The Biographies of Ordinary People, Volume 1 by Nicole Dieker

Author:Nicole Dieker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pronoun via Indie Author Project

37. NATALIE GOES FOR A SWIM.

Natalie left wet footprints on the cement as she walked towards the diving board. She looked over her shoulder to see if Fancy Geoff was watching her, even though she knew he kind of had to because he was the lifeguard. She had pulled the bottom of her suit out of her butt before she climbed out of the water, and she paused at the edge of the diving board, bouncing slightly, before she dove in.

When she surfaced she saw that Fancy Geoff was talking to Stephanie, so she kept swimming, dipping under the rope that separated the diving well from the lap pool and getting in three laps before she hauled herself up, a little out of breath, wondering if she had beat her best time.

“Good practice, Nat!” her coach called. Swim team was over for the day, but Natalie liked to stay in the water as long as possible. It was too warm to do anything else. None of the little kids would show up until after lunch, so she and her friends had the entire pool to themselves.

“Are you staying here this afternoon?” Kimberly asked. “Because you could come over if you wanted. We could see if my mom would drive us to the mall.”

“Sure,” Natalie said, hanging on to the edge of the pool and looking up at Kimberly, already showered and wearing a tank top with a cherub printed on it. The cherub looked fuzzy because Natalie’s glasses were tucked into her sandal, next to her swim bag. “I have to ask my parents, but they’ll say yes.”

“It’s so hot,” Kimberly complained. “I’m going to get sweaty.”

“Get back in the pool then,” Natalie laughed.

“Maybe I’ll put my feet in,” Kimberly said. “Over by the lifeguard stand.”

They both looked at Fancy Geoff and started giggling, and then Kimberly started walking and Natalie began swimming, hauling herself up out of the pool before Kimberly could reach the coveted spot immediately to the left of Geoff’s lifeguard stand. You could almost sit in the shade of his umbrella, if you leaned.

“Hey, Natty,” Geoff said. The way he said her name made Natalie feel grown-up and a little embarrassed. She undid her swim cap and shook out her long, wavy hair like she was in the movies. There was a ring of sweat around her forehead, and she could feel the ends of her hair sticking to her back.

“We’re going to the mall today,” Kimberly said, sitting next to Natalie and dunking her feet into the water.

“Great,” Geoff said. “Buy me a lip gloss.”

Both girls laughed. Natalie wanted to say something, but couldn’t think of anything besides it’s so hot, which wasn’t much of a conversation starter. “Did you see me dive?” The words came out as a surprise, and Geoff turned to look right at her.

“Course I did,” he said. “Saw you swim those laps, too. Natty Gann, first place in the under-thirteens.”

“I’ll be thirteen in a week,” Natalie said. She wasn’t always first place, either.

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