Brielle shucked off her sweats and took her place on the block. She leaned over and waited for the start tone. She and Eva gave each other the thumbs up. The start tone clanged and Brielle dove into the pool, cold water engulfing her. Home. The water was the one place that she felt graceful, comfortable, where her height and long slender feet were an advantage instead of something to stumble over. She came up on her first stroke, took a breath and launched into a powerful butterfly stroke. The race was over almost before she knew it as she tagged the pad and came up to look at where she’d finished. She wiped the water out of her eyes and looked up at the clock.
First place. Eva swam over and gave Brielle a wet hug. Brielle returned the hug with good humor.
“Great race, girl!” Eva shouted, who took second place.
“Thanks,” said Brielle. “You, too.”
She had beaten Eva just by a touch and they both had very fast times. Brielle looked over to the crowd where her family was seated in the bleachers. She could hear them hooting loudly. Kyzie was waving a sign that said “The Black Swan strikes again.” Her friend Sammie, looking like a beautiful fairy, was doing some kind of weird war dance. Her mother and father were clapping. Sitting next to her father, Damon threw up a fist and then clapped. Brielle was thrilled that Damon had showed up for the meet. She waved and blew him a kiss, before she grabbed the edge of the pool and hoisted herself out of it into the chill air.
The day got better and better. Brielle took first in the one hundred and the fifty freestyle. She finished second to Eva in the one hundred butterfly. Their relay team took first place with Brielle as the anchor. She hoisted the trophy in the air for the team picture.
After the meet ended, Damon asked her father if he could take Brielle and the other girls out to get something to eat with the team and then bring them home. Mr. Bronson gave Damon a long look, but gave his consent. Kyzie said nothing and suspended hostilities because Damon had included her in the invitation.
They chose the build your own hamburger place to hang out. Several other kids from Wimberley were hanging out too. They came over to congratulate Brielle and give Damon a high five.
“Girl,” said Damon, slinging him arm around Brielle’s shoulders. “You can swim your butt off.”
Brielle laughed. “I doubt it,” she said, glancing behind her. “But I did do pretty well.”
“You are so smooth and graceful in the water,” he said seriously. Sammie and Kyzie tactfully went to sit at another table with several other students.
Damon held her hand for the rest of the meal, even when they were eating hamburgers.
“You are so awesome,” he said.
Brielle thought that heaven couldn’t be any better.
Sasha
“Anybody ever tell you that you look like Beyoncé?”
“Once or twice.” Sasha almost snorted. If she had a dollar for every time somebody compared her to some pretty famous woman she wouldn’t be living in a shelter eating pizza at Romeo’s with goofy Clifford. He had asked her out every night for two straight weeks after their McDonald’s dinner before she finally accepted. Tonight, they had gone to dinner and a movie.
“She’s really fine,” said Clifford around a bite of pizza. “Just like you.”
Sasha nodded.
“Did you know she writes a lot of her own songs?” asked Sasha. “She’s smart, too.”
“Don’t matter to me,” said Clifford, with a wicked grin. “As long as I could look at that Bootie, I’d be in heaven.” Sasha glanced around for the door, but Clifford went on extolling the virtues of his favorite diva.
“I read a lot of books,” said Sasha, trying to turn the conversation. “I was on my way to college when I found out I was pregnant.”
“No call to be too smart,” said Clifford. “With your beauty, all you gotta do is smile at a brother and he’ll lay his heart down along with his money.”
“Sure,” said Sasha. She picked up her knife and fork and cut off a small piece of pizza and ate it.
“I’ve never seen anybody eat pizza with a knife and fork before,” said Clifford.
“It’s hot!” protested Sasha. She sipped on her water and wiped her mouth with the corner of her napkin.
“I see you might be one of those hoity chicks,” said Clifford, smiling.
“Hoity?” asked Sasha, puzzled.
“You know, all that!”
“Didn’t you know?” she asked. They both laughed. She picked up her slice of pizza with her hand.
“I’m no basic chick,” she said, flirting a little. “But I’ll be regular for you.”
“Oh,” he said, laughing. “It’s like that!”
She nodded and took a bite of pizza.
“So, what are you going to do now?” he asked. He took a huge bit of pepperoni pizza and chewed so vigorously that Sasha’s stomach churned.
She returned to earth with a thud. Still pregnant. Homeless.
Sasha sighed and put down her slice of pizza.
“I don’t really know,” she said. “I’m working but it is not enough money to live off of or get a place. I have to get an apartment before the baby is born because the facility I’m staying at is short term. Long stays are prohibited.”
“You always talk like that,” asked Clifford.
“Like what?”
“Prohibited,” said Clifford, holding up his hand. “You always throwing out those million dollar words.”
“Sorry,” said Sasha.
“Naw, it’s cool” said Clifford. “I could understand you. You just sound really smart. I like smart girls. Just not too smart, you know?”
“Okay,” said Sasha. “But I’ve been thinking about how I might be able to go to college.”
“When is your baby due?” asked Clifford. He listened while she gave him the information.
“So where is dude at?” he asked.
“Back home,” said Sasha. “He doesn’t know.”
“You ain’t gonna tell him?” asked Clifford, incredulous. “That’s messed up.”
Sasha rolled her eyes.
“He broke
