Page 89 of The Friend Scheme
We reach the sand and take off our shoes. We leave them to the side, and then start walking toward the water.
“For real, though, it’s weird, right?” he says. “That I do this? I’ve actually never told anyone that I do this before. I was too worried about what they’d think, I guess.”
“No,” I say. “I like it.”
We reach a spot on the edge. He stretches.
“You coming in?” he asks as he takes off his shirt.
“For sure.”
“Sweet.”
We both undress to our underwear, and then walk up to the water. I step in, and it’s pretty freaking cold. Jason goes behind me, and puts his hands on my arms, holding me in place.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
He whispers in my ear: “I heard something on the news the other day.”
“Oh really? What?”
He rubs my arms, and he’s standing so close that I can feel his body warmth on my back.
“That shark attacks are on the rise.”
He leans in close, and lightly presses his teeth on the back of my neck. Laughing, I push him away.
“Seriously, though, are you actually scared of sharks?” he asks. “I just like messing with you. You get so flustered; it’s so fun.”
I look out at the water. “It’s fine.”
“Okay, then. In that case, I dare you to go in by yourself.”
“What?”
“Come on, be brave. Go in without me. You can do it.”
I guess he has a point.
Going in alone is way scarier.
“Fine,” I say, and I trudge forward.
I want to impress him. And myself, I guess.
I go even deeper than we did last time, and start treading water. Okay, this iswayfreakier by myself.
“How long are you going to make me wait?” I call.
He smiles and wades in. He dives into the water and swims up to me.
He reaches me and slicks his hair back. His chest is heaving, and his mouth is hanging open. He’s breathless. I stand up.
“You’re so brave,” he says.
“It takes more than this to scare me.”
“I bet,” he says, stepping closer. “Now, dare me to do something. Anything you want, I’ll do it.”
