What Are We?

Chapter 12

11 years ago

"Wow! It is dead out there," Casey says peering out a window from the second floor of the guard room. "There is not a single person in the pool. Just Mrs Johnson out tanning as always. I thought old people got cold easily, but apparently not her."

I laugh as my finger busily work on yet another friendship bracelet. "It's a beautiful day. Mrs. Johnson would never miss a sunny day at the pool. If she does, we should probably do a wellness check."

Melinda looks at me like I'm crazy as she hides beneath her oversized hoodie."You and I must have very different ideas of beautiful days. It's only 60 degrees today. 60 degrees in August? I'm shivering over here. This is some bullshit. There's only a week left until school starts again. Is nice weather too much to ask for?" She rearranges a towel to cover her legs like a blanket. 

I shrug my shoulders. "Maybe spending years swimming outside in the summer has built up my endurance, but I would definitely swim in this weather.  It's lovely and at least the sun is shining. That's asking a lot of Ohio weather."

I hear footsteps clatter up the metal staircase behind me. "Did I hear someone say they would go swimming in this weather? Because I am so in!" A moment later, Charlie's head pops up from the staircase with an excited grin on his face. 

"I just got off chair so I have at least an hour before I'm needed again. Why not?" I stand up and look for my work bag and towel.

"That's the spirit Jenna!" Charlie says withe the eagerness of a 6 year old boy with a new puppy. "Anybody else going to join us?"

"Hell no!" Melinda shouts.

"You're crazy," Casey adds.

"Suit yourselves," I say as I follow Charlie back down the stairs. 

On our way outside, we tell Gina where we'll be in case she needs us. We leave our towels draped over the fence. I try not to gawk as Charlie takes off his lifeguard shirt to hang by his towel. I follow his lead and strip down to my own guard suit. 

As we start to make our way over to the pool, Charlie races ahead and does a massive cannonball, splashing me with a wave of water. I let out a little shriek and debate my life choices as the cool air his my now damp suit. "Come on in, Jenna! The air is cold but the water is super warm."

At this point, I have nothing to lose. I get a running start and leap into the pool. Charlie was not lying about the water. With the air so cool, the pool feels like a giant bath tub. I spend as much time underwater as I can before coming up for air. I flip my head back and my hair sprays water into Charlie's face. "Payback."

We make our way over to the deep end. "Want to see something cool?" Charlie asks me. I nod my head eagerly. "Okay, but I need you to hold the guard chair steady."

 Before I know it, Charlie and I climbing out of the water. The cool air hits me like a wall. As I walk over to join Charlie behind the guard chair, I become aware of the face that my nips have gotten hard from the cold and air straining against the red fabric of my lifeguard suit. I think Charlie may have noticed too because I catch him quickly glancing away as he shows me where to place my hands and feet on the back of the guard chair so it doesn't roll away. 

Charlie climbs up the the steps on the front of the guard chair. When he gets to the top platform where the chair is, he looks down at me, the sun casting a golden halo around his head. "Are you ready?" I nod eagerly in response. Before I can process what a bad idea this is, Charlie does a backflip off of the chair (which is 5 feet in the air) and swan dives into the 12 feet of water below.

When he resurfaces, I pick my jaw off the ground. "Are you crazy? What were you thinking?" His only response is a boyish laugh and a contagious grin. " You could have killed yourself!"