Free Taboo by Roxy Queen Page B

stronger.”
    Maggie walks over to us, limping on one foot. Huge tears fall down her cheeks. “That girl pushed me and my knee got hurt and I’m bleeding everywhere!” All of this came out in between hiccups.
    “Whatever you do, fix it fas t,” she says, inspecting Maggie’s injured knee. “I want to go back to the pool.”
     
    *
    I brace myself on the ride to the pool, in the parking lot, and as we walk through the gate. All my preparations and fretting are worthless in the end. He’s not here.
    We hang around through the shift changes and Carter never shows. It’s Tuesday and he always works on Tuesdays and I’m about to sneak into the guard room to check the schedule but I don’t.
    Because this is what I want. This is over. We’re done. Summer has come to an end and everything has gone according to plan. I seduced Aqua-Man, showed him the ropes, had amazing sex and now we both move on.
    Too bad I feel like shit.
    Too bad I’m horny as hell and would give anything for a quickie in the bathhouse. Or even his car.
    I push aside my real desire. To have him in my bed one more time.
    “I’m such an idiot,” I mutter.
    “What?” Finley asks from the chair beside her.
    “I’m an idiot, okay? This whole thing with Aqua-Man. Fucking stupid. I’m so stupid, I can’t believe I let it get to this point. I feel horrible.”
    Finley swings her legs around and faces me. “I know you feel bad, but we talked about this. He’ll be okay.”
    I shift my eyes away and nod.
    “Wait,” she says with narrowed eyes. “You’re an idiot because you fell for him!”
    I look around and say, “Shhh!”
    “You did. I knew it.” She stops gloa ting and frowns. “Oh honey, oh God. You fell for him.”
    I start to shake my head and deny it but a big, fat, stupid tear rolls down my cheek instead. “I’m a moron.”
    “Yeah,” she says, rubbing my back. “A little bit, but he’s pretty great.”
    I wipe my nose with the corner of my beach towel. “Dammit. I’m going to the bathroom and when I get back we’re not talking about this anymore, okay?”
    “Deal.”
    The bathhouse mirror reveals that I’m a blotchy mess.  I blow my nose and splash cold water on my face to relieve the swelling and hope the sunglasses hide the rest. I’m on my way out when I hear him by the guard room laughing. There’s no mistaking the high-pitched, obnoxious voice of the person he’s talking to and I press myself against the wall where they can’t see me.
    Bikini Mom.
    This day just keeps getting worse.
    “So you’re off to school?” she asks. It comes out as a coo, and I fight the bile rising in the back of my throat.
    “I leave tomorrow, just came by to get my final check.”
    “You’ll have so much fun,” she says. “Pledging?”
    “Yeah, Rush starts this weekend. My dad is a Kappa Sig, so I’ll probably lean that way.”
    “Fraternity boys. God, I miss those days,” she laughs, flirty and in what I’m sure she thinks is a seductive voice. “You’re single, right? You’re not leaving anyone special behind?”
    I freeze, waiting to hear his reply.
    “Uh, well…sort of? We agreed to see other people at school, you know, long distance and all.”
    “Keep your options open,” she purrs.
    His answer and voice sound sad but I can’t hear what he says next because a group of kids push past me to enter the bathhouse. When I listen again, he’s gone.
     
    *
     
    Can you come over?
    To your house?
    My apartment—yeah
    Now?
    When you can—I’ll be here.
    Give me twenty—I need a shower
    Twenty-three minutes later, still smelling of soap and shampoo, Carter Hightower stands in my living room. He’s wearing a blue hoodie with his jersey number on it from his school soccer team. Everything about Carter is big and he takes up too much space for a boy his age. He’s all arms and legs. His broad shoulders seem to press against the walls. I’ve had him in many confined spaces, but this room seems to cage him more than