Page 105 of Johnny

“The water will be perfect,” Johnny says, getting to his feet. He brushes sand off his legs and then

extends his hand.

I just stare at that hand for a moment.

“Come on,” he says. “You still want to swim, right?”

“Yeah,” I say, shaking myself out of the sudden confusion swirling through my body. I take his hand

—though this feels even weirder now than it did earlier in the day—and let him tug me towards the water.

We splash through the surf and he’s right. The temperature is perfect. Not warm, not cold, but

refreshingly cool.

Once we’re at waist height Johnny lets go of my hand and dives into a wave and for a few moments

I’m alone. So funny how the ocean can make you feel that way when underneath the water there’s a

whole other world living beyond your senses.

A hand grabs my leg and I scream in surprise. Johnny pops up and the salty sea falls down his chest

in rivers as he stands up and swipes hair from his eyes. “You’re not wet enough, Megan.” Then he

splashes me with the flat palm of his hand. Water hits my breasts and they respond immediately.

“Hey!” I squeal.

“Come on. Let’s swim out.” And then he dives under and is gone again. I wade forward slowly,

searching the ocean surface for his body. Even though the moon is just a sliver, the sky is clear and the

light is bright. But the world around us still seems very dark and very black.

Soft splashing makes me turn my head to the left, but before I can tell if that was Johnny or not, it’s

silent again.

“God dammit,” I mutter. He’s going to scare me, I just know it.

But there’s no more splashing or appearances.

I ease forward over the waves, swimming farther out. Then I stop and tread water, turning in place.

Searching for him. “Johnny?” I call. “God dammit. You better not drown on me.”

Just the hint of disturbed water makes me pivot to the right. Nothing.

A hand grabs my leg and I go under, screaming.

Darkness all around me as the hand lets go of my leg. I hold my breath, force myself not to panic.

It’s just him. I know it’s just him. But there’s no one down here with me.

I’m all alone.

I kick upwards, splash out, and find him grinning at me in the shadows outside of the moon’s glow.