Page 19 of Another Love, Another Time
“Yeah, I did.”
“Let’s get something to eat. I bet you worked up an appetite.”
“You know me well, my friend. To the concessions, Captain!” She points to the building that holds all the goods.
~~
Yesterday was the last day of the tournament. Our parents invited the teams for a beach party. My dad is grilling hot dogs, and the moms are throwing some sides together. That was not part of the itinerary. My mom must have gone off script, whichdoesn’t happen often. Uncle Kendall has asked me to help him stock the coolers with drinks while Logan helps his dad set up some games. There is a volleyball net, cornhole, and a few other games for everyone to play.
River comes out of the house in a loose tank. She has a farmer’s tan from being out in the sun the last couple of days. She looks at me and gives me a mischievous smile. “Hey, do you and Logan want to get in the water until everyone gets here? Logan and I are already in our swim trunks.” She looks at both of us and then takes off towards the water. River grabs the hem of the tank and pulls it over her head.
That’s when I notice the area around her chest has swelled. River is wearing a blue and yellow two-piece swimsuit that makes me notice her eyes, and well— Wow, River has boobs now. When did she grow those?
She gives me an awkward look and takes off again, yelling, “Last one is a rotten egg!”
I shake my head and realize that I’m the rotten egg. River and Logan are on their boogie boards, floating, when I finally make it to them with my board.
Finally, we are all floating around. I start, “Hey, Riv, watch out for the jellyfish. I’d hate to have to pee on you again.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “I’m never going to live that down! I blame your dad and my mom. They were the ones condoning that without consulting the all-knowing Google.”
Logan is laughing at us. River gets serious and continues, “I needed this. Just to hang out with you two. I feel like I haven’t gotten to hang out with you two in a long time. I’ve been so busy with softball, school, and, well, just everything. It leaves so little time for anything else. I miss you all.”
“Aw, Riv, we miss you too,” Logan tells her.
“Yeah, but you both still have each other. Don’t get me wrong. I have friends I hang out with from back home, but not like you two. You’re like… ride or die.” She rolls her eyes, trying to lighten the mood.
I swim over to her and envelop her in my arms. “Aw, River, you know we love you too!” I start giving her exaggerated smoochie kisses all over her face. Logan comes over and does the same thing as she tries to push us off.
“Ew, guys! Way to ruin a moment.” She scoffs, but I know she’s playing around. The front of her body is pushed up against my chest, and I can feel the cushion of her boobs. I get butterflies in my stomach again; I can feel things start to harden down below. I shake my head, push back, and grab my board to save her and myself from an awkward moment. No way am I ready for her to feel my hard-on for her. I start thinking about anything and everything to get my mind off the way that her body felt against mine.
I know what she is saying. I’ve missed River, too. We talk every day on the phone, but sometimes it’s only for a few minutes. It’s not the same. I know that she and Logan talk, but it’s not as much as we do. I look up at the beach house and see some of our teammates walking into the backyard.
“Let’s head in,” I say. “I see a few people showing up. You know our parents will want us to help entertain.”
River, Age 14
I groan and announce, “I hate entertaining people. Why did our parents have to invite everyone over?”
Auggie puts his arm around me and pulls me in for a side hug. “Aw, River. You just want me all to yourself.”
“Yeah, I do. I hate sharing you with other people, and I feel like every dang time we hang out, our parents force us to include everyone. God forbid someone get their feelings hurt.” I know he knows I’m talking about Melissa, but I’m also talking about the other girls who I know will be here. I have noticed more and more that any time we hang out, girls come up to Auggie and Logan and try to flirt with them. I mainly notice them doing it with Auggie. Don’t get me wrong. Both are good-looking, but we are talking about my Auggie. I think he was checking me out earlier when I took my tank off. I have grown some boobs since the last time I saw him. I made my mom buy me a new swimsuit for this trip, one that doesn’t look like I’m ten still. Then, when he hugged me earlier in the water, my belly did a flip.
“River, I won’t leave your side tonight. We stick together. Got it?” He turns to Logan. “Sorry, bro.”
“No problem. There will be plenty of people. I’m used to it by now with you two,” Logan jokes.
We reach the deck of the house, and our parents start giving us directions about what still needs to be done before the rest of the teams get here.
After everyone eats, Auggie, Logan, and I sit on a log, ready to toast some marshmallows for s’mores. Some teammates are around the fire, doing the same thing.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a group of girls huddled around talking. Most of my team has already left to go home. A few ofthem are here, but not as many as Auggie and Logan’s team. Most of the girls on my team are playing volleyball with some of Auggie’s teammates. I see one of the girls approaching us. I know where she’s heading; I’ve seen her checking Auggie out all night.
“Hey, Auggie. Hey, Logan.” She looks over at me. “Do you want to come and swim with us?”
Auggie looks over in the direction she came from, back to her, and then at me. He nudges me to imply that I get the final say. I shrug. I don’t really care.
“We’ll head that way in a minute,” he says. Then, he asks some of the other boys on his team if they want to go down and hang out in the water. Auggie grabs my hand and pulls me off the log. “Ready, killer?”
