Heart of a Dolphin

by Catherine Hapka

  “How could you do it?” I yelled. “You told Morgan about Squeak after you promised not to!”

  “I’m sorry,” she said quickly, twisting the magazine between her hands. “It was an accident.”

  I stared at her. “An accident?!” I exclaimed. “How can giving away a friend’s secret be an accident?!”

  “I swear it was!” Looking upset, she reached up as if to give her long hair a tug, then realized it wasn’t there anymore and let her hand fall back in her lap. “Morgan wanted to take some pictures of my new haircut, but her camera battery was low. So she used mine, and she was scrolling back through my pictures and saw the ones I took the other day.”

  “And then you told her all about Squeak.” I glared at her.

  “What was I supposed to do?” she cried. “You don’t see that many dolphins around here, right? Anyway, Morgan emailed the pictures to herself before I could stop her.”

  “Whatever.” I stalked around the yard, still too angry to stand still. “If you hadn’t invited her to a sleepover in the first place, it wouldn’t have happened.”

  “Is that what this is about?” She tossed her magazine aside and stood up. “Look, Annie, there’s no law that says I can’t have other friends.”

  That stopped me short. “I never said that,” I told her through gritted teeth. “But why’d you have to pick Morgan?”

  “Why not?” she shot back, her cheeks going pink. “She’s a lot nicer than you think.”

  “Nice? Is that what you call nice—stealing someone’s pictures?” I waved my hands in the air. “Well, if that’s the kind of friend you want, maybe we shouldn’t be friends anymore.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t.” She stormed over to the gate and kicked it open. “So why are you even here?”

  “Exactly what I was just wondering.” I hurried through the gate. “Good-bye, Emma.”

  “Good riddance,” she snapped, slamming the gate shut behind me.

  “Ditto!” I shouted, then turned and sprinted for my house so she wouldn’t see me starting to cry.

  The next couple of weeks were the best and worst of my life. The bad part was mostly Emma, of course. I was trying not to think about our fight, but it wasn’t easy. Everything reminded me of her, from our favorite song coming on the radio to a certain shape of cloud floating by over the harbor. Worst of all, though, was that I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about what she’d said to me: There’s no law that says I can’t have other friends. I’d never said that, had I? After all, we’d both always had other friends. She did stuff with people from the school band sometimes, and I occasionally hung out with a few of the girls from the swim team. No big deal.

  But that was different. We’d always known that those friends weren’t best friends. That we would always be number one for each other, forever.

  Or so I’d thought, anyway. Okay, so maybe she’d been acting a little weird even before our fight. Maybe we hadn’t been spending as much time together this summer as usual. Still, I’d known she was there, and that I could always trust her, and that was enough. Only now she wasn’t, and I couldn’t, and it made me feel like an unmoored boat drifting around at the mercy of the tides, not knowing what would happen next.

  Just about the only time I could forget about all that was when I was down at the cove with Admiral Squeak. That was the good part—he was waiting for me almost every time I went down there. I’d practically forgotten that I wasn’t supposed to swim without someone else there, racing in to join him whenever I spotted his cute scarred face or his dorsal fin cutting through the still water.

  Sometimes we just swam around together enjoying the cool water. Other times he let me hold on to his fin while he dragged me around.

  And that wasn’t the only trick we practiced. I started bringing along the battered old life preserver Dad had tossed in the shed when he got a new one for the boat, mostly just to give me something to hang on to when I got tired and didn’t want to swim back to the shallows. But it wasn’t long before Squeak discovered that the floating plastic ring was fun to play with. Sometimes he’d start a lively game of keep-away, while at other times he seemed to enjoy bouncing the ring back and forth between us like a floating game of catch. That gave me an idea, and one day I also brought along an inflatable beach ball and tossed it at him. The first time he just looked surprised when it bounced off his head. But when I giggled and tried again, he seemed to catch on, lifting his head and bumping the ball with his snout. After a few more sessions, I could convince him to balance it on his nose, at least some of the time.

