DeBeers 04 Into the Woods

by V. C. Andrews

  Phoebe said something to Roger, and he began to speed up and turn the boat more sharply. Wally did his best but finally took a fiop, flipping over in the water, the rope and handle flying ahead and bouncing over the waves.

  "Is he all right?" I cried.

  "He's fine," Ashley said.

  We circled until he was alongside the boat. Phoebe reeled in the line and handle.

  "You bastard. Winston!" he shouted.

  Roger gunned the engine and pulled away from him, leaving him bobbing in the water. We could hear him screaming. Roger made a wider circle, leaving him there longer. When we pulled up alongside him this time, he was silent.

  "Nice." he said, climbing aboard.

  "You ready to try it?" Phoebe asked me. I looked at the others. Randy looked worried.

  "I don't think so," I said.

  "What do you mean, you don't think so? We wasted time and money picking you up. How many kids your age get this kind of an opportunity?" Phoebe snapped at me. You want to be with us, you've got to be initiated. Get in the water. Wally, get back in there with her, and show her how to set up."

  "Sure," he said eagerly,

  "We're too far out in the ocean," I moaned.

  "Oh, we are not. Like you really were a Navy person. Roger, tell her."

  "We're very close to shore here, and these are relatively calm waters. Nothing is going to happen to you. Once you're up, you'll love it," he said.

  "Everyone here has done it," Phoebe insisted,

  I looked at Randy. He looked down, which was enough to tell me that it wasn't so. Nevertheless I could see Phoebe wasn't going to be satisfied until I tried to water-ski.

  "Okay," I said.

  Randy handed me a life vest. and I slipped it on. My legs were trembling. but I sat on the edge of the boat and slowly dropped into the water. It was warmer than I had expected. Wally dove in and brought me the skis. He fit my feet into each one. My legs were going every which way on their own.

  Phoebe threw the rope, nearly hitting me with the handle.

  "All right," Wally said. "This is easy. Hold the handle here," he instructed. "Get the rope between your skis, points up. Come on."

  "I'm trying."

  "Get them up," he urged, and then he came around behind me and took hold of the handle, making me pull it closer to me. "I'll help you get those skis up," he said. He put his hands on my waist. "Come on, point them up."

  I did it, and he dropped his hands to my rear end, cupping it and lifting me.

  "Now isn't this nice?" he said. "No!" I cried.

  "As the rope tightens, tighten your legs and stand up. When you're up, relax your legs. Think of them as springs and go with the bounce. Don't fight it, and don't lean forward. Let the boat do the work.

  "She's ready!" he cried.

  My heart was pounding. Roger moved the boat forward, and I felt the pressure.

  "Lean back!" Wally screamed,

  I tried, but I went forward instead and fell on my face. The rope was ripped out of my fingers. I swallowed some salt water and coughed and choked. Wally was at my side,

  "You've got to lean back and let the boat do the work, and you didn't tighten your legs and stand."

  It was going too fast."

  "No," he said. "It has to move at least that fast." They brought the boat around again.

  "You get only three chances," Phoebe said. "If you don't stand after three, you're the gofer for the day."

  "What's that?"

  "You go for anything we ask you to get, and you do anything we ask you to do," she replied.

  "Here we go again." Wally said, setting me up.

  The boat started away. This time I held on a lot better and actually started to stand, but I leaned too far to the left and fell again. I held on to the rope too long and at dragged a little. However. I kept my mouth closed and didn't swallow any water.

  I bobbed and waited until the boat came around,

  "Three strikes and you're out." Phoebe warned.

  "Oh, she nee... need, need, needs more of a chance," Randy said.

  You want to be next?" Phoebe snapped at him.

  "No."

  "So shut up. Get her ready, Wally."

  "I'm on it," he said. His hands were on my rear end again, only this time they were sliding in between my legs. I tried to wiggle free of him. He laughed, and then the boat went forward. I held on tightly, stiffened my legs, and rose out of the water. I was standing and skiing. I know I didn't look too good because I was falling forward and then pulling back. but I was going, and it was exciting.

