Page 50 of Notice Me, Jameson Hart
The way they stare at each other makes me think I should give them some privacy. But we’re in a pool. The only thing I can do is go underwater, and I can’t hold my breath for that long.
I paddle my deflating donut to the far side of the pool, giving them as much space as possible while pretending to examine the pool filter. Behind me, I hear splashing and Rita’s delighted squeals as Robbie apparently tries to dunk her.
“No fair!” she protests, spluttering. “You’re twice my size!”
“All’s fair in love and pool warfare,” Robbie says, and even though I’m not watching, I can hear the grin in his voice.
My mind drifts, painting a different scene entirely. In my imagination, it’s Jameson in the pool with me. He’d probably do the same running cannonball, but because he’s bigger than my brother, he’d end up soaking everything in a ten-foot radius. Maybe he’d surface right next to me, close enough that I could count the water droplets on his eyelashes.
“Sorry,” he’d say, but he wouldn’t appear sorry at all. He’d wear a wolfish smile and approach me in an alligator-like manner.
“You did that on purpose,” I’d accuse, and he’d laugh, low and warm.
“Maybe,” he’d admit. “Wanted to see if I could make you smile.”
In my fantasy, I’m confident enough to splash him back, to get us into a water fight that ends with us winded and grinning. He’d chase me around the pool, and I’d let him catch me. His thick arms would wrap around my middle, and maybe we’dshare a kiss. Our hands would roam. My legs would wrap around his waist. I’d be able to feel his heart beating fast; mine would beat faster. I’d never want it to end.
“Kevin!” Rita’s voice snaps me back to reality. “Stop daydreaming and come judge our handstand contest!”
I turn to find Rita and Robbie both holding their breaths as they flip upside down in the water. Their legs wave in the air, their feet bonking into each other’s.
Rita’s form is surprisingly good. Her toes are pointed, and she barely falters. Robbie, on the other hand, reminds me of a drowning giraffe.
“Rita wins,” I declare immediately.
Robbie surfaces, cheeks flushed and seeing red. “Kevin! I’m your brother!”
“Sorry,brother, but Rita has technique. You don’t.”
“Harsh but fair,” Robbie admits after a beat. He turns to Rita, who’s still underwater. “How does she do that?”
Rita pops up, pushing her wet hair back. “Years of synchronized swimming camp. My mom thought it would make me more graceful.”
“Did it work?” Robbie asks, swimming closer to her.
“You tell me,” she says, and there’s not a shadow of a doubt that some invisible thread is pulling them together.
I occupy myself once more by trying to inflate my donut, blowing into the little plastic valve until I’m dizzy. Robbie and Rita have moved on to seeing who can hold their breath the longest. It involves a lot of counting and cheating, and accusations of tickling.
The sun continues to beat down on us. I close my eyes and drift, listening to my brother and best friend fall for each other in real time. It should be weird, but mostly, it makes me happy.
They deserve this—these moments of pure summer joy that they’ll remember forever.
Maybe one day, I will too.
CHAPTER 13
friday at the drive-in
“Yo. Drive-in tonight!” Adam announces, sliding the back door open with enough force that it bounces back and almost clocks him in the side. “Matthew texted me. They’re playingGreaseat the Starlight. He and Tyler are going. They said that if they get there before us, they’ll save us a spot.” His phone pings. “Oh, and Hart’s in too. And he’s bringing Ethan.”
Rita’s elbow finds my ribs with surgical precision. She’s practically vibrating with excitement beside me. “Yes, let’s go!” she says, her voice pitched too high for my liking. “I mean, it’sGrease. Classic summer movie. And it’s probably cooler at night, right?”
“I don’t know,” I hedge, already imagining two hours of trying not to stare at Jameson in the dark. “I’m pretty tired from all this floating.”
“It’sGrease,” Adam says, staring at me with those big brother eyes that see too much. “Last week, you made us listen to ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ on repeat for no other reason than to torture us.”
“That was different.”
