by Nicole Marsh
In the store, the suit felt sexy and daring.
Posing in the mirror, I felt alluring and mature.
Now, though… now I’m worried it might be too trashy. Sighing, I head to my bedroom and throw on my favorite pair of cutoffs and a tight tank top. Maybe the other girl’s suits will also be as small as this one?
When I was flipping through the options at the store, tiny bikini seemed to be the style that was “in”. If nothing else, I can keep my clothes on during our tubing adventure, to cover more skin. The thought reassures me and motivates me to finish prepping for the day.
I return to the bathroom, now fully clothed, and use the mirror to swipe on some waterproof black mascara. A little luxury item I purchased for myself when I was at the store last night. Lastly, I twist and pull my long, black strands of hair into a tight French braid beginning at my scalp and trailing down to my lower back.
Then, I step away from the counter doing a quick sweep of my appearance. I remain objective, noting my chocolate eyes and thin face. I’m pretty, enough. In my opinion, the bare-faced look suits me, plus we’re going in the water, so there’s no point in caking on make-up.
I deem my appearance acceptable and exit to the living room. Swiping my small purse, containing the usual items, off the table, I sweep my gaze around the room, feeling like I’m forgetting something. Suddenly, I remember the sunglasses I purchased last night, as another small luxury.
Running to the back of the trailer, I snag the aviator-style frames. The lenses are a cool light blue, which make my dark features appear more interesting. I rip the tag off the sunglasses and throw it on top of my dresser.
Popping my new accessory into place, I stride outside. I have fifteen minutes to spare, but I’d rather bask in the early morning sun than hang out in my dark, dingy trailer. I plop onto my front steps and lounge, like a snake basking in the sun. The early Alabama summer heat slowly soaks into my skin and I begin to nod off.
The sound of tires crunching along gravel, dirt, and dried grass jolts me back into awareness sometime later. I rise to my feet, watching as Collin drives onto my front lawn. He leaves his SUV idling, opening his door and stepping onto the runner, his head clearing the top of the door by almost a foot.
“Hey McKenzie,” he drawls. His voice is warm and jolly, like he’s pleased to be here and happy to see me.
My eyes rake over him, noticing his tousled blonde hair, and dark sunglasses hiding his eyes from sight. They flicker over his lips pulled back to show his teeth, and his broad shoulders, partially covered by a black muscle-tee. After inspecting him head to toe, I grin back, and yell, “Hey Franzen.” The tone of my voice is almost unrecognizable to my own ears. I sound… cheery. There’s a teasing, amused lilt to my words that’s unfamiliar. Instead of overthinking the change, I rush towards the car, whipping open the passenger door and pulling myself in.
I tug the door closed behind me; hearing Collin’s shut around the same time. Pivoting, I angle my body towards the driver’s seat and see he’s already facing my direction. His sunglasses hide his eyes from view, making it hard to determine his expression.
In a moment of playfulness, I surge across the console. Snatching his sunglasses off his face, I stick my tongue out then retreat back to my side of the car. I place the sunglasses over my own, tilt my head to the side and ask, “How do I look?” Then I push my lips out into a duckface and throw my hand up to the side, near my head.
Collin laughs and leans slightly closer to my position posted by the door. “Ridiculous,” he says with the amused sparkle making an appearance in his green gaze. He tilts further forward and my breath catches at the look that enters his eyes.
I feel myself drawn forward, an invisible line tugging me closer to Collin. My eyes drift shut as my back leaves the safety of the door. I feel the heat of Collin’s body also looming closer, then suddenly his hands are on my sides.
He digs in with his fingers, tickling his way up and down my skin, with a combination of feather light touches and prods. I shriek, giggling, and gasping while I make a futile attempt at escaping the unexpected assault.
“Stop tickling me!” I cry out in a breathless voice.
“Relinquish my sunglasses,” Collin replies in a mock-serious tone. His deep, southern voice making the words gentler than he probably intended.
