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boat to Hermit Island. I thought that meant he’d be coming.”
    â€œAssume nothing,” Marty says in this robot voice. “Your ways are not our ways, Earthling.”
    â€œStuff the kiddie crap, Marty. What’s up?”
    â€œMy folks are gone all week,” Andy grins. “We’ll be at the cottage on our own.”
    My eyes pop. “Do they know?”
    â€œI didn’t tell them, if that’s what you mean.” He winks into the rearview. “The way I figure, if they think I’m at home, they’ll relax. It’s my contribution to their trip.”
    â€œWhat if they try to reach you?”
    â€œThey’ll call my cell. I’ll be like, ‘Oh, I’m so bored inMeadowvale.’ Meanwhile, I’ll be cracking a cold one on the beach.”
    I look out the back window. Meadowvale’s disappearing. I press my forehead against the upholstery and think about Mom. We were keeping this trip a secret from Dad. Now I’ll be keeping a secret from her too. What if she finds out? I am so beyond worm meat.
    Andy’s free foot taps like Thumper. “It’s no big deal, Sammy. A couple of times this summer, my folks left me and Marty alone for a day.”
    â€œYeah, but not for the whole trip. And for sure not over to Canada solo.”
    â€œSo what? I can pilot the boat, and we have our papers, which we won’t even need.”
    â€œI told you he’d want to bail,” Marty mutters.
    My cheeks burn. “Who said anything about bailing? It’s just, Mom thinks your parents will be there. That’s how I got permission.”
    â€œSo let her think that. How’ll she find out anything different?” Marty asks.
    â€œCome on,” Andy coaxes. “It’ll be fun. You’ll get to make up for the summer.”
    â€œI guess.” I say glumly.
    Andy hunches over the wheel. “Don’t wreck ourweekend, okay? If you wanna wimp out, I’ll drive you back, drop you off at your place.”
    â€œSure, we’ll only have wasted half an hour,” Marty crabs.
    Andy slows down. “So what do you want me to do?”
    I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know.
    â€œFine,” Andy sighs into the silence. “I’ll take you home.”
    Marty slumps in his seat. “Waydego, Sabiri. You’ve turned into a real douchebag, you know that?”
    My stomach heaves. After the past summer, this is it. My last chance. If I’m out today, I’m out forever. I won’t see the guys again. Not as best friends anyway. I’ll have nothing left but Academy hell.
    I fake a laugh, bat Andy’s headrest. “Okay, I’m in.”
    Andy brightens. “That’s our Sammy!” He high-fives me over the back of his seat. “If there’s a problem with your mom, blame me. Tell her you thought my folks were at the cottage till you arrived, and I wouldn’t take you back. Yeah, that’s it, say you were kidnapped!”
    â€œKidnapped to Canada. By space aliens,” Marty adds in his robot voice.
    â€œIt’s what would’ve happened too, if you hadn’t gone and asked about my dad,” Andy continues. “We tried toprotect you, Sammy. Honest. But you wouldn’t let us. You made us tell. Some things, it’s better not to know.”
    I have a flash of Dad at the kitchen table, looking haunted. Hunted. Sami, there’s things I can’t talk about. Things I can’t explain.
    â€œAndy,” I say, “turn up the music as loud as you can.”

Eight
    T hanks to Andy’s heavy foot, we get to Alexandria Bay ahead of schedule. Still, it’s six P.M. —only a couple hours of light left. We go to the drive-thru at McDonald’s and stuff our faces with Quarter Pounders and fries on the way to the marina.
    Outside the parking lot, kids are selling bait: earthworms in old Styrofoam containers scrounged from a local