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THE SWIMSUIT IT’S POSSIBLE THAT I should’ve tried on the swimsuit before I bought it. It’s not that it doesn’t fit. It’s that it does, and very closely. Am I really expected to appear in public with so little clothing on? I’m in the bathroom looking between my actual body and my body in the mirror. The suit is a bright pink one-piece with spaghetti straps. The pink is so bright that it gives color to my cheeks. I look flushed, like a rosy-cheeked summer girl who belongs in the sun. Humidity has made my hair bigger than normal. I gather it up and plait it into a long braid to subdue it. I look back to the mirror. The only way to subdue this suit is to wear more, possibly all my clothing at once. I scan my body again. There’s really no denying that I have breasts and legs in this thing. All my parts seem to be in the right proportion and in the right place. I twist a little to confirm that my derriere is covered, and it is, but only just. What would I see in the mirror if I were a normal girl? Would I think that I was too fat or too thin? Would I dislike my hips, my waist, my face? Would I have body-image issues? As it stands, my only issue is that I would gladly trade this body for one that works properly. Olly knocks on the door. “Are you snorkeling in there?” I do eventually have to leave this bathroom, but I’m too nervous. Will Olly think all my parts are in the right place? “Deep-sea fishing actually.” My voice shakes only slightly. “Fantastic. We’ll have sushi for—” I pull the door open quickly, like ripping off a Band-Aid. Olly just stops talking. His eyes travel slowly from my face to my toes and even more slowly back up again. “You’re in a swimsuit,” he says. His eyes are on the expanse of skin between my neck and chest. “I am.” I look up into his eyes and what I see there makes me feel like I’m not wearing any clothing at all. My heart picks up the pace and I take a deep breath to try to slow it down, but it doesn’t work. He runs his hands along the length of my arms, slowly pulling me toward him at the same time. He touches his forehead to mine when we’re finally close enough. His eyes are blue fire. He looks like a starving man, like he could devour me all at once. “That swimsuit,” he begins. “Is small,” I conclude.
GUIDE TO HAWAIIAN REEF FISH
- Page 112 and 113: preparing for a bout. He’s trying
- Page 114 and 115: THE THIRD MADDY I’M ALMOST ASLEEP
- Page 116 and 117: “That’s enough now,” my mom s
- Page 118 and 119: MIRROR IMAGE I PULL THE curtains as
- Page 120 and 121: MORE THAN THIS MY MOM WORDLESSLY kn
- Page 122 and 123: NURSE EVIL MY NEW NURSE is an unsmi
- Page 124 and 125: I stare at the note, remembering th
- Page 126 and 127: HIGHER EDUCATION WITH OLLY BACK in
- Page 128 and 129: ALOHA MEANS HELLO AND GOOD -BYE, PA
- Page 130 and 131: LATER, 9:08 P.M. OLLY’S ALREADY W
- Page 132 and 133: THE GLASS WALL A WEEK LATER, someth
- Page 134 and 135: HALF LIFE IT’S A STRANGE thing to
- Page 136 and 137: THE FIVE SENSES HEARING The alarm
- Page 138 and 139: “Maddy—” “I’ll explain ev
- Page 141 and 142: At first I’m not sure what I’m
- Page 143 and 144: HAPPY ALREADY “MADS, BE SERIOUS.
- Page 145 and 146: I reach over and take his hand. “
- Page 147 and 148: eyes. “I must’ve missed a lot o
- Page 149 and 150: TTYL
- Page 151 and 152: THE CAROUSEL “I’VE DECIDED BAGG
- Page 153 and 154: MADELINE’S DICTIONARY prom•ise
- Page 155 and 156: And, too, the world is in me.
- Page 157 and 158: REWARD IF FOUND OUR HOTEL SITS righ
- Page 159 and 160: three meals and two snacks exactly
- Page 161: eathed the same filtered air for so
- Page 165 and 166: I’m sure I don’t want him to. *
- Page 167 and 168: ZACH BACK AT THE hotel, Olly calls
- Page 169 and 170: Do you have my daughter? Is she OK?