“Never!”
The tickling attack continues, with Collin becoming more aggressive. He leans halfway across the car to chase me with his devious fingers, deftly finding the most sensitive places to make me giggle and squirm.
“Okay, okay,” I finally relent, lifting my fingers to my face and prying the sunglasses away. With a huff, I hand them across the car, then cross my arms over my still heaving chest.
“No reason to be a sore loser, McKenzie,” Collin taunts, as he places his dark sunglasses onto his nose, once again hiding his mirth-filled eyes from view.
“You have freakishly long arms, it was totally an unfair battle,” I protest, jokingly.
“Yeah, yeah,” he agrees, his tone appeasing. “Well these gorilla arms need to navigate us out of here to pick up some of the gang, I don’t want us to be late.”
He starts the ignition and I tip forward, feeling comfortable enough in his car to give myself permission to fiddle with the radio. A top forties station comes on, and I twist the dial, increasing the volume of the pop music as it floats into the car through the speakers.
Before long, we’re turning into the Golden Oaks neighborhood. Spotting the sign, I turn to Collin, “Do all of your friends live here?”
He nods, wordlessly, maintaining focus on the road as he drives.
“You didn’t have to drive all the way over to my house! I could’ve ridden my bike,” I exclaim, feeling guilty I dragged Collin all the way to the trailer park when the rest of his friends are his neighbors.
His eyes flit to connect with mine briefly, then return to the road. “It was no big deal. The drive is way shorter than the bike ride would have been. Plus, I like having you ride in my passenger seat.” He gestures to the radio with his right hand. “You’re already a great co-captain.”
His easy-going smile is visible as he reassures me. My chance to reply is stolen as Collin stops the SUV in front of a colossal home, at least as large as his, painted pale gray. The moment the car brakes, the bright white front door pops open and four people spill out, three girls I know are cheerleaders and a guy I recognize from the football team.
They swarm the car, opening the doors and piling in with choruses of “Hey Collin!”
One of the girls was my lab partner sophomore year--a redhead named Katie--she spots me and also chimes an excited, “Hey Kenzie!”
Surprisingly, the others follow suit.
Collin shoots me a happy grin, veering back onto the road and stopping at one other house. The process repeats and a total of six girls and two guys end up crammed into the back of Collin’s SUV. They’re all from our school, but I’ve never spent any time with them outside of any classes we’ve had together.
Another girl, named Isabelle, suddenly shrieks, “Turn up this song, I love it!!”
I tilt my head, wondering how she was able to hear the now too-quiet music, in the boisterous car. Bending forward, I wiggle the knob to the right until some pop song I’ve never heard comes blasting through the speakers much louder than before. Most of the girls and one of the guys begin singing off key over the noise and I find myself giggling amidst the chaos.
Collin reaches over with his right hand and gives my thigh a gentle squeeze. One of the girls from the back yells, “Ooooh.” He just waves his hand at her, in a brush off motion, and everyone else continues crooning to the radio, not paying us any mind. Collin’s hand floats back down to my leg and rests there, gently gripping my skin.
The rest of the drive passes that way, making the time go by quickly.
A short while later, Collin turns the SUV into a clearing near the river, stopping on a patchy spot of land compr
ised of a half dirt, half rock combo. The ten of us loaded into his vehicle disembark onto the uneven ground, merging with another group of ten cheerleaders and football players, this one consisting of seven guys and three girls, as they offload from a truck.
It doesn’t escape my attention that the boy to girl ratio is even; it almost feels like everyone is coupled up. I eye Collin curiously, but he’s already been sucked in by the newcomers and is helping to unload supplies and inflate tubes.
My focus moves to examine the rest of the group instead. I’ve gone to school with these kids for years. I know their names and have seen them grow up, just like they have me, but this all feels very surreal. Two weeks ago, I wouldn’t have thought I would be with Collin Franzen and the other popular kids from our school, about to go tubing down a river together.
