For the Summer - 1984

That Time I Left First

1984

The cost of one gallon of gas is $1.10.

Chicago releases their seventeenth album, Chicago 17 on May 14th.

The Summer Olympics are held in Los Angeles, California, United States.

...

"Bella! Wake up! Do you know what day it is?" Emmett jumps on the end of my bed and my head bounces around on my pillow as I try to hide under my sheet.

"Is it murder your brother day?" I mumble, but Emmett yanks the sheet off my small bed. Thank God I have my own room. I'd go crazy if I had to deal with this every day.

Oh wait. I do have to deal with this every day. Damn.

"Yep, that's exactly why I'm waking you up, because I'd like to meet my death at the hands of my lame-ass sister." I can practically hear the rolling of his eyes in the tone of his voice. I roll over onto my belly and cover my head with my arms.

"Dad said you have to get up. You're going to help me pump gas this year," Emmett continues, and I groan and lazily roll out of bed. I check the alarm clock by my bed. Four-thirty. Ouch. Dad has always been an early riser. I can usually smell coffee brewing well before I even think about getting up.

Once in the bathroom, I wiggle into my swimsuit, the pink and purple stripes stretching awkwardly over my body. I look at myself sideways in the mirror and frown at the stupid little bumps on my chest. Boobs. How am I supposed to do anything with these? I can't even wear my new suit without a t-shirt anymore because I'm afraid people will notice. My mom noticed. She had a big discussion with me about it when we went to visit last week. She told me my body would change soon and I would start to feel different, and that I'll get boobs and a period. I'm still petrified. I already learned about this stuff last year in health class, but then Leah told me about these tampon things and you have to stick them up there. I told my mom I don't want a period if it means I have to use tampons, and she laughed at me. Laughed! I don't care, I will never use those, ever.

Luckily, all I have so far is boobs. My mom bought me a bra and a pack of maxi pads, just in case, but I hope to God this whole bleeding from the crotch thing holds off for at least another year or two.

I throw on a tank top and tie a knot in the front like I've seen Leah do to her shirts, only she lets her belly show and I'm not that brave. I pull my hair into a tight French braid, so tight my head starts to hurt, and I slather on some sunblock. Last year, I would have given anything to work with Emmett, but now I'm irritated this job is taking away from my sleep-in time. Not that I ever get to really sleep in, but waking up before the sun is inexcusable, especially because the sun wakes up really stinking early here.

The heat is already warming the gravel this morning as I walk down the few steps of our mobile home. Emmett is gone and he's taken the utility cart, so I walk the quarter mile past the campground to the docks. I can see the campground is buzzing with activity already, and I wonder if Edward and his family are here. I look for their motorhome but I can't find it. I've thought about him often this past year, hoping he'd show up this summer, but I've had the same hopes before. Every year I make friends and every year they leave. Some of them come back, but most of them don't. A year is a long time. Plans change and people do too, so I try to not have too many expectations. But I still remember Edward every time I look at our shell, the one he put our initials on. I still think about him, no matter how hard I try not to.

The launch is packed. Trucks are slowly backing their trailers and cars down the ramp as people stand in the water waiting to guide the boats from their trailers. Once they're off the trailers, and the drivers have pulled away, they all climb inside and lower the prop into the water as they fire up their engines. I can see my brother by the gas pump and I run now, my new canvas deck shoes much more effective against the rocky terrain.

My mom got a bonus this year so she bought me and Emmett new clothes. Emmett grew a full four inches this past year. He's as tall as Dad now. Mom took us to Sears and we got a whole new wardrobe. The clothes are mostly for school, but I have a couple of nice things I can wear out on the water. Like my new swimsuit and these purple soft velour shorts. I wanted something that wouldn't get so soggy in the water, but apparently twelve year old girls aren't supposed to wear swim trunks.

I stop in at my dad's office to say good morning, and he gives me a kiss on the cheek. He hands me some money so I can get breakfast, but I'm not really hungry yet. I purchase a muffin and juice from Leah, anyway, and nibble on the dry bread which makes the back of my throat itch. I stop on the bridge to watch the fat fish swimming below. The greedy little things wait for me to toss them my leftovers, so I crumble the rest of my muffin over the water and watch them gulp it up.

"Bella!" I hear a boy shout, and I follow the sound to see the familiar reddish brown hair and pale face. Edward has grown too. He runs down the sidewalk by the hotel. I'm still taller than him but he doesn't seem as scrawny. His hair is shorter and plastered to his head now, and he wears it combed neatly back and slightly to the side. He's wearing khaki shorts and a polo shirt which means he must have just gotten here because those aren't river clothes, and he looks out of place and way too formal. I beam up at him, wiping my hands on my shorts and so happy to see him that I want to hug him. That might be weird though, and my new boobs would have to touch him, so I wave instead, and he smiles his funny smile, the one that makes me go soft.

"Hey!" he says as he stops in front of me, slightly out of breath. "I knew it was you because of your big huge braid."

"Well, I could tell it was you because of your fancy clothes. Going golfing later?" I laugh at him and he looks confused, like what he is wearing is completely normal for the river.

