Prologue

"Hey."

Without looking up, the boy responded, "Hey."

"What're you looking at?"

"Toad."

"Yeah?" the red-haired girl toed the ground with a dirty white sneaker.

"Yeah."

Silence.

He glanced over his shoulder. "Yours?"

The girl patted the big yellow dog next to her. "Yeah."

"He fetch?"

"She."

"She what?"

"She fetches."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Silence.

"What does she fetch?"

Shrug. "Whatever."

"She swim?"

"'Course. She's a water dog." the girl said proudly.

The boy got to his feet and faced them. "Prove it."

"'Kay." Looking around, she found a stick on the ground, turned and flung it out onto the lake. "Go get it, Peanut."

The dog went from statue to almost airborne in a flash, jumping headlong into the water after the stick. Within a few minutes, she was back and had dropped the stick at the girl’s feet.

"Cool." His brown eyes finally met her blue ones. "Can I throw it?"

Shrug. "Sure."

He picked up the stick and lobbed it out into the water. He frowned when the dog remained frozen to the spot. "What’s wrong with her?"

"Gotta tell her to get it."

"Oh." Pause. "Go get it, Peanut!" he yelled. And just like that, the dog took off. "Cool."

She waited until Peanut had returned before facing the boy. "I'm Robyn, with a 'y'."

"Erik." he picked up the stick again. "You campin' just the weekend?"

She squinted up at the sun. "Be here 'til next Sunday. You?"

With a grunt, he threw the stick again, then commanded the dog to retrieve it. "Been here a week. Be here another." He rubbed his nose along his sleeve and eyed her. "Got any brothers?"

"Nope."

With a sniff, he crammed his hands into his pockets. "How old are you?"

"Twelve."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Silence.

"Me, too." He watched the dog emerge from the water and give a violent shake. "Want me to show you where the pier is?"

"Is it a divin' pier?"

"Yep."

She seemed to contemplate her sneakers before giving him a broad smile. "'Kay."

He stared at her for a second before puffing out his chest and leading her through the trees. "You ever been camping before?" he asked over his shoulder.

Running to catch up to him, she nodded. "We go every summer. Never been here before."

"We come here every year. Never seen it crowded, though. No kids at all last week." He kicked a rock and watched Peanut chase it. "Used to be okay 'til my brother started actin' all weird."

"Weird?"

Sniff. "Lookin' funny at them girls."

"How old is he?"

"Fifteen."

"Oh." she nodded sagely.

"Dunno what is so innerestin’ about ‘em. Just icky, giggly girls." he grumbled. "You don't giggle, do you?" he asked cautiously.

"Naw."

"Good."

----------------------------

One year later...

"You bring your rod?" Erik asked.

"Rod?" Robyn threw a tennis ball ahead of them for Peanut to chase.

He rolled his eyes. "For fishin'."

"Oh." she squinted at him. "I don't have a fishin' rod."

"Hmph. How do you go campin' without a rod?"

She raised a light red eyebrow at him. "We came campin', Erik, not fishin'."

Laughing, he shoved her. "Shut up."

She grinned back and continued walking next to him.

"Guess we could swim." he suggested.

"'Kay. You learn how to dive yet?"

"Nope. Cannonball is my speciality."

"So I'll meet you at the pier in fifteen minutes?" she asked.

"'Kay. Bring food." he ordered.

Rolling her eyes, she snapped her fingers and raced Peanut back to her tent. It had been a year since she'd last seen Erik Richards at this very same campground. Only a week had made them fast friends, and letters kept them in touch the other 51 weeks. He was just as she remembered him, though his mink brown hair was a little longer. Changing into her bathing suit, she promised her parents she would be careful, grabbed a bag of Cheetos and set off with Peanut toward the pier. Toward the best friend she had... other than Peanut, of course.

The path back to the pier was deserted. Clutching the Cheetos and her towel, she ran alongside Peanut, her heart bursting with happiness. At home, it was just her and Peanut, playing alone in her room or in the backyard. But here, away from her life of being the shy one, she was exhilarated! Not only that, but Erik loved Peanut almost as much as she did... and he never commented or made fun of her for going everywhere with the big yellow dog. He thought it was kinda cool. She spent twenty-four hours a day with Peanut, even letting her sleep on her bed at night.

Breaking through the trees to the water's edge, she dropped her towel and the bag of Cheetos. She could see Erik already sitting on the edge of the pier, so she took off at high speed. Peanut raced beside her, barking happily.

Erik barely had a chance to leap to his feet before Robyn and Peanut raced by him. He watched them both jump off the end of the pier, Robyn with a shriek and Peanut barking loudly. Grinning he leapt off the pier, curled into a ball in the air, then landed right between dog and owner. He broke through the surface of the water and flicked his hair out of his face. As usual, Peanut was dog-paddling around Robyn, watching her like a mother hen.

"Race you to the float!" she challenged before ducking beneath the surface of the water.

He laughed happily and took off toward the float, trailing after both Peanut and Robyn. When he reached the float, he hopped up onto it and helped Robyn lift Peanut from the water. Peanut shook violently to remove the water clinging to her fur, then plopped down on the wooden planks, panting heavily.

Robyn laid down on her back, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face. "I wish I could live here year 'round." she sighed.

"It would be great to live in a tent all the time. No cleaning your room, no making your bed..." he tucked his hands behind his head and watched the clouds float by.

"Yeah." She squinted and thought silently that out here, she was someone. She wasn't just a girl with a dog... she had a friend who understood her and liked spending time with her. "Hey, where's your brother?"

He snorted and reached out to pet Peanut. "He found some girl to chase around the arcade."

"Don't you like having a brother?" she asked curiously.

"I'd rather have a dog."

She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the float. Immediately, Peanut was by her side, tail wagging.

"Peanut never picks on you... never deserts you for some girl who just giggles all the time." he said disgustedly. "She's just a great pal." he finished. "Yeah, I'd take Peanut over George anytime."

Wrapping an arm around the wet dog, Robyn kissed her head, amazed that Erik could envy anything about her life. "Well, I'll share Peanut with you, okay?"

"Deal." He scrambled to his feet and ran off the float next to her, landing in the water with a big splash.

She shrieked as the cold water hit her warm flesh. "You jerk!" A second later, she and Peanut tumbled after him into the lake.