“They all thought it was so stupid. But they had fun. And no one got injured.”
I can see it now. A bunch of kids throwing foam balls at each other while yelling. It brings a smile to my face.
“Has anyone told you you’re a great gym teacher?”
“Most people think I’m mediocre at best.”
I roll my eyes. For as much as Nate likes to keep it light, hedoescare about his job and the kids he teaches. “Well, I would’ve loved to have you as my teacher.”
“As fun as that sounds, I prefer having you as my best friend. And if I were your teacher, I wouldn’t have been able to yell at Terrence.”
“True. I did enjoy that.”
“Oh, and berry?” He leans in. I lick my lips, unsure of what could possibly be on his mind. “You’re in the pool.”
I look down and realize he’s right. He’s slowly been tugging me farther and farther in. I was so focused on him that I barely noticed.
“Oh my God.” The fear chokes me up, but I push it away. My feet are on solid ground. I’m fine. I hate this, but I’m okay. “You’re a genius.”
“You love my stories from school. And you needed a distraction.”
“Well, no distraction is enough to make me forget the fact that I have no fucking clue what I’m doing.” I let out a sound between a laugh and a sob. “So, is this the part where you teach me how to swim so I don’t die?”
“This is the part where I try. Are you ready?”
“Absolutely not. What’s the first step?”
He shows me the way to move in the water. Most of the time, I feel like I’m fighting every molecule around me, and any time I move my legs or feet, I don’t get anywhere. Nate has to touch me to guide me into whatever position I’m supposed to be in, butbeing moved in the water usually makes me cling onto him like a fool.
Luckily for me, he’s a good sport about it.
“You’re doing good,” Nate says hours later.
“I feel like a rock. A rock that’s trying to sink to the bottom of the pool, and I’m failing miserably.”
“You’ve not sunk to the bottom of the pool once.”
“But I could, at any moment.”
“That brings us to our next lesson. How would you like to learn how to float?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You mean there was a secret to floating this entire time and you didn’t tell me? What is it, some trick where you take a bunch of air in your lungs or something?”
“Not like you’re thinking,” he says with a shake of his head. “It’s where you can float on your back. You just have to position your body right and not move.”
He lies back, somehow staying above the water. I stare at him, wondering how he makes it look so easy. He only floats for a moment before he sits back up.
“The trick is to keep your feet elevated and your chest up. You’ll move a little bit up and down while you breathe, but it’s not as hard as you think.”
I grimace. “My face would be very close to the water.”
“I know. Are you feeling brave enough?”
I bite my lip.AmI ready for this? I’m not sure.
“Stay close to me.”
“Every time, berry.” He gets down in the water. “Just stay relaxed.”