  When Roger sped up. I felt my heart leap out of my chest. It frightened me. and I let go of the handle. I sank slowly into the water, the rope and the handle bouncing on the waves, but I did feel successful.

  They brought the boat around faster. Phoebe glared down at me. "Why did you let go?"

  "You were going too fast. I couldn't keep up." I said.

  "She's, she's ri... right," Randy said. "She needs to go slower fir... fir..."

  "Oh shut up," Phoebe said. "We don't have all day to waste on her. Get in the boat." she ordered. "Wally."

  He was right behind me, pushing up on my rear. It made me move faster and slip over the edge.

  "That wasn't bad," Posy told me. "For the first time."

  "It was pathetic," Phoebe said.

  "Why don't you go next and show me how it's done?" I asked her.

  Everyone waited to see what she would say.

  "I'm not in the mood. I'm in the mood to mellow out instead." she announced.

  Roger smiled. "Sounds like a plan. Wally, reel in the rope for now." he ordered.

  "Let Ra... Ra... Randy do it," he said.

  Roger turned on him. "I asked you to do it," he said firmly, "All right, all right."

  Whatever Roger's bad qualities were. I thought, he was at least protective of Randy.

  While Wally gathered in the rope and the skis. Phoebe opened a cooler that had no ice in it. She brought out a plastic bag and unraveled the string around it. Then she dipped into it and plucked out what was clearly a joint.

  "Go slowly." she ordered as she distributed one to each of us, "We're getting low on our stash."

  "You can have mine." I said, handing it back to her.

  She looked at me with disgust, It makes me nervous to smoke in front of someone who doesn't." she said, and gestured at the others. "It makes us all nervous. You wanted to be with us. You had your mother be Dallas to get me to call you."

  "I didn't ask my mother to beg."

  "Well, you're here, and you're with us, so be with us or get out." "Get out?"

  "Swim home," she said.

  I looked shocked. I'm sure.

  Then she laughed, "Forget it. I heard about the way you lived on naval bases, saluting everyone. You're about to get a real education now that you're in the real world." she said.

  "I was in the real world."

  "Anchors aweigh," she told the others, and lit her joint. They all lit theirs. too.

  "What are you so uptight about. Grassy?" Roger asked me. "It's just a little pot. No big deal.'

  "It's illegal, and it leads to other things."

  "What other things?" Wally asked, He leered at me. "You mean sex?"

  "No. I mean other drugs."

  "So what did you Navy kids do for fun?" Phoebe asked. She was leaning back against Roger. Wally was now in Ashley's lap. "Play spin the bottle?"

  "I don't mind playing that if it's strip spin the bottle," Wally said.

  "Is that what you did?" Phoebe asked me quickly, sounding like a prosecutor in a courtroom. Everyone looked at me in anticipation.

  "No, of course not."

  "So, what did you do for fun, or are you just too ashamed to say?"

  "Sta, sta, stop pick... pickin' on her." Randy suddenly cried. It turned everyone's attention to him,

  "Well, look who's the knight in shining armor." Wally said. "He's right. I'm tired of it." Roger declared.

  P
hoebe sat up and turned on him. "Is that so? Like what..."

  "Hey." Ashley said. "what kind of boat is that coming toward us?"

  Roger sat up to look. "Damn." he said. "Quick, throw it all overboard. Quick!" he screamed. "It's a Coast Guard boat!"

  Everyone scrambled to the other side and threw their pot into the water. Roger dropped the plastic bag over the edge and went to the controls. He started the engine and turned the boat slowly toward the dock.

  The Coast Guard patrol boat followed alongside, a cadet watching us through binoculars.

  "Nobody do anything stupid." Roger ordered. "Look like we're just out here having fun."

  "Aren't we?" I mumbled.

  The Coast Guard boat veered away as we drew closer to the dock.

  "That was close," Roger said.

  'We just wasted everything. Roger! We didn't have to throw it all overboard!" Phoebe shouted at him.

  They started to bicker louder. Everyone else tried to ignore them. Wally jumped onto the dock and tied the boat down,

  "Thanks for bringing us good luck," Phoebe snapped at me as she stepped past me.

