Pool Boys Read Free

the bottle (after her parents’ divorce last year. Luckily, with some brute force, Georgia had managed to wrestle the bottle away from Charlotte and toss it in the recycling bin).
    And she was the first of her friends to see a therapist. And still the only one.
    The way Charlotte saw it, if you were the first to do something, then you carved out some quality alone time—even if you were in the company of your two best friends.Or, even if you were in the company of a boy. After all, she hadn’t been thinking about Caleb Ramsey when she’d made out with him. She’d been thinking about her math homework, and walking Stella McCartney—the von Klaus family’s smelly (male) Labrador—and which South Park rerun would be on that night.
    So as Charlotte plowed through the icy water, kicking her legs and paddling, she didn’t think about swimming. She thought about Marcus Craft.
    Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him. Due to the overabundance of chlorine, he appeared extra fuzzy and dreamlike. He was still languorously draped over the side of his chair, chatting up the Hot New Girl who had somehow snuck in under the radar. How had none of them heard of her before today? Even Ethan Brennan knew about her. It was absurd.
    Breathe, stroke, kick…Breathe, stroke, kick…Breathe, stroke, kick…
    Actually, what was more absurd was that Charlotte had to practice swimming.
    For reasons never made clear, Old Fairfield Country Day school—otherwise known as the Tombs (Charlotte coined the moniker herself after a freakish school trip to Washington, DC, but that was a very long story)—required that their students pass a swimming test in order to graduate. This was now the summer before senior year, and Charlotte was in big trouble. Brooke and Georgia would have no problem. Brooke had been a pool girl since birth. And there wasn’t a single sport Georgia couldn’t master.Give her a bow and arrow; she’d become an archery champ in days. Hence, all of Charlotte’s friends would say goodbye to the Tombs and attend college, whereas Charlotte envisioned herself flunking out and spiraling downward in a self-destructive binge of steak sandwiches until she became a grotesque tabloid headline:
    1,543-LB WOMAN IS NEW GUINNESS WORLD RECORD HOLDER FOR FATTEST HUMAN. “CAN’T LEAVE BED!!!” SHE SAYS.
    Breathe, stroke, kick…Breathe, stroke, kick…Breathe, stroke, kick…
    Charlotte reached the shallow end and nearly bumped her head on the stone steps. Ugh. She was about as graceful as a squid. Was Marcus watching her? She hoped not. On the other hand, if she started to drown, then Marcus would have to dive in and rescue her. But on the third hand (was there a third hand?), that would violate the Second Unspoken Rule of Silver Oaks, which Charlotte had written herself:
    Thou Shalt Not Poach Thy Friend’s Love Interest.
    Brooke was clearly interested in Marcus. Though that didn’t mean that Charlotte couldn’t still check him out. Their parents surreptitiously checked out their friends’ significant others all the time, after all. It was the adult thing to do.
    “How’s the water?” a boy’s voice asked.
    Charlotte shook out her soaking red hair and turned to see Caleb Ramsey standing poolside, frowning.
    Good lord, did that boy need some sun. As always, at this time of year, his lanky body was even whiter than Brooke’s, especially in contrast with his oversized, dark blue swim trunks and his mop of black hair. And as always, at this time of year, he somehow still managed to be completely adorable.
    “Freezing,” Charlotte said. “It’s like March of the Penguins in here.”
    “Seriously, C.”
    “I am being serious. The good part is, much like said penguins, I have lots of blubber to keep me warm.” Charlotte leaned against the side of the pool and rested her chin on her dripping arms, smiling up at him. “Unlike you.”
    “Will you do me a favor?” Caleb asked, returning the smile. “If you ever fish for a