Jeremy’s light brown eyebrows—a touch lighter than the rest of his hair—edged together. “Are you guys fighting or something?”

“No! We’re fine. I just don’t want to hurt her feelings, and I . . .” She wasn’t sure how to explain it without sounding like she was criticizing Mia. “It was easier to just have you come, since you were right on our way to the pool, and she’s way out in the other direction.”

“Oh. Okay. Got it.” He smiled, but it wasn’t his usual smile. This one wobbled a little at the edges.

“Plus, I guess I kind of only wanted you,” Annabelle blurted. “I knew you’d help, and you wouldn’t make me feel bad.”

And now Jeremy’s smile spread for real.

Behind them, Mitch ended his call. “All right!” he said, catching up. “Let’s practice those starts!”

So Annabelle stood up on the start blocks and Jeremy got in the pool, and then Mitch kept making Jeremy swim the last ten meters of a breaststroke leg, even though Jeremy never raced breast. Mitch called out instructions as Annabelle dove in over and over.

“You can go sooner!” he yelled when she came up for a breath on her fifth or sixth try. “Right as Jeremy stretches out toward the wall!”

But even though she’d been timing her entrances right for ages, today it felt impossible to start her dive as early as she was used to while making sure her toes still kissed the end of the block when Jeremy’s fingers touched.

She’d always been able to leave early enough to get an advantage, but not so early she got flagged. But maybe she’d been cheating all along and only fourteen-and-up officials called it? Maybe now that she was swimming up with high schoolers, her advantage was gone?

Jeremy was out of breath as she passed him on the way back to the starting block. “I’m sorry,” she said, but he shook his head.

“It’s fine,” he said, panting. “It’s good for me to get extra practice.”

He took his place ten meters from the end, and Annabelle stood back up on the blocks. She didn’t usually mind the way the rough surface scratched the bottoms of her feet, but right now she couldn’t stand the way it prickled, and she couldn’t bear to watch Jeremy gasp for air as his head bobbed up and down in the water, like one of those seals at Bluff Point.

“You know what?” she said. “We need a break. Can we get some lunch, Mitch?”

Mitch hesitated for only a second before he checked his watch and nodded. “Of course, kiddo. We should still be able to fit in a few more tries before it’s time for practice.”

After they got their food at the snack bar, they settled in at a shaded open table near Mitch, who was catching up on work emails on his phone.

“So are you excited for your enrichment thing?” Annabelle asked. “That’ll be fun to be in Boston and hang out with Samir, huh?”