Free Letting Ana Go by Anonymous

now sometimes I catch myself scripting the things I should say, or wish I’d have said, or hope to get to say.
    I was hoping he’d kiss me. Only in the script I had in my head, it was late at night on the upper deck under the big yellow moon, which seems to be getting lower and lower in the sky every evening. It’s a waxing gibbous—almost full. (See, Mrs. Brewer? I did learn something in earth science.)
    EXT. NIGHT—HOUSEBOAT ON LAKE POWELL
    A yellow summer MOON hangs low in the sky, lighting purple cliffs and the eyes of seventeen-year-old JACK , standing at the railing with ME at his elbow.
    JACK : It’s almost perfect out here.
    ME : Almost?
    JACK : Yep. It’s just . . .
    ME : Just what?
    JACK : There’s too much noise.
    ME ( laughing ): Too much noise? It’s just us talking.
    JACK ( devilish grin ): I know. I have to make that stop.
    JACK takes me in his ARMS.
    EXT. NIGHT—CONTINUOUS
    We push into a CLOSE-UP on JACK and ME kissing, first gently and then passionately, as we PULL OUT and swirl around them, circling them twice, then flying up and away over their heads and the boat zooming out across the water, up the side of the purple cliffs, and fading to white on the MOON.
    But that’s not how it happened.
    We were lying on the rafts again, and Rob had just rolled off his into the water, splashing Jill into a narrow-eyed state of revenge that fueled her attempt to leap onto his head as he swam toward the boat, in an apparent attempt to drown him.
    Of course, she weighs 108 pounds (as of this morning), and Rob just continued swimming toward the boat, dragging her along with him, until we were all laughing so hard that if they hadn’t reached the ladder, they might actually have drowned in their own mirth. Rob asked Jack if he wanted something to eat and I realized I hadn’t eaten since our turkey roll-ups at lunch, but today, I wasn’t even hungry.
    I realized my body has adjusted to Jill’s 1,700 calories and I haven’t even thought about it today. I’ve conquered 1,700 calories! It’s almost dinnertime, and I haven’t looked at the sun over the cliffs and tried to guess how close we are to being able to eat again, or asked Rob what time it is on his big waterproofwatch. As I thought about this, I smiled to myself. Not a big, crazy smile, just a tiny “to myself” smile, and Jack looked at me as I did and he noticed my private smile and he got a tiny smile himself.
    EXT. DAY—LAKE POWELL—CONTINUOUS
    Camera floats above JACK and ME lying on separate rafts, facing each other.
    JACK : What?
    ME : Nothing.
    JACK : It doesn’t look like nothing.
    ME : What does it look like?
    JACK : I dunno. Like you’re . . . happy.
    ME : I guess I am.
    JACK : When you smile like that it makes me want to kiss you.
    ME : Oh, really?
    JACK : Yeah, really.
    JACK reaches out and pulls my raft closer, then puts one hand on my cheek and leans over and places his lips against mine. He is gentle and his lips taste like ChapStick, warm and smooth against mine. I feel the sun hot on my back, and the water is warm on my legs as I reach out toward his raft, trying to pull him closer to me. I feel his tongue brush against mine, and his breath on my cheek as he tries to adjust into a better angle on his raft, then—
    CUT TO WIDE SHOT—EXT. LAKE POWELL—CONTINUOUS
    JACK jerks away as his raft slips out from under him. He splashes and thrashes into the water, pulling ME along with him. We laugh and cough, then JACK drapes his arm around his raft and pulls ME close with the other. Suddenly, our legs are tangled up, and my arms are around his broad shoulders, holding on.
    ME ( nervous laughing ): Don’t want to pull you under.
    JACK : You’re weightless in the water.
    ME ( rolling my eyes ): I am not.
    JACK pulls ME even tighter.
    JACK ( whispers ): I got you.
    JACK kisses ME again. This time we melt into each other and we kiss for a long time, bodies wrapped around each other, his arm pulling me tightly against