His first words to Tabitha Amber Collins were exchanged over the breakfast buffet table, and they were, in all their entirety, "Yo, yo, dawg! Watch where you're flingin' that jam, eh?"

"Sorry," she muttered back, her eyes cast downwards. Her cheeks turned about as pink as the swimsuit dress she was wearing. She finished preparing her toast, scraped a bit of corn on her plate beside the mashed potatoes, and scampered off somewhere out of his line of sight.

Then, not much later, when he was seated in one of the pool chairs eating croissants, Beth came by again. She tripped over the stray boots he had kicked off and ended up tumbling right into his lap, spilling juice and fruit and bread crumbs all over him.

"Yo! 'Tis not cool, homie!"

"S-sorry. My bad. Um… Zeke, is it? I'll… clean it up." She blinked at him a few times before saying, "Does anyone around here see my glasses?"

"Yeah, here ya go, homes."

She even tripped while coming back with the paper towels, right over her own feet on a smooth surface. That sent the towels unrolling; what was left of them came to a stop at the foot of Ezekiel's chair. He watched as she crawled over to them, ripped off a single square, and went to work scrubbing the yellow tiles.

"I don't mean a' be pokin' fun or nothin', but you're sorta a clumsy one, eh?"

"A little," Beth replied without raising her head. "But if you think I trip a lot now, you should've seen me back on the island."

"T'was that bad, eh?"

"The absolutely, positively worst." Finally she smiled up at him, revealing a mouthful of heavy braces. "This one time back at camp, Chris made us perform in this talent competition, see, and so I took my fire baton and started spinning it, you know, like you do, and then I threw it high into the air… It landed pretty hard." She chuckled. "I almost whacked Heather on the head. As far as I know, there's still a big, singed hole back where I was standing at the time."

Ezekiel squinted. "Yo dawg, uh, what's a baton?"

The train-track smile grew wider. "I am so glad you asked. Stay here for a second."

She only tripped one time between Ezekiel and the hotel door, and not at all when she came back with a long stick in one hand and a gallon of lighter fluid in the other.

"Uh… you ain't gonna try the whole fire thing again out here, are ya? Not after ya just told The Zeke that story 'bout you and the singed hole?"

"Relax- I've been practicing. I got this. And besides, this time I'm only using one baton." Beth started twirling. Ezekiel started looking for somewhere to hide. "Twirling is easy once you get the hang of it. I'll teach you, if you like. First, you hold it vertically, like this."

"Yeah?"

"Then you turn your wrist back, like this, in this direction."

"Yeah?"

"Then you tilt it this way, and sort of catch it as it comes around your wrist, like this. A simple circle, see?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Now, watch what happens when I light it up!"

He swallowed thickly. "Are ya, uh, sure 'bout this?"

"I wouldn't set fire to it if I weren't, would I?"

Ezekiel traced his pointer finger along the gold chain 'Z' his father had mailed him. "Well, uh…"

"Don't answer that. Here we go!" The baton caught, and Beth began to twirl. Faster and faster, around and around, until both lit ends were a blur- a full flaming circle. Ezekiel began to clap, praying that when she saw his approval she would stop before she tripped again and caught them both on fire or something.

But Tabitha Amber Collins was not the type to take a hint. No, Tabitha Amber Collins only grinned and began to twirl the baton even faster. She crouched down, still spinning, and then sprang up and tossed the baton high into the air above her head.

Ezekiel did not miss the fact that Katie, Tyler, and Justin all went diving for cover at this point.

"I've got it, I've… Oh, golly. Zeke, look out!" Beth lunged for him, tackling him from the chair. They went rolling head-over-heels across the slippery yellow tiles. When Ezekiel looked up again, grunting from Beth's hands pressed into his stomach, he saw that the palm tree above his chair had caught fire.

"Yo!"

Beth began chewing on her fingernails. "Um… That one was just for practice."

"No prob, BB! I got this!"

So saying, Tyler promptly ran to the pool and slipped heroically in, headfirst.

Once Justin and Katie had taken care of the fire, Beth brought her singed baton over to Ezekiel, wringing his hat after Katie's misadventure with the hose had led to 'accidentally' dousing him, and glumly said, "I don't suppose you'd like to try, would you?"

"Nuh-uh! No way, homes."

Beth shrugged, undaunted, and walked past him, spinning as she went. "Yeah, I thought so. That's okay. Maybe it's for the best. You probably wouldn't be able to do it anyway, huh? I guess it's more of a girl thing."

"What did ya just say?"

