From Glory Be What was taking Frankie so long? We needed to hurry. I squinted down the sidewalk, and finally here he came, dragging his towel with his bathing suit hiked way up. "It's a million degrees out here. I've been waiting forever." "Well, hey to you, too, Glory," he said. "Let's go," I said. "Jesslyn's already at the pool. She might up and decide she's bored and leave before I put my big toe in the water." I was so hot I couldn't spit. I scratched at a mosquito bite and tugged at the bathing suit under my shorts. The backs of my legs were burning up from sitting on the concrete bench outside the library. I couldn't wait to feel the water's coolness, to dive in and flutter-kick all the way to the shallow end. Frankie yanked at his towel. "I hope the pool's even open," he mumbled. "Wait a minute," I said. "It'll be open. I'm going swimming. Why would they close the Community Pool now, when everybody needs a place to swim?" Excerpted from Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