"No, we're going out on my dad's new boat. My dad bought a new boat! And the wicked witch is gone, Bella. They got a divorce. It's just me and my dad this year. I told you I'd get him to come back," he rambles, not quite catching my attempted snarky comment, but I am instantly curious by what he says. The wicked witch is gone. I wonder what happened. And his dad bought a boat! This means they might become regulars! We have a few families that vacation here every year. They pay in advance to reserve their spots and they keep their boats in Jacob's dad's boat storage place. We even know them by name. They are the customers my dad likes to keep happy, steady Pay Checks, money we can count on every year.

"Does your dad even know how to drive a boat?" I ask warily. There are a lot of unspoken rules about boating. There are a lot of well documented rules, too, but there's this understanding amongst people that go boating, sort of a mutual respect for each other and for the river itself. It can be really dangerous out there on the water and stupid people have gotten others and themselves killed because they weren't following the rules.

"He drove a houseboat last year," Edward says pointedly.

"So? There's a lot more to it than just steering," I respond, and Edward frowns.

"Well, he took a class. And he bought me a life jacket," Edward adds hopefully, and I laugh because I can't tell if he's being sarcastic or if he's serious, but either way, it's a little funny. Edward's lips slip into a sly grin and I'm just so happy he's here.

"I can help you guys, and so can Emmett. We grew up here, we know everything there is to know about the river. I have to help my brother at the gas station right now, but let me know when your dad wants to launch the boat, we'll come help," I offer as I start walking towards the station. I can see my brother looking for me and I know that as soon as he sees us, he's going to yell across the dock, and it will probably be something embarrassing.

"Okay! I'm gonna go tell my dad. We're staying at the motel this year because we had to tow the boat. But I'll come find you soon." Edward is walking backwards as he speaks. He's watching me and smiling like he knows I'm happy to see him, and I roll my eyes, fighting the grin that's taunting my lips.

Just then my heel catches on the uneven platform of the floating dock and I fall flat on my butt. My tailbone aches and the sandpaper texture of the ground scrapes the back of my thigh, and it stings. I've felt the sting before, my legs are always covered in scrapes and bruises by the time the summer is through, but this pain is bubbling in my stomach and making my face flush red. I feel humiliated.

Edward's face looks panicked and he runs over to help me up. "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"

He grabs my arm, his air-conditioned hand cool on my heat-soaked skin, but I shrug him off. I know he's just trying to be nice, but I'm too embarrassed. And as if things can get any worse, I hear my brother laughing from the station. I turn to see what he's laughing at and, yep, it's me. And he's not alone. A ton of people nearby chuckle and point, the most ridiculous spectacle of the day brought to you by yours truly.

"I'm fine," I mutter as I stand up, forcing myself not to cry so I can maintain as much dignity as possible with a dock full of people laughing at my clumsiness. "I'll see you later, Edward."

"Okay, Bella," he smirks, but before I can walk away, he turns and falls, his arms flailing as he screams like a little prissy girl and face plants the ground. At first, I think it's an accident, and I hear a roar of laughter from the station, but I see Edward hop to his feet and wink at me before trotting over the bridge and up the sidewalk to his campsite, and I watch him, irritated and confused. Was he making fun of me?

Walking carefully to the pump, I notice my brother is still laughing. Fantabulous.

"Was that Edward?" Emmett asks me as he pockets a fistful of money. He waves over a shiny red jet boat and looks at me through squinty eyes.

I nod with creased eyebrows. The boat glides over to the dock and I kneel down to catch the back end before it hits the rubber bumper that runs along the dock.

"That kid is a total noob," Emmett chuckles as he shakes his head.

It takes me a minute to realize that Edward probably wasn't making fun of me, that he was drawing the attention away from me instead. I have to admit, I don't feel so foolish now. Emmett doesn't even mention me falling on my butt. My misstep is completely overlooked, and I make a mental note to thank Edward later.

Emmett and I work all morning long, ushering the customers through the small gas station. We only have four pumps and ordinarily we don't have anyone working the station, but during these first weekends of the summer, we're like traffic cops, motioning to the long line of boats dying to fill up so they can burn out.

By afternoon the line has dwindled and my dad tells us to go get some lunch. I haven't seen Edward since this morning and I'm wondering if he'll know where to find me, if he'll remember where I live. Maybe I should find his room and tell him I'm done at the docks. I decide to eat lunch first and then if I still haven't seen him, I will find out which room he's in.

I ride back with Emmett in the utility cart and we make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We sit in front of the large circular fan and eat our lunch, letting the breeze cool our bodies. I can already feel my skin tight on my shoulders and my face stretches and stings when I wrinkle my nose. After I finish my sandwich, I rub fresh sunblock onto my face and shoulders, and as I'm searching my dad's collection for a hat to wear, I hear a knock on the door. I run down the hall to get to the door before Emmett does. It might be Edward.

I fling open the door, with Emmett right on my heels, to find Jacob standing on the porch, his hair hanging in his eyes and sweat beading on the bridge of his nose. I try not to let the disappointment show on my face as I let him inside.

"Hey, Sam's gonna drive us all in to Laughlin for the Fourth. You guys wanna go?" Jacob grins and wiggles his eyebrows in a way that makes me want to barf. Oh, ew!

