When my family moved into this new neighborhood last summer, Annie was one of the first kids I met. She was quiet in a way that paired nicely with my loudness, and we became best friends right away.
Annie was excellent at making up elaborate stories for the games we played in the woods behind my house, and I was always ready and willing to act the stories out.
So, because we were best friends, not only did I get to join the pool party, Annie also invited me to spend the night, hence the duffel bag.
We’d started eighth grade together a few weeks earlier, which meant high school was around the corner. Thinking about it made my stomach churn. School was … not my favorite.
But today was Saturday, it still felt like summer in central Texas, and I refused to think about school.
Instead, I dropped my duffel bag off in Annie’s bedroom and headed to the backyard. Kids I knew from school and church were scattered across the Carters’ yard—splashing in the in-ground pool and running on the deck, hanging on the tire swing tied on the huge oak tree near the back fence, sitting in deck chairs eating pizza and chips. Only the treehouse in the oak remained off limits, the rope ladder pulled up to discourage entry. Annie and Gage didn’t even letmego into the treehouse. It was their own private clubhouse.
Their backyard was chaos, and I loved it.
I spotted Annie, dangling her feet in the water in the only quiet corner of the pool. Her light brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, and her blue eyes matched the pool water with their sparkle. She wore a long gray T-shirt, but I could see the straps from her swimsuit tied behind her neck.
I might have thrived off this kind of lawless energy, but I knew Annie hated it. She’d rather be curled up on the couch watching a movie and eating popcorn, which was what we’d do later that night, I was sure. The crazy party was undoubtedly Gage’s idea.
I shucked off the shorts covering my bathing suit, and with a piercing yell, I ran full speed toward the pool, leaping into the air as I reached the edge. I tucked my knees up to my chest and crashed through the surface of the water in a cannonball. I came up laughing and swam toward Annie’s corner.
Hanging on the wall, I looked up at her. Her T-shirt was dappled in water droplets.
She wiped the water from my splash off her forehead, a wide smile on her face. “Olivia! You’re here!”
I threw both hands in the air and shouted, “I’m here!” while treading water with my legs to stay afloat.
Gage paddled over on a giant inner tube shaped like a flamingo. “Nice entrance!” he called to me before adding a quiet, “You good?” to his sister. His hair, normally a sandy blond only slightly darker than mine, looked nearly the same shade as his sister’s when wet and tousled like it was. His eyes matched hers, too—one of their only physical similarities.
Annie nodded, flashing him a thumbs-up. Unsatisfied, Gage placed both his hands on top of my head and dunked me underwater.
I spluttered to the surface, ready to tip Gage’s stupid float over. But he grinned at me from his flamingo perch. “Don’t splash Annie,” he ordered. “She doesn’t want to get wet.”
I turned my head toward Annie, who waved away her brother’s concern. “It’s fine. I’m having fun.”
Gage shrugged and paddled away.
I set my hands on the side of the pool and hauled myself up to sit on the wall next to Annie. “Are you really okay with this loud party?” I asked her.
She tilted her head. “I am. It’s what Gage wanted and, to tell you the truth, no one’s paying attention to me anyway, only to him.” She smiled. “It works for both of us.”
“Well, I’ll pay attention to you,” I promised. “I don’t care about Gage.”
Annie grinned and laid her head against my shoulder. “He’s actually pretty entertaining.” She lifted her head and pointed to Gage on the far side of the pool, standing on the pool deck. “Watch this. He’s been obsessed with his abs for weeks, ever since his baseball coach told him he’s a power hitter because of his strong core.” She rolled her eyes.
I watched as Gage approached a group of girls from school. I couldn’t hear what he said, but he gestured with his hands, made a fist, and pantomimed punching himself in the stomach. “What is he doing?” I asked.
Annie giggled. “He’s trying to get someone to punch him in the stomach to show how strong his abs are. So far, he hasn’t had any volunteers.”
I laughed, still watching Gage across the pool. “I’ll do it.”
Annie looked at me. “Do what? Punch my brother in the stomach?”
“Sure.” I shrugged. “Why not?” I was pretty strong, mostly in my legs because of soccer, so it’d have been better if I couldkickhim in the stomach, but I bet my punch could do some damage, too. Plus, he deserved it after dunking me underwater like that.
I hopped up and held out my hand to Annie. “Come on.”
She grabbed my hand and let me pull her to her feet. Giggling, she followed me around the pool until we stood behind Gage, who was entertaining half a dozen other kids.
I propped a hand on my hip and tapped Gage on the shoulder. He turned around.
