Page 81 of Tourist Trap

“I don’t trust you not to fuck it up so you win,” I say, sticking my tongue out at him and handing the pole to Grant.

“You’re not going to win, Claire, no matter who baits you up.”

“We’ll see,” I say with a wink.

“Ahh!” I shout a half hour later when there’s a tug on my line.

It’s been an increasingly boring half hour, and honestly, if Miles hadn’t already caught a fish and deemed it “the winner,” I probably would have given up. But since then, Helen, Sarah, Lainey, and June have all deemed this effort to be a girls versus boys type thing. I can’t back down now.

My pole is bending, and my heart races as I try to figure out what’s next.

“Okay, now take it slow,” Deck says. He’s also team Claire, telling me he would love nothing more than to see Miles losing. He verbally guides me through reeling in the fish, each circle getting harder and harder before it comes out of the water, flapping like wild.

I jump excitedly. “I got a fish!”

“I think it’s bigger than Miles’s,” Lainey says.

“No way, let me see,” Deck says, helping me bring it onto the deck.

“Ahh,” I shout as it flops, almost touching me. “Oh my god, stop, it's going to touch me!”

“Jesus, she catches the biggest fish, and she doesn’t even want to touch it,” Miles says with a laugh, stepping in to help.

“I’m just a girl, Miles,” I shout, averting my eyes back to my prize. “Oh, no, do you think it’s mad at me?”

He lifts it by the fishing line and looks at me confused, the poor thing flopping around.

“I mean, he’s not happy,” June says with a laugh.

“Put him back then,” I shout, hopping from flip-flopped foot to flip-flopped foot.

“We gotta measure him, Blondie,” Benny says, grabbing a measuring tape.

“I hate this. He’s drowning.”

“How is a fish drowning?” Miles asks, walking the fish toward Benny's measuring tape.

“Because he’s in the air! He needs water.” I look at him with pleading eyes. “Miles, he’s airdrowning. He needs to go back to his home.”

My eyes start to water at the idea of this cruelty, and he hands off the fish to Grant before pulling me into his arms.

“It’s fine, Claire. Once Benny measures it, we’ll put it back.”

“Oh my god, the girl did it,” Benny says with a laugh. “She beat the record.”

“Oh my god,” June shouts, jumping and clapping.

“Picture,” Lainey shouts, and then they hand me the line. I stand with everyone, holding my fish with what I can only imagine is a look of panic before Benny takes the fish and quickly unhooks it. He finally tosses it into the water again where he swims away happily. I let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s my sweet Claire,” Miles says, pulling me in tight. “Would key your car, but couldn’t bear to watch a hook taken out of a fish.”

I look at him and smile.

“Does this mean I won?” I ask, coming back to myself now that I don’t feel like a fish serial killer, and Miles smiles wide. Benny laughs and nods. “I won! I get the spot!”

June and Lainey come over to grab my hands, and we jump, laughing and excitedly celebrating.

When I come down from my high, Miles is sitting at the picnic table with Helen, and I make my way over there.

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