Мэг Кэбот - Avalon High стр 15.

Its his boat. Until my mom married his dad

lets put it that way.

 And then the moment of warmth between us fizzled like sea spray when Marco suddenly

shot Will a look I could only describe as

 But then Will, who hadnt noticed the look, asked, What do you think, Elle? We gonna

make a sailor out of you?

 And I forgot all about what Marco had said, because Will looked so handsome standing

there at the wheel, with the wind pushing back his hair, calling me Elle.

 Absolutely, I said, meaning it. I was going to have to talk my parents into buying a

boat. It would be hard, since they knew as much about the sea as they did about

swimming pools. But this was really too good not to do on a regular basis. It even beat

floating by a significant percentage. Because you cant have a picnic lunch while youre

floating. Well, you can, but its messy.

 Marcos mom had packed all sorts of delicious stuff in this hamper, including crab rolls

and a homemade potato salad that was even better than Red Hot and Blues. Theres

something about being surrounded by blue water that makes you ravenous. As we ate,

everybody talked about the party the night before and who had hooked up with whom (I

noticed Jennifer talked about this the mostmaybe in an attempt to ward off any

Well, we didnt even have a station wagon,

well, not nice. No, not a nice look at all.

discussion about where she had disappeared to for the majority of the party?) and who

had been wearing what.

 I made a mental note to tell Liz that this is what the In Crowdthe female members,

anywaydoes after parties

 It was only as lunch was winding down that I got a chance to ask Will something that

had been bothering me. And that was what was up with the name of his boat.

 Marco, hearing the question, laughed out loud.

 Yeah, man, he said to Will. Tell her whatPride Winn means.

 Will shot Marco a mock dirty look, then said, looking embarrassed, It doesnt mean

anything, actually. Its just a name that popped into my head when my dad and I first

started talking about buying a boat. And it sort of stuck.

 Sounds like a grocery store, Lance said, his mouth full of crab roll.

 Jennifer kicked him playfully in the foot. Thats Winn-Dixie, she said.

 Still a lame name for a boat, Lance said.

 It wasnt until the conversation eventually drifted from fellow students at Avalon High to

teachers that I remembered Mr. Morton, and, abandoning all hopes for a private word

about itand other thingswith Lance, I said, Oh, Lance, I almost forgot. Mr. Morton

stopped me at the game and says he wants to see us in his classroom first thing tomorrow

morning.

 Lance looked up from the bag of barbecue chips he was polishing off.

 Are you serious? he asked, with a pained expression on his face. What for?

 Um, I said, suddenly aware that everyone was listening to us, and feeling embarrassed.

I think something to do with our research paper proposal.

 Didnt you hand it in? Lance asked, looking dismayed.

 Of course I did, I said. Its just that

somehow that you didnt have any part in writing it.

 Because it wasnt riddled with grammatical errors and run-on sentences like everything

else Lance hands in? Will teased.

 You know Im not good with that stuff, Lance said, with a groan. Aw, man. That

blows.

talk bad about everyone who showed up behind their backs.

I dont know. He seemed to be able to tell

 Sorry, I said. Hes all hot to trot on the whole working-with-your-partner thing.

 I wonder why, Marco said, in a tone that suggested he, for whatever reason, knew

perfectly well why.

 But when I looked his way to ask what he meantnot that I was so sure I wanted to

knowI saw that Marco wasnt even paying attention anymore. Instead he was gazing out

across the water at an ancient and very small motorboat that came chugging slowly by.

After a second or two, I recognized it. It was one belonging to the same bunch of guys

wed seen down at the dockthe ones with the inner tube. The boat was so crowded that a

couple of the pudgier guysand none of them were actually all that slenderwere sitting

so far over the back of the boat, their backs were getting wet from its wake.

 Oh, hey, Marco said, observing this delightedly. Check out the lardasses.

 No one laughed. In fact, Will said, sounding tired, as if it were something he had to say a

lot, Marco. Cut it out.

 But Marco ignored him.

 Watch this, he said.

 And he reached for the wheel that Will had let go of in order to eat his lunch.

 Marco, Will said, as Marco started to swing our boat around. Leave em alone.

 But Marco only laughed and set thePride Winn on what appearedto me, anywayto be a

collision course with the tiny boat.

 That craft does not appear to be seaworthy, Will, Marco said. I just want to make sure

they realize the error of their ways.

 But it looked to me like he was going to do a lot more than that

motorboats driver, realizing Marco had no intention of turning, suddenly jammed his

wheel to the right, causing the boat to lurch abruptly to one side

and causing one of the guys on the back of the boatthe chubbiest oneto fall

overboard.

 Did you see that? Marco cried, laughing. Oh my God, that was hilarious!

 Real funny, Marco, Will said, as we watched the kid flounder in the frothy white wake.

 Hey, Jennifer said. He doesnt have on a life preserver.

especially as the

.

 And then, as the other guys on the motorboat clustered around the side of the craft, trying

to pull the chubby kid back up, we saw his spiky crew-cut bob once

finally disappear altogether beneath the waves.

 Great, Will said angrily, pulling off his deck shoes. Thanks a lot, Marco.

 And then, before any of us could say anything, Will had dived from the side of thePride

Winn , his long, lean body vanishing as the dark water closed over it.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  This wasnt the clear, still water of my pool back home.

 This was deep, opaque seawater, choppy with waves. There were probably sharks down

there. And riptides. As Wills head disappeared beneath the dark surface, I sucked in my

breath, wondering if hed ever resurface.

 I wasnt the only one, apparently, with this concern. Lance, scanning the waves for some

sign of Will, growled at Marco, as menacingly as Cavalier had the night before.

 If anything happens to him, Lance snarled, youre a dead man.

