Beige by Cecil Castellucci

Author:Cecil Castellucci [Castellucci, Cecil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5997-4
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: 2007-08-31T04:00:00+00:00

I’m lying by the side of the pool, my feet dangling in the water, looking up at the sunset. The sky is orange. Orange like an explosion. The light that falls on me makes my pale skin look tan.

“They call it the magic hour,” a voice behind me says.

It’s Leo.

He’s standing right above me, his bare feet almost stepping on my hair. His legs are shaved, a bit stubbly. His bathing suit, blue, doesn’t hide much.

I can’t breathe.

“You can swim if you want. I’m a lifeguard.”

Then, with the grace of a dolphin, he bends his legs and springs forward, diving right over me. For one half second he is parallel to my body. My heart beats wildly.

When he hits the water, the drops fly back and splash me.

I sit up and watch his long arms break the water as he does laps.

The sky has changed in a matter of seconds. The streetlights flicker on with a buzz, set off by the dipping sun.

Leo swims up to me. He puts his hands on my calf, then he pretend pulls, like he’s going to pull me in.

“Psych,” he says. His teeth are very white. Does he bleach them? Or does he just have good teeth? Who cares? They are perfect. Perfectly pearly-white teeth set in a perfect smile.

“You coming in?” he asks.

It is still hot despite the fact that the sun has set. The air is still. I slide into the pool. I begin to tread water, but I get tired. I hang on to the edge, to steady myself. Leo has continued with his swimming.

I hang on to the side and watch him. The water makes his arms and legs glisten, slick, wet. He swims half the length of the pool, and on the way back, he glides up my body, presses up against me, his arms around me. Pool water in his mouth, he spits it out on top of my head, slowly, like he’s a fountain, and then laughs a little. His skin is touching mine, his legs sliding over mine.

My heart is pounding.

I think he’s going to kiss me. He leans in close like he’s going to. Instead he says all low-like, “You’re all wet.”

Then he laughs again, and pushes away from me and swims away.

I think I’ll die.

“Beige. Get out of the pool.”

It’s Lake. Suddenly, she’s right there.

Leo eyes us from the other side. He juts his chin out in a greeting to Lake, then he dives under the water and swims almost the entire length of the pool.

I’m shivery. I climb out of the water.

“He’s not your type,” Lake says as she hands me my towel.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say.

I close the gate to the pool, but I look back over my shoulder at Leo as he continues to swim. His body is dissected into parts by his strokes and by the lines he makes as his arms and legs disappear under the water.

Head. Shoulders. Arms. Back. Bum. Legs.

Beautiful.

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