The Story - First Plunge

At four Daniella calls.

“Hello is Lucy there?” She says.
“Hi Danny.”
“Hey Lu. You ready?”
“Right now?”
“I’m outside.” she says it like I should have known it already.
“Um, hold on,” covering the phone I talk to mom. “Mom can I go over to Danny’s house?” she turns around from the chicken, oven-mitted hands on her apron covered hips, scowling at me.
“Honey, I could use your help with dinner. Besides it will be ready in an hour.” I pucker my lips and with my sweetest voice ask her pretty please.
“Alright,” she smiles at me. I run back to my room and grab my tankini, chap stick, mascara, some money, and my green purse. I kiss mom on the way out as she yells to eat dinner at Danny’s. “Not junk food!”

Megan was already in the front seat with her feet on the dashboard. Danny turns on the car as I jump in the back. “Cant Touch This” blares as we drive down the road to Danny’s house. She lives in the rural part of town near Megan in a normal sized blue house. Both her parents work and her house was usually quiet and deserted, except for her younger brother who was usually playing some video game in the bedroom. This Saturday was no different. Immediately we changed into our bathing suits and headed for Danny’s pool. Danny took the blow up recliner and I took the inner tube. Meg went right to the diving board and gracefully dove in, shooting across the pool where she succeeded in dumping Danny in. It was followed shouts and screams as water was splashed in our eyes and up our noses. Our laughing and yelling died to giggling and whining until we once again retired to our inflatable furniture and floated above the water. Danny’s tan body lay seductively on her plastic couch. Her brown hair in two braids ending at her shoulders. Meg lay on her stomach outside the pool, her slender arms dangling near the water, stroking its surface. Her legs were tapping to some beat and her brown curls lay in a mess around her face. I sat inside my pink inner tube, head and feet and arms sticking out while my butt cooled off in the water.

“Today is beautiful,” Danny said not opening her eyes. Meg and I nodded, looking up at the sky. Clear blue. No clouds. They were gone once spring was over, and that’s when the sun came out. Sun and heat, pounding down seven days a week, four weeks a month, six months of the year.
“Summer is so close I can almost taste it.” I said smiling, #4 swim everyday.
“I know,” Meg said sitting up and grinning. “I’m going to Pismo in July. What are you guys doing?”
“I’m going to do summer water polo and work at my dad’s office again.” Danny said with her eyes still closed. At the moment Danny looked like a harmless athlete, but when provoked her hard polo training was revealed and she was unstoppable.
“I’ll get a job.” I said.
“Where at?” Megan asked her brown eyes curious.
“I don’t know. Where are you applying?”
“I've already got a job, I'm babysitting the McKenneth's again,” Meg said lying back down.
“Where do you want to work?” Danny asked half asleep.
“The grocery store, the library, the bowling ally, the…”
“What about the bowling ally?” Meg asked. I shrugged my shoulders.
“You should do it.” Danny yawned.
“I’ll apply Monday,” I smiled #1 Get a job. Then I let myself slide through the bottom of the tube into the cool water. My first plunge into summer.