Remember When **Under MAJOR Editing**

Chapter 1

Every strong swimmer has a story about nearly drowning. This is mine:

Late one June afternoon I was driving home from my summer job at my dad's water park, Splash Central, but when my phone rang and Zack's name flashed in the screen. He knew I never answered my phone while driving. And everybody working at Splash Central today had heard that my dad had gotten the twenty-two-year-old human resources manager, pregnant. That meant that all my friends knew, because I'd found Zack a job there and my entire swim team jobs as lifeguards, all seventeen of us--everybody but Dade Elks.

My dad had left work a little early--to tell my mom before she found out from another source, I guessed. So if Zack wanted to talk now, it must be important. Maybe it has something to do with my parents.

I parked my vintage Volkswagon Bug in the courtyard outside my house, between my dad's Benz and my mom's eco-friendly hybrid, and cut the  engine. The Bug had no air-conditioning. The Texas heat had been bearable while I was damp from swimming and the car was moving. But my bikini had dried underneath my T-shirt and gym shorts.

I picked up my phone and pushed the button to call Zack back.

"Mya," he said.
"Hey, baby. Is something wrong?"
"Everything!" He exclaimed. "You're going to kill me. You know how I was telling you at lunch about Clarissa?"
"Who?" I'd been distracted when I talked to him at lunch. I'd just learned the latest about Britney.

"Clarissa? The blonde who works at the top of the Tropical Terror Plunge? She's in college. You told me I should ask her out anyway."

"Right." I couldn't believe he'd called me about this. We'd become friends because I was a good listener, and gave him advice on his girl troubles--but surely he knew this was not the time.

"Well, I asked her out, and she said yes. But then her big sister came to pick her up from work, and Mya. This chick was on fire. I don't know how much older she is than me. She might have graduated from college already. That's kind of a reach, even for me. But I could go out with Clarissa this once, give it s few weeks too cool off, then try her sister. What do you think?"

"I think you're jailbait."

He laughed shortly.

In the silenced that followed, I heard how mean my comment had sounded. True but mean. I could not have a friendly conversation right now.

"Zack, can we talk about this later?" I asked. "I'm sitting outside my house, and I think my dad is inside telling my mom about Britney."

"Oh," Zack said. He sounded like he'd really forgotten about the rumors at work today. "Are you scared?"

"I'm..." I stared at the front door. "No, I'm used to the idea. Everybody's been talking about my dad and Britney since the park opened in May. I'm more relieved that I don't have to be the one to tell my mom." I held up my hand and admired how perfect and smooth my manicure looked against the ancient steering wheel. "That's awful of me, isn't it?"
"Mya, you could never be awful."

With that one sentence, Zack melted my heart all over again. He was a player, but he meant well. Deep down he was truly a sweet person and a good friend, and he knew how to make me feel better.

I ended the call with him and stood up in the courtyard. Sure enough, my parents' voiced reached me even here. I'd sat on the edge of my mom through this. Now I wished I could unhear them screaming betrayal and divorce at each other. I'd sat on the edge of my seat up to the climax of this movie, but now that I knew it wouldn't have a happy ending, I didn't want to see.

Instead of going inside, I scooted around the side of the house, ripping off the T-shirt and shorts over my bikini as I went, kicking off my flip-flops, pulling the ponytail holder out of my hair. I hit the beach running.