Rumors (13 page)

Dad
nodded. “Absolutely! I can’t wait to see the three of you out there
again.”

Upon
arrival, I jumped out of our suburban, arms open wide to receive
the bullet of blond hair careening into my arms.

“
Allie!” my nine-year-old cousin squealed, matching the eager
grin on my face. She hurried to spread her hugs to Dad, Leah, and
Taylor, but like a loyal pup, she returned to my side. “What took
you guys so long? Come on, come on!” She tugged me along, barely
pausing for me to sling the duffel bag over my shoulder.

We
stepped through the front door, and Maddie loudly announced our
arrival to the open living room. The first thing I noticed was a
delicious roast smell wafting through the air. I waved at Uncle
Bill, who was reclined in the large, brown sectional watching
sports on the flat screen. He hollered a friendly “Hello,”
accompanied with the wide smile that pushed out his double chin.
Maddie plopped down beside him, leaning in and jabbering away. I
was pretty sure by the look on Uncle Bill’s face that her topic of
conversation had nothing to do with sports—but he smiled and
knuckled Maddie’s head affectionately.

“
Allie! Hi, dear!” Aunt Heidi peeked from around the corner of
the adjacent kitchen. She greeted me with a warm hug.

“
Smells delicious, Aunt Heidi,” I said, returning her
embrace.

“
You always have the best food!” Leah agreed, practically
jumping up and down. No offense to Mom, but culinary arts was
really not her thing. After the divorce moved us to Portland to be
closer to Mom’s side of the family, one of the downsides (besides
my parents’ separation, of course), was not living close to Aunt
Heidi anymore. She often stopped by to drop off meals and treats
that she’d been experimenting with—a skill that Mom most definitely
lacked. Taylor grabbed a roll and sighed in
satisfaction.

Even
with how much food we consumed, we found ways to burn it off fast.
We spent most of Saturday on the lake, either wakeboarding or
tubing. Maddie, who wasn’t quite ready for wakeboarding, joined me
on the tube.

“
Ok, Uncle James,” she said seriously to Dad, “I don’t want
you to take it easy on me. I can handle it.” She flexed her fingers
and readied her grip on the tube handles with
resolution.

Dad hid a smile behind one hand, exchanging a humored glance
with Uncle Bill. “Oh, I know you can handle it, Miss Maddie,” Dad
said. He exaggerated a whisper, pretending like I couldn’t hear
him. “It’s
Allie
I’m worried about. I’m not sure she can hold on as long as
you can.”

I
laughed with a shrug, playing along. “I’ll do what I
can.”

“
Allie can do
anything
,” Maddie defended. “Come
on, we’re ready.” She gave a nod, slightly shifting her position on
her stomach. The tube swayed calmly in the water. I tightened my
grip.

“
Let’s do it!” I exchanged a readied grin with Maddie, her
eyes lighting up with anticipation. She loved a challenge, and Dad
respected her zealous nature enough to give it to her. He jumped
behind the wheel and the boat gradually pulled away, tightening the
slack in the rope. As the boat gathered speed, we bumped along
playfully. Maddie laughed into the wind, letting her hair fly
crazily behind her. After a few minutes cruising easily on the
water, Dad maneuvered the boat so that the tube slid across the
wake, jolting our smooth ride.

I
gritted my teeth, so I didn’t bite my tongue. The boat picked up
speed. Hitting turbulent water, we skidded across the water like
skipping stones. Even my body swayed along the edge of the tube,
threatening to knock me off. “You ok?” I yelled to Maddie,
eventually noticing her playfulness replaced with intense
concentration. Her arms trembled beneath her life vest, but she
didn’t answer. I knew she would never want to admit defeat by
signaling for Dad to stop.

I
grunted as we hit the wake again. Dad was holding true to his
promise of a challenge. In an effort to save Maddie’s pride, I
released my grip. The tube whipped out from under me, and I
plummeted into the water with a painful smack. I popped back up,
shaking water from my face, and watched the boat turn around to
pick me up. When Dad slowed to a stop, he made a few playful jabs
at my tubing skills, though he seemed to know the intentions behind
my fall.

“
Not bad, sista!” I said to Maddie. Her blue eyes sparkled in
the sunlight, and she grinned.

“
Thanks, Allie,” she whispered, as I clambered back onto the
tube.

“
Anytime, Maddie,” I said. “I got your back
anytime.”

“
Higher!” Maddie yelled down to me, pulling herself through
the tree branches like a pro. Only a branch of two below her, I
continued my ascent, passing pinecones that tugged on my hair and
the dry bark that gently scraped against my skin. When Maddie
finally halted her climb, I joined her on the sturdy branch. It was
just far enough outside the pine tree that we could clearly see the
lake before us, despite the dimming natural light around us. I eyed
the grey clouds hovering in the distance and felt the chilly breeze
shepherding them towards us.

Still,
Maddie’s face radiated bliss. We observed the quiet shore that had
quickly been abandoned as the weather darkened. “I’m going to miss
this tree,” she said, inhaling the potent fragrance emanating from
the branches. I nodded my head, knowing exactly what she meant. It
wasn’t that this particular tree smelled any different than the
other evergreens surrounding us, but this tree had
history.

