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That’s when I remembered my pack at the bottom of the cliff.
    But Amy took off her knapsack and started fishing around in it. She pulled out two oranges and a plastic bag full of muffins. They were squashed and broken, but we didn’t care. We wolfed them down.
    â€œWhen did you pack these?” I asked through a mouthful.
    â€œI, uh, oh …” She studied her fingernails. “Last night.”
    â€œSo you
were
spying on me, you little brat!”
    Her head jerked back as if I had punched her. She looked away. “I didn’t mean to, I just looked up when you were wrapping those bagels, then I saw you pack some clothes and I figured it out. I wanted to come with you.”
    â€œWhy?”
    Amy still didn’t look at me. She bit into her orange and the juice ran down her chin.“I thought it would be fun.” She wiped her chin with the back of her hand. In a small voice she added, “I thought you might start to like me.”
    I almost choked on my orange. “I didn’t know you wanted me to like you.”
    She looked at me then, her eyes wide. “Of course I do,” she said. Then she turned away again. “I just don’t know how.”
    â€œWell,” I said, “you could start by not being such a jerk when my dad and Patti are around.”
    She glanced at me sideways. “I can’t seem to help it,” she admitted. “I want them to like me too.”
    â€œOf course they like you. You get good grades, you always wear the right clothes, you’re insanely neat and, even more important, you never give them
the look
.” I rolled my eyes.
    Amy grinned. “But they still like you better. You’re good at everything and I’m— well—hopeless.”
    I snorted and got to my feet. “That’s sure not the way I see it.”
    Amy stood up too and brushed leaves and twigs from her jeans.
    â€œI guess you want to turn back now?” I asked.
    â€œAre you kidding? I want to find that lake!”
    Suddenly I felt very old and disgustingly responsible. “But my dad and your mother will be worried.”
    â€œNo they won’t. I left them a note. It said I went with you and we’d be gone for the whole day.” She smiled, quite pleased with herself.
    â€œYou did? So you just assumed I’d let you come?”
    Her smile went crooked.
    â€œOkay, listen, Amy,” I said honestly. “I just don’t think you can do it. I’ve got to climb down anyway to get my backpack. I’ll help you down the cliff and then you can follow the stream back to the boat.”
    Amy’s face turned a lovely shade of green.
    â€œOr, I can go with you.”
Shoot! Did I say that?
    â€œYou can’t make me go back!” She picked up her knapsack and glared at me stubbornly.
    I gave her
the look
, but of course it didn’t work on Amy. She was right, like it or not, I was stuck with her. “Wait here,” I ordered and started back down the cliff for my pack.
    We climbed for hours, and I was so hungry my stomach ached, but I didn’t want to be the first to stop. Besides, I kept thinking that around the next bend we would suddenly come upon the lake.
    We climbed up some rocks beside a low waterfall. At the top we had to cross the river again. It was a difficult jump, from a steep rock across fast-moving water.
    â€œMaybe we should turn back,” I suggested. “We’ve come a long way.”
    â€œYou’re not getting rid of me that easily!” Before I could stop her, Amy jumped. She landed on the far side and swung around with a huge grin on her face. “It’s easy,” she said. “Need some help?”
    I jumped across.
    We hadn’t gone much farther when Amy said she was hungry.
    â€œOkay,” I told her, “around the next bend we’ll stop and eat.”
    We got a drink from the river and sat on some flat rocks. I took out the bagels and trail