"Um… baton-twirling is a girl thing?"

"No, right before that- Didya just say that us guys can't twirl those silly baton thingybib-bobs?"

Beth looked at him in surprise, then shrugged again, almost smiling. "Well, sure. I mean, it takes a lot of practice, skill, and patience to be a good twirler, and in my experience, most boys don't-"

"The Zeke can do anythin' that he puts his mind to! Word!"

Pause. Beth frowned. "Okay, then here. All you had to do was ask. Hold it in your hand just like this, with your fingers-"

He snorted. "The Zeke does not require your assistance."

"Oh, um… Well, if you're sure about that." She released his wrist. "I'll be happy to teach you if you change your mind."

Ezekiel stalked off with the baton in hand, spinning it through his fingers. He dropped it more than once, but after an hour of straight practice he started to get the hang of it, and actually had it going pretty fast. Katie clapped politely for him, but Eva was less impressed.

"You look like a girl."

Ditto for Noah: "I really expected you to go farther in life, Homeschool. Actually… no. No, I suppose I didn't. What now, are you planning to join a marching band? Not sure the circus will take you back since you clearly already ran away from it."

Some friends.

Once Ezekiel was mostly catching and not mostly dropping, he returned to where Beth lay on her back in the sun, with shriveled cucumber slices spread across her eyes. "A'right. I've got this. Go ahead, homie. Light me up, eh."

Beth lifted one of the cucumbers away, then sat up fast and raised her hands in surrender. Or warning. "Hey, wait. The fire is for experienced twirlers only."

"Yeah, and, uh, The Zeke's got plenty of experience with this twirlin' stuff now. I've played with fire afore. I can handle a bit on the ends a' this stick."

"Sorry, Zeke. I can't do that for you." She took hold of her baton and started trying to tug it from his grip. "But it was cool watching you spin anyway. You're a natural. I was so wrong. Boys really can do this kind of thing."

"No, wait a moment, homes!"

Scowling now- scowling hard- "Enough's enough. It's mine, so give it back."

"Just one li'l spark?"

"No!"

"But I was doin' so good, eh!"

"Stop it! Leggo!"

"Just another minute? Aw, please?"

"Mine!"

Ezekiel would have won the tug o' war for sure (He was a guy and therefore stronger, after all), but Eva took control of the situation by snatching the baton from both of them and holding it high above her head. Beth jumped up and down for it, while Eva kept the taller Ezekiel at bay with a well-muscled hand shoved in his face.

"You're like a buncha dumb little kids."

"But-"

"Yo-"

She flicked the baton to her other hand. Ezekiel could hear lyrics from some song he didn't recognize - something about a girl worth fighting for - trickling from her earbuds. Eva drew her single thick brow down. "And after that whole incident with the flaming tree, I don't think either of you girls should be allowed to play with this."

"E-Eva, that's my-"

"Is there a problem? New girl?"

Beth starting wringing her hands. Her eyes darted back and forth between Eva and Ezekiel as Ezekiel continued to whine and flail with his hands, and Eva continued to keep him at arm's length with her palm. "N-no. Never mind, Eva."

"Good. You can have your dumb toy back tomorrow, if you and Homeschool can prove that you can play nice together. Go! Scram! Go have fun! That's an order!"

Which was why, a full five minutes later, the two of them were still sitting together with their feet in the pool, kicking gently at the water with bare feet, saying nothing, not even looking at one another lest the other think himself - or herself - the victor of some unspoken battle of wills.

"Huuuhh…" Beth said. It was not a word, only a long sigh, and she propped her elbows on her knees and let her chin drop into her hands.

Another minute passed in silence. A long minute.

"Uh…" Ezekiel started rubbing at his left shoulder with his other hand. "So, euh… Um. Beth, eh?"

"Yeah, that's me. Tabitha Amber Collins. And your full name is Ezekiel?"

"Uh-huh. Ezekiel Foster. With an 'Adam' in the middle. Yep. That's what my name is."

"Cool."

"Yeah."

The pause was a little shorter this time, because Beth looked over at him and offered a timid smile. "It's a nice name. I like it. Kinda rolls off the tongue, huh?"

"Yours is good too, homes. All soft soundin' and… stuff. The 'Beth' part, I mean. I like it alone, more'n I like the 'Tabitha' part. If that's not mean."

"Thanks. I do to. 'Tabitha' is an old lady's name."

Pause.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you since your name is kind of like that to. Not the lady part. Just the old part. Since you don't meet a lot of Ezekiels out in the world. I'm going to stop talking now."