Life is just funny that way, I guess.
Pausing, still hovering near Collin’s SUV, I move my eyes past the crowd to take in the view. The rocky, dirt littered ground covers this entire side of the river. Slightly murky, green water connects the land to the other side, which is covered in tall, thick grass. Similar to the lake Collin brought me to the other day.
Glancing further down, I see the water moving steadily, diverging around a few tree trunks popping up from the river bed. Much further down, there’s tiny island, but the river continues on for miles. Surveying our surroundings, I wonder how long we’ll spend out here.
I’m tempted to ask, but at this point I’m along for the ride… so, I guess it doesn’t really matter much anyways.
Stepping away from the vehicle, I join the cluster of nine other girls standing between the two cars. A consistent wave of chatter coats the clearing, but I remain somewhat off to the side. Absorbing gossip without participating in the conversation. No one outright ignores me, but no one directly invites me to join in either. My place is unclear when it comes to this new dynamic and I’m slowly figuring it out.
After a bit of standing around, the girls begin to shed their cover-ups and I’m relieved to see the tiny bikini is definitely in. Compared to some of the suits the girls are wearing here, mine could be considered modest.
I yank my own tank up, over my head, careful to avoid mussing my braid. I tug my shorts down next, stepping out of them with my sandals still on. I’ve never been tubing before, but it makes sense you would want your shoes on to protect your feet from the rocky bottoms. Plus, all of the other girls left theirs on.
A catcall breaks across the clearing and I glance up to see all the guys watching us girls as we get undressed.
Typical.
One of the guys walks past Collin, ambling in the direction of the cooler they have set up near the truck. He slaps him on the back as he passes, loudly congratulating him. “Nice work man, she’s hot.”
I ignore the comment, hoping they’ll drop it, as I roll my tank top and shorts into a ball. Stepping away from the group, I plan to deposit my clothes back into the SUV with my purse. One of the girls flips her long, bright hair to capture everyone’s attention, including mine.
She cries, in a teasing tone, “Are you…blushing, Franzen? Be still my heart, THE Collin Franzen blushing. Never thought I would see the day.” She bends backwards dramatically, placing the back of her palm over her forehead in an exaggerated fashion, like she’s about to swoon.
Her antics cause our group of twenty or so to burst into laughter before they return to disrobing or prepping the tubes. I look away from my bundle of clothing to meet Collin’s gaze across the rocky clearing. He’s moved his sunglasses to rest across the top of his blonde hair, leaving his green eyes visible in the bright sun.
Time stills as our eyes clash, heat sizzling through the connection despite the distance. The background fades away and I silently take a half step forward, instinctually wanting to be closer to Collin.
The sound of a bottle breaking on the rocks interrupts the trance. “Fuck,” one of the footballers exclaims, and I shake my head to dispel the Collin-induced fog.
My eyes shift in the direction of the noise, quickly spotting the shattered beer bottle scattered across the ground and the soggy, broken cardboard box the beer was in. Another guy jumps in to help him, cautiously plucking the pieces of glass from the ground and placing them into a box that’s still intact.
After investigating the source of the noise, I’m immediately drawn back to Collin’s form. He’s in the same spot, his eyes seeking mine like heat missiles. The second my brown gaze meets his green, he shoots a wink in my direction, then a smile takes over his face.
The sun glints off his teeth, and there’s only one word that describes the look.
Predatory.
Chapter 11
The top half of my body is hot and sweaty, but the cool water drifting underneath my bottom helps to temper the sun and humid air. I lazily trail my hand across the surface next to me, as the current pulls our group of twenty down the river at a steady pace.
One of the guys, maybe it was Jeremy, was clever enough to bring ropes to connect our group together. Our tubes are knotted closely to one person on the side, with slacked rope connecting to the person ahead and behind us, forming a chain of tubes, two by ten. Trailing behind the group, are two coolers filled with beers and sodas and a couple waters, with the two guys at the back dispersing the beverages as requested.
