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was almost eighteen) and was doing part-time jobs with a catering company to help his dad pay the bills, until he figured out what to do next. All this time Pauline lay, squinting her face up to the sun, legs draped against Liam carelessly, like a little kid. She looked to Maggie, at that moment, so pretty and long-limbed and perfect—her tangled, glossy hair sweeping down behind her over the side of the canoe.
    Eventually Liam turned the boat and started rowing toward a long, deserted beach covered in smooth pebbles. They climbed off the boat, and Pauline started building a little picnic for them: a blanket, cheese, Pepsi, snacks. They lounged back on the blanket and looked out at the water.
    It felt, to Maggie, like they’d paddled to the edge of the earth.
    “Let’s swim,” Pauline said, standing.
    Maggie shook her head. “I don’t swim.”
    Pauline was already pulling off her shirt—stripping down to her pale-pink underwear. There was a long, skinny scar down the side of her back, which only seemed to emphasize her beauty. Pauline held up an ugly, orange life jacket. “Sorry, I forgot. We could just wade in. Come on.”
    “No thanks,” Maggie said, shaking her head. “Anyway, it’s too cold.”
    “The lake keeps the heat for a while.”
    Liam snorted behind her.
    Maggie shook her head. “I didn’t bring a suit anyway.” There was no way she’d strip to her undies in front of Liam, and her curves weren’t as easy to miss as Pauline’s were. But really, it was the water itself—dark and deep—that she was resisting.
    “Well, just wade in in your clothes.” Pauline waved her forward. “You’ll dry off in the sun.”
    Maggie sighed, thinking she could stay in the shallows at least. She stood and rolled up her pants above her knees and smoothed back her hair. She waded out into the cold water to Pauline’s side, getting used to the temperature bit by bit, letting just the bottoms of her pants get wet. Pauline reached out to hold her hand, and Maggie awkwardly let her tug her along. Liam stayed on the shore, building a rock pile.
    The water was bracing, but the cold was kind of thrilling. Pauline let go, crouched underwater, and then stood, spitting out a stream of water like a fountain and seeming not to notice her underwear was practically see-through.
    “So how long have you guys been together?” Maggie asked. “Liam said you met when you were little.”
    “Me and Liam?” Pauline’s eyes widened and she pursed her lips thoughtfully, pasting her wet hair back into a Mohawk with her hands. “Oh, we’re not together. People think that sometimes, but . . . nooo. We’re friends.”
    “Oh, I thought . . .”
    “Yeah, everybody thinks that. My mom would be pretty upset if I dated Liam,” Pauline said, low, as Maggie came abreast of her. “She keeps threatening to send me to Milwaukee to live with my aunt, and I’m pretty sure it’s because of him; she says we spend too much time together.”
    Maggie glanced back at Liam, who seemed to be staring with extra focus at his rocks.
    “What does she have against him?” Maggie asked.
    Pauline thought. “Well, his dad’s pretty weird. You’ll see. He’s really antisocial; he has an auto shop, but he barely talks to the customers. But on the other hand he’s this outspoken atheist. He’s got a Russian accent. I guess he moved to the States a few years before Liam was born, and then Liam’s mom moved back. Anyway, people talk about him.” Pauline reflected, then snorted. “The best thing is he’s got this VW Bus painted with all these atheist slogans, and he drives back and forth past the New Community church for twelve-o’clock mass, every Sunday. It’s hilarious. But I guess the downside is people think he’s literally crazy.”
    Pauline began to wade back toward shore, but Maggie stayed behind for a few moments. She saw that, as Pauline climbed out of the water, Liam’s eyes darted up to her and lingered, before he turned back to the