Laughlin is a big town in Nevada, just south of here, with hotels and casinos and shops. They have a lot of special activities for the Fourth of July and Emmett and I have always wanted to go, but Dad's always too busy or too tired to drive the two hour trek. Usually, we just get a spot out on the river. We find a nice little cove and bring an ice chest full of drinks and food, and barbecue right on the beach. We swim and eat and hike until it gets really dark. Sometimes Dad takes us on a night ride up the river and he stops the boat in the middle of the deep, deep water and we jump out and swim. Emmett always tries to scare me with stories of alien abductions and hundred-foot-long catfish that eat people, but I don't fall for it. Well, not anymore anyway.

"Depends. Who's all going?" Emmett asks. I think he's hoping Leah's cousin, Emily, will tag along. Emily just moved here from Flagstaff. Apparently, her parents got a divorce or something, and she and her mom moved into Leah's house. Emily's a city girl, and it's plain to see in her every movement. She has long, soft hair that she curls every day, and she wears short shorts and shaves her legs. She just turned fifteen but she has a boyfriend back in Flagstaff. Sometimes, Emily helps Leah in the store and I hang out with them when I'm bored, which is often. They talk about French kissing and getting to third base, and while I have no idea what this means, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with boobs. I pretend I'm not paying attention when they look at me out of the corner of their eye.

Emmett's been eyeing her all year long but she won't give him the time of day. And I like her times infinity for it. Emmett thinks he's so cool, which means he can't hang out with me anymore and, well, frankly it makes me sad. My brother used to always take me along on his crazy adventures, but now he avoids me like the plague and makes me look like an idiot. As if I don't do well enough with that myself.

"Everyone. It's going to be totally bitchin'," Jacob says, and shoves the universal hand signal for 'rock on' in my face. I flinch away from him and he taps my cheek with his now outstretched fingertips. I hate it when he does this. It's so rude. I mean, he's hitting me in the face! I want to grab his fingers and crush them. It's times like these that I seriously wish I could use the Jedi mind trick to mess with his head.

I knock his hand out of the way as he smacks my head in retaliation, so I shove him into the wall. Our relationship has always been like this. He teases me and I say something smart back, which leads to some sort of hostile physical contact, and before I know it, we're full on wrestling, kicking and scratching and knocking stuff over. Once, in third grade, we got in a fist fight on the playground because he pulled my braid and said my hair looked like a donkey's tail. He called me ass-head and I pushed him to the ground and gave him a slow bullet, using my knuckle to slowly dig into his chest, until he cried. I got in lots of trouble, but it was so worth it.

"Look, Jacob, you know I can beat you up, so you better just stop while you're ahead," I warn him, but he just grins. I know it's just kid's stuff, but it's starting to make me self-conscious. The smile on Jacob's face makes me uneasy, like he does all this on purpose just to get a rise out of me, and I don't like that he thinks he's able to make me do anything, even if it's beating him up.

"That won't always be the case, Bella. I'm going to be bigger than you one day. You'd better watch your back," Jacob taunts with an annoyingly cocky confidence.

"I'd better watch my back?" I laugh incredulously and raise my eyebrows at his remark. "What? You're gonna beat up a girl? Real classy, Ace."

"Oh Bella, you're not a girl. Last time I checked, girls were pretty, and had tits," Jacob says with a sneer, and my arms instinctively cross in front of my chest. Oh, gross! I hate it when they call them tits. It makes me think of a cow's udder. My face flushes red and I can feel tears start to collect in my eyes. I have to get away from him. My whole body is shaking with anger as I bolt from the house and slam the door behind me, the windows shaking in their ill-fitting frames. I hate him so much!

I'm storming off towards the general store, looking for relief in the form of a frozen treat, when I see Edward walking towards me. I feel my heart start to pound in a completely different way. My anger fizzles into excitement as I wipe the tears from my eyes.

He's wearing his swim trunks and a white cotton baseball t-shirt with green sleeves, and a baseball cap hides his red hair and eyes, but I can see his lips pulled into a wide smile as he waves.

"Hey!" I shout cheerfully as he approaches, and I notice a large red scrape on his palm as he waves. "What happened to your hand?"

He looks at his palm and shrugs. "I don't know. I've just been sitting around all day waiting for my dad."

I grab his hand and hold his palm very close to my face to inspect the wound. I get scrapes like this every summer. This mark is from the dock. My stomach flip flops as I remember how Edward took a spill this morning so I could save face.

I quickly drop his hand and he tilts his head to the side, his dancing eyes barely visible under the bill of his cap. He quickly shoves his hands into his pockets and we start to walk towards the marina.

"I think it's from the dock," I mention. He kicks a rock and the dirt rises in gentle clouds around our feet, and he pushes his hat up so he can wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"Maybe," he says, and I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. Another rock goes rolling. I don't like this uncomfortable silence that has settled around us, so I just blurt out my sincerest of thanks.

"You didn't have to do that, you know. Fall, on purpose. I would have been fine." It sounds all wrong. The tone of my voice is wrong, the words are wrong, and I don't sound grateful at all.

