Chapter 3
Thankfully Sam’s father had been smart enough to beat him on his back where his t-shirt could cover the damage. Anyone looking at his face would be none the wiser. As he was being beaten the previous night, he forced his mind to go to a place where he felt safe and happy. So as the lashes of the belt were welting his flesh, he willed his mind to take him to the lunch room where he could sit across from Olivia and look into her bright blue eyes and be warmed by her smile.
The dread that consumed him over the thought of her cutting him out of her life after witnessing the mess of his home life caused him to walk tentatively into the lunch room, in hopes that his seat across from Olivia would still be there. Tip toeing into the lunchroom to learn of his fate, his fears were quickly wiped away as he saw her lunchbox sitting delicately at the empty space in front of her, saving the seat for Sam.
A smile bloomed across his lips as he pulled his shoulders back a little higher, which made him wince inwardly as the motion caused his shirt to ripple across the open wounds of his back. But no amount of pain could stifle the joy he was feeling in this moment that he hadn’t lost Olivia.
Slipping into the seat across from her, she gave him a smile that stopped his heart. Instantly telling him that all his worrying had been for naught. Giving her a shy smile in return, he pushed her lunchbox back across the table to her.
“So?!” She asked excitedly, her heart in her eyes.
“So…So what?” He looked up at her confused.
Rolling her eyes as if there could possibly be only one thing she was asking. “So? So how did the states and capitals test go?”
“Oh,” he chuckled under his breath as he pulled out the paper from his backpack. “That.”
Sliding it across the table from her, she snatched it from him before his hand was fully extended. Not even trying to conceal her squeal of glee, she shrieked as she saw the bright red 100% at the top of the paper.
“Sam! You did it! I knew you could! Oh I’m so happy for you! Ice cream sundaes here you come!” Her eyes were wide and bright with emotion. Pure unadulterated happiness. The foolish grin that spread over his face warmed Olivia to her toes, knowing that her pride in him caused such a genuine joy in him.
“Yeah, well, it’s no big deal,” he shrugged, trying to play it cool.
“No big deal?!” Laughing she tossed her head back with unabandon before looking back at him. “It’s a huge deal! You studied so hard for this test and you didn’t miss one. Not a single one.” Her preening over him caused a blush to cross his face, which he tried to shake off so she wouldn’t see the effect she had on him.
“Thanks, it will be pretty cool,” he said casually, but Olivia could tell he was just as proud of himself as she was.
Sensing that he wanted to change the subject, she decided to humor him. Sliding the paper back across the table to him, she busied her hands as she opened up her lunchbox.
“I’m excited about Swim Day,” Olivia said as she handed Sam his sandwich.
Sam just grunted in response through a bite.
“You’re not excited? Why not?”
“I’m not going.” He said as he finished swallowing.
“You’re not? Why?” She asked, dropping her sandwich on the table.
“I don’t know how to swim. Hence me not going to Swim Day.” He said matter of factly, not a bit of shame in his voice.
“You don’t know how to swim?” Olivia asked innocently.
“Nope. No one ever taught me. My parents obviously never put me in lessons. It’s no big deal,” he shrugged as he took another bite.
“You should still come. Stick your feet in the water, get some sun. It’s better than staying behind here and being stuck with the mean old substitute.” She popped a grape into her mouth.
“I’ll think about it,” he said as he reached into Olivia’s lunchbox and grabbed a couple chips. She didn’t bat an eye at him sharing her snacks, it had quickly become second nature to them.
“So tell me about Opening Day at the campground. What’s it like?” Switching the subject swiftly.
“Ok, well, first of all, you’re coming to that too. No way you are missing out on that. Plus, my dad needs help and you and I are free labor.” Sam’s only response was an arched eyebrow. “Eh, you help on Opening Day and I’ll teach you how to swim. It’ll be a trade.”
Sam just gave Olivia a look, but she knew it meant he’d do it even though he didn’t say it. She had no idea how in just a few short weeks they had inadvertently created their own silent language - where they didn’t need to be talking to be communicating with each other.
They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes until they were interrupted by a figure stepping up to the table, casting a dark shadow across Sam’s back.
“Hey Olivia, are you going to be at Swim Day tomorrow?” A tall, bulky boy with sandy blonde hair and brown eyes towered directly behind Sam.
