High and Inside Read Free Page A

comforters and pillows and a full four-piece bathroom. And each of them had a comfortable veranda to sit on and watch the sun set over Long Lake.
    The car stopped, and Matt hopped out, stretching his legs and arms. He always loved the smell at the Piancatos’ lodge, the crisp, slightly cooler air and the shade of the big pines. It was the same every time he came. So relaxing.
    â€œDuuude!” The peace was shattered by a voice coming from the main lodge. Jake’s cousin Cody was headed toward them. “Man, Cuz, you’ve grown up a bit.”
    Jake blushed, looking back at Cody, who stood about two inches taller and had straight blond hair hanging nearly to his shoulders. Cody was wearing a black Green Day T-shirt and long, skater-style, purple shorts. Matt couldn’t help noticing he had a gold ring in his left earlobe.
    Matt felt awkward. Picking up on the situation, Mrs. Piancato cleared her throat. “Jake, did you introduce Matt to Cody?”
    â€œThis is Matt?” Cody exclaimed. “Little Matt? This is the same kid who we met out here a couple of years ago? The kid who was scared of the lake monster?”
    Jake nodded. It was Matt’s turn to blush now. How long was that Long Lake Monster thing going to stick with him, anyway?
    â€œYou’re a lot bigger too,” Cody said.
    Matt felt a little more at ease—for a second, that is.
    Around the corner of the main lodge came Vance, Jake’s older cousin. He wasn’t smiling. About the same height as Cody, Vance had long, shiny, black hair and was dressed in black jeans, red sneakers and a black sweatshirt with a skull and crossbones logo. He looked at the Piancatos and Matt but said nothing.
    â€œHey, Vance,” said Mr. Piancato. “Are you finding your way around here okay?”
    â€œI guess,” shrugged the teenager. “Just looking for something to do.”
    â€œPerfect,” Mr. Piancato replied. “I’ve got a whole car here to unload. So let’s get to it boys.”
    Mr. Piancato and the boys, except for Jake who had won the I-see-the-lake contest, unloaded the station wagon, while Mrs. Piancato went directly into the lodge. When the chores were finished, Jake asked Matt if he wanted to check out the lake. “Sure,” Matt replied. “Let’s go see if that monster’s still down there.”
    The two laughed. Across the driveway, Vance was giving them a slightly quizzical look. “What’s the joke, man?” he said to Jake.
    Jake started to remind Vance about Matt’s previous fears of the Long Lake Monster and how it was still a standing joke in the family but he didn’t get quite finished before Vance interrupted. “Whatever, man,” he said. “What do you guys do for fun around here?”
    Matt and Jake looked at each other. What did he mean fun? It was a lake, wasn’t it? Did they have to spell it out for him?
    â€œSwim, mostly,” Jake said. “We do some fishing, hiking and we’ve got mountain bikes. There are some great trails…”
    Once again, Vance cut him off. “I’m going back to my cabin,” he said. “I didn’t think I’d have to join the freakin’ Boy Scouts just cause my parents decided they need a holiday from taking care of their kids.”
    Matt shook his head. He remembered Vance having a bit of an edge the last time they met too. In fact, now that he thought about it, Vance had been the one who had locked him and Jake in one of the sheds on the lodge property as a joke. The two had only been in third grade at the time and had been forced to wait for a couple of hours before Jake’s mom finally heard them yelling and pounding on the door and let them out.
    â€œI’ll go with you guys,” Cody declared, shrugging his bony shoulders and flipping his long hair out of his eyes. “Nothing else to do up here, anyway.”
    The three boys headed down to the lake,