“Mads, help—Help! Reed,no!”
I can’t stop laughing.
“She woke me up with the pans,” Reed says. “What do you think? You think the pool destroying her hair is good enough punishment?”
“I don’t know, man. You might have to jump her off the diving board,” Maddox replies.
“Wait—no!”
Reed grins. “Get the tarp off.”
“Reed, put me down! No—I’m sorry!”
Because I really don’t want to get wet in this dirty water.
“Maddox!”
However, Maddox is grinning as widely as Reed, and he’s pulling the tarp back just enough that I don’t get caught in it from the board.
“Reed—don’t you dare.” I smack his shoulders and kick the air but to no avail. Reed is already carrying me around the edge of the pool. Kamden and Koen come out of the house to see what’s happening, and now, the four boys are chanting, “Throw her in!”
And when Reed pauses at the end of the board, I glare sideways at him.
“You’re such an asshole,” I say, though I can’t help laughing.
“Don’t worry, sis.”
It’s the last three words he says before he jumps off the board with me in his arms, and together, we go plunging beneath the water.
It’s dark and full of leaves and slimy, and when I rise above the surface, I want to puke. I slosh water at Reed’s grinning face, mouth open to insult him when two more figures run in our direction.
Reed grabs and shields me as Koen and Kamden jump into the pool after us.
As much as I hate Reed for throwing me in, it’s a moment that I know I’ll hold onto. It’s so rare that all of us are home. I’m surprised Tina or Dad aren’t outside to see what the commotion is all about.
Looking up, I find Maddox laughing with his hands stuffed into his pockets.
“Come on, Mads,” I call out to him. “You’re a part of this craziness, too.”
“Yeah, come on!” Reed splashes water Maddox’s way and whips his own shaggy hair out of his eyes.
“No fucking way,” Maddox says, smoothing his beard. “I just oiled the beard.”
“Come on,” Kamden and Koen yell.
Something is burning.
I sniff the air, and the culprit dawns on me.
“Shit. Koen, did you leave the stove on?” I ask.
His expression falters in an instant. “Fuck—”
“I got it.” Maddox darts inside, and I push myself out of the pool to run to the sliding door.
I pause at the threshold as I don’t want to get the floor sopping wet. Maddox has the smoking pan off the glass stovetop and shakes his head when he looks my way.
“Good catch,” he says. “Another minute, and the thing would be on fire.”
