Escaping the Giant Wave Read Free Page A

knowing he would not hit me again in front of them.
    Mom and Dad were talking with another couple. Mom waved me over to them, then introduced me to Mr. and Mrs. Hazelton, Daren’s parents. “Mrs. Hazelton works for the online branch of our company,” Dad said. “She’s the Virtual Salesperson of the Year.”
    â€œCongratulations,” I mumbled.
    â€œI understand my son is a classmate of yours,” Mrs. Hazelton said.
    I nodded.
    â€œIsn’t that the best luck?” Mom said. “You’ll have someone to pal around with on the beach.”
    I imagined Daren sneaking up behind me and shoving me into the water, or pushing me face first into the wet sand.
    I forced a smile. “I’m not planning to spend much time at the beach,” I said.
    Mom looked surprised, since I had been talking for days about searching for shells or unusual driftwood that I could take home, to show my friends that I’d been to the Pacific Ocean.
    Before Mom could say more, the airline announced that passengers in rows thirty to forty-five could begin boarding the plane. We quit talking and waited for our row to be called.
    Daren and his parents sat three rows ahead of us.
    I played cards with BeeBee during the flight, used the earphones to listen to music, and ate everything the steward brought.
    â€œFree soft drinks,” I said to BeeBee as the steward handed each of us a glass of crushed ice and a can of 7-Up. “This is great.”
    â€œThey aren’t free,” BeeBee said.
    â€œSure they are,” I said. “You only have to pay if you want wine or beer.” I pointed at a man across the aisle who was handing the steward money in exchange for a glass of wine.
    BeeBee said, “The cost of soft drinks is figured into the price of our ticket. We’ve already paid for them in advance.”
    â€œOh,” I said. I knew she was right, but it was more fun to think they were free.
    After the plane landed in Portland, we took a special convention bus to Fisher Beach. Daren and his parents rode the bus too, but I took the seat farthest from the door and BeeBee sat next to me, so I was temporarily spared any more contact with Daren.
    As we rode along, I gave myself a pep talk. This vacation was the perfect opportunity to make Daren quit bullying me. If I stood up to him the first time he bothered me on this trip, then I’d be able to enjoy the rest of my time in Oregon. But if I let him get away with anything, I’d spend the whole week wondering where he was and what he was up to. I didn’t want to spend the first really good vacation of my life hiding from Daren, so I knew I had to take some action.
    I remembered my summer goals. Here it was, the middle of July, and my batting average was stuck at .220, my scooter had a broken wheel, and my raise in allowance was still in the “we’ll see” category. It was time to deal with Daren.
    The bus dropped most of the passengers at hotels in the town of Fisher. When we finally arrived at the Frontier Lodge, my family, the Hazeltons, and one other couple were the only people left.
    By then I had resolved to put an end to Daren’s pranks. The next time he punched me, or pushed me, or did any of his revolting tricks, I was going to speak up. With both of our parents nearby, I should be able to talk back to Daren without getting maimed.
    The Frontier Lodge didn’t look much like the drawings in the brochure. Instead of a driveway lined with fir trees, there was a plywood sidewalk of the kind that’s used around temporary construction sites. The word “LOBBY” and an arrow had been spray painted with red paint on the plywood.
    A yellow bulldozer rumbled back and forth, scraping the area where the nature trail should have been. A flatbed truck held containers of shrubs to be planted.
    I saw Mom look uneasily at Dad, who was frowning as he followed the red arrows toward the lobby.
    â€œWelcome to