“Don’t you dare,” I told Leo when I saw his feet slowing. “I want to win this fair and square.”
“You’ll never hear the end of it from Nate,” he promised, laughing a bit when I reached for his hand to encourage him to continue jumping.
“Neither will you,” I reminded him, and squeezed his fingers when Lily and Grace picked up the pace, per Nate’s request.
The ropes were a blur for only a few seconds when Leo and I finally tripped over our feet. He held me steady, keeping me from falling on my ass. We both laughed at being so out of breath as our spectators got in an argument over who won.
“Well, what’s the verdict?” I asked Nate.
He had his arms crossed over his chest, watching us both. The smile was faint, but it was there and that was the only thing that mattered. “You both flubbed it up together.”
“Oh, come on,” Leo protested and pointed at me. “She was the one that held onto me. I think that calls for a rematch.”
“You tried to shove me first,” I reminded him.
“I think since you both screwed it up, you both are paying for ice cream.” Nate wrapped his arm around my shoulder, subtly stepping in between us as he addressed everyone else. “What do y’all think?”
“Sounds fair to me!” Ms. Louis shouted, and her companions nodded in approval.
“As long as we’re still getting two scoops,” Grace said, eyes practically sparkling with hearts for Leo.
“What the hell?” Leo shrugged. “I’ll throw in toppings too.”
Our crowd cheered, and I laughed at the excitement over something so simple. These things never happened during the rest of the year. I didn’t realize how much I missed being outside with everyone and finding the most random things to make a fuss about. It was so easy to get in my head when it was just me and my parents around.
“Money?” Nate held his hand out to me.
“I can go,” I offered.
Nate gave me a knowing smile. “We got it, Kira. Nice try though.”
I bit my tongue, holding back a protest, and gave him the change in my pocket. “Key lime with gummy bears.”
“Got it,” he promised and pinched my cheek before walking away. “Let’s go, man.”
Leo glanced at me for a quick second, looking like he, too, wanted to say something in favor of me going for the ride. Once they got in the car, I told the girls to go wash up. Dinner first and ice cream once the guys got back. Afterward, Leo and I would have to figure out how to have a conversation with no one running interference.
* * *
Dinner was louder and more fun than usual. Lily and Grace brought everyone out of their shells. Even my usually solemn mother laughed at a few jokes. Dad didn’t seem too overly occupied with his phone, which inevitably meant talking about swimming with Leo and Nate.
I faded into the background once the conversation turned to the logistics of the sport. As I picked up everyone’s plates and brought them to the sink, my parents grilled Leo and Nate on their current standings and where they wanted to be by next year.
“Your times are going to get you on the qualifying team, Leo,” Mom said. “Why are you still messing around with those university coaches? You should hire someone with more experience in training for the Olympics.”
My eyes flickered to Leo, who shook his head, looking mildly uncomfortable at the mention of his rising success. Nate took over because he was never without an opinion to add to the table.
“Are you referring to yourself?” Nate wondered, eyes watching our mother. To the untrained ear, it was a harmless question. To my ear and Mom’s, it was a poke.
Her expression soured, but she kept her language clean. I could probably thank Lily and Grace’s presence for that.
“Maybe.” Mom poured another glass of wine. “I was the youngest on the swim team the year I qualified. So my experience is unique. It’d match Leo’s when he makes the team next year.”
“Oh, undoubtedly unique,” Nate agreed in a mocking tone. “So unique they sent you home early.”
I tried to give him a warning look. My brother’s back was purposely turned away from me. He always did things this way. Stirred up shit when he knew I hated it and Mom loved it. My skin crawled with anxiety about the argument that was around the corner. Once our guests left, this house would be a battlefield. Lines drawn and me in the middle, trying to keep the peace.
“You girls want to watch a movie?” I asked Lily and Grace. Their mouths were stuffed with ice cream and their eyes glassed over at the boring turn the conversation had taken.
