Float

“C’mon.”

“I don’t wanna go.”

“Why not? You’re the one that brought it up. Don’t be a wuss.”

“Shut up, Shane. I’m not a wuss.”

“Shhh…you wanna wake up the dead? Just come on.”

Shane disappeared into the dark. Jacob hated Shane when he called him a wuss. It’s just that he was always doin’ stuff to get in trouble.

“Wish I’d never brought it up,” Jacob mumbled under his breath, squeezing under the fence.

He found Shane in detective mode, investigating the best way to get in.

“Hold this.” Shane handed Jacob his towel and began trying the head-high windows.

“Shoot! They’re locked.”

“Let’s just go. I don’t wanna go to jail. My mom’ll…”

“Wuss.”

“I’m not a wuss!”

“Wuss.”

“Shut up, Shane.”

“Stay here, wuss, while I go around and find a way in.”

“Sometimes I really hate you,” said Jacob, feeling he really meant it.

And just like always, Jacob was by himself, out in the open, late at night, waiting on Shane to find the best way to get them into trouble. Thing is, they hardly ever got in trouble. Well, there was the one time when Mrs. Foley’s cat got out and they tried to return it. Dang cat freaked out and started scratchin’ the heck out of everything. Shane just dropped it and the darn thing ran out in street. Never even saw the truck. Other than that time, they didn’t really get in trouble. Shane taught Jacob how to lie pretty good.

“BOO!”

“Dang, dude! Don’t do that.”

Jacob turned around giving Shane the ol’ evil eye. Shane giggled and went back inside.

“Back door was practically wide open. Old man Jefferson forgot to lock it.” Shane walked to the edge of the water and dipped a toe. “Feels awesome.”

Jacob eyeballed the indoor pool. He wanted to feel better, but couldn’t. It just didn’t seem right, breakin’ in to swim with no adults around. What if something happened?

SPLASH.

Shane hit the deep end with nothing less than a cannonball, Jacob thought as water dogged him.

“You comin’?”

“Yeah. I’m comin’.” Jacob dropped his towel, kicked off two ragged flip flops, and started easing into the shallow end. The water did feel good. He began to relax a little. It wasn’t so bad, he guessed.

Shane spit a fountain of water towards Jacob. In return, Jacob pushed a handful of water into Shane’s face.

“Good one, J. This ain’t so bad, huh? Always said hang with me and have some fun.”

“It’s alright, I guess.”

“You guess? You guess?” Shane hit him with more water, playing.

“Hey. What’s that?” Shane started wading belly high toward the far side of the pool. Jacob could barely see anything in the dimly lit building.

“Where you goin’?”

“I see something.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know yet. C’mon.”

Jacob started over. “Hold up, man.”

He caught up with Shane who had frozen, staring at the water just ahead of them.

“What’d you find? Is it any…Oh my God!” Jacob saw what Shane was looking at. Floating in the water just ahead of them. It was a body. It was a girl body. It was floating there. Just floating.

Shane must’ve grew wings because he flew out of the water. He didn’t wait for nothing.

“It’s Gloria Marvins! Oh my God! It’s Gloria Marvins,” Shane screamed, running outside. The front door slowly creaked close.

Jacob just stood there frozen, looking at the girl body floating in the water, mesmerized.

“Wuss,” he said under his breath.