Page 70 of Playing By Their Rules

Maisie

I need to convince Mina to come back from the dock. She’s been standing out there, looking at the water, for a full ten minutes. I can’t believe she threw the keys in the water, that she screamed about me leaving her.

Short of diving into the disgusting water, not much can be done about the keys. And even if I could stomach swimming through that swill, I doubt I’d be able to find them.

“Mina,” I say in a soft voice. “Why don’t you come back up here? We could have some snacks.”

It doesn’t matter that we just ate lunch. I need to get her back. Once she’s safely on land and away from the pond, I’ll think about how I can get us out of this situation.

“I’m hungry,” I say. “Didn’t you bring snacks? Hard-boiled eggs? Muffins? Or something fun to drink?”

“Yeah.” She nods slowly. She’s coming back to herself. As long as I don’t challenge her, she seems to be doing okay.

I wait at the edge of the dock where it meets the soil. Once Mina is close enough, I reach for her hand. Her fingers curl around mine and I’m reminded of how an infant will instinctively grasp someone’s fingers.

Mina’s hurting. She’s wrong, and what she’s doing—what she has done—is absolutely terrible.

But she’s hurting.

I lead her back to the cabin and we go inside.

She looks down. “Shit! Maisie, what happened to your leg?”

I’d nearly forgotten, but now that I’m looking down at my blood-soaked jeans, the pain is sharp once more. “The porch,” I say. “I forgot to skip the flimsy board.”

“I have some first-aid,” she says. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

I let her tend to my wound, which involves antiseptic that stings and several adhesive bandages that we have to criss-cross over my skin to get all the cuts. I don’t know if there was any metal in there. I have no idea how up-to-date my tetanus shot is.

I can worry about that later.

Once I’m cleaned up and wearing a new set of clothes—and Mina changes so that we once again match, Mina gets out a big bag of barbecue-flavored potato chips and a bottle of whiskey.

“Remember when we’d steal Percy’s booze?” she says.

“Yep. You’d steal the booze, and we’d go to that store near the school to buy chips like these ones.”

She sighs happily and tosses me the chips. “This is so freaking awesome, being here.” Her brow furrows and she gets a little quieter. “I can’t believe you’d want to leave.”

“I know, I can’t either,” I lie. “It was a mistake, and I’m sorry. We can keep hanging here for a couple of days.”

She nods, seemingly satisfied. She pours shots from the big bottle into tiny paper cups. After she hands me one, she says, “Cheers,” and knocks her cup against mine.

I don’t like the way she’s looking at me as I take a sip. But she’s drinking the same stuff—it’s not like she’d poison both of us, would she?

The calm voice self-preservation whispers in my head, She might. You don’t know what she’s capable of right now.

I have to get out of here. And there’s no talking Mina into coming with me. I need to walk far enough that either I get cell phone reception or I find someone with a landline I can borrow.

I let the liquid touch my upper lip; I don’t swallow anything.

Mina takes a healthy gulp. “I think we should stay here forever.”

Watching her carefully for signs of impairment after the alcohol that may or may not be drugged, I say, “Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Sure would.” She has some more to drink, than stands. “I gotta pee. Don’t go anywhere!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I say, and miraculously I’m able to keep the sarcasm from my tone.

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