When he went to the bank, the teller handed him a note that ruined his life…

Hold on!

I’m coming! I expected the splash of a body hitting the water to save me.

Instead, I heard a sound that broke something inside me that I didn’t know was still intact. Laughter.

“Dude,” one of the boys guffawed, pointing at me.

“Your grandma just did a backflip. That was gnarly.”

“Classic Margaret,” Evan said. He was chuckling.

He actually took a sip of his beer.

“She’s so dramatic. Yo, Grandma!

You good? Or are you checking for sunken treasure?”

I treaded water, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.

The cold was seeping into my bones, making my limbs heavy.

I looked at him—my blood, the boy I had babysit, the boy whose tuition I paid—and I saw no fear in his eyes. Only amusement. They waited.

Five seconds.