One day I sunk to the bottom of the pool and died.

People were screaming and a boy named Troy jumped in and even though he was a lifeguard and he had a whistle, he was scared.

Very very scared.

~

He jumped in and I saw him coming and I said, “Too late. I’m already dead.” And he said, nothing. Because he was lugging my body to the surface.

People screamed. Especially Mom.

She was saying: “NO! NO! NO! MY BABY!”

And someone was holding her back because she was trying to jump in with me and Troy, but this would only complicate things.

Troy tried tried tried to get me over to the side of the pool and there was a crowd, including my old best friend Carlene and her new best friend Bonnie. They were bawling and the other lifeguards were yelling at Troy and he was saying, “I GOT IT!”

I was flopping around, turning blue, and now my mom was passed out.

When he finally got me to the deck, his lips were on my lips and he was breathing hard into my lungs. Though I’d never been kissed, my soft mouth molded to his as he tried to breathe life back into my body. During one of the intervals he was surprised to find himself no longer blowing breath into my mouth. But rather I was blowing breath into his.

“Olivia.

“Olivia.

“OLIVIA!”

I splashed up from the back float, the sound of the water and people and Mom.

She stood on the deck with her hand on her hip, her Naturalizer shoes, and her horrible Merry Maids uniform.

Everyone stared at her.

“What is wrong with you? Get your sister and get out. We’re leaving.”

A man with a snake tattoo on his neck gave me a sorry look and I gave him a none-of-your-business look, and Mom said, “Did you hear me?”

“Okay,” I said.

“Where is she?” Mom said.

“She’s right . . .”

I looked around. She was here. She was just here. Playing with a little boy in the shark shorts.

“Where is she, Olivia?”

“Hang on,” I said.

The pirate ship was swarming with kids but no pink swimsuit.

My heart fluttered. I never lost her. Ever.

I swam to the side.

Nowhere.

The other side.

Panic now.

“Olivia,” Mom said.

Then a lady in a bikini said to me, “She’s over there.”

At the corner of the pool stood my baby sister in her pigtails and chubby bum, talking to a man. A very big man with a big belly and a big beard, crouching down next to her.

Mom probably saw it at the same time because she let out a shriek.

And even though it was okay, even though his name was Kyle and he worked for the DMV and he was trying to help Berkeley find me, even though all those things, I got grounded for a week.

............

Dear Dad,

I have a boyfriend named Troy. He’s a lifeguard. I think you’d like him.

Mom thinks he’s really nice and we might have him over for dinner. I wish you could meet him.

Love,
Liv

P.S. Mom grounded me for no reason.

............