Page 38 of Grown

Alone.

There’s a slight hint of fear in Korey’s eyes as he stands in the shallow end of his building’s indoor pool, waist-deep.

“You sure you know what you doing?”

Korey’s shirt is off. I can marvel at every groove of his chest and six-pack in person.

“Huh?” I mumble, drooling.

He smirks, splashing some water at me.

“Girl, you ain’t paying attention.”

“Trust me! I taught the Littles how to swim. I can teach you.”

“Damn, now you comparing me to the kiddies? Way to make me feel like a man.”

I laugh. “I swear I won’t let you drown.”

He nods. “OK.”

We practice holding our breath and blowing bubbles before I teach him a few kicks. I try to be just as gentle as he is with me in the studio. But here, he’s staring through my swimsuit, eyes swiping over my body.

“So you’re just going to doggy-paddle over to me. You got this! Ready?”

He nods.

“GO!”

He kicks and wiggles through the water, his splashes like tidal waves.

“That’s it. You’re doing it!”

Then, his arms are around me, not like he’s trying to feel me up, but in desperation, clinging to life.

“It’s OK,” I say. “You’re OK!”

He stands, wiping his face, his eyes hard for a split second.

“Yo, that’s enough,” he hisses.

I back away, shivers crawling up my arms.

“Um, OK.”

We sit on the edge of the pool in silence, our legs dangling in the water, my stomach tying itself in knots. I pushed him too hard. He’s scared of the water. He’s never going to forgive me. Stupid, so stupid!

“My grandma hated the water,” he says, his voice cold. “She heard about all these kids drowning in the public pool and never let me near it. She was like that, scared of things she heard of but didn’t see with her own eyes. Now she’s gone, and she won’t see this either.” He turns with a slight smile. “But this was... cool. Can we do this again on Saturday?”

I bite my lip. “I can’t. It’s my homecoming dance.”

His face contorts. “Oh. Oh, OK.”

The disappointment swallows up all the chlorine-drenched air.

“I mean, I can... not go.”

“Nah, nah, I want you to go,” he says, placing a gentle hand on my bare thigh. “I never went to a homecoming dance.”