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Instead of simply spinning the gondola, though, this time the oar went in deep and got stuck. But Leander still had such a tight grip on the oar, when it caught, his momentum kept moving.
I shoved my hand out, as if I could catch him—even though he was so far away, but he lost his footing and his body pitched forward.
“Leander!” I screeched, but too late. One second Leander was wobbling on the gondola, and the next second his arms were wheeling comically.
Then there was a splash.
And Leander disappeared under the water.
EIGHT
HOPE
“Leander,” I screamed again, jumping up off the comfortable canvas chair Milo and Janus had arranged for me.
From up ahead, Janus swung around and looked back, hand over his eyes to see what was happening. “Leander!” he shouted, then looked ready to jump in after his brother.
But right then Leander’s head popped up. He spat out water and splashed his arms.
“Don’t swallow!” called the stunt assistant from right beside me, running right up to the edge of the canal while the gondola instructor flattened himself on the ground and held out an oar towards Leander. “For Christ’s sake, don’t swallow.”
I jumped and looked at the stunt assistant. “What happens if he swallows?!”
Leander kept spitting out water while he swam through the mucky canal towards us at the edge.
“Fuck,” the stunt assistant said, pulling out his phone. “Katherine Hepburn fell in when they were shooting Summertime and she was sick the rest of production!”
“Then why didn’t you give them lifejackets!” I cried.
“No one ever falls in,” the gondola instructor said helpfully while he thrust the oar a little further out. Leander grasped hold of it and the instructor hauled him in.
Janus rowed himself back to us and smoothly leapt back to the dock right in time to lean down and help pull his brother onto dry land.
Leander glared at him and pulled his arm away from both him and the gondola instructor as he pulled himself up onto the cobbled stone.
“Shit, shit, shit.” Brian paced up and down, thumbs flying on the phone.
“Not fucking helpful, Brian,” Leander said as he flopped onto his back, heaving for breath.
I hurried to him, alongside Janus, Milo, and the stunt assistant, who I assumed to be Brian.
“No, you don’t understand,” Brian said. “Hepburn got really sick. Is your tetanus shot up to date? Fuck, Kenji’s gonna have my ass for this. He told me not to fuck anything up on his day off and I—”
“Shut up, Brian,” Leander and Janus said at the same time.
“I have to get him to the hospital,” Brian said to Janus, and I could see by Leander’s face that he was pissed off at being talked over.
“I don’t need to go to—”
Brian’s attention switched to Leander quick enough at that. “Oh no, you have to get checked out. It’s in your contract. You’re only allowed to do some of your own stunts if upon any incident you immediately seek medical care. It’s a contingency of your insurance.”
“Jesus Christ,” Leander said, ignoring Janus’s arm to help him up, getting to his feet and slinging some canal sludge from his sleeve as he went. “Fine. I’ll go.”
Janus started to move in the same direction when Brian went on alert. “Whoa, where are you going?”
Janus glared at him. “With my brother.”
Brian shook his head vigorously. “This is the whole point of you. You know how tight our schedule is. We have twelve hours blocked out for gondola training and that’s it.” Brian looked down at his phone and swore. “Shit, that’s the producer. Look man, just get your ass back on that gondola and don’t give us any more trouble than your fuck-up brother.”
I watched Janus’s jaw harden.
Then he reached out, snatched the phone out of Brian’s hand, and threw it in the canal.
“Wha—?” Brian’s voice suddenly rose an octave in disbelief. The gondola instructor behind him laughed and I had to say, Brian’s face was pretty damn priceless. I don’t mind bullies getting some of their own medicine. “You can’t do that! I’m your— Your—”
“You’re certainly not my fucking boss,” Janus said, but Leander swung back around towards us. He looked saggy and water-logged.
“Stay and learn how to do it fucking right,” Leander called. “We both know it’ll be you on the damn celluloid for this one.”
Then Leander turned and headed around the corner. I wasn’t even sure where he was headed. Maybe into the bathroom to get dry? Should I go in and check on him?
But Milo cut me off, “You stay here. I’ll go with him.”
“Should I—” I started but Milo shook his head.
“He’s too proud. Leave him alone for a bit and let him walk it off. I’ll make sure he gets to the doctor to be checked out.”
I nodded and reached out to squeeze his hand.
“Text updates, yeah?” Janus said. Milo nodded, then he jogged off after Leander.