 If anything happens to him, your lifell get a whole lot easier, Marco said evenly.

Wont it?

 I saw Lances face flush darkly, then noticed him exchange glances with Jennifer. On her

pretty face was an expression of naked fearbut was it fear for Will? Or fear for herself,

over what Marco had said?

 A second later, Wills dark head popped up from the waves. Then he began swimming,

with long, hard strokes, toward the spot where Crew-cut Kid had disappeared.

 Turn us around, Jennifer commanded Marco, in a sharp voice I couldnt help but

admire. She, at least, wasnt taking any guff from this guy.

 Fine, Marco said, his jaw tightening, twisting thePride Winn s wheel. Then, noticing

that I was staring at him, he grinned. I dont get what the big deal is. Theyre just a

bunch of tourists.

 Then, when I just glared at him, he said, Joke! Im joking. God, nobody around here

then twice

can take a joke. Remember that, new girl.

 Maybe its justyour jokes, I said. They arent really very funny.

 The motorboats driver had cut his engines, and now he, as well as most of his

passengers, were clinging to the side of the craft, scanning the water for some sign of the

missing boy. Will, reaching the spot where Crew-cut Kid had gone under, disappeared

once more beneath the waves.

 Where are they? Jennifer, standing beside me, reached out and took my arm and

squeezed, staring tensely at the water. Whereis he?

 And I felt a surge of guilt for every mean thought Id ever had about her. Because her

anxiety was real. No one is that good of an actress. Yeah, she was in love with Lance. But

I got the feeling that a part of hera big partstill loved Will as well

always love Will, no matter what ended up happening between them

or what ended up happening now.

 Id been looking at Jenniferat her pretty face transfixed with anxiety, her blue-eyed gaze

scanning the water. Suddenly, I saw her expression change. She smiled and flushed with

relief.

 I glanced back at the water to see that Will was towing Crew-cut Kidsputtering

seawaterback toward the motorboat.

 Thank God, Jennifer said, and seemed to sag against me. Lance had gone visibly pale

beneath his dark tan. Marco, for his part, yawned and went to open a new can of Coke for

himself.

 We sat in tense silence until Will returned. At least, Jennifer and I did. Lance kept up a

running commentary on what was going on over on the other boat: Okay, they got the

kid back on board. Hes heaving up a lot of saltwater, but hell probably be fine. Looks

like Wills gonna swim on back. Okay, here he comes

 Marco just ate another crab roll and fiddled around with the radio, trying to find a station

that wasnt playing oldies. When Jennifer looked at him in annoyance, he went, What?

all innocently, like he couldnt imagine what was wrong with her.

 When Will finally got back to thePride Winn , his face was tensely drawn.

 Theyre not going to call the harbor police, Will said, after Lance had helped him back

onto the deck.

 Marco made a derisive sound. Why should they? he wanted to know. Then the cops

would know they were flagrantly flaunting shipboard safety regulations, cramming that

and would probably

.

.

many people onto such a small boat. Besides, it was that stupid kids own fault. He

shouldnt have been sitting so

 That stupid kid nearly drowned, Will interrupted, his blue eyes crackling. Come on,

Marco. What were you thinking?

 Gee, I dont know. Marco lifted a single brow. Maybe I just couldnt take the tension

anymore.

 What tension? Will asked exasperatedly.

 The sexual tension, Marco replied.

 And I saw his dark-eyed gaze flick toward Jennifer, who stood near the bow. She had

been getting a towel for Will, but now she froze, the towel limp in her hands, watching

Marco warily.

 Oh, dont tell me you havent felt it, Marco said, glancing from Will to me to Lance

and then to Jennifer, and then back again. My God, it was making me nuts!

 I think, I said loudly, certain I knew what was coming next, and wanting to avoid it at

all costs, that we should go back now. Dont you, Jennifer?

 Jennifer hadnt taken her eyes off Marco. It was like she was watching

wondering if it was the nice kind, like the one Id fished from the pool, or the deadly kind

that was going to send her into a coma.

 Yeah, she said, at last. I agree with Ellie. I think we should go.

 Lance started to say something, but happened to glance at Jennifer. She must have sent

him a warning lookalthough I didnt see itbecause he fell silent. Will, whod crossed to

take the towel from Jennifer and now stood with it around his neck, said, sublimely

ignorant of what wasreally going on, The girls want to go, well go. Lance, lets take

down the sail. I think we should power back

 Oh, right, Marco burst out, as Lance began untying the knots that held the sail in place.

Better take down the sail, Lance. Better not think for yourself, Lance.

 Lance suggested that Marco do something Im not entirely sure was anatomically

possible.

 Will glared at Marco with dangerously narrowed eyes.

 What is yourproblem ? he asked his stepbrother, in the same voice Id heard him use

with the jock, that day outside Mr. Mortons classroom. It was so cold, it seemed to come

from the very depths Will had just snatched that kid out of. It scared me a little.

well, a snake,

 Whatsmy problem? Marco let out a bitter laugh. Why dont you ask Lance whathis

problem is?

 Because I donthave a problem, Campbell, Lance said. Except for the one Ive got

with you.

 But Marco just laughed some more at that.

 Oh, right, he said. I forgot. You like being Wills lapdog, doing everything he tells

you to.

 Lance was beginning to flush. I dont

 Oh yes, you do, man, Marco said. His voice dropped into a somewhat uncanny

imitation of Wills: Take the sail down, Lance. Tackle that lineman, Lance. Gotta protect

the QB, Lance. Then, in his own voice, he said, God, its no wonder you couldnt take it

anymore. I dont blame you, man. I really dont.

 My heart starting to pound, I looked at Lance, silently begging him not to respond

 But it was too late.

 I dont know what youre talking about, Lance began, the muscles in his neck bunching

menacingly. But