Summer Daze

by Renee Porter

  I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “Damn, how did you know that’s what I was planning to do.”

  My dad ruffled my hair – something he has done since I was a kid. “Okay, so it’s settled. This weekend the house is yours. Just don’t burn it down kid.”

  “No promises,” I smiled at him as I rushed back up the stairs. I wanted to tell someone. I texted Justin but he didn’t respond. Instead, I opened my messenger to El’s conversation.

  What are you doing tonight?

  It was her last response before I had gone to talk with my dad. I typed back:

  Nothing much, why?

  My phone rang and picked it up right away, thinking it was Justin. “Dude, my parents are gone for the weekend. The house is all mine for 48 hours!” A feminine chuckle, and decidedly not Justin’s chuckle, sounded over the other line.

  “The house all to yourself, huh? Whatever are you going to do with all that time?” For some reason, El’s voice sounded a little more mature over the phone. I reddened with embarrassment.

  “Hey, El. Sorry, I thought you were Justin.”

  “Dang, and here I thought my voice wasn’t that deep.” Again, she chuckled and I rolled my eyes at her.

  “Ha. Ha. So, what’s up?”

  “Well, since you don’t have plans tonight, I was wondering if you could do something for me.”

  “Uh, sure. What’s up?”

  “Teach me how to swim?”

  ***

  I fidgeted with my towel as I knocked on the Bloom’s door. I don’t know why I was so nervous. El had already said her Dad and stepmom were out and that Summer was out on a date. Ugh, I didn’t even want to go down that line of thought.

  It was originally a surprise to me that El had even asked me what she did. But then I thought back and realized it wasn’t that she didn’t like to swim, it’s that she couldn’t.

  The door opened and El stood aside for me to come inside. I had never been in Summer’s house but I decided right then and there that I liked it. It was homey. It was the kind of house that welcomed you from the first step inside. The walls were painted in warm beiges. Accent walls filtered through every room passed, dark greens and reds. Pictures lined the walls and curtains hung lazily with straight, perfected lines. And now that I thought about it, this place was a little too clean to really look lived in.

  El took us to the back yard where a large pool and spa lit up the dark backyard. I looked at El who stared at the water like it was the bane of her existence.

  “You sure you want to do this?” I asked. I had never taught anyone anything before and I was asking more for me than for her. But when she nodded her head and removed her summer dress I decided that I could at least try. For her.

  El had a blue bikini on. It was as modest of a bikini that one could have. It didn’t show off too much skin where some other bikinis would. I liked it on her. It made her seem more adult, for some reason. I too removed my tank and jeans. The night was still warm. I jumped in the pool, feeling the cool water flush over my body. It was invigorating.

  I looked up at El, my eyelashes clinging to water droplets and for a moment, a strong feeling came over me. I couldn’t place where it came from. It was located somewhere between my heart and toes. Maybe it moved around, as if there was something fluttering through my veins. The blue pool light dance across El’s tanned skin. Her hair was down tonight, something that I had only seen a few times. It reminded me of subtle waves of the ocean. I thought for a moment that it was more beautiful than any other style I had ever seen.

  “Okay,” I decided it was time. “Come over to the steps.” El nodded once and did as I asked. “You’re only going to come in as far as you can stand, okay?” I could tell she was nervous so I tried to keep my voice calm and gentle.

  I watched as El got used to each step. Every now and then she would give me a shy smile. I felt for her, I did. I had a feeling this was something big for her to do. For her to even ask.

  “Okay, what next?” El was chest deep and had determination in her eyes. They were brilliant. Honestly. I shook away that feeling again.

  “Alright, you’re going to float on your back and I’m going to hold you. I want you take a deep breath before, though, okay?” El hesitated for a brief moment but then nodded her head. I watched her fill her lungs with air and I placed my left hand on the small of her back. At the contact, my skin prickled. Maybe the water was colder than I thought.

