Page 26 of Icarus

“Come with me. I want to show you something.”

Roth

Celestina grabbed his hand and the feeling slammed him from the haze of memory and back to the now.

The vivid green of the woods around them, the rustle of the wind through leaves, and her hot grip. He was pulled forward and over a pile of rocks to a glittering expanse, brown as a pebble and lightly burbling.

She let go of his hand and threw her arms out wide.

“What do you think?!”

The pond was enclosed on most sides by piled up rocks, and it was about as big as a tennis court. The water splashed up against the side, reversing like waves in the ocean. This pond must be fed by an underground spring.

Celestina peeled off her sweatshirt and started unclasping the buttons on the side of her skirt.

“What are you doing?” Icarus exclaimed, alarmed.

“It’s still super warm from summer. I’m going in,” Celestina replied, lightly. “I have my volleyball stuff under, so don’t get your panties twisted.”

She threw her sweatshirt and skirt onto the rocks and splashed loudly into the water in her sports bra and shorts.

Icarus huffed a sigh of disbelief, took off his backpack, and tossed it by Celestina’s clothes.

He rolled up his jeans and tentatively dipped his toes in. The water was shockingly warm, almost hot.

He looked up at Celestina, scandalized, but she just threw her head back and laughed.

“Come on, don’t be a chicken. I’ll even close my eyes and turn around so you can preserve your precious modesty,” she teased.

Icarus blushed. “Fine, fine.”

He peeled off his sweater and jeans and made his way into the water slowly. Arms wrapped around his own compact shoulders until the water lapped at his chest.

Celestina flopped onto her back and kicked her feet until they were near each other.

“It’s not so bad, is it?” she said.

Icarus laughed and shook his head.

The prettiest girl in school ducked under the water and popped back up, droplets clinging to her eyelashes, and Icarus wondered—not for the first time—what he was doing here. What he’d done to deserve to see all this.

The pond. Celestina’s toasty skin. The snot leaking imperfectly out of her nose as she sneezed water out and coughed.

Icarus floated quietly next to her and focused on being thankful.

Lim

Celestina splashed him until she got tired, then they floated alongside each other.

Her acrylic nails stretched out, just barely touching his ribs to make sure he stayed close. Icarus stared up at the sky and watched it change colors until it turned the indigo that meant it was time to go home.

They sloshed, waterlogged, onto the shore and pulled their dry clothes onto their bodies.

Celestina punched him in the arm hard enough to hurt, and smiled bright as daytime before they parted ways.

Icarus breathed in and out and in again. He didn’t feel hollow anymore.

Brush