“What’s happenin’, Lucky Leo?”

Gerry stepped up onto the raft. He was breathing hard, but not very.

“What’s new, GP?”

“You tell me, pal.”

“You’re not fat anymore.”

“An A for Suther.”

Allie’s face popped up between the ladder rails. “Hello, boys.” Her hair was slicked back, all wet. Her T-shirt stuck to her shoulders and breasts, and Leo could see the color of her nipples. When Logan came up the ladder behind her, Leo stood and put his arm around her, pulling her in close so her chest was facing his. She kissed him on the cheek, then followed Logan off the diving platform. Gerry watched her go in.

“How’d you get so skinny all of a sudden, GP?”

Gerry’s bristly head glistened in the sun. He was either squinting at Leo or smiling a tight one; either way Leo didn’t like it.

“All of a sudden? Me and Logan been runnin’ the bleachers all summer, man. Where you been?”

“Working, GP. I work for a living.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Gerry nodded at Allie as she came up the ladder in front of Logan, her small breasts showing pink through the wet cotton of her shirt. She smiled at Leo, then sat cross-legged with her back to the beach. Logan stayed low on the ladder and looked right at her. Leo stepped into his view. “You going into the marines, too?”

Logan nodded, keeping his eyes where they’d been.

“I can do sixty-five straight push-ups, buddy. Logan can do over a hundred, but that’s cool ’cause I can do more sit-ups than him.”

“How many?” Allie said behind Leo.

“Three hundred and fifty, Allison Baby. Three-five-oh. Straight.”

“That’s nice,” she said, “But have you read any books?”

“As a matter of fact I have, Miss Groovy. To Hell and Back by Audie Murphy himself. It’s as thick as Leo’s head here.”

“You’re the one with the thick head, GP,” Leo laughed but it sounded as forced as it felt and he knew it. He glanced back down at Logan who was looking up at Gerry with a stone face.

“This time next week me and killer are gonna be sweatin’ bullets in the Corps,” Gerry said.

“Good for you, GP.”

“Yeah, who actually cares, Gerry?” Allie said. “Leo doesn’t have anything to prove.”

Logan laughed and pushed himself off into the water. He surface-dove backwards and as he went under he squeezed his legs together perfectly straight, his toes pointed like one of those gymnasts.

“What a homunculus,” Allie said.

Leo laughed again. Gerry was looking at him with a slightly cocked head. His face had lost some weight too. He had cheekbones and no double chin. His hands were resting on his hips real relaxed, like a pitcher between throws. He shook his head once. Then he climbed the platform, ran and dove out into the air with his back arched and his arms held out straight like wings. Leo hoped he would belly flop for certain, but he didn’t. GP’s arms and head cut in not far from where Logan was treading water waiting for him, his eyes on Allie’s wet back. When they reached shallow water, they walked up onto the sand and straight into the trees.