  “When you need to breathe, exhale slow and then take another deep breath.” Her eyes were closed but she nodded in understanding. El floated there, with my hands supporting her and I smiled. “See? Not so hard.”

  “No, not at all,” she chuckled. We floated for a bit, as we both enjoyed the sounds of the pool water lapping at the edge of the bricks. “This is really peaceful.”

  I agreed with her. I watched as she would exhale slowly and her chest would raise again over the water. My eyes focused on the serenity of her face. Her stomach muscles tightened, showing her defined abs. Her back arched slightly when my fingers danced across her smooth arc. Suddenly, this felt bigger to me than just a friend teaching another friend how to swim. I cleared my throat.

  “Okay, now we’re going to doggy paddle.”

  El was a natural. She learned how to keep her head above water as she paddled through the water. Before she knew it, she was going under without holding her nose and swimming from one side to other using her arms and legs to propel her.

  Finally, after what seemed like a full marathon of swimming, we stepped out of the pool, laughing.

  “Thanks, Jayce.” She said softly. I warmed at the sound of my full name. No one but my family called me Jayce.

  “You’re welcome. You now officially know how to swim.” Her smile was brilliant.

  “You like my sister.” She said as if it were the next most natural thing to say.

  “What?” I tried to cover, drying my hair with my towel. I suddenly felt very naked.

  “It’s okay, if you do. She’s beautiful. A lot of people find her attractive.” She kept her daring blue eyes on me but I didn’t comment. “Sometimes I wish people found me that attractive.” It was said as if in passing but I knew, in that moment, that El felt like she was living in her sister’s shadow.

  “I don’t think you have to worry about that, El.”

  She gave me a roll of her eyes, not believing my words.

  “Honestly. I think you’re going to surpass your sister in a lot of ways.”

  She tilted her head. “You think so?”

  I nodded. It was the truth. For as much as I thought Summer was attractive, I knew that she would always be the way she was. Maybe high school would even be Summer’s peak. But El, I had a feeling that El was just starting to find herself.

  Just like me.

  Chapter 5

  “Junior year is finally over! Woo Woo!” I heard screaming coming from the class as the bell rang. It was official. We were seniors.

  My Junior year was the hardest yet. I struggled to keep my grades up as I continued to work part time at Now or Never. Not only did I work, but I also volunteered at the library, helping secondary English speakers to read and write. It looked great on my college applications as well as made me feel like I was making a difference. And then, there were the SATs. I didn’t do as well as I had hoped, but I knew my scores were good enough to get into the UC’s.

  “Hey Stevens, party at my place tonight. Bring your suit!” Summer called from down the hallway and held my thumb up. The crush didn’t relent over Junior year but I found a friend in Summer none the less. Not only was Justin, Madison, Summer and the rest of the group graduating tomorrow night, but it meant that El would be here soon, too.

  I kept in touch with El after last summer. I guess that’s why social media could be great. We may not have talked every day, but we liked each other’s posts and every now and then we chat over messenger or texts.

  From what I knew, El was living it up in Seattle. She ha
d a band, which I thought was awesome. She found church choir to be a little too ‘boring’ as she called it, so she decided to start something on her own. From what I knew of high school bands, they were nothing but teen angst. The videos she posted though were something else. She had an amazing voice. Seriously. It was…well, no words could actually describe it.

  I found my way to Summer’s house a little early. I knew Justin and Madison would be there in about an hour – they figured they would take use of Madison’s parents out of town for the night. It was still a little gross to me.

  I knocked and when the door opened, Summer smiled at me. She gave me a hug and I relished in the feeling of warmth. She smelled of lavender and vanilla. A smell that I would give anything to buy so I could put it on my pillow as I slept. Ugh, I’m ridiculous.

  Last summer I vowed to change my awkwardness and the transformation was a success. This summer, I vowed to kiss the girl I’ve been crushing on for as long as I could remember. Maybe it would be tonight, maybe the last day of Summer. But I knew it was going to happen.

