Float

Original Edition: Chapter Twenty-Four

For quite possibly the first (and hopefully the last) time in my life, I woke up before a five o'clock alarm I'd set the night before. After more than a month of sleeping in late and waking up to blinding sunshine, I opened my eyes to find my bedroom pitch black. And, for a few seconds, I was outraged. What was my brain thinking, waking me up before the crack of dawn during my summer vacation?

Then I remembered. I had a date.

I shot out of bed, stumbling over the clothes strewn across the floor, and smacked the light switch. The burst of florescent light from the fixture mounted on the ceiling was blinding. I squinted and blinked as I shuffled around, digging up my blue and white striped bikini, a pair of cutoffs, and a tank top. It took me all of ten seconds to dress, but I stood over the bathroom sink brushing my teeth long enough to hum the Happy Birthday song three times. After that, I spent nearly fifteen minutes trying to braid my hair in just the right way.

When I was clean and presentable, I tucked my flip-flops under my arm and tip-toed downstairs. I had no idea how early Rachel liked to get up on weekdays, but since she'd stayed up until well after one o'clock the night before watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians, I figured I wouldn't see her around the house until the afternoon.

I'm sure she wasn't expecting me to be up so early, either. Which was probably why she screamed and jumped nearly a foot in the air when I rounded the corner into the kitchen and almost knocked the bowl of cereal out of her hands.

"Jesus, Waverly!" she wailed, clutching the bowl to her chest.

"Sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't know you were up."

"Well, I was feeling inspired," she huffed.

Rachel had her hair pulled up in a bun and the oversized, long-sleeved button-up she wore was splattered with paint. She shoved a spoonful of cereal in her mouth, then narrowed her eyes at me.

"What are you doing up?" she asked through a mouthful of what looked like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

"Goin' out," I mumbled, shrugging my shoulders.

Rachel quirked an eyebrow.

"At five in the morning? On a Wednesday?"

There was a long pause.

"I'm going to the pool," I admitted.

The knowing smile that spread across Rachel's face had me casting my eyes towards the ceiling, wishing some divine being or another could toss a lightning bolt my way to give me an exit from this unbearable embarrassment.

"Ah-ha," Rachel said, nodding slowly. "I see."

"See what?" I demanded, my face starting to burn. "There's nothing to see. I'm just going to the pool. Swim some laps. Cardio."

Rachel nodded again, grinning smugly.

"Oh, sure. Sure."

With my face still flushed bright red, I snatched a granola bar from the bowl on the counter and hurried back into the living room. I was around the couch and halfway to the front door when Rachel called out after me in a sing-song voice.

"Enjoy your cardio!"

I made sure to slam the front door behind me.

Outside, the air was crisp and—to my pleasant surprise—cold. I tossed my flip-flops onto the porch and slipped them on slowly, taking a moment to soak in the familiar sting of cold wind against my cheeks and to glance at the house next door. None of the lights were on. I felt my heart sink the tiniest bit, then admonished myself. I was being stupid. Blake and I had agreed to meet outside the Holden Public Pool at six o'clock so we could get a lesson in well before the pool opened to the public at ten. I was almost an hour early.