  "What are you blaming her for?" Roger asked. smiling.

  "We threw away a few hundred dollars' worth of dope." she reminded him with her hands on her hips and her head wagging. She turned to me. "I bet you're satisfied."

  ''Did you ever wonder why they call it that?" I asked her. "What?"

  "Dope," I said.

  And Randy laughed so laud everyone but Phoebe did, too. She just walked off in a huff.

  7

  A Game of Secrets

  .

  Phoebe was unforgiving. She was obviously

  used to lording it over her friends. She was pretty, sophisticated, and bubbling over with self-confidence. The new girl on the block, me, wasn't supposed to present any sort of challenge, especially a younger girl. Recognizing that. I tried not to say or do anything else that would annoy or challenge her. I was afraid of what she would tell Dallas about me. and I was afraid of how it would affect Mommy.

  Now that their pot was gone, they turned to the bar. Posy and I went to the cabana and changed out of our bathing suits.

  "I can see Randy really likes you." she said. "He's never had a girlfriend because of how he talks."

  "That shouldn't matter so much. He's nice."

  "Was it true about your father? He was shot down in his airplane?"

  "Who told you that?"

  "Wally said that's what Phoebe told him."

  "No, it was a terrible helicopter accident. He was an instructor atthe naval base.*

  "Oh. Were you close?"

  "Yes, of course. Aren't you close to your parents?"

  "Our parents are divorced. My father lives in Miami with his girlfriend. We don't see him that often. He even missed my birthday this year."

  "I'm sorry," I said.

  She shrugged. "My father was the one who named me Posy. My mother didn't want me to have that name. She's always trying to get me to change it to Paula or something."

  It was my father's first girlfriend's name. At least that's what she says."

  "He named you after his first girlfriend? Why did your mother go along with that?"

  "She says she didn't know at the time. Maybe it's not true. They're always saying nasty things about each other now. Anyway. I like my name. You have a nice name. I don't mean Grassy.'" she added.

  "Thanks." I thought a moment. "My father used to call me Sailor Girl."

  "Did you have a uniform and everything?"

  "No." I said. laughing, "It was just a nickname."

  "That's what my mother says about my name: It's just a nickname, not a real name."

  "If you're happy with it, I guess it's all right," I said. She looked happy about that.

  When we entered the house they were all in the den listening to music. Roger, Wally, Ashley. and Phoebe were talking about the upcoming school year. It sounded like mostly complaints about getting up earlier, having to study, the new teachers they disliked. Was it school or prison?

  Everyone had a drink in his or her hands, and no one's looked like a soft drink.

  "What's yours?" Roger asked me. He was behind the bar.

  It was a beautiful room with a white marble floor, a pool table, leather furniture, and a large-screen television. I glanced at Phoebe and saw she was just waiting to pounce on me if I said I didn't drink. The only time I ever drank I had a little of my mother's vodka and orange juice, a drink they called a screwdriver.

  "Screwdriver," I said.

  "All right, Grassy. Good choice," Roger declared, and began to prepare it. He poured in nearly half a glass of vodka before adding the orange juice and ice cubes. He looked at Phoebe, who smirked and lay back on the sofa. She was still in her bathing suit.

  "I still can't believe you threw away all that pot. Roger," she complained.

  "Get over it," he said, handing me my drink.

  "I will when you replace it she shot back at him.

  "No problem." He smiled at me. "I bet you could be court-martialed or something for having drugs on a Navy base, huh?" he asked.

  "It would be very serious, yes, especially if it involved officers who are in charge of many men and expensive equipment. It has a serious, detrimental effect on your judgment."

  "Oh, spare me." Phoebe moaned. She sipped her drink and narrowed her eyes.

  I sipped mine and looked at some of the plaques on the wall. They were mostly for winning golf tournaments, and most of them looked as if they had been awarded to Roger's mother.

  "This feels like a drag." Phoebe said. "Let's spice it up. Let's play secrets."

  "Yeah," Wally said eagerly, rubbing his hands together. "Let's."