"You should have seen your face. I thought you were going to shit yourself," he says, and glances at me to see if I heard his curse. Yeah, I heard it but it's not really a big deal. You hear a lot of f-bombs thrown around when you grow up with a bunch of boys. I mean, does he even know who my brother is? I roll my eyes and he scoffs. "See? Eye roll, universal code for 'I don't have a comeback'," he laughs. He is all too delighted that he's stumped me.

"I just wanted to say thanks, geez! Why does everything have to be such a big deal?" I say while giving him a little nudge with my shoulder.

"It's not a big deal. I just think it's hilarious that you can't even say thank you without a snotty attitude," he nudges me back.

"I do not have a snotty attitude!" I declare fiercely, my hands flying to my hips as I stop walking. Edward is clearly amused, and he smiles at my silly tantrum. He's just joking around with me again. "Alright, maybe I'm a little snotty," I respond, and drop my hands. "I can't help it if I'm snotty. You would be too if you had to put up with a bunch of goons harassing you all day."

"Goons? Who, Jacob?" Edward asks, and I raise my eyebrows at him, but then relax my face, trying not to be snotty even though I think it's fairly obvious who the goons are.

"They're so annoying. All they do is make fun of me, especially Jacob. I hate him so much." Jacob's remark about my chest comes flooding back to me and I'm mad all over again. I mean, who does he think he is? My development is completely normal, my mom told me so. And it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Lots of girls in my class have boobs and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't compared. The whole thing is just so damn ridiculous. Man, I wish boys got boobs, just so I could have something to make fun of Jacob about.

"He's mean to you because he likes you," Edward responds, and I frown, the heat causing beads of sweat to slide down my back. I don't want him to like me. I want him to leave me alone.

"You're not mean to me, and you like me," I observe, and Edward stares at the ground.

"No, I mean he like likes you. Like, he wants to be your boyfriend," he explains quietly, his eyes still watching the cloud of dirt collect around his feet, and I stop dead in my tracks.

"What? Why would he want to be my boyfriend? Trust me, Jacob does not like me," I chuckle, the thought so absurd I just have to laugh.

"Maybe he just doesn't know how to act around you. You're a little scary. I mean, the first time I met you, you punched me. Maybe he's afraid you'll punch him," Edward says, his lips curling into a grin, and again, for the second time today, I am stumped. My mouth gapes open like one of those gross fish under the dock. I just keep opening and closing my lips, expecting words to come out and finding nothing I can say.

"I'm not scary," I finally mumble. "Snotty, maybe. But not scary. I'm a nice person."

"Yeah, you are." Edward's eyes are barely visible under his baseball cap, but then he turns and looks at me. The color of his eyes varies like the greenish blue of the deep water, and under the shadow of his cap they appear very dark.

"I am what? Snotty or scary or nice?" I ask him, and he laughs.

"All of the above?" He says this as question and continues to chuckle as he shrugs his shoulders next to me. I give him a playful shove but can't stop the muscles from twitching in my cheeks as I force my face to behave.

"Jerk," I mutter under my breath, which only causes Edward to laugh more. Unable to fight the smile on my lips any longer, I turn my head and sneak a smile. I can't help it, Edward's laughter makes me want to laugh too.

"Where are we going?" Edward asks as we continue down the sidewalk to the marina.

"I was following you. I thought we were going to launch your dad's boat," I reply.

"He doesn't want to go out on the water today. He's supposed to be writing a new book for the hospital, for their medical students or something. He likes it here, he especially likes that no one can get a hold of him. I was scared he wouldn't want to come back, because of the evil wicked vampire witch, but then he bought the boat and I knew we'd be driving out here this summer. He's going to leave it in town, at the Black's storage place." Edward rambles as we make our way across the main parking lot between the campsites and the motel.

The Black's business is the only boat storage place in town. I keep telling Dad we should add a place for storage but my father doesn't want to snake any of Billy's customers. Billy is Jacob's dad, and he and my dad are good buddies, they've been friends since they were kids or something. So it makes sense that my dad wouldn't want to upset the relationship. I also happen to know that Billy hikes up his prices on purpose because he knows his is the only boat storage place for miles.

I hate to see Edward and his father taken advantage of, but our business kinda relies on Billy's business. If there's a place to store boats, the guests are more likely to come back year after year, and that means we get a steady pay check, which means my father is less stressed out.

"Do you want to get an ice cream?" I ask him, and he nods, so we head over to the general store. Leah's been working the register all year. We don't get many customers in the winter months, with the temperature hovering only around the mid-fifties, but occasionally we'll have bursts of activity, usually fishermen.

Leah and Emily are at the counter when we walk into the store. Emily's leaning against the counter and reading a Teen Beat magazine , the pages filled with the faces of famous actors and actresses. Well, I guess she isn't really reading, more like drooling over the pictures. Leah is refilling the displays on the counter: gum, lighters, batteries, little tubes of sunblock. The wall behind the counter is covered with pictures of people who have caught big fish out of our marina, and a couple of pictures of the few famous people who stayed here back when my grandfather ran the place.

