“Beans.” I try again. “We need to tell everyone what’s going on.”
“You know what?” He tosses the rock down. “I’ll figure this out on my own.” Then he zips his pack up, throws it over his shoulders, and silently walks off.
I stay back for a second, staring at everyone ahead walking the tracks. After finding one another in the cave, I thought we were doing okay again, but no one is talking. No one is laughing. No one is having fun. It’s almost like… we’re not even friends anymore.
What happened to the Scouts?
CHAPTER 19
Minutes go by as I trail behind everyone, shuffling my feet, wishing I could turn the clock back and not even suggest this stupid adventure. Eventually, the tracks curve and we follow them around until we come to a halt.
There’s a trestle that stretches from where we are all the way over to the other side. And way down below flows a calm and wide river. Calm and wide. That means deep. Real deep.
Edge doesn’t seem to pay any attention as he picks up Hoppy and begins across the trestle.
I don’t move. Neither do my friends. “Um, Beans, was this on your map?” I ask.
He looks way down toward the water. “Huh.”
“‘Huh’?” I repeat, because that is not the word I want to hear right now.
Ignoring me, Beans looks to the right, where the river seems to stretch for eternity, curving through the valley, and then to the left, where it does the same. He looks straight across to the other side. Then he pulls out his map and ponders it. “This might be either the Hiwassee or the Ocoee.”
Rocky heaves an agitated breath. “Really, you’re giving us a river lesson right now?”
Slowly, Beans turns to fully face Rocky, and Beans’s fingers curl to two tight fists around the map.
Rocky just looks at him. “What’s your problem?”
Beans’s jaw tightens. “What’s. My. Problem?”
“Yeah.” Rocky hikes his chin. “What’s your problem?”
To Beans’s credit, he doesn’t back down. “You’re my problem.” He looks at Fynn. “So are you.” Then he looks at me. “And you, too.”
Fynn steps up. “What did I do?”
“Yeah,” I say. “And what did I do?”
“Back off.” Rocky turns on Fynn.
Fynn gets in Rocky’s face. “No, you back off.”
I step up. “Why don’t you both back off?”
Beans shoves them. “Yeah, back off.”
Fynn shoves Beans back. “What the hell? Get your hands off of me.”
“You think I’m afraid of you?” Beans looks between Fynn and Rocky. “Either of you? So what if you’re bigger? I can take either one of you.”
Now it’s Rocky’s turn to shove them. “I’d like to see either one of you try to take me.”
I want to shove somebody and so I shove all three of them, Fynn first, then Rocky, then Beans. If we’re about to have this out, then I’m in this, too. “This whole trip was supposed to be awesome and all we’ve done is fight. You three have ruined everything!”
Fynn sticks his face right in mine. “Like you’re so perfect!”
After that the insults start flying.
You’re a hypochondriac!
Yeah, well, your breath stinks!
You’re high maintenance!
Your loafers are stupid!
I hate your muscle shirt!
You always have the stupidest ideas!
I hate your high-waters!
On that last one, Beans screams and launches himself at Rocky at the same time Rocky takes a swing at Fynn, and I leap on top of all of them. We all go rolling across the tracks and down the embankment. Fists fly. Legs tangle. Cuss words bling into the air. I hear an “umph.” And then an “ugh.” A few more fists. Some kicks. Another roll.
Somewhere in my peripheral vision I see Scarlett shuffling her feet, watching us, like she wants to get in on the action, too. I nod at her, like we’re in the WWF and can tap in, and she shakes her head and backs away.
Okay, then. Whatever.
I grab a handful of dirt, ready to grind it in Fynn’s face, and he gets me first, smearing mud all down my cheek and neck. Rocky yanks on a handful of Beans’s hair. I put Rocky in a headlock. And Beans kicks Fynn in the shin.
“What the hell?” Edge shouts.
Then Beans accidentally knees Rocky in his crotch, and the fight comes to a grinding halt. It’s a silent rule—no one goes for the crotch.