- Page 171 and 172: THE MURPHY BED IT’S LATE AFTERNOO
- Page 173 and 174: ALL THE WORDS I COME AWAKE slowly,
- Page 175 and 176: MADELINE’S DICTIONARY in•fi•n
- Page 177 and 178: THIS TIME OLLY SMILES. HE will not
- Page 179 and 180: “Do you believe it?” he asks.
- Page 181 and 182: THE END SOMEONE HAS PUT me in a hot
- Page 183 and 184: My. Heart. Stops.
- Page 185 and 186: RELEASED, PART ONE
- Page 187 and 188: READMITTED MY MOM HAS transformed m
- Page 189 and 190: RELEASED, PART TWO Wednesday, 6:56
- Page 191 and 192: Madeline: but mine isn’t
- Page 193 and 194: GEOGRAPHY I’M IN AN endless field
- Page 195 and 196: LIFE IS SHORT SPOILER REVIEWS BY MA
- Page 197 and 198: PRETENDING I’M STRONGER WITH each
- Page 199 and 200: I’m trying not to focus on Olly,
- Page 201 and 202: FIVE SYLLABLES A MONTH LATER, just
- Page 203 and 204: HIS LAST LETTER IS HAIKU From: gene
- Page 205 and 206: FOR MY EYES ONLY From: Dr. Melissa
- Page 207 and 208: question if I have spoken after all
- Page 209 and 210: IDENTITY CARLA’S BARELY IN the do
- Page 211 and 212: PROOF OF LIFE ALL I HAVE to do is g
THE SWIMSUIT<br />
IT’S POSSIBLE THAT I should’ve tried on the swimsuit before I bought it. It’s not that it<br />
doesn’t fit. It’s that it does, and very closely. Am I really expected to appear in public with<br />
so little clothing on?<br />
I’m in the bathroom looking between my actual body and my body in the mirror. The<br />
suit is a bright pink one-piece with spaghetti straps. The pink is so bright that it gives<br />
color to my cheeks. I look flushed, like a rosy-cheeked summer girl who belongs in the<br />
sun.<br />
Humidity has made my hair bigger than normal. I gather it up and plait it into a long<br />
braid to subdue it. I look back to the mirror. The only way to subdue this suit is to wear<br />
more, possibly all my clothing at once. I scan my body again. There’s really no denying<br />
that I have breasts and legs in this thing. All my parts seem to be in the right proportion<br />
and in the right place. I twist a little to confirm that my derriere is covered, and it is, but<br />
only just. What would I see in the mirror if I were a normal girl? Would I think that I was<br />
too fat or too thin? Would I dislike my hips, my waist, my face? Would I have body-image<br />
issues? As it stands, my only issue is that I would gladly trade this body for one that<br />
works properly.<br />
Olly knocks on the door. “Are you snorkeling in there?”<br />
I do eventually have to leave this bathroom, but I’m too nervous. Will Olly think all my<br />
parts are in the right place?<br />
“Deep-sea fishing actually.” My voice shakes only slightly.<br />
“Fantastic. We’ll have sushi for—”<br />
I pull the door open quickly, like ripping off a Band-Aid.<br />
Olly just stops talking. His eyes travel slowly from my face to my toes and even more<br />
slowly back up again.<br />
“You’re in a swimsuit,” he says. His eyes are on the expanse of skin between my neck<br />
and chest.<br />
“I am.” I look up into his eyes and what I see there makes me feel like I’m not wearing<br />
any clothing at all. My heart picks up the pace and I take a deep breath to try to slow it<br />
down, but it doesn’t work.<br />
He runs his hands along the length of my arms, slowly pulling me toward him at the<br />
same time. He touches his forehead to mine when we’re finally close enough. His eyes are<br />
blue fire.<br />
He looks like a starving man, like he could devour me all at once.<br />
“That swimsuit,” he begins.<br />
“Is small,” I conclude.