There's also a family photo which was taken when the marina was featured in our local newspaper, with my grandfather, my dad and mom, and Emmett and I all standing in front of the general store. It frustrates me that I don't remember that day, but I was only four or something. Everyone looks so happy. My dad's tall and skinny and wearing his typical denim shorts and tank top, his messy hair sticking out from beneath his baseball cap. His mustache is hiding his lips but I can tell he's smiling big because his eyes are all squinty. My mom looks like a movie star, her smile big and genuine. Her blonde hair is long and wisps around her face, her figure shapely in her two toned swimsuit and short cotton shorts. And my grandpa looks just like I always remember, wearing pants even though it had to be well over a hundred degrees that day, and a short-sleeved button-up shirt. Emmett and I are standing in front, our arms around each other's shoulders, wearing our swimsuits and big cheesy smiles, and I remember when my brother was my best friend and how he always used to look out for me. Now he just wants to hang out with the older kids, and I spend a lot of my time alone.

"Hey Bella, who's your friend," Emily asks as we approach the counter. She's wearing her bikini and these tiny shorts that are so short I'm wondering why she even bothers. Her boobs fill out the top nicely, and I'm suddenly thinking of Jacob's comment again, and the memory stings and makes my face burn red all over again.

I'm not the only one who notices her boobs, though. Edward is trying to avoid staring, but every time he looks somewhere else his eyes drift back to Emily's chest, and I want to punch him for being so obvious.

"Um, this is Edward. He's from Washington," I introduce him, but I'm embarrassed because I almost feel like I don't want Edward to know Emily. Edward is my friend, and part of me wants to keep him all to myself.

"Well, nice to meet you, Edward from Washington. How old are you, Edward?" Emily asks, her eyes twinkling as she glances back and forth us.

"I just turned thirteen," Edward says quietly, his pale face glowing red, and I can't help but roll my eyes at how easily he's smitten with a pretty girl. I see Leah roll her eyes, too, and this makes me feel better. At least I'm not just imagining things.

"Do you play baseball, Edward? I like your cap," Emily asks as she leans back to rest her elbows on the counter behind her, shamelessly sticking out her perfect boobs on purpose. Oh, gag me.

"Yeah, I play short stop. But I'm not really that good. I'm better at basketball. I've got a mean jump shot," Edward smiles this odd smile, a smile I haven't seen before, and I frown. I had no idea he played baseball or basketball.

"Can we get two Push-Ups please?" I ask Leah so we can quickly get out of here. I don't like the way Edward watches Emily, like he can't tear his eyes away from her lovely face and perfect figure, and I suddenly feel very insignificant in my twelve-year-old body. Emily waves as we leave and Edward practically trips over his own tongue walking out the door.

We walk to the swings in silence. The plastic seats are steaming and I pull my shorts down a little so I won't burn the backs of my legs when I sit down. Luckily, the lower part of the chain is guarded with a plastic covering, but it's hot on my hands nonetheless. We swing and silently eat our Push-ups. Once in a while, a boat drives by or putts through the marina, drowning out the pop music blaring from a large group of teenagers lounging on the private beach. My gut still feels twisted and strange. I have an awkward burning in my stomach and a permanent scowl on my face from the way Edward acted around Emily, and I don't even know why. I don't understand the yucky feelings now weighing me down as I twist slightly on the swing. I can't even thoroughly enjoy my ice cream. It just doesn't taste as good as usual.

"I hate this song," Edward says suddenly, and I try to focus on the music. "I mean, who wears sunglasses at night? And then writes a song about it? So lame."

I smile, the comment loosening the knot taking up space in my belly. "When this song first came out my brother insisted on wearing his sunglasses every minute of every day, even inside our house and especially at night."

"You're kidding? I'm totally going to rip on him for that next time I see him," Edward chuckles, and my ice cream tastes a little sweeter.

"I do like that new album by Chicago, though," I proclaim, sucking the last of the sherbet from the cardboard carton.

"Of course you do, and that, my friend, is why you are totally awesome," Edward replies, and again my insides are jelly and the heat of the mid-afternoon begins to sneak up on me.

"Do you want to go swimming?" I suggest. I can feel the sun seeping into the skin of my shoulders and I have sweat on the back of my neck, so I am in desperate need of the cool water. Edward flings off his shirt and cap and I notice even more how he's grown. It seems as though someone stretched him out. He's still skinny but his shoulders and arms are shadowed and lined, and I can see the thin muscles of his chest and stomach.

"What?" Edward asks, and I realize he's caught me staring. I feel an all-too-familiar warmth burn on my ears, and I'm furious with myself. Nice one, Bella! Why was I even staring at him to begin with? I spent all last summer with him. I've seen him without a shirt on before.

"Are you wearing sunblock?" I deflect with the only excuse I can think of. "That pale skin of yours is going to fry to a crisp out here. Do you ever see the light of day in Washington?"

"It rains, like, ninety percent of the time in Seattle, so that would be a no to the light of day question, and what kind of fool do you take me for? Don't you worry about my pale skin," he says with a smug grin as he leaves his shirt on the swing. I self-consciously remove my shorts, and hesitate in taking off my shirt. I had decided I would wear my tank top over my suit as long as I had boobs, which I guess will be forever, but now I can't stand the thought of wearing this shirt in the water, the material heavy and sticking to my skin. And besides, it's just Edward. Stop being such a dorkus, I say to myself as I pull the tank top over my head and toss it onto the swing as well.

