Most times he wondered if Jesse, Kyle, and Nick were truly his friends, and at that moment he figured they were not, in fact, true friends at all. Not only had they taken his clothes, they had also left him with no way to get home. No car, no phone, not even a map. The wind grew chillier by the minute, and his skin and hair were still dripping from his dive in the lake. It had taken them nearly forty minutes to get here by vehicle, and the last “town” they stopped at was only a gas station with two fuel pumps.

He couldn’t understand how they got away so fast without him noticing, but he figured it made no difference now if he was going to freeze to death. He hoped to find civilization further down the road the opposite direction they had travelled from, maybe there were more people living around the lake hidden by the trees, and maybe he could find something to wear. Even if it was someone’s dirty laundry or a towel.

Doing his best to ring out his short hair he started his trek over the bank, cursing the fact that there were more rocks than sand. He wouldn’t particularly be worried about being nude if there wasn’t the possibility of running into someone, coming down with hypothermia and getting frostbite. The sun’s heat had dissipated with the entrance of a thick cloud cover.

Because of the thorns protruding from the spindly underbrush of the forest he made his way down the asphalt road, the texture scraped against the soles of his feet. Blisters were likely to appear before he found his way home. He crossed his arms over his chest with his hands clenched under his biceps to keep them warm.

What nearly felt like a year, but was probably about thirty minutes, he heard the tell-tale sound of a dog yipping. Or maybe it was a coyote? He hoped not, he didn’t want to become a wild animal’s dinner, much less have to try and outrun it when he felt like a statue. Regardless, he followed the sound, hoping he’d find something of value.

And something of value he found.

In the backyard of a pristine cottage two kids and their dog were having a blast with a bouncy ball, their babysitter or mother was lounging in a lawn chair, paying more attention to her book than her surroundings. And he could see the line of clothes hanging outside, the wind was whipping them around like sails on a ship.

He didn’t care that the only things he could fit were the too short jean overalls, neon orange t-shirt, and a pair of flowery socks.

Next thing he knew he was on his back with a flushed face peering over him, scowl firmly attached to her pink lips and a furrow in her brow. “Why are you wearing my clothes? Scratch that, what are you doing on my property?”

He couldn’t find any words without sounding like a pervert, so he said plainly, and almost sorry. “I was pranked and I ended up without any way to get my clothes back.”

Her eyebrows shifted to her hairline, a small smile seemed to make an appearance before the scowl was firmly back into place. “Well, be that as it may, you can’t very well take my clothes, and neither can you go around naked anymore than you have already. So how about you entertain my brothers while I go find some of my dad’s old clothes?”

“Okay.”

Her figure was gone in the next blink of an eye and he jerked up to find the boys standing there with their little hands on their hips and scowls very similar to their sister’s etched onto their cherub faces. He swallowed and was about to ask about their game of ball when the girl returned with a stack of clothes. “Here, you might as well come in and get changed in the bathroom.”

She had given him a pair of jeans, a flannel shirt paired with an undershirt, socks, and a pair of worn boots. He didn’t mind. They fit and were comfortable, as if they’d been his rather than her father’s. He returned outside. “Thank you for letting me borrow these.”

Her smile warmed him quicker than the clothes. “You’re welcome. And I’m sorry about earlier.”

He smiled too. “How bout we start over? I’m River.”