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My usual suiven me over the years: jeans, which I cut off into shorts and ith a wide belt to hold up the waist, and T-shirts fro in the afternoon, I used to wear a one-piece sports bathing suit with full coverage that reached all the way up toyears, I had no boobs, and I was touchy about it Reebra class, you’d type 55378008 on your calculator, turn it upside down, and hand it to the flat-chested girl across the aisle? I was that girl, you bi-yotch I would have died twice if any of the boys had mentioned my booblets

Last year, I thought ressed from the one-piece into a tankini But I wasn’t quite ready for any irl

Now I did So today I’d worn a cute little bikini Over that, I still wore Ada low on my hips, when I traded the football T-shirt for a pink tank that ended above ure I even had a little cleavage I was so proud Sean was going to love it

Mrs Vader stared at et it You’re trying to look hot”

“Thank you!” Mission accomplished

“Here’s a hint Close your legs”

I snapped ether on the stool People always scoldedlike a boy Then I slid off the stool and stomped to the door in a huff “Where do you want me?”

She’d turned back to the coas”

Oh, goody I headed out the office door, toward the front dock tothe day, one of the boys would look around the as?” and another boy would answer, “Lori has gas” If I were really lucky, Sean would be in on the joke

The office door squeaked open behind me “Lori,” Mrs Vader called “Did you want to talk?”

Noooooooo Nothing like that I’d only gone into her office and tried to start a conversation Mrs Vader had three sons She didn’t kno to talk to a girl Myaccident alone on the lake when I was four I didn’t kno to talk to a woman Any convo between Mrs Vader and me was doomed from the start

“No, why?” I asked without turning around I’d been galloping down the wooden steps, but now I stepped very carefully, looking down, as if I needed to examine every footfall so I wouldn’t trip

“Watch out around the boys,” she warned me

I raisedher Those boys were harmless Those boys had better watch out for me

Really, aside fro ot to sit on the dock with fishers and the herons glide low over the surface Later I’d swiasoline Not now, before Sean saw me for the first time that summer I would be in and out of the lake and windy boats all day, and my hair would look like hell That was understood But I wanted to have clean, dry, styled hair at least the first tiht go swi after he saw as pumps in their boats

The richer they were, the ham to their million-dollar vacation homes on the lake, and the more likely they were co their boats and finding their gas caps If I covered for their duling and saying things like, “Oh sir, I’ you!” while I helped them, they tipped me beyond belief

I was just folding a twenty intoacross the water in the boat e Nickelback froe of the idle zone Three-foot swells shook the floating dock violently and would have shaken me off into the water if I hadn’t held on to the rail Then the bow of the boat eased against the padding on the dock Ada Sean would have driven all the way to the warehouse, closer to where they’d pick up the next boat for delivery

In fact, as Sean threw ine, I could hear theued pretty much 24/7 I was used to it But I would rather not have heard Sean co to have to walk a whole extra fifty yards and up the stairs just so Adam could say hi to me

Sean juain as he tied up the bow He was big,at thewith Adae on the due (Sean and Adahtened and s

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“Hey, Buddy,” he said to ht blue eyes and golden skin as he threw his arht over me I had to throwflat on my back on the dock

“Oh, pardonain “I didn’t even see you there”

“That’s quite all right,” I ed in the same fake-formal tone His warm hands still held my waist This was the first time a boy had every touched es to etting this? He’s touching ht, and put the rest of h alert My heart thumped painfully, just like in my dream

But as I looked into his eyes, I saas already gone, glancing up the stairs to thewith irls this way

He slid out of rasp He may have had to shake one hand violently to extricate it frorip “See you later, Junior,” he threw over his shoulder at me as he climbed the steps to the marina

When ere kids, he’d started calling ht our last naht on with the other Vader boys, and Cameron had told everyone at school I’m not sure anyone in town knew my brother as Bill Thankfully, everyone in town knewto be practical nicknaer, McGillicuddy Part Deux, McGillicuddy Returns, McGillicuddy Strikes Back, McGillicuddy’s Buddy