Edward is looking at me. His eyes are glowing in the sun and are interrupted only by his lashes blinking quickly over the green. His lips pull into a sideways half-smile, his face swarming with thought, but whatever he's thinking, he keeps to himself. He takes off running towards the shoreline, shouting as he runs.

"Last one to the water is a rotten egg!"

…

We don't get to visit my mom the whole month of July because her schedule has changed and she has to work, but we'll be spending a week with her in August and I look forward to lounging by the tropical pool. My dad doesn't let me go to Laughlin for the fourth. He says it's too crowded and I'm too young, that maybe I can see the fireworks next year, but Emmett gets to go with Jacob and three of his brothers, Jared, Embry and Sam. Leah and Emily go, too, and at first I sulk, but then Dad takes Edward and I out on the boat for a night ride and lets us swim in the deep, dark water. Even Dr. Cullen takes a break from his writing to ride along and it's kinda funny how much a doctor from Washington and a fisherman from Arizona have in common. They're both divorced, and after Dr. Cullen has a few beers, we find out he's actually been divorced twice. They're about the same age and both love basketball and poker. I know that Dad only sees this as an opportunity to rope in a steady Pay Check, though. This is what he's good at, hospitality, making the guests feel special and giving them extra attention so they'll come back.

Edward and I tread water by the gently rocking boat. My dad's big spotlight shines out over the water as a signal to other boaters that we're out here. It's still hot as the temperature hovers around ninety even at night, but the water seems even warmer than it is during the day. We float on our backs, submerged in the underwater silence, but we can feel the percussion of the fireworks being set off all across the desert. We watch for shooting stars that seem to dash across the massive, black sky. Once in a while, Edward's foot bumps against my leg or I'll feel the graze of his arm slip through my swirling hair, and I know I'm not alone. It's comfortable and peaceful and I wish I could fall asleep out here, under the stars, floating weightlessly with my favorite friend.

I haven't felt Edward's presence in a while and I look around to find him gone. I listen for him on the boat, but all I hear is my dad and Dr. Cullen talking politics. He's nowhere in sight and I swim all the way around the boat thinking he may have just drifted away from me, but I'm completely alone in the water and I start to get a little freaked out. Emmett's stories of huge people-eating catfish and alien abductions start to creep into my mind, and my heart jumps into my throat. The boat has drifted a little ways from me now and I start to feel the panic rise as I swim quickly back to it, desperate to get out of the water.

I'm almost there when I feel a sharp sting on the back of my thigh. I scream and hear my voice echoing off the quiet rocks around us, and I kick my legs frantically, trying to make contact with whatever bit me. My foot collides with something hard, and I turn around to see Edward's reddish hair floating before he surfaces. His face is covered in blood and he's holding his nose as he treads water.

"Jesus Bella! You kicked me in the nose!" Edward says as water drips into his eyes and he pinches his nostrils shut.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry!" I cry as I grab his arm and lead him over to the little stepladder that hangs off the back of the boat. Edward climbs up the ladder and sits on the back of the seats as my dad helps him in.

"A fish nipped me and I got scared," I try to explain as I follow him into the boat.

Dr. Cullen pinches and prods at Edward's face. He sets him down in one of the front bucket seats and leans him forward while Edward pinches his nose with a towel. I grab one of the towels from the bench and wrap it around me as I join him in the front seats.

"I don't think that was a fish that got you, Bella," Dr. Cullen smirks, and I gaze up at him confused. "Maybe an eighty pound pincher with red hair and a sunburn."

I look at Edward who is grinning sheepishly from behind the bloody towel. I narrow my eyes at him and try to look upset, but it's kinda hard to be mad at a guy grinning through a bloody nose.

"Then I guess we're even," I say sternly, and Edward just laughs, along with my dad and Dr. Cullen.

My dad drives the boat back into the marina and Edward and I sit facing each other along the back bench, our legs stretched out and side by side as we let the warm spray and wind hit our faces. I almost fall asleep from the rise and fall of the boat as it rapidly glides across the river. It's almost midnight by the time we pull the boat into the slip. I step onto the bow and when the boat is close enough, I jump onto the dock just in time to catch the bow before it crashes into the rubber bumper. I tie our boat to the dock at the front while Edward leans out of the side of the boat to catch the side. Once the boat is all tied up, we lay the towels along the back bench to dry and walk the long trek back home.

We say goodnight to Edward and Dr. Cullen at the motel and dad puts his arm around my waist and practically carries my sleepy body back to the house. My brother's not home yet, but as I crawl into bed I can still feel the movement of the water. I fall asleep quickly, pretending I'm still floating in the water and watching the wide expanse of the dark universe swishing by.

The next morning, I am awoken by the sound of Emmett's voice bellowing down the hall. He's fighting with my dad and from what I can gather, he only just got home from Laughlin. I crack open my door and listen to their argument.

"I told you, we weren't in Laughlin all night!" my brother shouts and I hear a cabinet door slam shut, the sharp sound causing the windows to rattle.

