I set Juliet on her feet. The water lapped at her stomach, right about the spot where I wanted to dip my tongue in her navel. She fluttered her hands through the water and stared at the ripples.
“You okay?” I asked.
She cast a furtive glance around, then leaned up on her toes to whisper in my ear. “I’ve never worn a two-piece before. I’m afraid my top will come off if I move too fast or something.”
“Trust me, I won’t let that happen.”
I crouched until the water was up to my chin and slid my arms through the water. “Let’s do a lazy lap to the end and back.”
“All right.”
We pushed off the edge and navigated our way through clusters of our classmates. We narrowly missed having someone belly flop right on top of us. Finally, we reached the other side. Both of us clung to the cement lip of the pool, slowly moving our legs back and forth.
“This would be fun without everyone else here,” she said.
“Uh-huh.” I wanted to kiss her in the worst way. Under the water, I grabbed her waist with my free hand and pulled her closer.
“Hands above deck, Mr. Hawkins!” someone shouted. The principal? I wasn’t sure and didn’t bother to look. Juliet drifted out of my grasp and I raised my arms in the air like I was being held at gunpoint.
“Whoopsie!” Juliet whispered. She slapped her hand over her mouth to contain her laughter.
She pushed off the wall, slowly paddling toward the shallow end. I followed behind her.
In the middle of the pool, Vienna hooked her arm around Juliet’s shoulders and whispered in her ear.
“Listen up!” one of the teachers shouted. It took a few more tries for the noise to die down so she could be heard. “We’ll be starting group tours down to Ladder Falls in about an hour. It’s an easy hike but you’ll need sneakers or hiking boots.”
She droned on and on with more information and a list of rules. Most people seemed to tune out after the initial announcement.
“Let’s grab lunch,” Vienna said. She turned and splash-ran through the water to the steps.
I stayed as close to Juliet as humanly possible. Our skin sliding and bodies bumping against each other under the water. Juliet slipped on the first step out of the pool. I was close enough to grab and steady her, keeping my hands on her hips all the way out of the water. For safety purposes, of course.
One of our classmates, a kid named Toby, pushed between us, getting in my face. “Look at you, panting after her like a dog.”
“Get out of my way,” I warned.
He chest-bumped me, looking like a wild turkey trying to establish himself in the pecking order. I stared him down and raised an eyebrow. “You sure you wanna go there, bro?”
He flinched. Hesitated. Glanced over his shoulder, looking for backup. His buddies looked away, pretending to see nothing.
“Hope she puts out,” he muttered, stepping away.
My fist curled at my side. But he wasn’t worth the trouble I’d get into if I threw a punch.
“Hey, Roman.” A girl I recognized brushed her arm up against my wet chest.
I couldn’t remember her name. “Hey.”
Toby blocked me again. “All the chicks wanna bang you, dumbfuck. And you’re wasting your time on the stuck-up nerd girl?”
“Who asked you, dick?” I pushed him out of my way and kept walking.
Juliet handed me my towel when I reached our chairs. “What was that all about?”
“Who knows.” I shrugged and roughed the terrycloth over my damp skin.
“Romannnn,” Vienna sang. “Who knew you were so ripped?” She nodded at my stomach.
“Looks like you skipped a few leg days, though, bro,” Stubby added.
“Jesus Christ.” I finished drying off and slipped my T-shirt over my head. “You’re a bunch of fuckin’ creeps.”
Juliet stretched out on her chair and pulled her bag into her lap. A few seconds later she passed a thick, foil square to me.
“I like your legs,” she whispered.
My lips twitched. “Yours are better.”
“It’s chicken salad.” She nodded at the sandwich in my hands.
I peeled open the cool foil, revealing a dark, nutty-looking, whole-grain bread stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, and overflowing with chicken salad. My stomach rumbled.
“I made it last night,” she said. “The chicken salad, I mean.”
“Looks great.” I realized I was starving and made quick work of it, almost eating the foil in my rush.
Juliet handed me half of her sandwich. “I can’t eat the whole thing.”
“You sure?”
She gestured for me to eat up.
Vienna passed bags of M&Ms, Twizzlers, and loads of other candy out and pretty soon, a good portion of our class was clustered around our chairs. I reached over and wrapped my hand around the leg of Juliet’s lounger and dragged it closer to mine.
“Hey, you.” She bent her knee and shifted closer, dragging her toe along my calf.