Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 241(@200wpm)___ 193(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 241(@200wpm)___ 193(@250wpm)___ 161(@300wpm)
Patience is not one of my strong suits and he knows it. “Yeah, yeah,” I grumble.
He chuckles at my sour response.
“So, are you excited to go back to school next week?” I ask, changing the subject.
He shrugs. “Not really. You?”
“A little,” I admit. “But I’m sure gonna miss hanging out with you all day.”
It’s pretty much the only reason I don’t want to go back to school. From sun up to sun down, we have been inseparable and it’s honestly been the best summer of my life.
“Me too, Elle.” He flashes me a smile that always does funny things to my heartbeat. “At least we’ll have recess and after school, right?”
“Right.” I nod, clinging to his optimism.
I’m about to ask if he wants to meet at the bike racks again for recess when I suddenly feel a hard jerk on my fishing line. The forceful yank is so startling it causes me to drop my mostly-eaten popsicle into the lake.
A gasp flees my lips as I jump to my feet. “I got one,” I cry. “I got one, Gunnar.”
“All right, Ellie!” he cheers, knowing how long I’ve been waiting for this. “Quick, crank the reel.”
I do as he says, but find myself struggling against the forceful pull, so much so that I stumble forward.
“Holy smokes, it’s a heavy sucker.” I laugh.
“Hold on.” Gunnar quickly sets his fishing rod aside and gets up to help me.
Between the two of us we manage to get it up out of the water.
“Holy crap, it is a big one!” Gunnar exclaims, his eyes wide with surprise. “Here, watch out.”
I scramble out of the way as he hoists the wriggling fish over the dock. Once he lays it down on the wooden planks, I kneel on the other side, watching as he goes to remove the hook from its mouth.
“Be careful,” I caution gently.
One of the reasons we come to Gap Lake is because it’s all catch and release. I told Gunnar right from the start that I never wanted to hurt a fish.
“Don’t worry, he’s okay,” Gunnar reassures me. After carefully extracting the bait, he presents the fish to me with a proud grin. “Wanna hold it?”
Excitement radiates through my entire being. “You bet I do!” I take the slippery fish and yelp when it almost slips from my grasp.
“Hold on tight.” Gunnar chuckles, steadying my hands.
With a firmer grip, I turn the squirming fish to face me and feel it calm down as I gaze into its golden-yellow eyes.
“Well, hey there, Mr. Fish,” I greet in a soothing voice. “Thanks for being my first catch.”
“Mr. Fish?” Gunnar questions, sounding more than amused.
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.