My gaze shifts to his. “Sure. Didn’t you name your first catch?”
A grin spreads across his face as he shakes his head.
I shrug, having no shame in it.
“Grab him a worm, will ya?” I ask, gesturing toward the tackle box. “I don’t want to keep him out of the water too long.”
While he hurries to do that, I shuffle closer to the edge of the dock, feeling a twinge of sadness at having to let Mr. Fish go. I would love nothing more than to keep him, but like Paw always says, some animals are meant to be loved from afar.
“Time to go back to your family now,” I murmur softly. “Thanks again for being my first catch.”
Nodding over at Gunnar, I signal him to feed it the worm.
Afterward, I carefully release the fish back into the water, my eyes following its journey as he swims away, his silvery scales sparkling beneath the clear, turquoise depths.
Once he’s no longer in sight, I turn to Gunnar, feeling a renewed smile spreading across my face. “I caught my very first fish!” I squeal, tackling him in a hug.
He catches me on a laugh, his arms wrapping around me. “You did great, Elle. Ryland is going to be so proud.”
I can’t wait to tell both him and Paw.
We’re so caught up in my victory that we don’t hear anyone approaching until it’s too late.
“Aw, look at the two love birds.”
Gunnar and I quickly break apart to find Kevin Parks and Benjamin Wilks walking toward us.
Great!
A taunting smirk is plastered on Kevin’s face as he starts mocking us with a song. “Gunnar and Ellie sitting in a tree—”
“Shut up, Kevin,” Gunnar snaps, climbing to his feet.
“Yeah, shut up,” I echo, following suit.
“What’s wrong, don’t you like that song?” Kevin asks, addressing only me. “It’s perfect for your stupid little baby legend.”
Benjamin chuckles, feeding Kevin’s ego.
My hands ball into fists at my sides as I get the urge to slap the stupid out of them both.
“Leave her alone,” Gunnar warns, his eyes darkening with anger.
Kevin’s attention shifts to Gunnar. “Or what?”
“Or we’ll punch your lights out,” I tell him, feeling a surge of bravery.
Kevin and Benjamin burst into a fit of laughter.
“I’d like to see you try, twerp.”
Gunnar steps in front of me, shielding me from view. “She won’t need to try because I’m going to kick both of your asses and send you home crying to your mommies.”
I snicker behind him, remembering how we laughed about this very thing just a few months ago.
Kevin’s eyes narrow. “At least I have a mom, orphan.”
I gasp, furious by the retort.
That’s it!
Before Gunnar even has the chance to react, I charge forward and shove Kevin with all my strength.
He stumbles over a rock behind him, landing flat on his back.
“Hey!” Benjamin grabs me from behind, locking my arms.
“Let her go!” Gunnar orders, already on the run. Unfortunately, he doesn’t make it in time before I’m thrown to the ground.
I slide across the gravel, crying out as the tiny rocks scrape up my bare knees.
It sends Gunnar into a rage. “You’re dead now, Wilks,” he growls, the harsh sound echoing off the lake.
Benjamin braces himself for impact, but he is no match for Gunnar.
Gunnar lands a punch to Benjamin’s gut that sends him to his knees, gasping for breath.
Kevin scrambles back to his feet and charges for Gunnar. The two grapple and exchange blows, with Gunnar once again getting the upper hand.
