Page 144 of Summer Breakdown
Frankie’s arms find Jasmine the moment she jumps in the pool. She pulls her close until Marcel taps her on the shoulder and says, “Tag,” then Jasmine is on her own.
Frankie is out of breath moments later, and she shouldn’t have ditched Jasmine so quick, because she’s faster than her in the pool. Now, Jasmine hangs on to Frankie’s shoulders as Frankie holds on to the edge. Jasmine laughs, panting into Frankie’s ear.
“Fuck,” Jasmine says. “I can barely breathe.”
Frankie swears she heard the closing of the front door, and she’s about to go out and check, but then she hears the telltale signs of jewellery clinking.
“Did you convince Cam to get in the pool?” she whispers to Jasmine.
She shrugs. “I wanted Ezra to smile.”
“I love you,” Frankie replies. “Thank you for taking care of my family.”
Jasmine hums, and no one else has noticed Cam is here yet. She looks like Cam, no lingering heartbreak, in a tiny little bikini and a cover-up. Cam doesn’t usually get in the pool because it doesn’t align with a hair wash day, but her hair is loose and curly and so cute. Frankie waves, and Cam winks at her.
“Room for one more?” Cam asks.
The pool turns calm as everyone spins. “Cam-Cam!” Lani yells. Jasmine swims quickly to take Lani from Ezra. He won’t have dropped her, but he will want to get out and see Cam. It’s rapid, the way he swims to the edge and pulls himself out.
“Hi,” he says.
Cam giggles slightly, her smile as bright as Frankie has ever seen it. “Hi, sugar.” Then, Cam puts her bag down and jumps on him. Oh, Frankie hopes they get together. She wants Cam to see what’s right in front of her.
“Incoming!” Ezra says, before he drops them into the pool.
“I need to get out of my parents’ place,” Cam says, taking a sip of her drink. The sun is low, but there’s still some heat to it. Frankie’s done in the pool, though. Now, she sits in dry clothes and lets the warmth run through her.
Jasmine rests against her. “What happened to the flat you wanted?”
Cam sighs. “It went off the market so quickly. Ezra said I could stay with him.” She looks over at him playing with Lani. They’ll get out soon too. “I dunno. I’m difficult to live with and he’s my favourite thing. I don’t want to ruin that.”
“Okay, rude,” Frankie replies.
Cam sticks her tongue out. “Tell me you wouldn’t push me in the river for Jasmine.” That’s not the same because Frankie is in love with Jasmine and Cam is pretending she’s not in love with Ezra. Cam gets freaked out with emotions though, so Frankie lets her have it.
“What about my place?”
Cam frowns. “What about it?”
“I live here,” she replies, and Jasmine smiles against her shoulder. “I was thinking about renting it out or selling it when the team is settled, but you’re welcome to it.”
“Are you sure?” Cam asks, her brow furrowed.
“Yeah. I’d give you anything.”
Cam smiles. Frankie knows she’d do the same for her. “Jasmine?”
Jasmine sits up. “Try and tell Lani and Marcel that Frankie might need to keep her house and see what happens.”
Cam laughs. “Take the night to think about it,” she says. She gets up, kisses them both on the forehead, and goes to dip her feet in the pool. It doesn’t take long until Ezra is next to her with Lani on his shoulders. Zach is teaching Marcel how to dive, and Mali is filming it under the guise of showing them a proper technique. Frankie thinks she zooms in on Zach’s shoulders. Kai is on his way and Frankie wonders if he’ll tell her why he doesn’t like M’Baku. Probably not, but she could convince Lani to ask him.
“Do you want to go on a date with me?” Frankie asks, running her fingers through Jasmine’s curls. “I’ve never taken you on a first date. I’m such a bad girlfriend.”
Jasmine sits up with a smile. “Wanna hear about the best first date of my life?”
Frankie frowns so hard her eyes close. Her eyelids turn orange. “I suppose, but only because I adore you.”
“Okay,” Jasmine says, sitting up so she’s a little closer. “So, let me set the scene.”
