“I didn’t ask them to pull it, Holly.”
“I believe you. And after I talk to Nick, he will, too.”
“Maybe.” I looked down at the lumpy bags of ice, then picked up one of the crab mallets that we were using as hammers. “Leave this job to me. I’ll enjoy it.”
She laughed. “Go for it, girl.”
I banged away, feeling better with each shattering of ice.
Several guys tried to help, but I politely declined their offers and filled up two cold chests by myself.
Karen, my guide at the yearbook office, stopped to talk.
Redheaded Steve came by and told me he had a photo of Jason and me at the prom, posing inside the arch of roses, and several excellent shots of Jason lying among the punch cups. Steve was hoping Holly would okay his before-andafter idea.
I laughed in spite of myself.
A little while later Holly tried to get me involved in the party by asking me to help with the dancing-on-the-dock contest.
We played music while blindfolded couples slow danced, trying not to fall in the water. Jason and a pretty girl went quickly. Nick and his partner didn’t tumble over till near the end.
We awarded silly prizes and the party went on. Some kids hung out on the dock, some swam, and others sat in groups scattered over the lawn. I wanted to leave but was afraid I’d hurt Holly’s feelings. I sat with Karen and her friends from yearbook, watching the party like a movie, trying hard to keep my eyes off Nick.
“Earth to Lauren,” Karen said.
“Sorry, what?”
“We’re going up on the dock. Want to come?”
I hesitated. “Okay.”
I followed the group, wishing I had made myself walk to the end of the dock before the party. A tall guy, one of Jason’s friends, was giving the girls a leg up, but when it was my turn, he withdrew his hand.
“Well, look who it is.”
“Hi,” I said, and climbed onto the dock unassisted.
Jason’s friend leaped up behind me.
“Want to play tag?” he asked. “We’re getting up a game of water tag.”
“Thanks, but no thanks. I was following Karen.”
When I tried to move on, he stepped on my heel. “Don’t you swim?”
“I do, but I don’t want to tonight.”
“Why not tonight?” he persisted.
“I’m not in the mood. And I’m not wearing a bathing suit,” I added, walking ahead.
He caught me by the elbow. “You know how to swim better than your mother, right?”
That didn’t deserve a response. I strode toward the end of the T-shaped dock and tried to turn right, where Karen had gone. But Jason’s friend followed and deftly stepped in front of me, separating me from my group.
“Come on. You can swim in what you’re wearing.”
“I really don’t want to.”
“Water’s warm.” There was no warmth in his voice.
He took a quick step toward me, and I moved away, toward the left side of the dock. Kids lined both sides of the walkway, dangling their feet over the river. As the guy pressed forward, the only thing I could do was continue to the left. We reached the end of that part of the dock.
“Hey, everybody, look who I found,” he announced to the kids gathered in the water below us.
I gazed down at the place where my mother had died. For a moment all I could see were the dark river and blurs of swimmers looking up at me, the party lights turning their shiny skins green and orange. The faces of Jason and his teammates slowly came into focus.
“I tried to get her to come in, but she doesn’t want to play with us.”
“Aw,” one guy said mockingly.
“Snob,” said another.
“Step on her foot, Ken,” Jason suggested.
Ken moved closer to me. Feeling lightheaded, I reached for a piling to steady myself. The wood was wet and I shrank from it. It was the piling on which my mother had bled.
With a sudden move Ken pulled my knees out from under me, flipping me into the water. For a moment I was stunned by the impact and cold. The black river rushed over my head. My ears felt swollen from the surge of water. I hit bottom, kicked hard, and surfaced.
Jason and his friends encircled me. They were tall enough to keep their heads above water, but I had to tread.
Jason reached out, his wide hand coming down swiftly on my head, shoving me under. I pushed up, angry, gasping for air. Laughing faces surrounded me.
Another hand hovered, then pushed me down. I fought my way back to the surface and tried to swim away, going left, then right. Their circle tightened. They shoved me under and held me there. When I surfaced, I tried to call for help, but I didn’t have enough air in my lungs. They kept pushing me down like a bobbing toy. I began to panic. The taste of river mud was in my mouth. I saw black spots, as if the darkness of the water was seeping into my brain. My stomach cramped and I doubled over.
Then a force came rushing through the water, scattering us. The circle broke. I swam through it and kept swimming, wanting to stop for breath, but not daring to. When I kicked my foot against the bottom I finally stood up, breathing hard, with the water just above my knees. Rocky was next to me.
I heard the raucous laughter behind me. “Dumb dog!”
“Smart dog,” I whispered to Rocky as we waded to shore.
Holly and Nick were standing close together at the edge of the water.
“I knew you should have put on a suit,” Holly said, smiling at me.
I stared at her. Didn’t she realize what those guys were doing? Didn’t she see how scared I was?