“CAREFUL ON THE beach, people! The waves are getting bigger and the orange flag might turn red soon. This is the Landes! But waves mean wind, and wind means coolness… In fact, I’m hearing in my earpiece that there might be a storm tonight… I’ll keep you informed!”

Luce was hanging out her freshly washed laundry. “Is that your little sister?”

“Yeah.” I felt proud. I wanted Luce to meet her.

“What’s your name?”

“Alma. What’s yours?”

“Luce.”

“Alma,” I said, “can you find your way back to Mom and Dad on your own?”

“They said you have to stay with me.”

“I know, but I’d rather stay with Luce. You understand?”

“I understand!”

She vanished like a flower. I walked over to Luce, feeling quite emotional. I felt like she’d just returned from a long journey. “I missed you.”

“That’s nice of you, Leonard… What did you do while I was away?”

“Waited for you.”

She continued hanging up her laundry. She didn’t touch me, barely even looked at me. I paced around near her tent, thinking: What, has she forgotten? I’d thought she would kiss me. Suddenly she burped and came toward me as if I were an old friend.

“Did you hear the bunny? There’s going to be a storm. See that, in the sky?”

“What am I supposed to see?”

“Way over there, look. Black clouds. I can’t wait. At least it’ll break up this crappy routine. Do you want to go swimming?”

“Okay.”

She doesn’t love me. Not anymore. Those two hours were an eternity for me, but for her they were nothing. She went to wash some clothes and then she came back.

I smiled, trying to stay dignified. I started looking around for cameras again, for a group of people hidden in the bushes ready to jump out and laugh at me. What did she want from me? She was good-looking. Better-looking than me, anyway. If she wanted, she could get a boy who was way calmer and more confident. But she persisted. She gave me her time. This was all I’d wanted, and now I felt guilty. I thought: She’s hanging out with me because she doesn’t know I killed Oscar. She touched my arm as she went past. I took a step toward her, but she moved away.

“Do you want me to lend you a towel?”

“Okay.”

She threw it at my head, then she took my hand and off we went. I followed her awkwardly to the beach. There was no point denying it: I was like a weathervane in her wind; my heart fluttered every time she even glanced at me. Why had I chosen her, this girl who dragged me around like a little dog? I was always too late: sometimes her eyes seemed loving, but before I even had time to believe it, she seemed to ignore me again; then, just as I’d start feeling sad, she would hold my hand. I was at her mercy. If she asked me to jump… We passed the hole and I didn’t even look at it.