Page 24 of Alice & Meg, Girls Trip

“Is this a bad time to mention that I don’t really like water or boats?” I asked, trying to keep the wobble out of my voice.

Alice burst into laughter, her paddle slicing smoothly through the water. “What? We were in the pool yesterday! And this canoe is not going to tip over. It’s got a wide bottom.”

I glanced nervously over the side of the canoe, trying to gauge just how wide that bottom really was. The water rippled ominously beneath us, the surface dark and deep. “Same, boat. Wide bottoms stick together,” I mumbled, more to myself than to her.

Alice chuckled again. “We’re halfway there, anyway.”

I didn’t find that as comforting as she probably intended it to be. My grip on the sides of the canoe tightened, knuckles going white as I stared straight ahead, trying to ignore the little splashes of water that occasionally hit the side of the canoe.

“Did I ever tell you about the time I went canoeing with my family when I was like ten?” I asked, more to distract myself than to actually tell the story. “Before we even left the shore, I managed to tip the canoe with my dad in it. Then, when I was trying to get back in the second time, I landed back in the water. My family decided not to chance it after that, and we scrapped the whole idea of canoeing.”

Alice turned to me with an amused, sympathetic smile. “Memories.”

“Yeah, something like that,” I said, my wobbly smile fading as I noticed the vast expanse of water all around us. We were in the middle of the lake, far from the safety of the shore. “You’re sure this thing won’t tip?”

“Positive,” Alice said, her tone confident. “Just keep paddling, and we’ll be there in no time.”

“Come on, guys!” Reva’s voice floated back to us from up ahead. “You’re falling behind!”

I glanced around, somewhat incredulous. “We’re in the middle of the lake. How are we behind?” I called out, my voice carrying across the water.

“We’ll meet you at the island!” Nikki shouted back. She was in the same boat as Reva, both of them paddling with ease and confidence, which made me even more anxious about our slower pace.

I shook my head, trying to focus on the rhythm of paddling, but every ripple in the water felt like it might be the one that would tip us over. The island we were aiming for seemed impossibly far away, and I could feel my nerves starting to fray at the edges.

Alice’s laughter broke through my thoughts. “How long until they realize we’ve got the cooler in our canoe?”

Despite my anxiety, I couldn’t help but laugh. “They’ll figure it out when they get thirsty. Or hungry. Or both.”

Alice grinned. “Exactly. That’s why we’re the VIPs of this little adventure. We’re the ones with all the goods.”

I shook my head, finally loosening my death grip on the canoe just a bit. “I suppose that makes us pretty important. Maybe they’ll wait for us, after all.”

“Or come back for us,” Alice added with a wink.

I took a deep breath, feeling a bit of the tension ease from my shoulders. If Alice wasn’t worried, maybe I didn’t need to be either. I dipped my paddle back into the water and tried to match her rhythm, focusing on the gentle splash and the way the canoe glided forward with each stroke.

“See?” Alice said, her voice calm and steady. “It’s not so bad, right? Just you, me, and the wide-bottomed canoe. No tipping, no disasters, just a peaceful paddle across the lake.”

I nodded, feeling a little more confident with each passing minute. The sun was warm on my skin, and the breeze was light. “Maybe this isn’t so bad after all.”

Alice shot me a knowing smile. “Told you.”

We paddled in comfortable silence for a while, the shore and the island getting closer with each stroke. I let myself relax into the rhythm, finally enjoying the peacefulness of the lake and the time spent with Alice. The earlier anxiety started to fade, replaced by a sense of calm I hadn’t expected to find out here.

“Okay, I’ll admit it,” I said after a while, breaking the silence. “This is kinda nice.”

Alice grinned. “Kinda? Come on, Meg, you’re loving it.”

“Maybe,” I conceded, feeling a bit of my earlier fear melt away. “But just a little.”

“Next time, you’ll be the one begging to go canoeing,” Alice teased.

I laughed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. One successful trip doesn’t mean I’m about to make this a regular thing.”

“Fair enough,” Alice said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “But you did great, and we’re almost there.”

We were about thirty yards away from the shore, and I was just starting to relax, the steady rhythm of paddling and the sound of the water lapping against the canoe beginning to feel almost soothing. The late afternoon sun cast a warm glow over the lake, turning the surface into a shimmering expanse of gold and blue. Alice was paddling with ease, her strokes smooth and confident, while I was finally beginning to feel like I might actually enjoy this whole canoeing experience.

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