Summer Sunsets by Maria Rachel Hooley Read Free Book Online

Now!”
    Jerking off my shirt and
shoes, I jump into the water near where the girl has sunk. The cold
rushes up to meet me, and at first, I can’t find her. I have to bob
back to the surface to get a breath. I scan the area. She hasn’t
come up. I dive deep again, searching. Just when I’m almost out of
breath, I see her long, dark hair flowing in the water around her.
Her still body tells me I was right. She’s unconscious and
breathing water.
    I grab her arm and pull her
to the surface, where I prop her still body against my chest and
backstroke to the shore on which the other girl, sobbing
hysterically, waits. I’m out of breath when I carry the girl to the
beach. I set her down amid the other girl’s screams, asking me if
her friend is okay.
    “ I don’t know,” I tell her,
gritting my teeth as I wave her to silence so I can hear if her
friend is breathing. She’s not. “Damn it,” I mutter, lightly
tapping her face. “Hey, can you hear me?”
    Nothing.
    “ What’s her name?” I ask,
turning her friend on her side so I can thump her back to dislodge
anything blocking her airway.
    “ Sam. She’s my best friend.
You gotta help her!”
    I turn Sam back over. “Sam,
can you hear me?” I ask, lightly tapping her face.
    Nothing. She’s still not
breathing.
    In my peripheral vision, I
see Skye on the phone, calling for help as I begin compressions.
Water drips from my hair onto the girl’s soaked face. I count to
myself and breathe for her. No matter how much I don’t want to
think about this, it reminds me of Skye and that day. This girl is
probably right around the same age. No, she hadn’t made the same
choice, but does that matter? She’s here. She’s not breathing, and
I’m the only one tethering her spirit to this body.
    I check to see if she’s
breathing. Stillness. I hear Skye tell the other girl, “He’s doing
everything he can. I promise.”
    I begin another round of
compressions, counting in my head. My arms are starting to feel the
brunt of swimming and now this, but I won’t give up. I can’t. I
don’t know how many sets I complete before the sirens scream toward
us, telling me help is on the way. Skye embraces the blonde girl,
who never meant for any of this to happen, and I want is this girl
to be okay. I want it so badly, but things don’t always work the
way we want them to, no matter how desperately we try to make them
that way.
    Another breath for her.
“Come on,” I gasp. “Don’t do this.” I can see the EMTs running this
way, but I keep going, hoping it will be enough. My eyes are
playing tricks on me and I keep thinking it’s Skye, even though I
know it isn’t. This is the beach, not the bedroom. The girl’s lying
in wet sand, not Skye’s bed. Yet no matter what I tell myself, my
mind sees what it wants, and I force myself to keep moving until an
EMT takes my place. I crumble onto the sand and try to catch my
breath. My arms are on fire, and for all I’ve done, the girl’s as
still as a stone.
    “ Come on,” I whisper.
“Please.”
    Suddenly she starts
coughing, and I feel my whole body collapsing into itself as she
starts coming around. It’s then I notice Skye walking up to me. She
sets her hands on my shoulder and gently squeezes. There are tears
in her eyes, and I know what she’s thinking, not that I have the
strength to talk about it. There are moments I wish I could forget,
but I know we’re all damned to remember things that hurt so much
and leave scars that never heal.
    Ocean water drips from my
hair, and I close my eyes, wanting to slow the gallop of my heart.
I slowly get to my feet and walk toward Skye, my hand reaching for
hers as I lead her back to the pier to collect our poles and
whatnot. Neither of us says much, leaving the soft breeze across
the ocean to carry the conversation. More than once, I look down at
the two girls and feel a tightness in my chest as my mind skitters
among the possibilities. I used to be the optimist, but