AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Okay, I’m ready,” I called out to Chase as Morgan ran over with the other floats. Morgan stood next to the diving board and cupped his hands around his mouth.
“I can’t believe it!” Morgan hollered in his announcer voice. “Hulk Hogan looks like he’s going to body slam The Dragon, Hollis Ward!”
The Dragon and Hollis Ward were always my pretend wrestler star names. Chase had given me that name, and he had given Morgan the name Morgan Mills. He was always Hulk Hogan, though.
I made an astonished, open-mouthed expression as I looked up at Hulk Hogan bouncing on the diving board.
“Cowabunga, buttholes!” Chase yelled as he jumped, landed on the board, and let the diving board propel him up and into the air.
Seconds later, he belly flopped onto my stomach, sending us both underwater briefly. I wrapped my arms under his arms and kicked my feet to push us to the surface.
“What?! I can’t believe it! Hollis Ward has emerged with Hulk Hogan in his grip! I don’t see how Hogan can get out of this one, folks,” Morgan continued to announce.
Chase suddenly started to kick and cough hard. He’d swallowed water. I moved my arms from my wrestling hold of trapping his arms and pushed his body upward so his head was out of the water.
“Stop kicking, Chase,” I said, hoping he’d calm down.
Morgan raced over to the pool float he had dropped by the diving board. Chase had stopped kicking but had turned to climb me and wrap his arms around me. I treaded water with him and slowly made our way toward the float Morgan had pushed in front of me. Once the float was within reach, Chase pulled himself onto it.
“Okay?” I asked him.
He nodded and coughed. “Thank you, Hollis.”
“I would never let Hulk Hogan drown.” I winked at him and pushed his float with him on it toward the shallow end of the pool.
Morgan and I lined up the floats for one another to land on as we jumped off the diving board or the bench. When Chase rejoined us, Morgan and I kept an extra close eye on him. Each jump we did was dramatic as we attempted to mirror what we saw on the WWF shows.
Mom brought out cookies and Kool-Aid along with our towels that we’d neglected to bring outside.
“Did you see me body slam Morgan, Mom?” Chase asked as we raced to the patio table.
“I did. It was very creative; though, I think your father and I have told you guys not to jump from the bench into the pool.”
“What’s the difference between that and jumping off the diving board?” Morgan asked.
“The difference is that the diving board is securely attached to the ground. The bench isn’t. It could give out from under you, and you guys could fall and get hurt.”
“Hulk Hogan doesn’t get hurt,” Chase announced.
“Where is Dad?” I asked. “I thought you said he had the afternoon off.”
“He had an errand to run and will bring dinner home in just a little bit.”
On Friday nights, we usually played a board game while we ate pizza, and depending upon the game, Chase teamed up with someone. Tonight was Trivial Pursuit, which was a little harder for him to manage on his own, so he teamed up with Morgan and me. Chase sat between us and was our designated token piece operator. I chewed on my pizza while Morgan rolled the die and then Chase moved our token.
“Four,” Chase said and moved toward the spot for the pie piece. “One… two… three… four! Oh! Guys, piece of pie!” he exclaimed as he tapped both of us, as if we didn’t see it.
“Good move, Chase,” I said and looked at Mom to read the question.
Her eyes scanned the question card and then she looked at us and laughed before she looked at Dad.
“This is way too easy,” she teased and shook her head.
“Good! Read it, Mom!” Chase slid off his chair and jumped up and down.
“Let me see the question.” Dad leaned over and looked at the place Mom pointed to. He laughed out loud too. “You think they’re going to get that one?” he asked.
“I do,” she replied.
