Forget Me Not Read Online Free Page B

on, too. “You might want to leave those here,” he says, pointing to my sandals.
    I take them off and throw them on the sand. One lands on the cake-castle, knocking off one of the figures. Oops, sorry.
    JFK pushes the boat into the water. “The wind is perfect right now.” He adjusts some ropes. “Hand me the rudder, will you?”
    I reach for something. It’s the wrong thing.
    “That’s the daggerboard,” JFK says, laughing. “You’ve done this before, right?”
    “Yes, I told you. What do you think, I’m lying?” Now I definitely can’t back out.
    JFK is staring at me. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
    The wind lifts my hair. “Yes, fine, let’s go.” Be brave, Willa, be brave.
    “You get in first and I’ll push us out,” JFK says.
    The boat rocks gently when I get in. It rocks more when he heaves himself in and sits beside me. His arm feels safe and strong next to mine. Fine, this is going to be fine.
    With one hand, JFK releases the rope. The sail puffs with wind and we’re off. With the other hand he moves the rudder and steers us out onto the open sea.
    “When’s the last time you went sailing?” JFK says.
    We’re already passing a buoy. I’m in way over my head. My hands are gripping the hull. “It’s been a few years.” I don’t look at him.
    “Well, nothing’s changed,” JFK says, all happy and proud, captain of his ship. “Wind is wind. When I say duck, duck.”
    Duck, duck, silly goose, Willa Havisham. What were you worrying about? See how nice this is? Safe and slow, no worries.
    “Beautiful,” JFK says, smiling. “I love this.”
    He releases the line some more and the sail billows full and now we are moving , moving fast. “Nice,” he shouts, laughing. “Isn’t this great?”
    “Yeah,” I manage to say. Then I think about the jellyfish that summer when I was ten. I had just gotten my Red Cross swimming certificate, passed with flying colors, and Nana allowed me to swim out to the buoy line. I was so happy, free as a fish, when a stinging pain like a needle shot into my arm. It stunned me and I panicked. I started flailing around in the water, trying to see what had bitten me. Was it ashark? A whole school of them? What if they were surrounding me? I screamed for help, HELP, waving frantically toward Nana on the shore. She waved back. She thinks I’m waving! I was too far out for her to hear me over the sounds of the waves and all of the people on the beach. It was early June, before the lifeguards ascended their thrones. I waved and waved and Nana waved back. No, I’m not waving, I’m dying! Help! Oh, my gosh, I thought, what if I die out here? And then I thought of my birthfather, Billy Havisham, who actually did die at sea when his hot air balloon crashed into the Atlantic Ocean the day after he and Mom married. His body was never found…
    “ Willa! Willa! What’s wrong with you!” JFK is shouting at me.
    “I…I…nothing.” I manage a smile, gripping the hull so tightly my hands are numb.
    Faster and faster. Wind zipping through my air. Sea spray on my face.
    “Whoo-hoo!” JFK shouts, his face beaming bright.
    We’re speeding now. It’s okay. Be brave, Willa, be brave.
    Our side of the boat rises high in the air, then higher, higher, higher, as the sail strains full with wind.
    JFK’s laughing. “Yes! Ha-ha! This is it!”
    Then the wind changes and the sail wobbles and wooshhhhhhes. “Duck!” JFK shouts.
    I freeze.
    “Duck! Willa, now, watch out!”
    JFK pushes me down hard, just before the sail swings over my head.
    “Jeez, Willa,” JFK says, laughing. He reaches out a hand to help me back up. “That’s a good way to get beheaded.”
    “ Take me back! ” I scream. “ Now! ”
    “Willa, what’s wrong?” He looks shocked. “It’s okay. I know what I’m doing.”
    “Take me back. I mean it.” My body is shaking, scared.
    “Now, Joseph, please.”
    Back at the shore, I tell him about the jellyfish and how I haven’t swum