Grasp Heart

Chapter 32: Car Wash!

The week slid dryly into the next until we were finally offered an unexpected sunny respite on Friday. The school-day dragged as we'd slogged through it, staring longingly outside at the sunlit lawn, but soon enough we were setting up soapy buckets of water in the drop-off circle of the school's parking lot.

"Very cute!" Allie complimented, though her outfit was very similar; cut-off shorts and a bikini top. She carried over a few more buckets full to the brim with soapy water. "I'm glad you gave in."

I shivered briefly at the slight breeze.

"I still don't get it. And it's so chilly in Alaska too."

"This is a heat wave," she waved a carefree hand, "Besides part of a car wash is the sex appeal!"

"We're underage," I grumbled flatly, "If people are coming for the sex appeal, they're pedophiles."

"Creeps with money."

Was I like that when I was her age? I wondered, setting a sponge and brush in each bucket before taking them to the tire-washing stations.

I wracked my brain. Back when I was truly a teen, we'd put blush on our knees, just beneath the hem of our dresses in case they flew up as we danced. I shook my head, embarrassment coloring my cheeks.

"You alright there, Sara?" Will asked.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"It's a shame the Wardes can't make it for the car wash," Anthony said, crossing his arms, "I wish my parents would let us skip school to hike on sunny days."

"Kind of weird," Trevor noted with a frown, picking up one of the sponges to squish out soap-suds, "Don't they have straight A's? While missing so much class?"

"Mason texted me earlier," I said quickly, taking my phone out of the back pocket of my high-waisted shorts, "Told me to tell you all that he's sorry he couldn't make it."

"His loss," Trevor shrugged as he worked up a lather with the sponge.

"Missing out on honest work," Tim said, shying away from Trevor's vigorous, soap-sud spraying squeezes, "Not very manly!"

"You mean four hours of easy community service," Anthony pointed out with a grin.

I shrugged again, but parted from them with a wave as I continued handing out bucket after bucket.

"You're seriously not worried about getting an uneven tan?" Alissa wondered, picking at her triangle bikini straps, "I'm trying to keep my stomach tan from the summer."

I gazed skeptically at her delicate, snowy skin, then shivered at the apparently balmy Alaskan weather. Despite the excitement about temperatures in the high fifties and low sixties, I felt a rash of gooseflesh across my bare arms.

"Listen, I have no problem being out on a nude beach," I said shortly, tugging at the neckline of the tankini I wore, "When it's time for skinny dipping on a secluded beach in the summer, let me know, alright? And it's got to actually be warm out. Understand?"

"Wait, really?" she asked, brown eyes suddenly alight and glittering with mischief. "I can't guarantee the water will be warm for your standards, but some of the lakes are lovely in the summer."

"Yes," I chuckled, putting a hand on my hip, "Showing skin has a time and place, you know?"

"Totally, totally - ohmygosh - I'm going to hold you to that, okay? We'll go when school lets out for the summer. Though I have to be super careful about picking a spot: some lake that's actually pleasant enough to swim in but also not too frequented."