Waving Not Drowning

"You know, like, he never even responded to my last text. And now Rahim says he's dating that skank, that blonde from Casey's party last Thursday. I Can Not Be Lieve It." Adriana spits out the last line, articulating each syllable in a hard staccato rhythm, spitting the sounds as if to get the taste of them out of her mouth. Her eyes pool, she pulls her mirrored aviator sunglasses out of her gloriously long, thick, black mane of Persian hair and slides them along the bridge of her aquiline nose, the angles of her face carving harsh shadows on the top of her barely covered breasts. She's rolled up her tank top to sun her stomach, pulled down her waistband and hauled up her shorts fashioning a makeshift bikini. Her skin soaks up the sun, turning a deep mahogany brown, barely breaking a sweat. Carly nods sympathetically, mmm'ing and ahhh'ing, adding some uh huhs, and oh yeahs for good measure. They sit casually straddled, entwined like lazy cats sunbathing, a...

Summer camp. This year is Eli's year, no question. Fifteen, sizeable growth spurt over the school year, enough peach fuzz to justify actually scraping it off of his face with an outrageously overpriced razor he begged his mom to buy for him. He splashed out for cologne with his own money from babysitting. Eli is beloved by the kids on the block. A straight teenage boy with serious gaming chops and a way with lego who is a natural with kids. They flock to him like sheep to a shepherd and obey, obey, obey. Eli's mom can't figure out if he is gifted or just likes telling younger kids what to do. Bossy bully or empath. However you cut it, it gives him purpose and financial means. Ashley will be a CTI this summer. They had stayed in touch online all winter but this will be the first time he has seen her since Labour Day. The last day of last summer. A canoe ride across White Pine lake, huddled under the redwood, waiting out the storm, fumbling with each other's bodies, riski...