  When I managed to sneak in some computer time, I looked up more tricks. I didn’t have a hoop that Squeak could jump through, and I had no idea how to teach him to walk on his tail like the dolphins in the big marine shows. But I learned that dolphins could be trained to respond to hand signals and whistles. I experimented a little and found out that it was true—as soon as Squeak figured out that a certain hand motion meant “please follow,” he would do it almost every time! It was pretty cool, and before long, I was sure that Squeak had to be the smartest dolphin ever.

  One cloudy Friday morning, I gulped down my breakfast and shot a look into the living room, where Will was sprawled in front of the TV. I tiptoed toward the door, hoping to slip out before he noticed. That was the most challenging part of visiting Squeak. The farther into the summer we got, the more obsessed Jacob became with his scholarship stuff, and the less attention he paid to me and Will. That meant Will was bored a lot of the time, which meant he tried to follow me around whenever he could.

  That particular day, he turned and saw me opening the back door. “Where are you going?” he asked, jumping up and skipping into the kitchen.

  Holding back a groan, I forced a smile. “Just out,” I said. “You wouldn’t be interested.”

  “I don’t want to come with you.” He hurried over and peered at the clock on the microwave. “Mattie’s coming over in, um …” I could practically see the little wheels in his brain spinning. “Forty-seven minutes?”

  I was surprised, but also relieved. Mattie Ogawa was a year behind Will in school and seemed like a nice enough kid despite having such a snooty older sister. Until that moment, I hadn’t even known he and my brother were friends, but I was glad to hear he was coming over. Will didn’t have many play dates, and rarely with the same kid twice.

  “Okay, have fun,” I said, relieved that I wouldn’t have to worry about him sneaking down to the cove after me. “Tell Jacob I’ll be back in a while.”

  A cool breeze tickled my face and lifted the short hairs at my temples as I scurried down the rocky trail, grabbing the life preserver and beach ball from behind the bushes halfway down where I’d stashed them yesterday. There were tiny whitecaps on the waves in the cove, and I guessed it wouldn’t be long before a summer storm blew in.

  Kicking off my shorts and flip-flops, I let out a piercing whistle. A moment later, a familiar gray head popped up halfway out, and I smiled.

  Almost an hour later, as Squeak and I rested after a game of tag, I realized I was shivering. The water was the same temperature as ever, but the air must have dropped a good ten degrees since the day before.

  “Storm’s coming, Squeak,” I said, clutching the edge of the life preserver and squinting up at the darkening clouds gathering over the Sound. “Looks like it could be a big one. I’d better go. I might not be able to come down and see you for a day or two if the weather gets bad. But don’t give up on me, okay? I’ll be back.”

  Squeak bumped me with his nose, then darted past me, swimming toward shore. I struck out after him, smiling at the way he seemed to read my mind. Had he understood what I’d just said? Or had he sensed the coming storm himself and decided to shoo me out of the water?

  Either way, I was amazed and grateful that he’d come into my life, especially now when I really needed a friend. He accompanied me as far into the shallows as he could, letting me rub him all over before swimming off with a flip of his tai
l.

  “See you, Squeak,” I murmured, watching him go. Then I turned and waded the rest of the way to shore, shivering again as the cool breeze wrapped itself around me.

  The next morning, Saturday, dawned overcast and gusty. It had rained a little overnight, leaving the pines dripping and the ground squishy beneath my feet when I wandered outside to look at the sky.

  Mom opened the back door. “Dad just called and said he doubts he’ll get many people for lunch service because of the weather,” she said. “You kids might as well hang out here at the house unless he needs you. I’m going to run to the grocery store.”

  “Okay,” I said, following her back inside. Jacob and Will were in the living room playing one of their noisy car-driving video games.

  Mom bustled around, tucking her keys into her purse and checking her hair in the mirror by the back door. “I’m off,” she called to the boys. She glanced at me as she headed for the door. “Stay out of the water today, okay? News says there could be lightning later.”

