“Yeah,” I say. “Cool.” I guess. The ghost of Cybil’s hand in mine lingers.

“Great!” Cybil says. “Well, I have to get back to work. I’m on my lunch break, and my dad is gonna kill me for being gone so long.”

“You work for your dad?” Micah asks.

“Yeah, kind of. He’s the manager at the pharmacy, and they hired me to stock shelves and stuff. It’s the most boring job on the planet, but at least the pharmacy is air-conditioned. Not that it matters today. So, I’ll see you guys at the party? I’ll text Rachel when I know more about the time and stuff. See ya!”

She runs back down the beach. If Micah saw our fingers laced together, he doesn’t say anything. I wonder if she was just trying to be kind because she knew I was sad or if she was trying to tell me . . . maybe she likes me? Like the way she liked Sam?

Could I like her that way, too?

I sit on my towel next to Micah and Ivy and watch the clouds thicken over the water. We forgot to pack anything to eat and our stomachs all rumble a little from time to time, but none of us admits we’re hungry. Not even Ivy, who always complains.

There’s no one left on the beach besides the lifeguard. She glances over at us every so often as if she hopes we’ll leave.

A drop of rain splats on my knee. Then another. Ivy holds out her hand and waits. After a minute or two, a drip hits her palm. She leans her head back and sticks her tongue out.

“Have you ever gone swimming in the rain?” Micah asks.

“Nope,” I say.

“Let’s try!” Ivy says.

We jump up and run into the water. The lifeguard blows her whistle and shouts, “If I hear thunder, you have to get out!”

“We know!” Micah calls. He dives under the water, and Ivy and I follow. We swim to where it’s over our heads and bob in the water as the rain picks up and causes ripples on the surface.

I dip under and open my eyes to watch the rain from below. It’s so beautiful, water piercing water. I pop up to tell Micah and Ivy to go under and watch. The three of us dunk under and stare up at the surface of the water. Ivy’s eyes bulge in wonder as the drips land gracefully above us. Every time I have to go up for air, I feel regret. I wish I could stay under here for hours, in the reassuring silence. It feels so safe under here, as if we’re in some underwater world no one else knows about.