  “You’re early,” Summer stated as she closed the door. I could already hear a few people jumping into the pool.

  “Yeah. I had nothing else to do.” I subconsciously looked around for El, but she was nowhere to be seen.

  “Who are you looking for? Langston?” Summer wiggled her eyebrows and I vomited in my mouth.

  Langston Lieber had a thing for me. It wasn’t a secret, not even to me. He consistently asked me out and I consistently said ‘no.’ Everyone thought I was playing hard to get. Yes, that’s exactly what I was doing but none of me would ever be ‘gotten’ when it came to him.

  “You know, me.” I said. I shrugged my shoulders and Summer put her arm around me. I exited to the backyard and watched as the boys showed off their ‘moves’ for each other. Cannon balls, back flips, dives. Nothing was off limits.

  Summer dove in perfectly, leaving me behind to remove my tank and shorts. I had grown a little over the year and I was proud of my changing body. I didn’t particularly like how proud others were of it as well, but I figured it was par for the course.

  The boys gathered around in a circle, talking and laughing. I watched as Summer glided over to them, the water smoothing over her back. Even in the setting sun I could see her muscles flexing with ever stroke.

  “Gross. Thought you’d be over that crush by now.”

  I hated how El always seemed to startle me. I jumped slightly and a familiar chuckle sounded in my ear. I turned, expecting to see El, in a blue bikini with a long pony tail. Instead my breath hitched.

  “What? Do I have something in my teeth?” El held her hand over her mouth.

  I think El finally grew up.

  No longer was El the girl that I had met last summer. In her place was a full on woman. Was that even possible in a year? El, stood there, under my scrutiny, possibly being the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

  “What?” I asked, blinking.

  El chuckled and gripped my shoulder. “Nice to see you too.” The hand that was placed on my shoulder reached up and closed my mouth. For some reason, my tongue felt way too large for my mouth.

  “It looks like you’ve seen a ghost. It is me, you know?” Again, she chuckled and the familiar sound knocked me into the moment. I smiled.

  “Sorry, you just look different.”

  She tilted her head and studied me. “You too. You look more…grown up.” She smiled a brilliant smile and I couldn’t help but smile back. “So, you planning on going for it tonight or…” she nodded toward Summer and I rolled my neck.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Hah!” It was all she said before she raced passed me and jumped in the pool. I guess my lessons paid off.

  I had to take a moment to figure out what had just happened. That was El wasn’t it? I mean, her hair was longer, and a little darker. But the eyes were the same dark blue. The laugh was the same too, but everything else seemed different.

  “Stevens, you coming in?” Summer yelled just before her sister dunked her under. El laughed in my direction and I decided that I would think on this a little later. Because right now, I just wanted to have fun with my friends.

  “Can you please just get a room?” El passed Justin and Madison making out on the couch. I snickered as I followed her into the kitchen. I was pretty sure I had been talking to Summer right before El asked if I wanted a drink. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to be pulled away from a Summer conversation. “Okay, so what’s with you?” El bent over in the fridge and I forced my eyes to not land where they wanted.

  “What do you mean?” I decided to play it cool because I wasn’t even sure what was with me.

  “You’re flipped.”

  I tried to understand what she meant. “Flipped?”

  “Yeah,” El handed me a water after opening it. I took a long pull of the cool liquid. “Last year you wouldn’t even talk to the group, only me. Now it’s the opposite.”

  Okay, this El definitely said what was on her mind. “Sorry, it’s just. I’ve changed a lot since last summer.” I leaned against the cool kitchen tile as El effortlessly jumped up on the breakfast bar.

  “Believe me, I’ve noticed.” She was teasing me and I knew it. El, even though it was still unconfirmed, was still the only one that knew I was definitely not totally heterosexual.

  “Thanks for the ogling,” I tried to tease back. She winked at me and the air changed.

  “I’m in a band.”

  “I know.”