  "What's that?" I asked, since everyone else seemed to know what it was.

  "Get the cards." she ordered Roger without answering me. He went behind the bar and brought out a deck.

  "Gather 'round." Phoebe commanded,

  "What are we doing?" I asked.

  "You'll see." Ashley said, enjoying knowing something I did not.

  Everyone moved to a tighter circle at Phoebe's feet. Roger handed Phoebe the deck, bowed his head, and said. "Your wish is my command, your majesty."

  "Sit down." she ordered,

  "I'd like to know what it is we're playing." I told Phoebe.

  "Everyone gets a card, one card each round," she explained. "The one with the lowest in value has to reveal a secret, and if we don't think it's much of a secret, he or she takes off an article of clothing. As you can see. I'm at a big disadvantage since I'm the only one still in a bathing suit."

  "Who can say if someone's secret isn't much?" I asked.

  "Are you suggesting we would all be unfair? Besides, it has to be a unanimous rejection, so don't worry about it, Grassy."

  "I don't like to be called that. It makes me sound like a pothead." I declared.

  "You're far from that," Phoebe agreed. "Okay, I'll think of a new name for you."

  "What's wrong with my name as it is?"

  It sounds too goody-goody. Grace." she spat disdainfully. "Don't worry about it. Let's begin." She dealt each of us a card. "One additional rule. If you don't think you have the lowest card, or even if you think you do, you can refuse to show it. Someone can challenge you If yours isn't the lowest, you get a pass when you get the lowest. If it is, you have to reveal two secrets."

  "What happens to the person who challenges?"

  "No one ever asked that before," Wally said.

  "She's smart," Ashley said. Phoebe glared at her, and she looked down.

  "If you don't have the lowest, that person has to reveal his or her secret even though he or she doesn't have the lowest card. So there's risk on both ends."

  "The person challenging should have to reveal two secrets. too." I said. "To make it logical and fair."

  "All right. two. Satisfied? Damn, This isn't some school game."

  "Forcing people to tell secrets can backfire on everyon
e," I advised them.

  "Oh, please, stop being such a... a Grace," she said, and gave me those narrow eyes again, dark brown streaks of suspicion. "I bet you're still a virgin."

  "Hey, that could be one of her secrets," Roger chimed in.

  "Right. Only one look at her, and see it's not much of a secret." Phoebe quipped. "So don't try to use it," she warned me. "All right, check your cards and make your moves. Who is confident?"

  "I am." Wally said, and put a king on the floor.

  "Lucky creep," Roger said. He revealed a seven of spades.

  Phoebe looked at me. "Tell you what. Grace," she said. "I'll challenge you and make the game exciting right away."

  "But I haven't refused to show my card."

  "That's all right. I threw a challenge anyway, and like I said. if I have a higher card than you have, you reveal a secret even if you don't have the lowest card in the group. If I don't, I have to reveal a secret."

  I don't remember being able to do that," Ashley said. "You always had to wait for someone to refuse."

  "We can make up new rules as we go along. That's the fun of it," Phoebe snapped at her. "Well?" she asked, looking at me, "Accept or decline the challenge?"

  "It doesn't make any sense." I said If I had the lowest card in the group. I'd lose, I would lose either way,"

  "Someone could have lower than you, unless you have an ace." I could see she was wondering if I did have an ace. "We value an ace as a one the first round and then every other round."

  "Since when have we decided that?"

  Phoebe turned on Ashley sharply again, and she bit her lower lip and looked away.

  "Accept or decline?" Phoebe demanded of me.

  I looked at the card in my hand, I could feel everyone's eyes on me. I thought back to when Daddy and I played cards, He taught me in rummy and showed me how important it was to keep in mind what everyone picked up. He also taught me blackjack and how important it was to have a face that was unreadable. I gazed at Phoebe,

  "I bid two secrets." I said. "What?"

  "If I lose I give two, and if I win you give two. Back to the original gamble. You said we could make rules as we went along," I added,

  "You did say that. Phoebe," Roger reminded her with a smile, "I know what I said." She looked at her card and at me.