Across the pool, Izzy flung Tyler from the diving board, then flip-cannonballed after him. Ezekiel scratched a small scar across his knuckles.

"Uh… ya look really… nice in pink, eh?"

"Oh. Well, thanks. Um… I think that green really suits you. But aren't you hot?"

"Huh?"

Beth straightened, taking one hand from her face to half-shrug an apology at him. "I'm boiling right now, and you're wearing double layers. Plus," she added, wrinkling her small nose, "you smell all sweaty. It's actually pretty gross. In a so-not-rude way."

"Oh, uh… Y-yeah, I guess The Zeke's a little bit hot today, yeah."

She slid into the pool, submerged herself fully, and bobbed back up to the surface again, spewing faintly and clutching at her thick glasses. "Well, the water'll cool you right off. It's great! Come on in!"

He stood to do so, then stopped. Then moved again.

"Zeke?"

"I, uh…" He swallowed nothing.

"What's the matter? Can't you swim?"

"Eh? Yo, yo, dog! I can swim just fine. I just don't want a' get my hoody wet, is all."

She removed her glasses and blinked at him through squinty eyes. "Why don't you just take it off then?"

"Uh. . ."

"I mean, that's what you did back at the cliff during the first challenge, right? You don't have a medical disease. I think I saw you in the water."

"No, 'tis just… just a stupid thing."

For another moment Beth stared at him. Then she shrugged. "Suit yourself, Zeke. I'm going swimming."

And she did.

He watched.

In silence.

For ten minutes.

It was very boring.

Then he groaned without loosening his jaw. "A'right, this is just stupid. The Zeke is comin' in."

Beth looked up when he stood and offered him a smile. "Oh? You are? Well… cool. I'm glad."

"Eh?"

"You seemed really lonely there all by yourself. I was worried I would have to come and sit with you again. So you're really coming in?"

"Yeah, yeah… I'm comin'." Ezekiel wriggled from his hoody and tore off his undershirt, then dropped into the pool beside Beth, who watched him smugly.

"See? See? I told you the water was really great today. Why'd you hesitate so long, all hovering like a dragonfly?"

"Well, uh, ya see…" He scratched at the back of his neck and his eyes roved around for a moment. Eva was dunking Noah on the far side of the pool. Justin was showing off for Katie. Izzy and Tyler were still slapping at each other. Cody sat alone in his wheelchair, apparently asleep. "The Zeke has a little… it's more of a kind a'… Well, j-just look at my arms, homes." He held them out so Beth could see, and she peered at them uncertainly.

"What's wrong with them?"

"They're getting' all… red. And burned and stuff, eh."

"Looks like a farmer's tan to me."

The phrase made him frown. "Farmer's tan?"

"Yeah, you know. It's not a sunburn or anything like that- it's a tan. Everyone gets them. Are you sure you've never had one before? I really thought you had one when you jumped from the cliff. Not that I was looking."

His frown tugged a little deeper. "I just… ne'er noticed it 'fore I got here. I, uh… Vitamin-D deficient… not so much time in the sun, eh."

"Oh. I see. Um… Well, it's not like having a tan is anything to be ashamed of. Not like tripping over your own feet on television as many times as I have." Beth smiled, showing each one of her shining silver braces. "Actually, I think it's kinda cute."

"Cute," he repeated, half-disgusted.

"I used to spend all my time outside back home on my farm. Chasing the chickens, riding the horses, watering the sheep-"

The world could have ended then. Ezekiel placed one jittering hand on the cement wall of the pool and just… gawked at her.

"Hold up, homes. Didya just say 'Back on my farm'? Are ya tellin' me that ya slopped pigs? In the mud? And ya cared for horses? And the chickens? And the sheep? Yourself? Even if ya got dirty?"

The questions caught her off guard. She slipped beneath the water, coughed once, then looked back up at him. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, I've just ne'er met a farm girl afore. Just, y'know, other guys, like The Zeke. And sometimes not e'en them, eh."

"Heh. Me, I was practically raised by the pigs themselves!"

"Huh!"

"Sure. Like this one time when my dad told me to go out and fetch the biggest hog so we could get him ready for the county carnival, and I went out there and the gate was wide open, swinging and bumping against the side of the barn, and I had to rush to my trusty sheepdog and saddle up on of the smaller horses all by myself for the first time…"

They went on and on like this, swapping farm stories, until the cows would have come home. Beth loved to chatter, and even if she was just some silly, clumsy girl with thick glasses and heavy braces, Ezekiel found that he didn't mind listening to her. Not really, anyway.