Spent, I exhale through my nose,

creating a trail of bubbles to the top,

where I find Catalina

sitting near the steps.

“Never heard you splash so hard, so long.

Thought maybe something was wrong.

Came through the new gate to check on you.”

She squints.

“Your eyes are really red.”

“Chlorine,” I mumble.

“Friends shouldn’t lie to friends.

What’s wrong?”

I shake my head.

“I just can’t—”

I dive under,

swimming and screaming

until my lungs burn for air.

When I surface, Catalina’s still there.

She’s sitting on the edge, closer to me.

I glide over to Catalina.

“Thank you,” I say,

my voice hoarse

from all the crying.

“I don’t know what happened to you

or why people are so mean, Ellie,

but I do know

whatever someone did is

a reflection of them.

Not you.”

FROM I TO WE

The next day,

I go for a swim,

like always.

And Catalina sits on the deck

practicing her guitar,

like always.

I finish my laps

and tread water

at the side of the pool.

“I don’t think

you should stay there.”

She stops strumming.

“Do you want some privacy?”

“I want some company.”

She sets down the guitar and

yanks off her jeans and T-shirt.

She’s in her swimsuit.

“I’ve worn it

under my clothes for weeks.

I thought you’d never ask.”

We swim.

We.

You can pack a powerful punch

in a two-letter word.

Catalina and I circle,

splash,

dive,

and surface,

just like the documentary

I once saw showing a humpback

and a dolphin,

an unlikely pair,

playing in the water.

We’re mismatched

in all kinds of ways,

yet we found each other

in the ocean of

people on the planet

and became friends.

TREAT ME BETTER

When Anaïs stands in my doorway,

I know something’s up.

“What do you want?”

She sits beside me on my bed.

“To talk.

To tell you I’m so sorry

about the whole chair thing.”

“Why do you care?”

Anaïs scrunches up her face.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You never defend me when

Mom or Liam insults me.”

She hangs her head down.

“I should.”

The silence in the room’s heavy,

like the air when one storm’s passed

but another’s on the horizon.

“I haven’t been the best sister,” Anaïs admits.

“Or even a good one, for that matter.”

I sit silently.

Don’t disagree.

“Okay, I suck as a sister,”

she finally blurts out.

“But I haven’t treated you

as badly as Liam has.”

“Oh, well then, that changes everything.

I’ll go ahead and order

your Sister of the Year Award.

I’ll let you know when it arrives.

Feel free to hold your breath until then.”

I point to the door.

“Out! I have homework to do.”

Anaïs gives me a sad smile.

“You’re pretty funny, and I know