“Oh hey, Drew. Yeah, I think so. If Sam decides to go too,” she sent him a pleading look under her eyelashes.
“Eh, you don’t need Callahan to go. I’m going to be there. We can have our high dive competition like we did last summer, remember?” He directed at Olivia, completely ignoring Sam’s presence.
“Yeah, maybe,” she was facing the boy now, but she still kept her eyes on Sam out of the corner of her eye.
“Alright, well, see you tomorrow,” he said as he shifted his weight into Sam’s backside, pushing his body into the table. The welts on his back stung painfully from the contact.
Wincing, Sam rubbed his shoulder where he had caught Drew’s elbow. “Who was that?”
“That was Drew. His family has worked at the campground the last few years. He must be feeling a little protective over me or something. I used to eat lunch with him sometimes, but not lately, obviously.”
Drew Hanlon and his family had helped out her father at the campground for a few summers, leaving Drew and Olivia to run around the campground like hooligans. They had always gotten along, but as they grew older, Olivia tended to keep to herself while Drew liked to be the center of attention. So when the summers ended, Olivia faded back into her comfort zone of quiet while Drew was always disrupting the class cracking jokes. She had been a little relieved last summer when her father informed her that the Hanlon’s wouldn’t be helping out this year, and even though it meant a little more time and effort from her to help out, she didn’t mind.
“Jerk,” Sam muttered under his breath as he watched Drew walk away. Sam felt a sense of possessiveness overtake him. He knew he didn’t have any claim on Olivia, she was a human being after all, but she had quickly become his person, and the idea of any other boy taking notice of her made Sam’s blood boil. But now it was decided, you could bet your ass he was going to Swim Day.
The end of the school year excitement was palpable in the air as the fifth grade students arrived at the swimming pool. It was a celebration for them, one last field trip before they moved up to middle school. It was an easy day for everyone; the pool was within walking distance of the school, and the teachers could finally have a relaxing day thanks to all of the lifeguards on duty.
Sam’s fingers clutched the towel Olivia had brought him like his life depended on it. But no one could have guessed it by looking at him, his face solemn as stone. The only thing that gave his nerves away were the whites of his knuckles in the way they were gripping the towel. As the lifeguards finished up their speech delivering the rules, the students were dismissed to find a spot on the grass for their belongings. Towels, bags, and sunscreen were strewn everywhere as the children flung their stuff and ran off to the pool.
Sam and Olivia laid out their towels at the corner of grass nearest to the pool so Sam could watch everyone swim. No way was he going to go into the water and stand in the shallow end where people could make fun of him, he was fine right there on the lawn where he could observe everyone.
“You sure you don’t want to come sit on the side? I feel bad leaving you here all alone,” Olivia said as she lifted her cover up over her head. Sam quickly looked up her tan legs to her flat belly, all the way up to her eyes, hoping she didn’t see his face flush at the sight of her in her swimsuit.
“Naw, I’m good here. Got a perfect view of the high dive.” Nodding his head towards the pool.
“Alright, well, I’ll see you soon,” she said begrudgingly as she walked over and jumped in the water without even feeling the temperature.
He shook his head in affection, it was so like Olivia to just jump in, feet first, with no fear. Just like she had no fear inviting the boy with a jailbird dad to sit with her at lunch. Was that trust, or strength? He couldn’t decide, so he determined it must be both.
After about an hour of laying on his towel in the sun, he started to roast. Contemplating toughing it out and enduring the heat, he decided it just wasn’t worth it. So he pushed up and walked tentatively to the side of the pool and slipped his feet into the water and instantly felt the refreshing sensation wash over him.
Immediately spotting Olivia walking to the edge of the high dive, he locked eyes with her as she reached the tip. Her face burst into the biggest grin as she saw him sitting at the side of the pool. Without giving it another thought, she leapt off the board and started swimming over to where Sam sat. He couldn’t hide his smile as she swam up next to him and rested her chin on her hands on the lip of the pool.
“Hey,” she said, squinting up at him through the sun. Instinctively, he shifted his body to block her from the glare.
“Hey back. Nice jump. Of course you’re not afraid of going off the high dive,” he tilted his head at her.
“What do you mean?” She splashed a bit of water at him that made him smile.
“You’re not afraid of anything,” he said looking into her eyes, and Olivia swore she could feel it down all the way to her toes.
