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The sky was perfectly blue Not a single cloud marred its surface I lay on my back on the seat of my WaveRunner, my feet up on the handlebars I letthe surface

“You’re teasing me, aren’t you?” I asked the sky “Today of all days” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and took a picture of the sky I posted it online with the caption In denial

My phone rang and I startled, nearly dropping it into the lake I sat up and answered

“Hello?”

“Kate Where are you?” Mom asked

“Um …”

“It wasn’t a hard question,” she said, a smile in her voice “Out on the lake, huh? You have to leave for school in twenty minutes”

“Ugh” School I’d been trying to pretend it didn’t start today If s, the tohere I lived, it wouldn’t start until after Labor Day But there weren’t enough perh school was thirty minutes down the mountain in Oak Court Oak Court didn’t care about lake season

“Come on,” Moh school Don’t make them late”

“I’ll be right there,” I said I hung up and powered on the WaveRunner Just then, another WaveRunner passed ht side

“Hello! Distance!” I shouted I hated when people who clearly saw me drove too close

I wiped off the screen of my phone on my left sleeve, tucked it back into the pocket of my board shorts, and steered back toward the marina

Mo on the dock as I pulled up People often said I looked exactly like my mom Not really what a sixteen-year-old wants to hear when her , light brown hair, easy-to-tan skin, and hazel eyes, which was really just a fancy way of saying broith a little bit of green in them

“Fifteenmy imsuit a once-over

I flashed her a se I’ll be fine” I pulled up to the dock and she reached for the WaveRunner to tie it off

“This one is rented out starting at eight am,” I told her

“Does it need gas?”

“Probably,” I said “I can fill it”

“School, Kate” Mo

Sometimes school felt so pointless when I already knehat I wanted to do with my life—run this marina with my parents

“Okay, okay” I kissed her cheek “Thanks, Mom”

“Have a good day!” she called after me

I walked across the street, around the corner, and through the front door to our house A short person ran past , “Uncle Luke said it was my turn!”

Here is the thing about our living arranges They owned both the marina and the five acres of land across the street froifted the marina and the land to their three kids, who then divided the lot and built three houses next door to one another My aunt and my uncle, who had other jobs, sold their shares of theit And that is hoe ended up with aon a family commune

I rushed down the hall to ed into clean shorts and a striped tee I ran a brush through my hair; it was still darabbed my backpack and hurried out of my room

My younger brother, Max, aiting by the front door with his backpack on