I stood by my hospital bed, dressed for the first time in weeks, wearing the clothes that William had brought for me. I had laughed when I initially opened the bag, pulling out my black T-shirt embroidered with the word anti-social.
I packed my few possessions and waited as William signed the paperwork. The nurse had opened the blinds of the window that morning, and as I peered at the outside world, I felt the slightest tinge of significance.
“Hey.” William was standing in the doorway. He smiled when he saw the shirt.
“You may be the only person darker than me in the entire universe,” I joked, gesturing to the embroidered words.
“I think it’s a pretty close tie.” He looked so small. Skinny and pale. I felt sorry for everything I had put my him through.
“I’m ready,” I announced, attempting to pick up the bag, forgetting about the stitches. I tried to hide the wince, but William was already there, tossing my bag over his shoulder.
He grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently. “Let’s go.”
With that caring touch, I was immediately brought back to childhood days spent at the pond by my house. My parents never taught me to swim, so I would just stay in the shallows. The floor was rocky and hurt the bottom of my feet as I stepped, bobbing with the movement of the water.
William sat on the shore reading as the water reflected the sun’s sparkle in a line that led directly toward him. I watched as he turned the page and took a bite from a peach. He and I were the only ones there. It was late in the afternoon and all the other kids had gone home for dinner.
Turning away from the shore, I glided from rock to rock, dragging my feet, hopping and counting. One, two, three, four, five, six—
The ground dropped, and I was completely underwater. Standing there, holding my breath, the world drowned out as I was swallowed by the lake. I felt strangely calm knowing that any minute, William would be there. I opened my eyes and let my head fall back to the sky. They stung as I absorbed the sight of blurring blues above me.
I heard a dull splash, and within seconds William grabbed me and pulled me to the surface. I thirstily gasped for air, coughing and spitting out mouthfuls of water.
Dragging me by the arm, he manically paddled to the shore. As I kept perfectly still, he was careful to keep my head above water.
William pushed me onto dry land. Panting, he shook me. “Gracie, you okay?”
I nodded, staring up at him. His wetted blond hair looked brown, and his curls were flattened against his head. Hugging me, he pulled my head into his chest, and I could feel his heartbeat between the heaves.
“Don’t ever do anything that stupid—” His voice broke.
It was the only time I ever saw him cry.