This Still Happens

Chapter Fifteen - Tongues: Etta

"Aren't you coming into the water?" I call, waving my arms at the figure on the bank. I'm something like ten metres away from the shoreline, treading water in the lake, kicking the depths under my feet. "Timble!"

Tim looks up from his Bible, grins, and says something I can't catch. I look to Char to interpret it. "Let me just finish this chapter first."

Char wiggles her eyebrows, and winks as she signs, "Let him finish his Bible journaling first before you get your horn on, Miss Carter Jones!"

I smack her so hard on the arm that my palm leaves a bright red mark on her lake-wet skin.

She just bounces with laughter, and swats me back. "Ooh, look at you, pretending you're not in love with him!" She swims a little closer, and wiggles her shoulders. "You know what they say about lakes."

"Uh..." I shake my head slowly. "Not sure I do."

She grins. "Ah, well..." Char furrows her brow. "...Nor do I." But then she flashes her teeth, cups her hands around her mouth, and pitches herself towards the beach.

Tim looks up again, shutting his Bible and shaking his head, grinning, as he gets to his feet and splashes into the lake.

"Ooh, see, he's coming over," Char signs, nudging me in the ribs, "Putting away his Jesus, just to spend time with you."

I narrow my eyes. "Don't be rude. How'd you like it if I said grubby things about you and Stef?"

"That's different," Char says.

"How so?"

"Because Stef and I are actually together!" Char replies, giggling, "Have been for a little while! Short of stuff that's actually illegal, I'm not sure you could say we're doing anything together that you could describe as "grubby"!"

Ah, well, now it's my turn to take Char's love life and have a little fun, teasing her about it. Not that she's teasing me about my actual love life, just the one she apparently thinks I should have.

I widen my eyes and grin. "And what illegal things are you doing together?" I sign, kicking the water underneath me so that I can stay afloat.

Char just winks, and signs, "Sex."

What? What? "What?!" I exclaim, sinking in half a second, far enough down that my chin hits the water for a moment. And then I remember I'm far out in the lake, and start treading water again.

Char bursts out laughing. "Only a couple of times!" She pats me on the shoulder. "Aw, the look on your face! You look absolutely scandalised!" She mimicks my expression for me, eyes huge, jaw dropping. She signs "flabbergasted" for good measure.

"I am absolutely scandalised!" I retort, "You're only fifteen!"

"I did warn you it was illegal," Char replies, "But, like, only technically, and only for another few months, like..." She counts them off on her fingers. "Five more, until Stef's sixteen, and about two weeks after that, I'll be sixteen. At this point, it's not really a big deal. You know the drop in at school, where you can go for contraception and STD testing?"

Uh... I don't have to shake my head for her to realise I don't. I think she gets it from my squint and drawn-out silence.

"Yeah, you do!" she signs, "It's in the office we went to, for our HPV jabs, near the medical room. Where they have all the posters. You know it, right?"

I frown a little, but nod slowly. It's a vaguely familiar room, but only vaguely, which, uh... stands to some reason.

Bright lights, I remember those, bright lights, and then black patches flashing on and off in front of my eyes, and then a short, sharp pain in my arm... and then someone crouching over me as I came to on the floor, my blazer rolled up and tucked under my head.