Haze by Erin Thomas Page A

into and out of sight. I measured time that way. Moon seconds, long and slow. I forgot where I was and what I was doing. My body kept moving without me.
    I drifted into the dark. And then cold water closed over my face, splashed into my mouth and nose, choked me. I woke up, tightened my hold on Abby, found the city lights and kept swimming.
    I drifted again and didn’t come back until I felt hands tugging at me, shaking me. I coughed water from my burning throat and looked into Abby’s face, pale as the moon.
    â€œDon’t drown,” she said. “Don’t drown.”
    â€œI won’t,” I promised. We swam together for a while until I felt her sinking, and then I carried her again.
    I don’t know how long I was in shallow water before I realized it. Sand and rock ground against my skin. A beach. I crawled a few feet, pulling Abby.
    A bright light shone in my eyes. Yellow. It wasn’t the moon. I blinked and focused three times before I understood that it was a streetlamp. There was a boardwalk running along the beach. Too far away.
    I lay down in the wet sand, pulled Abby close and slept.

chapter twenty-eight
    I woke up in a hospital room, warm and dry, with an iv needle stuck in my arm. Mom and Dad were there. And, after the nurses cleared it, the police arrived. An early-morning jogger had found us and called 9-1-1.
    I told them the whole story, over and over, until my throat hurt. I found out later that I wasn’t allowed to see Abby. They had to make sure our stories matched.
    I also learned Steven had called the Coast Guard and had them out looking for us. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
    Coach made it most of the way to Mexico before they caught him. He and his wife had a lot of cash stashed in their car. More money than you make coaching varsity sports. It was all part of Nate’s father’s cleanup, I guess. Maybe when you have a lot of money, you can go through life not caring who you hurt. Or maybe it’s not about the money. Maybe it’s just who you are, your character.
    The Coast Guard found the guys in the boat. Last I heard, the police were still looking for Nate and his father.
    I didn’t find this all out at once. It happened bit by bit, over days and weeks. But something else happened before I left.
    Mom came in. She was smiling, but her eyes were damp. “Jeremy wants to see you,” she said. “If you’re ready.”
    They took me in a wheelchair up to the seventh floor. I could have walked with crutches (my ankle was sprained, not broken), but the nurses said it was hospital policy. I wasn’t very good with the crutches anyhow.
    Jeremy’s room had peach-colored curtains, just like mine. Abby was already there, along with her dad. Her dad ducked out of the room when I appeared. He squeezed my shoulder as he passed.
    Abby had ditched her wheelchair and was standing beside Jeremy’s bed. “He’s doing a lot better,” she said, almost defensively. When I got close, I saw why.
    He looked terrible. His face was swollen and discolored. He wore a cast on one arm and both legs, and he breathed shallowly, like it hurt. But he was awake.
    â€œJust a few minutes,” the nurse said.
    I nodded. I stared at Jeremy. My tongue dried up.
    â€œThank you,” Jeremy said, hardly moving his jaw.
    I nodded. “I wish I’d figured it out sooner,” I said. “I wish—”
    But Jeremy shook his head, then winced. “Did good.”
    Abby came around beside me and took my hand. Jeremy’s eyes widened. “Again?” he asked.
    Abby shrugged. “Get out of bed first. Then worry about who I’m dating.”
    Jeremy groaned. Abby and I decided to let him get some rest.
    We had some catching up to do.

chapter twenty-nine
    It’s March. I’m on the starting block for statewide junior varsity finals, men’s freestyle.
    Abby and Jeremy are in the stands with my parents. Jeremy