"Well, then where the hell were you?" my dad shouts back, his thudding feet pacing the kitchen floor.

"Around. We were just hanging out. It's really not a big deal, Dad," my brother says defensively.

"Hanging out where? And who was with you? I wasn't born yesterday, you know. I know what kids your age think hanging out is," my dad retorts, and I can visualize him standing there with his hands on his hips, his mustache twitching like it does when he knows we're lying.

"Look, we got back kinda early and the girls wanted to go swimming, so we went swimming. No big deal." I wonder who "we" is in this scenario. Probably Emily; Emmett would do anything to impress her.

"Which girls? Leah and that cousin of hers?" Dad asks sharply.

"Her name is Emily," my brother snaps back at him.

"I know what her name is. She spends every day loitering around my store, drinking my diet cokes. You seeing this girl?"

"Of course I see her, Dad. Doesn't everybody? I mean, she's not invisible, right Pops?" Emmett says sarcastically and I hear my dad's feet thunder across the linoleum floor.

"Now you listen to me, Son. I don't have too many rules. You pull your own weight around here and I don't hassle you when you want to play. But if you ever do that to me again, it'll be your ass. You hear me?" My dad's voice is the epitome of authority, commanding obedience in every word.

"Yeah," Emmett says quietly.

"What was that, Son?" Dad asks just as quietly. I'm practically in the hall at this point.

"I said, yes, Sir." Emmett draws out the last syllable just a bit longer than he should, a little twist in his tone that allows him to save face, even if it's only for himself. I'm sure my dad catches it, but he ignores it and the battle is over, the resolution swift. You really don't win when you argue with my dad.

"And you're on restriction. You are not to set one foot off this marina," Dad adds before opening the front door.

"Like you'd even notice if I did," my brother mutters. I walk into the hall now because I know Emmett has gone too far. Dad turns slowly and moves to stand overbearingly close to Emmett. They're eye to eye, but my brother slightly slouches in comparison to my dad's straight, strong posture.

"I notice everything in my marina. You don't make a move that I don't know about. You remember that, Son. And you'd better be out there on that dock today. This is one of the busiest weekends of the year and you have a job to do." Dad shoves a finger in Emmett's chest, a sharp point right to the heart, and turns and storms out the door. It shakes the whole house when he slams it.

Emmett sticks up his middle finger at the slammed door and mutters something I can't hear under his breath, but I'm pretty sure he's cursing.

I walk out into the kitchen and Emmett quickly wipes his face, the tears trailing clean spots on his filthy face. He won't meet my eyes so I make a pot of coffee. He's going to need it if he's been up all night. He sits down at the kitchen table and rests his head on his arms crossed over the cool plastic surface.

"You can sleep an hour. I'll wake you up," I say to him, but he shakes his head, still hiding in his crossed arms.

He sits up and rubs at his eyes. "No, that'll just make it worse," he mumbles as I set a hot cup of black coffee in front of him. He looks at the steaming cup and wrinkles his nose, but he drinks it anyway, his face grimacing as he sips the hot liquid.

"God, I hope I'm not like him when I grow up," Emmett says, and I think about how well my brother charms the customers, how he wears expressions that match my father's, and how right now, sipping a cup of black coffee, his messy dark brown curly hair sticking to his sweat-stained face, he reminds me so much of Dad already.

…

Edward stands in the middle of the cement edge at the deep end of the pool, his back facing us as he waits. I don't really like swimming in the pool, the chlorine in the water makes my skin itchy, but for this game we need boundaries. I've played Sharks and Minnows in the river before and it just gets too confusing because people around here are cheaters.

The rest of us are treading water against the side of pool. We finally sorted out all the rules; different people play different ways. Jacob always thinks he knows everything and argues with everything I say. I say the shark is supposed to be in the water and Jacob says no, the shark stands on the edge. Emily says in Flagstaff, they have a rule that the shark has to call the minnows across the pool, but I explain we don't play that way here. Emmett sticks up for her, of course, and says that we should give it a try, and somehow we've formed some kind of morphed hybrid game with exceptions to rules and special circumstances, and I've already argued with Jacob half a dozen times.

The "minnows", Emmett, Emily, Jacob and I, are supposed to swim as silently as possible from one side of the deep end to the other, without disturbing Edward, the "shark". At any time the shark can jump into the water, and if he tags someone before we get to the wall, that person becomes the new shark. We've been playing for about an hour and I haven't been caught once. I'm a pretty strong swimmer and focus on perfecting my stroke, like I saw on the Olympics last week.

"Come on! You guys have to cross," Edward says from his place on the decking between the sides of the pool. I decide to cross while he's talking so I can take advantage of him not paying attention. I silently dip deep beneath the water and frantically kick my legs, streaming through the water as fast as I can, but I hear a muffled cry behind me. I can see the blurry wall just inches from my fingers but as I reach out to touch the tile I hear a splash behind me and my heart jumps. Edward's in the water! I kick wildly, stretching to the surface, and my hand clutches the top of the wall just as Edward's fingers wrap around my ankle and pull me back.

"I got you!" he cries as we surface, our heads bobbing along the water. I'm out of breath and a little bitter I got caught on my first cross this game.

