my arms to my sides. I attempt to reclaim my dignity the best way I know how—with palpable disdain. “I was distracted,” I say, glaring at him. “It startled me.”
He lets a small chuckle escape. “We need another player. Don’t suppose you’d be interested?”
I guffaw. If there’s a sport I’m naturally gifted at, I have yet to figure out what it is. Definitely nothing they make us play in gym class. “Not even a tiny bit. But thanks for … that.”
“Rescuing you?” he says, loud enough that anyone nearby might hear. He looks almost gleeful. “Could you say that again, but louder this time?” He leans toward me, cupping a hand around his ear.
My glare deepens.
“Go on,” he prods. “I believe the exact words you’re looking for are, Thank you for saving my life, Quint. You’re the best!”
I scoff. Then an idea strikes me and I grin, taking a step toward him. He must see something troubling in my face, because he immediately takes a step back. His look of amusement changes to mistrust.
“I’ll say thanks after you agree to redo that biology project with me.”
He groans.
Behind him, a junior girls yells, “Quint, come on! You’re still playing, right?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he says, waving a dismissive hand toward her. I glance over at the girl. She’s watching me, her mouth puckered to one side.
Don’t worry, I want to tell her. He’s all yours.
Quint starts to walk backward toward the net. He lifts a finger, pointing directly at me. “The answer is still no,” he says. “But I appreciate your persistence.” He turns and jogs back to the game.
I exhale sharply. It was worth a shot.
“Yo, Prudence,” calls a voice.
It takes me a second to realize it’s Ezra Kent, who’s standing on the other side of the volleyball net, waiting for the game to resume. Once he has my attention, he tips his chin at something behind me. “Who’s the hot girl with the guitar?”
Blinking, I look around. For a second I’ve forgotten what I’m doing, where I was going. Then I see Ari sitting cross-legged on our blanket, the guitar settled on her lap, but she’s not playing. She’s talking to some people from school—one girl I know is in jazz band and a couple seniors I’ve never spoken to. Jude is there, too, but he’s sitting slightly apart from the group, still sulking. His bare feet are buried into the sand.
I spin back around and glare warningly at Ezra. “Someone who’s out of your league.”
He exaggeratedly rubs his hands together. “I like a challenge.”
I flash a saccharine smile. “And she likes integrity, so don’t waste your time.”
He cackles. “Aw, man. I am going to miss you this summer.”
“That makes one of us,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. I’m about to walk away when a thought hits me.
I hesitate, turning back just as Quint is getting ready to serve.
“Hey, Quint?”
He pauses and glances at me. I walk closer so I can keep my voice down and one of his enormous eyebrows shoots upward, as if my mere presence were cause for suspicion. “You know, Jude is halfway decent at volleyball. If you’re still wanting another player?”
This might be a lie. But it might not be. My brother and I haven’t had gym class together since sixth grade, so I honestly have no idea how good he is at volleyball.
Quint glances past me, spying my brother. “Yeah, cool. Hey, Jude! You in for a game?”
I walk away, doing my best to look casual so Jude won’t know I instigated this invitation. But it works. A couple seconds later, Jude is jogging across the beach. He nods at me, maybe realizing that this is the first time we’ve seen each other since we got here.
“Doing all right, Sis?” he asks as he passes by. I know the undercurrent of the question. The true meaning. I didn’t want to come to this party in the first place. He basically dragged me and Ari along.
But I think of the wave that crashed over Jackson and Maya’s panicky voice as she looked for her missing earring and the small crowd of people who have stopped to listen to Ari and her guitar, and suddenly I’m smiling. A real smile. A ridiculous, delighted, absolutely over-the-moon grin.
“Honestly? I’m having a great time.” I tilt my head toward the volleyball game. “Gonna play?”
“Yeah, I’ll give it a try. Try not to make a fool of myself.”
“You’ve got this.” I give him an encouraging punch in the shoulder and we