  “You’ve been keeping tabs on me, Jayce?” And there it was. That feeling again. I had similar feelings when thinking about Summer but El put me on overdrive. Just from saying my name? No, this wasn’t right.

  “Well we are friends aren’t we, Eleanor?” El chuckled and nodded. “We are. And as your friend, I would just like to say something.” El hopped off the breakfast bar and walked up to me slowly. I thought she was sexy. And then I shook that thought from my mind. She came close and reached around me, pulling an apple from the fruit bowl behind me. “Langston has a thing for you.” She laughed and retreated back to the outside. “What are you going to do about that?” I heard her yell to me.

  I rolled my eyes and couldn’t help but laugh. She knew exactly what she was doing and I was letting her. Oh god, I was right. El was a force to be reckoned with. And I told her she would be.

  Chapter 6

  “Have you seen El though? Holy shit.” I followed Bryce’s hands as he held them in front of his chest. It seems like I wasn’t the only one who had thought El had grown into her body.

  “Ew, can you not please? She’s my sister.” Summer called across the table and I secretly thanked her for shutting them up. It was so tactless how they spoke about El without her here.

  Graduation had come and went. El and I joined in the festivities of the night, cheering on our family and friends. We all went out to dinner afterwards and hung out at Summer’s house again. I had a feeling it would be a staple for the Summer. And I had a decision to make as well.

  “What’s going on with you?” Summer asked me as she sat down next to me. I shook my head not wanting her to know what I was thinking. Because what would she say if she thought I wanted to kiss her?

  “Just thinking how this is the last summer before you guys go off to college.”

  “I know right?” Summer laughed and for a moment her voice sounded shrill. I decided to change the subject.

  “So, El got a job at Music Center?” Summer nodded as she took a long sip of her wine cooler.

  “Yeah. God love that kid. She’s so into her music.”

  “She’s a great singer.” Summer fawned over me and again, it seemed a little overplayed in the moment.

  “She is! You’re so sweet for saying that, Jay.” Okay, I officially didn’t very much like buzzed Summer.

  “Your sister have a boyfriend, Sum?” Bryce asked with a chuckle. I fought myself from getting up and
slapping that smug smile off his face.

  “Yeah she does dick head.”

  “She does?” That was meant to be said in my head but instead my shock was said aloud.

  “Yeah. Some kid from her school. I don’t like him. He’s too…touchy.” I mimicked her face with earnest. Why didn’t El tell me she was seeing anyone?

  Maybe because you two don’t tell everything to each other, idiot.

  While Bryce licked his wounds from being rejected by El’s sister, I myself licked my wounds for not realizing that maybe El wasn’t all mine for the summer. It was something that I wasn’t really used to feeling. Maybe I had thought that things would be the same this summer. But obviously, we had both changed. I had actual friends now, of course they were friends that would be leaving me in the dust after they went off to college, but at least we had the summer. I shook my head and I focused on the beautiful girl in front of me.

  “What about you?” I decided to ask. Summer looked at me and for a moment her eyes lingered a second too long.

  “What about, me?” She asked. She was obviously buzzing. I shifted in my seat a little, maybe I could use this.

  “You know, seeing any of these jerks?” I nodded my head to the group of boys. Justin was arm wrestling Langston now and Madison was cheering on her man.

  “Not really.” Summer grew quiet. “What about you and Langston?” Her voice was soft. I had never heard that tone.

  “Definitely not.” I said. The answer pulled a smile from her lips.

  “Good.”

  I swallowed hard and it occurred to me that something just passed between us. Maybe Summer was looking for something similar this break. Maybe, just maybe we had a chance.

  +

  Music Center was a new addition to the mall. During my break from Now or Never I decided to take a look inside. Music was never my thing. I could appreciate songs, but couldn’t hold a beat for the life of me.

  A myriad of off tune notes and strumming from guitars blasted my ear drums. Heavy distortion from one side, country slide on the other and the music coming from over head really did a number on my already growing headache.