"I touched the wall before you tagged me," I argue, his face close to mine. I notice his nose has started to peel, and the skin peeking through is splotchy and freckled. Technically, it happened at exactly the same time, but I'm not going to tell Edward that. Everyone could clearly see my hand clutch the lip of the deck before he pulled me back.

"No you didn't. I pulled you away from the wall," Edward says matter-of-factly, like this makes it so.

"Yeah, but not before I grabbed the wall," I contend. "You guys saw me grab the wall before he grabbed my leg, right?"

Emily and Emmett aren't paying attention, they're too busy playing mercy in the water, their hands interlaced as they push back and forth, the whole point of the game being to hurt the other person enough to make them cry mercy, but Emmett's not even really trying. Emily squeals and yelps like Miss Piggy so it's obvious they saw nothing. Jacob just shrugs his shoulders, his lips pulled into a sly grin, and I know he saw me touch that wall, but he's not going to say anything.

"Fine. I'll be the shark, but I got to the wall first," I mumble. I climb out of the pool just as my dad walks out of the motel and down the sidewalk to the poolside.

"Emmett, Bella, it's time to get ready to leave for your mom's. We're leaving in fifteen." he says, the bill of his hat pulled down over his eyes.

I grab my towel and wrap it around my chest, and slip on my thongs, dreading how my feet will get all caked with dirt walking back to the house. Edward hops out of the pool and stands before me dripping wet, his eyebrows creased, his nose wrinkled as if he just smelled something terrible.

"You're leaving?" he asks, and I nod, a little confused by his facial expression.

"Yeah, I have to go to my mom's," I reply. I'm a little sad I have to leave, but I miss my mom. I haven't seen her in almost two months.

"Why didn't you tell me? For how long? When will you get back?" Edward demands, and I am shocked at his tone of voice. He's angry.

"Why do you care?" I respond defensively. I don't like how he's acting, like I'm a mean person for wanting to visit my mom.

"I don't care," he says angrily. My shirt and shorts are tangled with his and they fall to the wet concrete as he yanks his stuff from the pile on the chair.

"Hey!" I shout, as I bend to pick up the now sopping wet clothes from the ground. "What is your problem? You're acting like a total jerk."

"I'm acting like a jerk? You…you're…just…you're the jerk," Edward yells. His voice cracks and his face is beet red, and I can't tell if it's sunburn or because he's so angry. Why is he so mad at me? I feel the tears start to mix with the chlorinated water still dampening my face, so I wipe at my eyes with my towel, trying to hide the fact that Edward Cullen is making me cry.

"Are you crying, dude?" I hear Jacob laugh, and I look up at Edward's face, his eyes red and watery, the same as all of ours from spending the last hour or so swimming. But there's a sadness in his face, he's upset, and I'm just so confused because I feel like it's my fault.

"Fuck you, Jacob!" Edward shouts, startling me. I've never heard that word out of Edward's mouth and it sounds harsh and foreign and ugly as I watch him march back to his motel room, his back stiff, his walk rigid.

I let the tears fall now. Frustration, confusion, anger, defensiveness, it's all forcing it's way from my belly to my head, the emotions climbing on top of each other like the fat fish that swim by the dock. And there's longing too. I want to go see Edward and make sure he's okay and ask him why he's mad at me and apologize for whatever I did that was wrong, but there's no time. I have less than ten minutes now to run back to the house, get dressed, and be in the car ready for Vegas.

"It's alright, Bella. You're not a jerk. It's not your fault we have to go," Emmett says as he throws his arm around my shoulders. "And you'll see him again next summer. Dad said Dr. Cullen's already reserved his spot."

I cry even harder when I hear Emmett's words. Even though they're supposed to make me feel better, it suddenly dawns on me why Edward is so upset. When I get back from Vegas he'll be gone, and I won't see or talk to him for an entire year. The thought makes my chest hurt so bad I can hardly control the tears pouring over my cheeks.

I spend my time in Vegas sulking and irritable. I just want to go home to the marina, to see if Edward left or to try to make things better, desperate for the time I know I'm missing with him. But when I get back, he's gone, and all I want to do is sleep and sleep.

The next day my dad brings me an package, a tiny white envelope that has my name written on the front in Edward's neat and precise printing.

"Edward wanted me to give this to you. He said it's your birthday present." My dad sits on the edge of my bed waiting for me to open it, but I feel like it should be done in private so I just shove it under my pillow even though I'm dying to rip through the paper.

"You know, Bella. Edward's a really good friend for the summer. But he lives far away, that's just how it is," Dad says as he kisses me on the forehead. "I just don't want you to expect too much."

His words tear at my insides because maybe he's right. Maybe I have been expecting too much. But all these thoughts are out the window as soon as I tear open the envelope and shake the braided thread from the paper. It's a friendship bracelet, a rainbow of colors woven in a flat pattern about half an inch thick and decorated with little silver beads. I tie it around my wrist and vow to wear it until Edward comes back.

…

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A/N

So, you guys are AMAZING! Thank you for messages and kind comments and I'm cyber hugging you all!

n7of9 and SubtlePen are super duper betas and thanks to miztrezboo for prereading.

Thanks for reading my sweets!