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Sailor Kent stood on the lake's edge. The water covered her feet up to her ankles. Her mother and Gabrielle set out their lunch on the picnic tables while Kennedy played on the swing set with her friends. The lake was crowded on Saturday afternoon. Clyde and Gabby's boyfriend, Buddy Walker, joined them for lunch.
Maddox Kelley appeared beside her. Sailor had not seen her friend since she returned from Myrtle Beach. Maddox wore last year's swimsuit, which clung to her developing body like a second skin. Sailor had on a blue and white striped bikini. It was the first time her mother had allowed her to wear a two-piece suit.
Maddox surveyed her friend's new bikini. Sailor had changed since she last saw her. Her rounded breasts filled the top nicely, and her stomach lay flat between the two pieces. Maddox had grown enough to tighten her suit, but her chest peeked slightly. She felt like a child compared to her best friend.
"I thought Jack was coming." Maddox pouted as she surveyed the lakefront. "I'm supposed to introduce him to mom today."
Enola Kelley lounged in a beach chair beneath a faded striped umbrella. Sailor glanced her way and gasped. Maddox's mother looked nearly naked in a flesh-colored bikini. Enola was the only mother present who wore a skimpy swimsuit. The other mothers had more conservative suits.
Sailor almost asked her friend if it was wise to introduce Jack under the circumstances. After a pause, she changed her mind. Maddox looked so eager. When Jack appeared, Maddox rushed toward him and grabbed his arm. She dragged him toward her mother while he protested loudly.
"Mom," Maddox exclaimed breathlessly, "this is Jack. Remember I told you about him. He's my boyfriend."
Enola Kelley sat up. Her eyes roamed over pudgy Jack Meadows before dismissing him. She took a long sip from her drink cup before settling back into her beach chair.
Jack Meadows couldn't keep his eyes off Maddox's mother. He had never seen a sexier woman. Her flesh-colored bikini turned him on. Her naked image rose before his eyes. Enola's body was slim and honey-colored. Her gray eyes held a warmth Maddox's lacked. He could have knelt before her and run his hands through her auburn hair.
Maddox tugged him away, but Jack dug his feet into the sand. He did not want to stop looking at Enola Kelley.
"I have a new raft," Maddox stated, pulling Jack's arm again. "Let's try it out." Grabbing the pink blowup raft, she headed toward the water. "Come on; I'll show you something funny."
Jack followed reluctantly. He could have continued looking at Mrs. Kelley all day long. His body tingled with an excitement he didn't feel when he tried to touch Maddox.
Maddox's 'something funny' enticed him away. 'Something funny' usually meant something daring or downright cruel. That was right up Jack's alley.
Maddox threw her raft into the water and flopped on it. She paddled fast and headed toward the float in the middle of the lake. Jack swam behind her and halted when Maddox did. She eyed the children on the float, picking out Sailor and Clyde. Sailor dove deep, and before she could come up, Maddox maneuvered her raft over her friend.
Sailor held her breath and grabbed toward the raft. She tried to pull herself from beneath it, but Maddox kept moving it as Sailor swam. Sailor's mind filled with horror. She should have tracked her friend's location before she dove. Maddox had a habit of trapping children beneath her raft. It was a struggle to get free.
It felt like an eternity before Maddox splashed into the water beside her. Sailor rose to the surface, gasping for air. Clyde grabbed her beneath the shoulders and pulled her ashore.
"Are you all right?" Clyde asked when Sailor opened her eyes.
Sailor squinted. The blazing sun made her blind after her experience underwater. Kennedy came into view when her sight cleared. Her concerned sister's face concerned her. Kennedy knelt and grasped her hand.
"I thought you were drowned," the little girl whispered. "Clyde saved your life."
"I'm okay, honey," Sailor said, sitting up. She hugged her sister. Gabby and Buddy looked down at her, and then all eyes focused on Matty Kent.
Sailor's mother pounded her feet across the sand. She stopped in front of Enola Kelley and glared down at her. Maddox's mother looked up at her coolly.
"It's going to stop, Enola," Mathilda shouted. "Someone's child is going to drown unless you stop Maddox."
"Oh, come off it, Matty." Mrs. Kelley sipped her drink. "Maddox wouldn't hurt anyone. It's all in fun."
"It's not funny," Sailor's mother cut in. "Not everything Maddox does is funny. That's half the problem."
"You raise your children your way; I'll raise mine my way," Enola quipped, sitting up straight. She flipped her sunglasses up and hardened her eyes. "You blame Maddox for everything that goes wrong. Start blaming your own child for a change. Sailor should have watched where she was swimming."
"I thought it was hilarious," Jack Meadows offered. He planned to get a raft of his own.
"Stay out of it, Jack Meadows," Mathilda Kent exclaimed, marching toward her family. "Pack up. We're going home."
"Aw, Mom," Kennedy moaned, then clasped her hands over her mouth.
Gabrielle grabbed her sister's arm and pulled her away. Sailor followed with Clyde's arm protectively around her waist. The picnic lunch returned to its hamper, and the Kent family piled into their SUV. They could eat their meal at home around the pool and play safely for the rest of the afternoon.
"It's time you thought about a new bestie," Mathilda Kent informed her daughter. "Maddox deserves a good whipping for that stunt, and you know I don't abide by whipping children, Sailor."
"Yes, mama," Sailor muttered, bowing her head.
Her mother echoed the same thoughts that ran through her head. She felt uncomfortable about Maddox. The older they grew, the more dangerous her friend became. She became worse since she started hanging around Jack Meadows.
Sailor locked her bedroom window before bed and shut the blinds. When Maddox tapped on her window, she turned out the light and wrapped herself in her comforter. Maddox hadn't appeared to apologize; she never said, 'I'm sorry.' Instead, she brushed aside her mistakes as though they never happened.
Maddox stood outside Sailor's window for half an hour. She tapped then pounded on the glass before slinking away. She wanted to talk to her friend about Jack. They had stayed at the lake until Enola decided to go home. Jack walked Maddox back to her trailer and then stayed for dinner. He wolfed down three plates of spaghetti and meatballs, throwing compliments around mouthfuls. He remained when Maddox suggested they watch an old horror movie.
Jack ignored the movie, his eyes transfixed on Enola Kelley. She had changed into a sheer negligee when they returned from the lake. It was transparent enough that he could see her curvy body and her dark nipples. Maddox didn't notice his roaming eyes. Hers remained glued to the small TV screen.
After the movie, she insisted on walking Jack home. Maddox clung to his arm and lifted her face for a goodnight kiss at Girty Meadow's picket gate. Jack muttered goodnight and marched toward the house. He slammed the door and leaned his back against it. Jack Meadows was in love—not with Maddox but with Enola Kelley.
Maddox skipped along the sidewalk, a grin plastered to her face. Jack loved her. She was sure of it. Before she could go home, she had to tell Sailor. Cutting across several blocks, she appeared at her friend's window. Her heart sank when Sailor didn't respond. She made her slow way back to her trailer. If Sailor wasn't her friend anymore, at least she had Jack. Her frown turned into a wide grin.
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