joked.

I pulled my paddle out of the water and soaked him with it.

”You're lucky you're a girl,” he said.

”You're lucky you're not,” I said.

”Be careful, you guys,” Eagan said. ”I'm fairly sure this boat is at least twenty years old. Do you know what happens to metal as it ages?”

”Maybe Ben will come save you, Ca.s.sie.” Leisner laughed.

I felt fear splash up from my stomach to my chest. Leisner bothered me in a way I recognized, which meant I was screwed. As much as I wanted to deny it, annoyance was not at all what I felt for Ben.

I looked out at the lake. Ben and Nez were in the lead, the sun making them seem like shadows of themselves. I needed to stay the h.e.l.l away from him.

”It's a long row to the dock,” Leisner said. ”What do you want to talk about, Ca.s.sie?”

”I don't,” I said, paddling so hard my hands burned.

”We could sing,” Eagan said. I could hear the saliva flying out of his mouth as he said it.

”Start singing and I drown you,” I said.

”You don't have it in you,” Leisner said.

”Well, maybe not when it comes to him,” I said, flicking my chin up at Eagan, ”but you're a different story.”

”I'm right here,” he said, stopping mid-row to turn to me.

I allowed the anger to build-fire starting in my chest, flames licking out to my arms and hands. I wanted to take my paddle and whack his knowing smile so hard that it landed in Ben and Nez's boat.

I had managed to keep myself in check the whole time I'd been here, but Leisner was different. I deserved my fist in my stomach as a painful and constant tattoo needle, but he deserved my fist in his face because he was an a.s.s-clown.

”I knew it.” Leisner laughed and turned back around.

I paddled harder, picturing the water as his stupid jock face. I was annihilating it in my mind, splitting his skull, breaking his nose, cracking his teeth.

”Let's sing the name song, Eagan,” Leisner cooed. ”I'll start. Ca.s.sie, Ca.s.sie bo-ba.s.sie, banana-fana-fo-fa.s.sie, all talk no action-a.s.sie, Ca.s.sie. One more time . . .”

”Shut your blow-hole, or I'll shut it for you.” The fire moved into my eyes. That's how it feels. I think it's why people call anger blind. You can't see anything but red covering your target. You can't feel anything but searing force pus.h.i.+ng you.

”I think we all know, including Ben,” Leisner said, indicating him out in his boat with Nez, ”that you won't do anything.”

I stood up. Leisner didn't notice; he started singing again-still mocking me-his blond-curled head bobbing up and down like someone juggling a soccer ball on his knees.

The canoe teetered as I edged toward him. He was so high on himself, he didn't even notice me standing behind him, breathing, waiting, trying to decide what to do. I tapped him on the shoulder, still unsure. I waited. It would all depend on what he said when he turned around.

”Look, Eagan, I caught a Ca.s.sie with my song,” Leisner said, his smile greasy. ”I figured she was easy, but-”

”I asked you to shut up,” I said quietly. That's another thing about anger; it makes you calm when you let yourself do something about it.

”Sit down! You're going to capsize the boat!” Eagan screamed.

”She'll sit,” Leisner said. ”She wouldn't want to do anything she'd regret.”

I already had too much I regretted to let this one go.

I don't feel anything when I grab for someone, just a rush of relief, like when you are desert-thirsty and take that initial drink. So at first I didn't even notice that I'd pushed Leisner-that I'd launched him airborne-until he reached out to steady himself and we both fell into the water.

It was so cold when I hit, it felt like twenty thousand self-induced punches to my stomach with an icicle.

”Boy and girl overboard,” Eagan yelled.

I was in the water, bobbing, trying to keep it out of my mouth.