Rocky rolls away from my headlock, cupping himself, groaning. My hands go over my mouth. Scarlett gasps. And Fynn holds up his hands in surrender.
“I’m sorry,” Beans says meekly, and Rocky grimaces with another moan.
Scarlett comes rushing down the embankment to our pile, and I take a second to survey the injuries. Other than Rocky’s current situation, we all look fine. Dirty, but fine. Fynn’s polo is, of course, still somehow tucked in. How he manages to do that, I don’t know.
Rocky inhales a few deep breaths and blows them out. Then carefully, he pushes to a sitting position and looks right at Fynn, which surprises me—I thought Rocky would go after Beans for the whole crotch-kneeing thing.
“You okay?” Fynn asks, and Rocky nods.
No one says anything for a few seconds as we all watch Rocky and Fynn staring at each other. Something’s about to go down. Or if it’s not, then it needs to.
I fold my arms. “I think we all need to have a come-to-Jesus moment.” I waggle my finger between Rocky and Fynn. “You two first.” With that, I stare them down, waiting, because if they’re not going to talk, I’m sure going to make them.
Of course they don’t talk willingly, and Fynn’s words come back to me about always taking Rocky’s and Beans’s side. Well, it’s time for me to take Fynn’s. I refold my arms and give Rocky my best glare. “Fynn would make the best brother ever. Why would you say such mean things to him?”
Fynn gives me a surprised look, and I keep right on glaring at Rocky until Fynn speaks. “You really don’t like that my mom and your dad are together?”
Rocky shakes his head. “No, I don’t.”
“Is it me?” Fynn asks.
“No.” Rocky looks down at the ground. “It’s just… I’m not ready to have a new mom.”
Fynn thinks about that for a second. “I get that.” A couple of more beats go by, and then Fynn gives a disappointed shrug. “I was kind of looking forward to having a dad who was around a lot. And a brother and a sister.”
Lifting his head, Rocky silently stares at Fynn, and I can almost see Rocky’s brain wrapping itself around Fynn’s point of view. Fynn’s an only child and has never really had a dad, and Rocky’s just now fully getting that.
“I said I wasn’t ready.” Rocky’s lips twitch up into a tiny smile. “Not that I’m still not ready. I’m getting used to the idea.”
Fynn’s lips twitch, too, but he shrugs again, this time in a more shy than disappointed way. “Besides, it’s not like they’ve told us they’re getting married. They may break up.”
“Or they may not,” Rocky says.
“Or they may not,” Fynn agrees, and both of their smiles get a little bigger.
I grin, too, so glad my friends have finally made up.
Beans gets up, making a show of dusting himself off, acting all macho and nonchalant. “I kicked your butts.”
Fynn and Rocky both snort.
I look right at Beans, done with his secret. He needs to come clean. He needs to get over whatever his issue is. “You tell them or I will.”
Fynn and Rocky exchange a look. “Tell us what?”
Beans narrows his eyes at me, and I simply look back. “I’m serious,” I say.
Beans throws his hands up. “Fine. We’re losing our house. It’s being foreclosed on. Dad and Mom went to court, again, and now the judge says Dad gets custody, and I’m pretty darn sure that means I’m moving to Knoxville.”
Rocky straightens up. “What? How long have you known?”
&nbs
p; “Not long.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Fynn asks, rolling over to his knees.
“Because…” Beans’s shoulders drop on a sigh. “It’s embarrassing, I guess. Rocky’s got a great dad and they do all this stuff together. Fynn’s mom is so fun and always throwing parties. Annie’s parents are still together and always taking Annie to cool places. And all my parents do is fight. You guys are all I have, and now I’m losing you.”
“Are you kidding me?” Rocky says. “You’re not losing us.”
Fynn nods. “We’re not the Scouts without you. We’ll figure this out.”
Rocky looks right at me. “And you knew about this?”
“I promised Beans I wouldn’t tell.”
“Don’t be mad at Annie. It was her idea about the meteor. That if we found it, we could sell it and make some money and maybe then I can stay because my mom could stop the bank from foreclosing on the house.”