“That’s not true, I –,” her words were cut off as a huge splash hit the water behind her. She could hear without turning around that Drew was swimming towards them. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed hold of the side with one hand and turned to face him.
“Hey Drew.” Olivia gave him a forced smile.
“Hey. I think it’s time for our high dive comp. Whattya say?” Drew was inching closer to Olivia with every word.
“I’m going to take a breather for a while, but you go ahead.” Olivia ran her hands through the water, absentmindedly letting it slip through her fingers.
“Aww, come on, it’ll be fun, let’s go,” he started to tug her free arm away from the wall towards the diving board.
“No Drew. I’m going to hang here for a bit, but I’ll watch you,” she said as she shifted her weight back towards Sam.
Gripping the sides of the pool, he watched Drew look at him for the first time since interrupting them over the past two days. Drew gave him the once over and realized there must be a reason he wasn’t swimming, his malicious wheels started to turn in his head.
“Why doesn’t he come too? Come on Callahan, you can go first,” Drew said to him with a sly smile.
“Naw man, I’m good here. You two can go if you want,” Sam said as he looked down at Olivia.
Seeing them pass something between them with their eyes, Drew decided to go one step further. “Oh come on man, let’s see if you can jump further than me,” he almost snarled as he grabbed Sam’s foot and tugged him into the water.
The shock of being pulled under, Sam inhaled a bunch of water and coughed as he struggled to find the surface. Panic overtook him when he couldn’t feel the wall until he felt a hand grab his and was guided quickly to the concrete side of the pool. Gasping for air as he laid his head on his arms, he closed his eyes hoping he just imagined it. But Drew’s laughter told him that it was real, he did in fact get pulled into the water, and proceeded to flop around like a chicken with his head cut off, and now everyone knew he couldn’t swim. You would think for a kid who’s dad was in jail, something so silly wouldn’t bother or embarrass him.
But it was just another harsh reminder that he wasn’t like everyone else.
“What the heck, Drew?!” Olivia shouted in his direction as she moved closer to Sam.
“Aww, come on, it’s a little bit of harmless fun,” Drew sneered as he looked at the embarrassment that was written all over Sam’s face.
“Are you OK?” Olivia whispered, hoping Sam didn’t notice a few of the other kids looking and laughing in their direction.
“I’m fine,” he growled as he pulled himself out of the water.
“I didn’t realize Callahan couldn’t swim. Oops.” Drew bellowed so other kids around them could hear. Realizing Drew knew exactly what he was doing, that he meant to hurt and embarrass Sam, Olivia had never felt her blood boil so fast. It felt like a wave of red engulfed her and before she knew what she was doing, her body took over. She reared her fist back and punched Drew square in the nose.
And she didn’t feel bad about it one bit.
“What the hell, Olivia?!” Drew clutched at his face and swam in the other direction.
“You deserved that. And now everyone will be talking about how a girl punched you in the face!” Olivia shouted after him.
She was up and out of the water so fast, Sam had to scramble after her towards their towels. He was in a bit of shock at what he had just seen. It was the first time in his life that anyone had ever stood up for him, and the feelings of gratitude overwhelmed him.
“I’m really sorry about that. He was being such a jerk,” Olivia whispered.
Sam was silent as he wrapped the towel around him and sat down on the grass without a word. He didn’t acknowledge her apology, and just continued to stare out towards the pool. Giving him a few minutes to breathe, Olivia finally spoke again. “Sam?”
He blew out a breath, but still didn’t look at her. “Ya know, when most kids get embarrassed or hurt about something, the first thing they want is their mom and to go home. But not me. I don’t really have a mom in the picture, and I definitely don’t want to go home. And I wish I wasn’t here right now, but it just hit me that I don’t really belong anywhere.”
Olivia sat beside him and couldn’t stop staring, trying to process the words he had just said. Here sat this fragile - struggling to be strong - boy, his olive skin reflecting and shining the water droplets all off his body. His beautiful, bright green eyes shimmering, which she couldn’t tell if it was from the pool water or his tears. She felt her heart break a little for the first time in her ten years of life; to see someone forced to live a life they did not deserve.
Desperately wanting to do something about it, she nudged his shoulder, stood up and said, “Yes you do. Let’s go.”