Page 44 of Catch Me
“What the fuck?” he yelled.
Swimming backward, I laughed and stared up at the sky. The trees on either side of the swimming hole were large enough that they blocked some of the light, but the sun streamed through the gaps. I’d been here at night a few times, and it was one of the most beautiful things I’d seen.
“You mad?” I asked, straightening so that I could see him.
He was treading water, looking really pissed. I splashed him, which I knew could get me murdered, but we were in a swimming hole, god damnit, and people weren’t allowed to be angry here.
“I can’t stand you,” he muttered.
“Good thing I don’t need external validation.”
He continued to glare, but then his lips twitched. After a second, he laughed and splashed water at me. It slapped me in the face and made me sputter. I returned the attack and ducked underneath to gain a few feet of distance. His gaze landed on me as soon as I surfaced, and it made me pause.
It was rare for there to be anything but anger in his eyes. Sometimes, there was tentative amusement or an ounce of interest, like when we’d talked in the kitchen. Whatever dwelled there now was hard for me to decipher. It was serious but not hostile.
I splashed him again, breaking the intensity that had come over him. He laughed when Tessa swam over to him and licked his arm.
“My shoes are going to be wet when we go to the field,” he said.
“You only brought one pair?”
“No, but I wanted to wear these.”
“Aw. Looks like you have to change your plans. Are you gonna survive?”
“Only if you buy lunch again.”
“Do you doubt me?”
He rolled his eyes before he started swimming on his back. I did the same, letting the tranquility seep into my bones. There was something about water that was relaxing, especially in a natural place like this. A pool could never bring me this kind of peace.
“What are your plans after school?” I asked.
“I want to do character design, like for movies, games, books, or anything, really.”
“That sounds fun. Why’d you choose that?”
“I started drawing because I liked the way animated movies looked. I would recreate the characters, then I started changing them and making flip books.”
“Those’ve always been interesting to me. It seems like a lot of work.”
“It is, but I love it. Drawing is literally one of the only things I do, even in my free time.”
I looked over at him and found him already staring. He turned away immediately, assuming a stoic expression. It was enough to tell me that he probably wouldn’t tolerate more questions.
Casually, I swam over to the small cliff we’d jumped from. I leaned my head back against it and flattened my palms behind me. The smooth stone felt good against my hands.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I like the feel of it.”
“It’s just rock.”
With a smile, I held out my hand. He came over, keeping enough distance that we couldn’t touch.
“When you’re walking by a chain-link fence, do you run your hand across it?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes.”
