I laugh in amusement. Dani and I are never like this with one another. I want to tell them it was a tie. I have no clue who came off first or who splashed into the water first, but I know my indifference will only spur them on to continue this ridiculous competition. While it has been fun towatch the two of them, this needs to end at some point. “Uh, sorry Andrew, but I think Rebecca beat you,” I say.
The look of betrayal he gives me breaks my heart a little bit, but I have to side with Rebecca. We girls need to stick together. Andrew can hold his own.
“Rematch!” Andrew declares.
I guess I should’ve known my answer wouldn’t end the battle.
The three of us buzz with adrenaline as we leap off the tube and dive into the water, swimming to the dock. The sun is setting, and Mr. Martin finally calls it a day.
I’m surprised we were able to go out for this long. We were forced to come in for dinner, but Andrew and Rebecca somehow convinced Mr. Martin to take us back out again. The twins gave up on their competition after our one-millionth run. I think after a while they both got tired of bickering and doing donuts until one of them was flung off the tube.Thank goodness.
“Can we swim for a while, Dad?” Rebecca asks as Mr. Martin secures the boat in its slip on the dock.
He glances at the sky. “You can stay out here for about fifteen more minutes, but then it’s going to get too dark. Aren’t you kids tired yet?”
“It takes a lot more than that to tire us out!” Andrew climbs up onto the dock and then takes a running start before doing a cannonball back into the water. He pops up and turns to Rebecca and me. “I bet I can make a bigger splash than you two with my cannonball.”
“Dad, can you judge us?”
Mr. Martin just shakes his head as he turns toward the house. “I’m done for the day. You kids will have to judge each other,” he laughs with a hint of amusement in his voice.
We alternate between leaping off the dock and racing each other between my dock and the Martin family’s dock. Fifteen minutes go by way too quick, but it’s a good thing when Mr. Martin calls us in for the evening because I’m exhausted. I don’t think my little arms and legs could swim any longer to keep me from sinking.
“I’m starving!” I announce, turning to Andrew to back me up. I can always count on him to be hungry when I am.
“Me too! Let’s go find snacks.”
We enter the kitchen, and Andrew throws open the pantry door as he scans the shelves for food. I can’t help but feel a small amount of adoration as I watch his bright eyes assess the food in the pantry with care.
“We have Oreos,” he announces, snagging the package off the shelf and turning back toward the kitchen. He pulls the milk jug from the fridge and pours himself a glass. “Do you want a glass too, Em?” he asks, ignoring Rebecca entirely.
“Yes, please.”
“Sure, I’ll take a glass too. Thank you so much for asking,” Rebecca frowns, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
We each grab paper towels to place our Oreos on. Rebecca grabs three, and Andrew and I begin grabbing ours. Andrew takes four, leaving three left for me. When he notices, he breaks his fourth Oreo in half and places it on my paper towel without even asking me if I want it.
I give him a soft smile. “Thank you! You didn’t have to do that.”
He shakes his head, brushing me off. “It was your idea to get food in the first place. Plus, you put up with Rebecca and I all day. You deserve it.”
We go to sit on the barstools at the kitchen island, but when Mrs. Martin waltzes in, she stops us immediately. “What do you three think you’re doing? You’re not going to sit at those nice barstools soaked in lake water. Go dry offoutside, please.”
We rush back out onto the dock and plop ourselves down on our towels. It’s a good thing we ended up out here because we get to watch the sun melt into the horizon, turning the sky into vibrant pink and orange hues. The last rays of sunlight bounce off the few clouds in the sky, reminding me of cotton candy. It’s magic.
I dunk my first Oreo into my milk. “What do you guys want to do tomorrow?”
“The same thing,” Andrew says simply.
“We can’t just go tubing all day, every day. We need to find something else to do.”
Andrew swallows his first bite of Oreo. “Fine, we can do something else, but we have to have Oreos and milk again after we swim because these are hitting the spot.”
I take a bite of my soaked Oreo and quickly discover Andrew was right. I like Oreos. They’re a great quick and easy dessert, but for some reason, these taste a million times better after a long day out on the water.
“Oh my gosh!” I gasp in delighted surprise as the chocolatey wafer mixes with the soft cream in a way that’s better than any other Oreo experience I’ve had before. “Where did you get these Oreos? They taste so good.”
“They’re just from the market down the street,” Rebecca says simply, taking a bite of hers now. “Wait, you’re right! These are amazing!”