  “Sure.” She and Dad still didn’t know that Emma and I were fighting, which meant they hadn’t questioned where I kept disappearing to for hours every day. Any summer before now, I would have been with my best friend.

  Maybe I still am, I thought with a secret little smile as I thought about Squeak.

  After Mom left, I tried to find something to do. But none of the books or magazines I picked up seemed very interesting, and within moments, the little house felt claustrophobic and dull. I wished I could go over to Emma’s like I used to do on stormy days. The big old mansion was full of interesting nooks and crannies to explore, plus there was the Stewart-Bells’ full library of videos, a closet stuffed with board games, and the pool table in the basement. Not to mention a best friend who was always coming up with fun ideas …

  I collapsed onto the sofa, suddenly missing Emma so much I could hardly stand it. Why had I let myself get so worked up over those stupid photos, anyway? Emma was probably right; it had probably all been Morgan’s fault. Besides, nobody except me even knew that Squeak was still coming to the cove, so obviously the news story hadn’t done any harm …

  A sudden pounding on the front door interrupted my thoughts and made me jump. Will looked around from his game.

  “Who’s that?” he said.

  “Must be a delivery or something.” Jacob hunched over his controls without looking around. “Nobody else comes to the front door. Can you get it, Annie?”

  “Sure.” Dragging myself off the couch, I headed through the tiny, rarely-used front parlor and unlatched the front door.

  When I swung it open, I was startled to see Morgan Pierce glaring at me. “You stink, Annie Reed!” she yelled.

  “Wh-what?” I stammered.

  “I heard what you said, and it’s so not funny!” Her cheeks were red and blotchy. “Seriously, did you think I wouldn’t find out? Were you trying to make me mad, or what?”

  “What are you talking about?” I clutched the door frame, struck a little off-balance by her attack. I was supposed to be mad at her, not the other way around. After all, she was the one who’d stolen my best friend. Hearing a muffled giggle, I noticed for the first time that Grace Ogawa was standing a little behind Morgan, half hidden by an overgrown shrub.

  My attention snapped back to Morgan as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You know what I’m talking about,” she spat out. “My father is a pillar of this community, you know. If you have a problem with me, take it up with me; don’t make fun of him. He doesn’t deserve that!”

  I got a little stuck on “pillar of this community”—it was such a Morgan thing to say—and it took me a second to realize what she had to be talking about. When I did, I gulped.

  “Oh,” I said. “Um, the name …”

  “Admiral Squeak?!” she exclaimed. “Really? You’re seriously obnoxious enough to make fun of my dad’s scar like that? Talk about juvenile! Well, you’re going to regret being such a jerk, Annie Reed. Trust me!”

  Turning on her heel, she grabbed Grace by the arm and stomped away.

  All I could do for a moment was stand there staring after Morgan. When she disappeared around the corner of the road, I finally blinked and staggered back, pushing the door shut and then collapsing against it.

  At first, all I felt was a vague sense of guilt. I hoped Morgan hadn’t told Admiral Zeke about the nickname. She was right; he didn’t deserve that, and I hated the thought that he might think I was making fun of his scar. After all, I’d spent a lifetime hating the way people reacted to my brother’s missing fingers—as if it made him incomplete, weird, different from normal people in some important way. Did the admiral feel like that about his scar? I’d never really thought about it before.

  I also couldn’t help feeling a little nervous. Morgan had a scary temper, and she was definitely the type of person to hold a grudge. Even if she never said a word about this to her father, she’d make sure I paid. I could count on that.

  Maybe I should try to find her, see if she’ll let me apologize, I thought. She’s probably over at Emma’s right now …

  Thinking of Emma suddenly chased all the other feelings out of me, to be replaced by growing fury. I clenched my fists as I realized what this meant.

  “She told her,” I murmured. “I can’t believe she actually told her!”

  This had to be Emma’s fault. Nobody else outside my family and Will’s two friends knew about that nickname. And now that we weren’t speaking, there was nothing stopping my former best friend from spilling all my secrets to my worst enemy.