“Hell, yeah, that’s what we’re doing.” Rocky stands up. “We’re finding this thing, and you’re staying.”
Fynn starts to climb the embankment back up to the tracks. “Let’s go—we’re wasting time.”
I look over at Beans. “See?”
With a little smile, he rolls his eyes. “Okay, I should’ve told them sooner.”
“That’s right, you need to listen to me next time.” I pick the map up out of the dirt and hand it to Beans, and he gives me a playful poke as we head up the embankment to join the others.
As usual, it takes me to make everyone talk. Always has. And that thought makes me pause. I never realized it until right now, but I’m the one who keeps everyone together. I’m the link. I hang out with Rocky and play sports. With Fynn, I bake. Beans and I are always tinkering with his experiments. But come to think of it, none of them hang out unless I’m around.
I’m the one who plans things. I’m the one who calls everyone. If it weren’t for me, I wonder if the three of them would even be friends. Because Rocky has his football pals. Fynn has his church group. Beans hangs out with his science club.
Other than them, I don’t have anyone else. Maybe Mom’s right. Maybe I do need to start making new friends.
Only problem is, I don’t want to. I like the ones I have.
As I think that through, I nibble on my pinky nail and glance at Scarlett. Rewind to before this trip and there was no way I’d ever be friends with her, but now somehow I am. And it’s not a bad thing. I’m okay with her now.
Who would’ve thought?
When we’re all back on the tracks and approaching the trestle again, I begin to notice it—the silver. But it’s not powdery like before—it’s clumpy. Almost gel-like. Sticking to the tracks in some areas and hanging from the trestle in others. I suppose the rain probably made it do that.
“So who’s to say whatever we’re after didn’t fall into the river?” Scarlett asks.
Good point.
Rocky steps onto the trestle. “Only one way to find out.”
I look down into the wide, calm, deep river. I could stay here. The others could go over, yell back when they know something.
Rocky turns to me. “Okay, this is nothing like before. It’s sturdy. And wide. You’ll just put your foot on one track and then the next and then the next and before you know it, we’ll be across.”
“Just don’t look at the water in between the tracks,” Scarlett says, and I roll her a look.
Fynn sighs. “Scarlett, that’s not helping.”
“Is no one going to point out the obvious that this is a train trestle?” Beans asks. “What if a train comes by?”
Scarlett starts across. “Then we’ll run. Come on, let’s do this.”
I watch her as she begins confidently crossing, and all kinds of envy swirl around inside me. Yeah, I’m definitely getting swimming lessons. I’m done with being scared of water. I try to make a joke. “Well, at least none of us are afraid of heights.”
Rocky steps in front of me and slips my fingers through his belt loops. “Just follow me.”
Tightly I grip the back of his jeans and stare at the Wrangler patch above his butt as he slowly begins across. I concentrate on even breaths. In. Out. In. And on matching my steps to Rocky’s. Left. Right. Left. And even though I can see the river between the slats, I make my eyes stay on that Wrangler patch.
Just when my eyes start to drift down to his butt, Rocky asks, “How about a song?”
“O-okay,” I say.
He clears his throat.
“Oh, I went to Cincinnati and I walked around the block,
and I walked right in to a doughnut shop,
and I picked up a doughnut right out of the grease,
and I handed the lady a five-cent piece.
She looked at the nickel,
and she looked at me.
She said, ‘This nickel’s no good to me.
There’s a hole in the center and it runs right through.’
Says I, ‘There’s a hole in the doughnut, too.
Thanks for the doughnut—goodbye!’”
Everyone laughs, and I look up and past Rocky to realize we’re almost halfway across. He doesn’t do a silly song often, but I love when he does. His mom taught him a ton of songs, and they’re fun.
I’m about to prod him for one more song when my feet begin to tingle. I start to ask if anyone else’s are tingling, too, when Scarlett speaks up. “Do another!”
Rocky holds his hands up, like he’s onstage, and deepens his voice. “Thank you, thank you very much. Just a quick break and I’ll be right back.”
I smile.
