i sank into icy pool water, resting my back on a flamingo floatie in devon's pool. maya floated nearby on a raft in one of her tiniest, tightest bikinis, which clung tightly to her curves, earning her devon's unwavering attention that she so pined for. the way her honey brown skin and gold jewelry glistened in the afternoon sun made her look like a goddess. i suppose that explains why devon worships her as one. i turned to look back up at the deep sky and became once again lost in thought. the royal blue dragged me into its depths and i became lost in its mysteriousness.
maya and i spent all tuesday night at devon's house, crawling back into my room in just enough time to pretend to be asleep before my mom woke up. i woke up for real at noon on wednesday to the sound of my little sister margaret screaming bloody murder at my little brother david for breaking one of her toys and i realized i was supposed to be watching them today. my mom had left a sticky note on my mirror reading "errands, be back 4:30." that's when maya called to tell me devon invited us (her) to his pool party on friday. cue my initial refusal followed by her incessant begging then me caving in with a simple "fine, but you owe me." i knew she would have gone regardless of my answer and this way i could make sure she was safe.
so late friday morning i squeezed into my black one piece and pulled a pair of denim shorts over my thighs then slapped a floppy hat on top of my braids. maya came into my room at noon wearing a sheer slip dress over her teeny tiny i'm-single bikini and a pair of reflective sunglasses tangled in a sea of wide, messy curls. "you're wearing that?"
"what's wrong with my bathing suit?"
"it's ...boring. you want to impress that marco guy right? you like him?"
i blushed, embarrassed. "i don't even know him."
she smiled knowingly. "you like him."
"my bathing suit is fine. leave me alone." i snapped, slipping a pair of flip flops on. maya pulled the hat off of my head and replaced it with a pair of sunglasses i had on top of my dresser.
now i am dipping my toes into the pool on the deep end and nursing a red solo cup filled with beer that tastes god awful, but will be the only thing that gets me through the rest of the day. i take another sip.
"i thought you didn't drink."
i looked up to see marco standing behind me, then slipping into the spot next to me. he had his own cup filled halfway with the gross beer.
"eh."
"eh?"
"i have a question for you."
"what is it?"
"you don't seem anything like those guys." i gestured toward the general direction of the guys who were at devon's party tuesday plus a couple of guys i only vaguely knew existed. they all had the same demeanor and were too boring to learn the ins and outs of. i mentally named all of them after gas stations. bucc-ee and valero were attempting to do some sort of synchronized asshole flip into the pool, violently splashing a group of girls wading in the water.
he took another sip of his beer, leaving me wondering how he could drink it without screwing his face up into disgust. "i've known them forever. we all swim together and we've grown a lot closer over the past few years."
"you swim?"
"oh, yeah. i'm #1 in state."
"seriously?"
"no," his face glowed up into another huge sunny day smile. "but i do swim." then he let out a laugh like pure sunlight pouring from his mouth. i smiled gently when it washed over me, seeping through my sweaty skin and comforting the anxious blood running in my veins.
he set his beer down and slid into the pool, briefly dipping underwater then coming back up to smooth his dark hair back. "hop in," he invited, squinting through the bright sunbeams to look up at me.
"i'm good."
"i'll catch you," he beamed.
"yeah, still good."
"oh, alright. you're lame." he paddled in place around my feet, which were kicking the surrounding water gently. we sat in silence like that for a little while but he wouldn't leave and i'm not sure why. i took a sip of my drink. he was staring up at me with this dumb look on his face so i splashed some water on him. "what?"
"you just look really pretty."
i blushed and my heart did a little skip. "shut up."
he smiled really big. "shut up?"
"yeah, shut up."
"but why would i shut up when i could keep showering you with compliments?"
i didn't respond, just took another sip of my beer in some poor attempt to hide my face. he pulled himself back out of the pool with incredible and impossible grace. he stood behind me like a shadow and offered his hand. "c'mon."
"where?" i took it anyway. his hand was twice as soft as mine and three times as big and felt weird in mine.
"over here." he began to walk towards one of the lawn chairs on the side of the pool, where a towel was laid thoughtfully over the top of the backrest. he dried his face and the majority of his body, but his swim shorts were drenched and immediately replaced whatever water he initially wiped off of his legs. he sat down on the chair, staring up at me.
"and where am i supposed to sit?" i gestured to the rest of the chairs which were not only at least six feet apart from each other but entirely occupied by other people. the nearest to us hosted a couple making out very intensely, the sound of their smacking lips reaching all the way over to us despite the yells and splashing coming from the rest of the partygoers.
he paused a moment before leaning back and patting his lap.
i rolled my eyes and pushed his legs off the side then sat at the foot of the chair. he grinned then sat up straight to make more room for me. "so you go to miller, right?"
"yeah."
"senior?"
"junior."
"that makes sense."
"what's that supposed to mean?"
"you're just... kinda..."
"yes?"
"cute," he said, seeming very confident in his stance. "and innocent."
"you know i'm only one year younger than you."
he didn't respond, just stared at me with dreamy chestnut-colored eyes, a faint smile still lingering on his lips. his dimples were so deep you could plant flowers in them and he somehow still smelled like freshly sprayed cologne even though he just dunked his entire body in the pool water.
then maya came up to us, looking rather distressed, and insisting we left. i asked her why but she didn't really elaborate. i looked to marco, who seemed just as genuinely concerned, which kind of melted my heart a little bit. i apologized to him, grabbed my shorts and flip flops from under the patio awning and went with maya to the front of the house.
just as we reached the end of the driveway and the start of the road, i heard "june!" from behind us. marco was jogging toward me. he excused himself and asked to speak to me.
he said hey and raked his long, now slightly less wet hair away from his face and then i said hi and i tried my hardest to stifle the smile forming on my lips but it painted itself across my face anyway. he smiled back, then asked me if he could call me sometime, and i said yes and gave him my phone number. we didn't have any paper so he repeated it under his breath over and over to remember. i said bye we left for real this time.
i didn't stop smiling even in my sleep that night, according to maya.
