There are big gold balloons in the shape of the numbers of our graduation year attached to the gate. Most of the girls are already here when I get to the pool area. Megan and Lindsey greet me by handing me a towel with my initials monogrammed on it and a beach bag with my name. Both are super cute.
“We’re so glad you’re here,” Megan says.
“Yes! There’s food on the table over there.” Lindsey points to a long table behind them.
“Thanks so much for inviting me!”
They move on to greet the girls coming in behind me, and I spot Bailey and Mia on lounge chairs not too far away. I drop my stuff on the empty chair next to Mia.
“We had bets whether you’d be here or not,” Bailey says. “You’ve been curiously absent all week.”
“I know. It’s been crazy. You have no idea.”
Mia pulls her glasses down to look at me. “We’d have an idea if you filled us in.”
“I will, but right now can we just soak up the sun?” I have about twenty-four minutes before I have to be back to work. There’s no way they’re going to let me skip out of here without a good excuse.
God, I’m so tired of this.
More girls show up, including the Evil Joes, who apparently had their bikinis on under their golf-watching clothes. They sit on the loungers on the other side of the pool while Aunt Maggie Mae takes an empty spot at a table under a big umbrella with the other moms here.
This party is laid-back, and if I wasn’t checking my watch every five minutes, it would probably be my favorite. I would stay in this chair all day. Pull an umbrella up when my skin turned pink. Drink frozen drinks until I got a brain freeze.
About fifteen minutes in, Megan’s and Lindsey’s moms call out for us to gather around the shallow end of the pool. There are only a few people here who aren’t with the party and most of them are mothers with their young babies in the baby pool. The only students out of school right now are seniors, but I can imagine how packed this place will be once everyone is out for the summer.
We gather around the end of the pool and see lots of blown-up inner tubes, the kind that are shaped like animals. There’s a flamingo and a frog. A yellow duckie and a unicorn. A bull and a llama. And on and on.
“Time for party games!” Megan’s mom yells, and half us of groan while the other half cheer.
Lindsey’s mom holds up a few gift bags. “And prizes for the winners!”
Now some of the groaners have moved to the cheering side.
“For our first game, here’s what you do. Everyone picks a float! Sit on it any way you want. The first person to make it to the other end of the pool is the winner!”
I don’t know if I’m more worried about this game or the fact that it’s only thefirstgame. I check my watch once more. I don’t have much time at all.
There is a mad dash for the pool floats. I’m one of the last ones to pick and I’m stuck with the giraffe. His head is so tall I’m going to have trouble seeing where I’m going and I’m worried it’s going to be top-heavy.
There are so many of us that we stretch across the entire shallow end of this gigantic pool. Some girls are sitting with their butts in the opening, their legs dangling out, but that’s a poor choice. Some are lying across the whole thing, while others are straddling theirs in a really awkward sort of way.
I go for lying across mine. That way I can kick and paddle at the same time.
Megan’s mom is at the edge of the pool, holding a green flag up high. “On your mark! Get ready!” There’s a short pause and then she finishes, “Go!”
And we’re off. It only takes a few minutes to determine that the ones lying across their tubes made the best choice as we break away from the crowd. Looking at my competitors, I see there are only five of us in this position. And of course, the Evil Joes are two of the five.
What can I say? Our family has always been competitive.
We are loud as we compete. Some of the golfers on the hole nearest to the pool have stopped what they’re doing and turned around to watch us. I’m sure Mr. Williams would have a stroke if he were here.
I kick and paddle and kick and paddle, edging into the lead. But then here comes Mary Jo.
We are in the battle of our lives. I’m sweating and my arms are burning and I can hardly feel my feet anymore, but I will not let her beat me.
From the way she’s moving, she feels the exact same.
Some of the girls who never got off the starting line have left the pool and are now at the finish line, cheering us on. I hear both of our names in the noise and I feel like I need this win more than anyone even knows.