My gaze drifts down to the tracks and the water flowing really far beneath, and I feel my body sway at the same time I catch myself and miss a step. I gasp, and Rocky jerks.
“Annie!” Beans yells from behind me. “Pay attention.”
I cringe. “Sorry. I thought I felt the track—” I don’t finish that sentence because not only does the track start to vibrate, but the distinct sounds of a train’s engine and chugging wheels echo in the distance.
My spine goes rigid.
Oh. My. God.
A train is on the tracks!
“I told you so!” Beans yells right as the train’s horn blares.
CHAPTER 20
Rocky reaches back and grabs my hand, and we take off in a full sprint. I don’t look down. I don’t look behind. I don’t look anywhere. I concentrate on gripping his hand, staring at his back, and moving my feet as fast as possible.
“Run!” Edge yells.
“We are!” Beans screams.
“Faster!” Fynn hollers.
Scarlett screeches.
The train honks.
And, panting, I lift my knees, right-left-right-left, running, clinging to Rocky, and I swear at one point I walk on air.
Beneath us the tracks violently vibrate, and the movement rebounds through my bones.
I trip as Rocky reaches the other side and dives left, taking me with him. We land right on top of Scarlett. Then Beans lands on top of us. Fynn rolls past. Edge grabs all of us and drags us away from the tracks right as the train reaches us.
Shaking, I cling to my friends and press my eyes closed. The horn honks again, and the wind smacks my hair and clothes against my body as the train zips past.
A good solid minute later it’s finally gone, and Beans is the first to speak. “I think I’m deaf.”
I tune in to my own ringing eardrums and think I might be, too.
Rocky disengages himself from all of us and jumps to his feet. “That was awesome!”
“Are you kidding me?” Scarlett sucks in a couple of deep breaths. “We could’ve died!”
Fynn jumps up, laughing, wheezing, laughing.
Then Edge gets in on it and the three of them just laugh and laugh. Scarlett and Beans and I slowly sit up, dazed, looking at one another, at them. I’m not sure why, but we too start laughing. Maybe the insanity of this adventure has turned us stark raving mad.
As our laughing dies down, we gradually begin to realize there is silver all around us. On the ground. In our clothes. Smeared on the trees. It looks like jelly, though, like it did on the tracks, as if the rain mixed with it. Automatically, I scan the area for another ball.
Without saying a word, so does everyone else. It’s like our brains are connected now. Silver gunk. Ball. Meteor. This way.
“Come on,” Edge says, and we follow him away from the tracks, over a dirt mound, and down into the woods. “Pair up with someone and spread out. Yell if you find anything.”
Beans grabs me. “I’m with Annie.”
Scarlett goes with Edge, Rocky goes with Fynn, and I turn to Beans. “Where do you want to start?”
“Let’s go this way,” he whispers, and I wonder what he’s up to. A few seconds later, he glances over our shoulders. “Okay, they’re gone.”
Crouching, he unzips his backpack, and I know what he wants to do. Anticipation tickles through me, and I watch him pull the silver ball out. He takes a rock and begins picking at the seam, just like he did before. I kneel down beside him and watch as he picks, picks, picks.
But nothing happens.
With a sigh he rotates the sphere a bit and tries another section. “Maybe this is titanium or something.”
I reach for the orb. “Here, let me try.”
Beans hands it to me, and as my fingers touch the ball, I pause. It’s slick and cold and unlike anything I’ve ever touched before. Sort of polished and oiled and wet, yet not wet. “Weird.”
“I know, right?”
I rotate it, studying the perfect silver finish. “I don’t want to ruin it.”
“I don’t, either, but I’m dying to see what’s in it.”
The more I study it, the more unsure I become. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“Well, what if there’s something in here that can hurt us?”
“Like what?” Beans stares at me a second. “Fynn got to you, didn’t he?” He grabs the ball back. “There is no alien in here. A tiny weird thing won’t jump out and climb up our noses.”
Like Fynn, I’ve seen Alien and any other number of sci-fi movies. Honestly, I don’t know if extraterrestrials exist or not.
Scouts Page 11