It was a
few years ago that my sisters and I found this tree. I was ten at
the time. We liked it because it was part of a small cluster that
grew close to the shoreline and was located half a mile from the
cabins—not super far, but enough to get out of sight. If we ever
wanted to escape our boring parents for a while, we’d take off
running and play on our own. Of course, we did get in trouble
sometimes—like the time Maddie was only five and was scrambling
after us, trying to keep up with my sisters and me. She didn’t
climb very far, but she fell and fractured her arm just below her
elbow. It was after that summer that we promised to play together
and not ditch Maddie just because she was seven years younger. This
tree became a sort of clubhouse—without the actual “house” part, of
course.

So it
was no wonder that on our last day at Hidden Pines, we found
ourselves, as usual, climbing one more time to take in the
beautiful view and capture the fresh scent of nature drifting
through the air. I propped my back against the tree trunk,
straddling the branch, and letting my right leg swing casually back
and forth. Maddie faced me, balancing her position by holding onto
the branches around her.

“
What are you looking forward to this year?” I asked
her.

“
Gymnastics,” she said, her smile broadening. “The beginning
class is too easy now, so Mom said I can move up to the next level
and go three times a week. By next summer, I will be almost as fast
and strong as you!”

I
laughed with a nod. “I’m sure you will.” A few drops of rain hit me
in the eye, and I wiped them away with my hand. “We need to get
back soon.” Maddie didn’t even seem to notice the breeze getting
colder and the droplets dampening her shirt.

“
What are
you
looking forward to?” she asked, returning the question. “All
those boys that like you?” Her grin teased me, and she puckered up
her lips in a pretend smooch.

I kicked
playfully at her leg, making a face. “Nah, not the boys. They’re
more trouble than they’re worth.” I wouldn’t get into the details
with my young cousin, but I had little intention of getting serious
with anyone for a while. “Our basketball team is going to rock it
this year, though. That’s what I’m excited about.” Running suicides
to Coach’s whistle, with my sneakers squeaking and sweat dripping
onto the court, were not my favorite drills, but it was all worth
it for the adrenaline of game day.

“
You gonna be captain?” Maddie asked. “You should be, with
your whole family on the court this year!”

“
Maybe. I think so.” After the thrill of Sectionals, I
couldn’t wait to play ball with my sisters again. It would
definitely be a memorable tribute to my senior year before I
graduated. Our conversation came to a halt as thick clouds showered
us with heavy rain.

“
Time to go!” I called to Maddie, making the first move down
the tree. With a frown, she followed suit. Just as I reached the
bottom, Maddie hopped down from her branch with a quick thud and
took off running.

“
Wait, where are you going?” I shouted, watching her movements
take her away from the cabins.

“
The river, of course. Just one more time!” Maddie didn’t even
glance back to see if I followed. “Come on, Allie! Hurry
up!”

“
Madison, don’t run off.” My words were more to myself than
Maddie, who was far ahead of me. With only her giggle for a
response, I picked up my pace, weaving in and out of trees and
following the dancing head of blond hair. My shoes imprinted in the
ground, the dirt already softening and giving way to the
rain.

Our run
lasted a couple of minutes before I caught up with Maddie—or her
shoes, rather. Having removed her sneakers, she was already
stepping across the large boulders that lined up unevenly, creating
a path from one side of the river to the other. It was a game we
played every time we visited the river, racing to see who could
cross first, but it didn’t feel like a good idea right
now.

“
Hey, get back here! Didn’t you notice it’s raining? We can’t
play here today. It’s not safe!”

I lunged
forward to the embankment, swiping at her arm, but failing to catch
her. Maddie only laughed, edging further along.

“
You’re going to get us both in trouble!” I had to yell over
the loud drumming of the rain mingling with the roar of the river.
I knew our parents wouldn’t be happy, and as the older cousin, I
would be blamed. Still, I couldn’t help but smile at Maddie’s
determined energy.

I
removed my shoes, setting them next to Maddie’s, though it was
pointless with how soaked I already was from head to toe—but that
was part of our game to cross barefoot. I pulled my toe back from
the chill of the water. “It’s freezing!” My body shivered in
objection, but I planted both feet in the icy river
anyway.

Two
arm’s lengths away, Maddie laughed and said, “How much do you want
to bet that I can make it all the way across to the other side and
back?” Her hands rubbed at the water cascading down her face, her
eyes blinking rapidly.

If she
was going to cross, I intended to go with her. We’d both crossed
the river a hundred times before, but today felt different—an air
of warning lingering around us. As if to emphasize the worry in my
stomach, my balance teetered and I almost slipped. Maddie, too,
hesitated as the river forced her to regain footing. The confidence
in her eyes dimmed with a trace of uncertainty.

“
Madison, get back here! The current is too
strong.”

At last,
Maddie seemed to agree with my assessment, eying the current
rushing faster than we’d ever witnessed it before. Her lips pouted
and she let out a huff of air, but at least she seemed to be
listening now.

Wrapping
my arms around myself to shelter my saturated body from the
forceful wind, I watched Maddie pivot towards me. I glared against
the bullets of rain targeting my skin. The game had lost its
appeal. All I wanted was for Maddie and me to get out of the river,
but I wasn’t getting out without her.

My
fingers reached for hers as I fought to withhold my stance against
the river’s pull. Her fingers close to grazing mine, I leaned
forward, inches away from her.

I gasped
as she disappeared from my reach, her foot slipping off the rock.
She let out a fearful cry as the river yanked her off her feet,
fully submerging her little body.

“
Maddie!” I screeched her name, propelling myself back onto
the embankment. Barefoot, I chased after her, hurdling bushes and
fallen branches—ignoring the sharp pain from debris puncturing my
skin. I could still see her afloat, though at times the river
briefly sucked her under before she popped back up to catch her
breath.