Alone in the Woods by Rebecca Behrens

Author:Rebecca Behrens
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2020-07-24T00:00:00+00:00

Alex

Pool Party Day

There are actually two Official Pool Holidays that Joss and I celebrate each summer: First Day at the Pool, and then Pool Party Day, which usually happens right before registration for the new school year. It’s a family party, where the moms and dads who were too busy all summer long to hang out at the pool come with their kids to eat burgers, compete in the water-balloon toss, and chill in the deep end while a DJ blasts oldies across the PA.

But our parents were either at or heading to work, so the plan was for Lucy to drive us before her shift at the zoo. From upstairs, I heard Joss ring the doorbell, then my mom welcomed her inside. “I haven’t seen enough of you this summer, Jocelyn!” I felt a pit in my stomach. A pity pit. Or maybe a guilt knot. Well, I thought, they’ll get to see each other every day, up at the cabin.

Whatever Joss replied, I couldn’t quite hear. Then she bounded up the stairs and knocked on the door to my room, lightly, like she wasn’t sure she could still barge in, which made it even harder to ignore that guilt knot/pity pit in my stomach.

“Come in!” I hollered. I was struggling to tie the bikini I’d bought with Laura. If only she were there—she’d be able to figure it out. Tying the suit’s strings was more complicated than braiding friendship bracelets at camp. Joss was always good at that kind of arts-and-crafts stuff. “Can you give me a hand with this?”

“W-what happened to your old suit?” Joss stammered. She was still wearing her turquoise one, which was faded and pilling.

I’d only worn my new bikini when I went with Laura to her pool at the country club. I avoided the suit otherwise, partly because of the complicated straps, and partly because my mom probably would not be okay with me wearing something skimpy. So whenever I went to our neighborhood pool with my family or with Joss, I wore an old one-piece. But today was a party. It was special, and now that everyone was coming home from trips and camps in time for school registration, more Walden kids might be there—Laura’s friends. I needed to look like I belonged with them.

I shrugged. “It was time for an update.” Then I did a twirl and shook my hips, the way Laura would while modeling something in a dressing room.

“Has your mom seen it?” Jocelyn asked, one eyebrow arched.

I stopped twirling. She was making me second-guess wearing it. “No, but she won’t care.” That was about as likely as her allowing Mateo to move into a bouncy house in our backyard (which is an actual thing he has asked to do).

Joss adjusted and readjusted the straps that cut into her shoulders, leaving red marks. “Maybe I should get a new swimsuit…”

Laura’s voice popped into my head, from when she had called my identical suit a fashion “Don’t” at camp. I didn’t totally agree—it was an athletic cut.

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