  Former best friend. The words made me feel lonely and confused, and my anger faded away as quickly as it had come. Glancing out the window, I thought about running down to the cove. Squeak was the only one who might be able to make me feel better right now.

  A sudden gust of wind rattled the window, and I shivered. This wasn’t a good time to be down by the water. I’d just have to wait to see Squeak.

  I wandered back into the main part of the house. Jacob heard me come in and looked around.

  “Who was at the door?” he asked.

  “Nobody,” I said. “Just someone, uh, looking for directions.”

  Jacob glanced at the window as another gust swooped down around the house. “I’d hate to be lost out in this weather,” he said. “It’s probably going to start pouring any second.” He stood and stretched. “Better get my work done on the computer in case the power goes out later. Keep an eye on you-know-who, okay?” He ruffled Will’s hair on his way past.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on her,” Will said with a grin.

  As soon as our older brother had disappeared up the stairs, Will dropped the video game controls and loped over to me. He pressed his face up against my arm.

  “Stop it—what are you doing?” I shoved him away.

  He pushed his face at me again, giggling. “I’m keeping an eye on you,” he said. “Get it? My eye’s on you.”

  “Ha-ha, very funny,” I said limply. “Why don’t you go back to your game, okay?”

  “I’m tired of it. Let’s play hide-and-seek.”

  Before I could respond, the phone rang over on the kitchen counter. I hurried over and grabbed it. “Hello, Reed residence,” I said.

  “Hi, this is Mattie Ogawa,” a child’s voice said. “Is Will there?”

  “Sure, hang on.” I was surprised. Will rarely got phone calls from anyone except our grandma in Florida. Had he finally found a real friend? “Will, it’s for you,” I said, holding the receiver out to my brother. “It’s Mattie.”

  Will grabbed the phone. “Hello? Is this really Mattie?” He listened for a moment, then shot me a sidelong look and scurried around the corner into the parlor.

  I rolled my eyes, wondering what made him think I wanted to listen to his stupid little-kid conversation. Especially now, when I needed to figure out what to do about this whole Morgan situation.

  Flopping onto the couch, I stared at the ceiling w
ithout really seeing it. What could I do to stop Morgan from being mad?

  Nothing, I realized. And why should I care, anyway? That nickname wasn’t meant as an insult. And it was Will who came up with it anyway, not me.

  For a second, I considered trying to tell Morgan that. Everyone on the Point knew that Will was—well, kind of special. Even Morgan couldn’t hold something like this against him, could she?

  I banished the idea almost as soon as it came. Why bother? Morgan was completely unreasonable. And if she was going to take it out on anyone, it should be me, not my little brother.

  Anyway, I’m not scared of her, I thought, playing with a frayed thread sticking out of the couch. What’s she going to do to me?

  I tried not to imagine too many possible answers to that question. Sitting up, I glanced toward the window. The sky looked a little lighter—maybe I could sneak in a trip to the cove before Mom got home after all.

  Just then, Will ran back into the room. He tossed the phone receiver at the base and missed, sending it clattering across the counter.

  “Oops,” he said.

  I just rolled my eyes and went over to put it back properly. “What’d Mattie want?” I asked.

  “Nothing!” Will shouted. “Nothing at all, nope, nothing. Absolutely nada.”

  “Okay.” I wondered if he’d sneaked some of Jacob’s energy bars that morning. He was acting like he did when he had too much sugar—extra hyper and jumpy. “Listen, I have to go out for a while, okay?”

  “You do?” He ran over and grabbed me by the arm. “No! Don’t go, Annie. Stay here with me!”

  I shook him off, trying not to let my irritation show. “Jacob!” I yelled up the stairs. “I’m going out. Be back in a bit.”

  He appeared at the top of the steps. “What? Now? Where?” he asked.

  “I’ll be back soon. See you!” I hurried out before he could ask any more questions or tell me not to go, closing the door on the sound of Will’s wail of protest.

  All the way to the cove trail, I kept expecting Will to run up behind me. But Jacob must have convinced him to stay inside, because he didn’t come.