Tender (Book 1 - Complete)

Chapter 33 - Lynn

Since school ended, I've been scheduled to work morning's only at the ice-cream parlor. My boss is an older man with three grandchildren, so I think he understands the importance of having fun as a kid. I wouldn't really call myself a kid, but in this instance, I'm grateful that he does.

Hollering a 'goodbye' to Debbie, the older woman who covers the afternoon shift, I step out into the blistering heat. Misery, that's what this is to most people, but I love it. Well, not so much the sun baking my flesh, but I do love the heat. The way it seeps into my bones and slaps my muscles with a zap of energy. My friends call me crazy because, apparently, heat has the opposite effect on them. It drains them. Something I'll never understand.

With a hop in my step and a smile in my heart, I make my way along the downtown strip, watching other kids and teenagers pass by. They all have summer faces. The kind of faces that resemble peace and joy and freedom. It's beautiful.

Arriving home, I unlock the door and grab a glass of water from the tap. I've never been a fan of iced beverages. It messes with my internal thermostat. A glass of cold water is only refreshing while you're drinking it, but when it's gone your body has to struggle to climatize all over again. It's not worth it, in my opinion.

Feeling energized, I pull out my phone and send a text out to Justine and Rosa. The moment I hit send, I realize my stupidity. I'd asked them to join me for a swim in the neighbor's pool, but Justine left yesterday for vacation and Rosa doesn't get off work until around four.

Sighing, I settle for Jamie. I feel bad labeling him as my last resort, but I'm desperate for some companionship and he's my only other friend. Besides, we did end up having fun the other day setting up my hang out attic. I'm just tired of all the confusion. He treats me like crap, then he's my friend, then he treats me like crap, then he's my friend. I'm fed up, really. But, I think that's one reason I decided to text him to go swimming. I need answers. I need to know where his thoughts are about me because if he's not serious about our friendship, then I'm officially out. I won't be swung around like this anymore.

Plus, I did promise that I'd help him find happiness again and I'm not one that makes habits of backing out of commitments. So, today is day one of me attempting to awaken the old Jamie. Not the Jamie I've come to know since returning to Galena, but the Jamie I loved as a kid. The Jamie who was full of smiles and jokes. The Jamie who noticed people and cherished their feelings. The Jamie with passion and a future rather than the Jamie who covers up his emotions through thrill-seeking. That's the Jamie I want back... minus the dirty fingernails and boogers.

Jamie doesn't text back for another thirty minutes, and by now, I'm already dressed and basking in the glorious coolness of our neighbor's pool. They're good people but they work like crazy. So, rather than let their pool go to waste, they made me promise to use it as much as I possibly could this summer. Oh, such a grievous task they've asked me to bear.

Hah!

I'd told them that I would do my best, and I definitely am. I've already taken advantage of their offer four times this week. The only times I didn't were when it was raining. Boo lightning for ruining my swimming streak.

Jamie arrives an hour after agreeing to join me. He's got his swim trunks on already—the metal of his artificial leg glinting in the sun—and a white T-shirt with Pac-man on the front as he saunters through the wood gate. When he sees me floating aimlessly around in the water, his face brightens.

"Enjoying your summer?" he asks, setting his phone and keys down on the small patio table before taking a seat in one of the cushioned wicker chairs beside it.

"Oh yes," I sigh, dropping my head back into the water and floating with my face toward the sky.

I'm so caught up in the blissfulness of the water that I don't realize Jamie's still seated in his chair until my ear gets clogged with water and I have to stand to shake it out.