Moments II: A BWWM Short Story Collection

II. Just Friends (Pt. 1 of 2)

"Let's see. Two high school students for the afternoon... that'll come to fifty-five dollars for the pair of you." the dirty blonde woman at the counter said.

"What?" Derrick said, slicked black hair flopping back in surprise. "Last summer it was thirty for the both of us!"

"Don't blame me, blame inflation." the woman said. "Pay up or get out."

Derrick nudged me in the shoulder, and I swept curly brown hair from my eyes as I tried to locate my wallet. The pool attendant watched us with bored eyes before they roamed down the growing line behind us. It didn't matter how high Splashback Cove's prices soared, there were always more suckers like us ready to pay up.

"Here." I growled, slapping my cash on top of Derrick's. "It's all I got."

"Enjoy your swim. Be safe and stuff." said the attendant as she shooed us inside.

Derrick and I hefted our pool bags over our shoulders, ducking under the low-hanging bar to gain entrance to the town's favorite summertime retreat. I stood up again, breathing in the smell of chlorine and stale hot dogs as my eyes roamed the Cove's aging attractions. No matter how many summers came and went, those dizzying slides of multicolored plastic never failed to satisfy.

"So where's your girlfriend, Kent? She said she'd be here."

I breathed out at Derrick's words, but in truth, I was almost used to them. If I had a dollar for every time someone thought me and Majesty were going out, I wouldn't blink twice at paying Splashback's increasingly outrageous prices.

"We're just friends, Derrick." I said.

"Right, because a guy can totally be "just friends" with a thick girl like that."

I blew my hair out of my eyes as I marched towards the main pool. "We've been friends since first grade, it's not like either of us is looking to change that now. And since when is Majesty "thick"? I thought you didn't like black girls."

Derrick smirked and shook his mane of straight hair, causing an enviable amount of women to stop and stare at him. "My dad doesn't like black girls, Kent. But if they fill out a swimsuit just right, I don't care how dark they are. Speaking of which..."

I'd promised myself that I wasn't going to care when I saw Majesty in her swimsuit. I'd assured myself that it didn't matter what changes my childhood friend had been going through since the last time she joined us at the water park three years ago. It was the same old, good old Majesty. The same girl who blew milk out her nose from my jokes in fourth grade. The same girl who'd glued that crafts project to my head in sixth.

"Hey, Derrick! Uh... hey, Kent."

"H-hi, Majesty. You... you look nice."

"Nice" was the understatement of the century. If it wasn't for the overlarge braces and her signature twin puffs, I wouldn't have even recognized Majesty. She's filled out at an alarming pace since I'd last seen her like this, a fact made all the more obvious when I realized why the white and blue swirl two-piece looked so familiar.

"Wait, didn't you wear that last time we were here?" Derrick asked.

"No." Majesty said instantly as she looked away, a sure sign she was lying. "This is... a new version of that same style. That's probably why you think it's the same."

Derrick arced an eyebrow at me, and I cleared my throat. "W-well, I think it looks really good either way. What do you, um... y'know... wanna do first?"