“Why are you being so weird?” I asked. There were nerves in the air. The kind of uncertainty that made me want to run.
Dale nodded to Ava. “Met some kids from your school at the other camp.”
“Oh yeah?” Ava’s voice tensed. It was so slight I’m not sure if anyone else noticed, ifIwould have noticed if I hadn’t spent so long learning her tones, her intonations. “From Excelsior? Who?”
Dale started listing off some names, people I didn’t recognize or even really hear. Mostly because I kept my gaze on Ava, watching her reaction, her face pale as she tried to keep her expression placid.
“All right, whatever.”
One of the other guys behind Dale piped up. “Ask her.”
Ava stood and crossed her arms over her chest. She was already so tall then, towering over most of the boys our age, and when she took a step toward them, they all seemed to cower. “Ask me what?”
“When they found out we knew you, they wanted to know if it was true.”
“Ifwhatwas true?”
“If your dad was really doing someWolf of Wall Streetshit.”
“What the fuck did you say?” Ava said.
“Ava, I don’t—”
Imogen and I leapt to our feet, understanding what was about to happen, but it was too late. Ava had already pulled back her puny fist and hurled it at Dale’s face, causing him to double over in pain.
Ava winced and cradled her fist in her elbow. Imogen and I rushed to her side as Dale cried out.
“What the fuck? I wasn’t the one who said it!”
“Talk shit about my family one more time and I’ll tell everyone here about the time you flashed me in the Lodge, which is actuallytrue.”
The boys behind Dale stifled their laughs as Dale pinched the bridge of his bleeding nose.
“Crazy bitch.”
Ava smirked. “Someone has to be. Come on.” She motioned for us to run after her, toward the rock wall, away from the boys.
When we got out of earshot, her shoulders collapsed and Ava fell to the ground in a pile of woodchips. She brought her knees up under her chin and after exhaling an enormous breath, she let it all out, sobbing into her chest.
“What the hell was that?” Imogen said as we crouched next to her.
It took a while for Ava to catch her breath and when she did, her voice was shaky. “Those rumors nearly ruined my freshman year. Everyone saying my dad was some criminal mastermind. As if half of Wall Streetisn’t.”
Imogen gasped quietly next to me.
“We had no idea,” I said, rubbing Ava’s back.
“You think I’d want you guys knowing that awfulness? It’s not even true.” Ava wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “I was hoping I could keep it a secret, leave it behind in the city. Mom kept saying it would all blow over this summer, when everyone forgot about it.”
“Hate to say it, but she’s right,” Imo says. “No one will remember in September. There’s always new drama.”
“But now peopleherewill know.”
Imogen and I were quiet, huddled around Ava. Her protectors. “We’ve got you,” Imo said. “We’ll destroy anyone who tries to talk shit.”
“No one fucks with Ava Cantor,” I echoed.
Ava offered a weak smile and we sat there together for a while until our group leader came looking for us, letting us know it was time to change for afternoon swim.
