Chapter 7

Peter says goodbye to Julie and Drew with an uneasy feeling in his heart. Meanwhile, he's back with Rachael.

Chapter 7

 

Sunday, May 6, 2001

 

Most of yesterday had been spent by the lake near our manor house. Drew and I had helped pack the canoe in the back of the truck, and Mom and I spent most the day rowing back and forth in the lake and catching up. Julie, Drew, and Lucy played mostly by the shore. Lucy had been afraid of the “code water” and at first refused to go in, but Drew eventually coaxed her into the shallower reaches of the lake. We had a picnic, just like Julie wanted, complete with sandwiches, crackers, salads, fruits, and plenty of leftover cake.

I had watched her yesterday, trying to pick up on any signals of unhappiness or sadness, but she seemed happy. When I woke up this morning, she and Drew were just walking in together after a morning run, so I guess they were okay.

I went up to my room and packed what little clothes I had brought. It was time to head back home, but only after a final lunch with all of us. I had asked Drew if my father was going to join us, but he just shook his head.

It was a quiet meal, the silence broken only by the occasional trivial conversation about baseball or some actress. We finished quickly, and it wasn’t long before we were saying goodbyes. Drew clapped me on the back, Julie hugged me, and Lucy gave me a kiss. Finally, I hugged Mom, who looked close to crying. As Drew went to go load his and Julie’s bags in their car, Julie came up to me.

“Thank you,” she said, hugging me again. Her hair smelled like irises.

“Uh, sure,” I said, awkwardly hugging her back. “What for?”

She let go of me and shrugged. “For the talk yesterday. I’ll keep it in mind the next time I start missing him.” She smiled at me, and I couldn’t help but smile back. I could understand why Drew had insisted on marrying her.

“Well now, glad to see some family bonding,” Drew said as he walked over. He gave Julie a quick kiss and turned to me, opening his arms for a bear hug. “Be good, hear? Don’t get yourself into trouble.”

I snorted. “Same to you, too.”

Drew flashed a smile at me, and we said goodbye again. I watched him walk back to the car with Julie, his arm around her shoulder and hers wrapped around his waist. I smiled to myself, then got into my own car, ready for the drive home. Something felt hollow in my chest, and I glanced at Drew again, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my heart.

 

*                *                *

 

Friday, June 8, 2001

 

The days passed quickly, and soon, the school year was over. I had just taken my last final, physics, where Professor Garrett had practically guaranteed me that I had pulled off a B in her class. Sam still had his computer science final, so I met up with Rachael after class at the same cafe where we had first met.

“So you’re going to be an Olympic diver then,” she said matter-of-factly, stirring cream into her coffee. I laughed.

“Maybe. I’m going to try, at least.”

“You know, I just realized that I’ve never seen you dive before,” she pointed out.

I stuck my hands in my pockets and shrugged. “I could show you, if you’d like.”

Rachael smiled. “I’d like that.”

 

*                *                *

 

“Okay. Open.”

Rachael opened her eyes, blinking blearily for a minute. She took in the pool, the water still as glass. Most of the other guys were either taking a final or packing up to go home, so we had the pool to ourselves.

“Wow,” she murmured. She walked around the edge of the pool, watching the surface of the water shift subtly as she walked by. “It’s so peaceful. I could write a poem about this.” She sat by the edge of the pool and hugged her knees to her chest.

As I took off my shirt, I told her, “You might want to move, or you’ll get wet.”

She looked up at me, and a slow smile spread across her face. “Mmm, come here, gorgeous,” she said slyly.

I smiled and said wryly, “I thought you wanted to see me dive?”

She fake-pouted, and I laughed. I climbed up to the ten-meter platform and executed a simple somersault dive, knowing I wouldn’t mess up. I twisted twice and felt the shock of cold water. Immersed in the water, I looked up, watching for a splash. Coach Kipp and I had been working on minimizing splash, and it seemed to be working. The splash was miniscule, and the water around my entry point swayed only slightly. I grinned underwater, and then came up for air.

Rachael was applauding from the side of the pool. She smiled at me. “I’m not even an expert, but that looked like a beautiful dive to me.”

I treaded over to her, gesturing to the boards. “Do you want to try?”

Rachael laughed, shaking her head. “I don’t think so. I don’t like getting wet.”

I made my way over, a smile creeping over my face. “Oh, is that so? Well, then…”

Rachael realized what I was about to do a just a second too late. “Oh my god don’t you dare�"”

I grabbed her ankles and pulled her into the water, fully clothed. She gasped. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “It’s cold! S**t!”

I laughed and pulled her towards me. Her auburn hair was soaking and dripping, and her emerald eyes glared at me murderously. “I can’t believe you,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Ech! Eccchhhhhh! I hate water.”

I laughed again and kissed her forehead. “It’s not so bad, is it?” Her white t-shirt stuck to her skin, and she noticed me looking. She smiled, unable to help herself.

“Mmm,” she muttered, putting her arms around my neck. I kissed her gently, my hands around her waist. She gave in, and we kissed for a long time, making ripples in the water.