Page 8 of Running Home to You
The upperclassmen blindfolded the freshmen, drove them to the dock, and told them to jump into the icy waves on the count of three. When the countdown ended, the upperclassmen would reveal it was a prank and that no one had to swim, but every year, some unlucky, overly eager freshman threw themselves into the river before the big reveal. Humiliating, yes. Harmless, for the most part. And, of course, an unintentional test of who was most gullible.
After the prank, the upperclassmen subjected the freshmen to a game of trivia. Wrong answers earned a spray from a hose on the dock, correct answers earned a shot of vodka, so that as the trivia progressed, it became more challenging.
While the tradition typically ended in laughs and memories, this year Kate approached it apprehensively. The senior ringleaders, Courtney Seaborn and Lauren DeHaven, insisted that along with the four freshmen, they haze Abby too.
“We’ve never done this to transfers,” Kate said.
“We hardly ever have transfers.” Lauren, their ace pitcher, rolled her eyes.
The team gathered in the parking lot after practice, minus the freshmen and Abby. The sun hadn’t set and, fortunately for the newest Eagles, it was an unusually dry and mild day for October. Of course, that was thanks to Kate’s secret planning, checking the forecast for weeks, subtly suggesting to Courtney and Lauren that they do it on this day in particular.
“Cruz thinks she’s better than the rest of us. Let’s bring her down a notch,” Lauren said.
“You of anyone shouldn’t have an issue with this, Hutch.”Courtney patted the hood of her car. “Let’s round them up and meet at the dock. You guys hit the dorms. We’ll take care of Cruz.”
Kate sank as she hopped into Jill’s car with Mick and T.K. Abby was already detached from the team, and this would only make it worse. The regret anchored into her shoulders. She should’ve said something to her. Anything at all.
They made easy work of cornering the freshmen in the dining hall. Kate’s group nabbed Riley Brookheimer, a promising left fielder. The other upperclassmen gathered the remaining newbies, giggling as they blindfolded them, a happy show even for the victims as their peers hooted and threw food at them on their way out of the cafeteria.
Lauren and Courtney held a blindfolded Abby’s arms when they arrived at the dock. Ketchup stained the transfer’s shirt. In fact, as she drew closer, Kate noticed mustard in Lauren’s hair, an irritated scratch on Courtney’s cheek, and a cut on Abby’s lip.
“What the hell happened?” Mick asked as they led the freshmen down the dock.
“We found her at Sunny’s,” Lauren said. “Chased her into the kitchen.”
“She threw a lit cigarette at me.” Courtney scowled when Mick snorted. “It’s not funny.”
“You jumped me. What did you expect?” Abby asked.
“It isn’t supposed to be like this,” Kate said to no one in particular.
The wind dragged in clouds from the west and rocked the boats tied to the dock. Wells Island, an unoccupied speck in the middle of the river between Oregon and Washington, didn’t appear far from their vantage point, but was at least a quarter mile away.
“Line them up!” Courtney jerked Abby around to face the water. The squad lined up the freshmen next to her. “Welcome to the Wells Island swim!”
Abby growled. “This is bullshit. I’ve already been a freshman. I’m not doing this.”
“You’ve never been an Eagle, Cruz.” Courtney clapped her back sohard that Kate flinched. “When we remove your blindfolds, we’ll count to three, and you’ll jump into the river. The first one there and back is off gear duty. You don’t want to know what happens if you’re last.”
Kate gulped as she removed Madison Quong’s blindfold. She didn’t remember the tradition being so mean-spirited. Last year as a sophomore, no longer on the receiving end, she found it harmless and fun. Even as a freshman, preparing to plunge into the swells felt like a thrilling rite of passage. But it didn’t feel right now.
“One…” Lauren started the count with a grin. “Two…”
Abby glanced over her shoulder at Kate like she knew she’d find her. Somehow, she always seemed to find her. And Kate always failed to give her anything in return. Not a hello, not a smile, not even a nod when she did something good at practice. But she wouldn’t overlook her now. Kate offered a minuscule, nearly imperceptible shake of her head. If Abby noticed, she didn’t make it known and turned back to the river.
“Three!”
Abby didn’t fall for the bait, but Madison and Riley, on either side of her, twitched to jump. Harnessing the same speed and strength she wielded on the diamond, Abby grabbed both freshmen by their shirts and yanked them back as they started their leap. The remaining freshmen gaped at Abby, who shook her head at them.
“Looks like this might be our smartest freshman class yet.” Lauren scowled at Abby. “Usually, we get at least one swimmer. Thanks for that, Cruz.”
“Not too late for you to show us how it’s done,” Abby said. “I’d love to see you take a dive.”
“Okay, that means it’s time for trivia!” Mick clapped and cut in before another fight broke out between Abby and the seniors. “But first, claim your prizes.”
The rest of the team had already been passing around a few bottles of liquor and poured shots for the hazing victims. While the freshmen winced, Abby tossed her drink back like water.
“That’s right, Cruz, drink up,” Courtney said with a sneer.