Collin was placed beside me, of course, our connected rubber circles carrying us comfortably side by side. I’d been asked, several times, if I wanted anything to drink. Each time I declined, but somehow, ended up sharing beers with Collin anyway.
He swigs on our fourth, or maybe fifth beer, handing it across the tubes for me to drink. There’s something so intimate about sharing a beer, I think as I bring the neck of the bottle closer to my mouth. Our lips have occupied this same space within seconds of each other. I already felt a connection to Collin and every time he licks his lips after I place my mouth against our beer, I feel the heat building low in my belly burn hotter.
I return the bottle and he finishes the contents in one, long guzzle, maintaining eye contact throughout. He reaches his long arm back behind him, calling, “Trash.”
Following the progress of the bottle with my eyes, I watch as it passes through two sets of hands to reach the guys in the back. The empty bottle gets added into one of the coolers to be recycled later. I must have it bad, because even the fact that Collin and his friends recycle their garbage instead of dumping it into the river has my attraction towards him growing.
It’s not clear how long we’ve been out here for. All of us left our phones, and the boys their fancy watches, in the car for safe/dry keeping while we float. One of the guys said the route we plan to take is about three miles, but distance doesn’t mean much when you’re floating on a tube.
Before we set off down the river, Collin and Matt, the owner of the truck, drove to the end point to drop off one of the vehicles. This way we don’t have to trudge all the way back to the start point in soggy shoes while carrying our tubes.
My eyes drift shut again, listening as the group ribs at each other over various inside jokes and insider information. My lips form into a soft smile as we float, listening to their banter without input. Some kids might feel left out, being the new kid in a group of clearly close friends, but I kind of like it.
It’s nice to be a fresh face in a group of friends, getting the chance to listen and participate without any attachment. It’s the first time in a really long time that I can remember having fun.
Summer, a natural blond with a sunny disposition befitting her name, cuts through the chit chat. She screams, “Who’s ready for SENIOR YEAR?!”
A wave of shouts and yells ripples down the tubes and I join in, yelling “Woohoo,” at the top of my lungs.
The first three times this happened, I didn’t join in—but it seems like some part of the tubing ritual—to periodically scream something and have everyone cheer in response. Normally I’m not the kind to partake in stuff like this, but if I�
��m participating in in this tubing adventure, might as well join in every part of it.
My eyes remain closed and I feel myself beginning to doze, falling into a comfortable half-sleep. The consistent motion of the river and muggy air providing a drugging affect that lulls me to a semi-conscious state.
Jeremy randomly shouts, “Hi-yah.”
The noise is nearby, as he’s in the set of tubes directly behind Collin and I. My eyes pop open over the weird sound effect, just in time to see him attempt some sort of ninja kick against Collin’s tube. Following the line of his leg, I realize Collin has started to drift to sleep as well. This is probably Jeremy’s way of waking him up.
Jeremy’s kick creates a ripple effect, hitting Collin’s tube at just the right angle to careen him into me. His weight provides added momentum and causes us to create a V in the line, from our spot close to the center.
None of this probably would’ve mattered if we’d been in a better position on the river. Our current location is almost a bottle neck of sorts and my bottom scrapes against the rough surface of a rock near the edge of the water. This causes me to push my weight against the sides of my tube, to pull my butt out of the water, and away from any interaction with the hazards peppering the shallow river bed.
The movement shoves the sides of the tube down into the water as it lifts me up. A loud “pop” suddenly bursts out from beneath me and my tube instantly begins to lose air.
With a cry of shock, I swiftly stand in the shallow water. The surface barely tapping the top of my ankles. My yell alerts the entire crew there’s an issue, either that, or the popping noise, or the now deflating tube I’m holding in my hands. Either way, the boys hastily jump into action leaping off their tubes and dragging the chain to a halt. Together they pull it into the center of the river, so we don’t lose anymore tubes.
