Sticky
Karissa sighed as she banged on the window A/C unit, but it was no use. The ancient appliance had no hope of cooling off a single room, much less her family's sweltering apartment, not when it was over 100 degrees in the shade.
She'd tried everything, including taking a cold shower, drinking a hot beverage, and fanning herself with a folded piece of paper. But the summer heat was simply relentless.
"Hey, maybe we can go down to the community center this weekend," said her father, pasting on a cheerful grin.
"That's halfway across town," said Karissa with a groan, her top sticky against her skin. "And we have to take two buses to get there. Thanks, but I can sweat to death just fine right here."
"Suit yourself," said her father, straightening his uniform in the mirror before turning to leave for work.
What she really wanted was to jump into a swimming pool filled with cool, delicious water. And then she would lay out and work on her tan.
With cheerleader tryouts coming up in a couple of months, she needed all the help she could get, and a glowing tan would definitely boost her chances.
But it was all just a dumb fantasy. The community center was noisy and overcrowded, and she shuddered to think about what the little kids were doing in that water. And going across town once a week to work on her tan wasn't going to cut it.
That's when she remembered the neighbor's pool, the one she'd glimped when she'd dropped her phone that day while walking home from school.
Her phone had skittered across the sidewalk, and when she'd bent over to pick it up, she'd seen the glint on the blue water through a gap in the bushes.
Swimming pools were pretty rare in her neighborhood, so the guy must be rich. But maybe he'd take pity on her if she went and begged him to let him use it. After all, she was considered good-looking by some. Perhaps she could use her feminine charms on him.
At first, she dismissed the idea as ridiculous. But as she continued to sit there, drowning in sweat, she could start to picture herself standing there on the edge of the pool, her hands together as she dove into that crystal-clear water. Oh, how good it would feel on her skin, all of the heat and perspiration instantly sluiced away.
Would it be weird, knocking on a stranger's door and asking to use the pool? Sure. But what else did she have to lose? She gulped down the last of her juice and then laced up her shoes. It was either risk a little embarrassment or else spend the rest of the summer dying of heatstroke.
Pausing for a moment to look at herself in the mirror, Karissa smiled as she admired her appearance. Her hair was long and straight, falling in waves around her face. Her body was slim, albeit a bit too flat-chested, and she had a smile that lit up her face on the rare occasions when she had something to smile about.
Feeling optimistic, she grabbed her towel and a bikini and headed outside, pulling up her sunglasses and slipping them on her head. Then she turned toward the house where the pool was located.
As she walked down the street, she felt nervous but also excited. Maybe this was the beginning of something great.
But when she knocked on the door, there was no answer. Looking around, she didn't see a car in the driveway. And when she peered through the garage windows, there was no sign of a vehicle in there either. The place felt still and empty, the way buildings do when no one is there.
Feeling dejected, she was just about to turn around and go home when a little voice whispered something inside her head.
Maybe she could slip her way through that gap in the bushes and take a quick dip in the pool. If the owner didn't come home, they'd be none the wiser. And if they did come home? Well, she'd just do her best to plead her case.
Checking around to make sure there was no one in the vicinity, Karissa edged her way past the perimeter and stepped into the back yard. Thankfully, there was no sign of anyone around, the only sound the quiet gurgling of water from the filter.
Stepping closer, she marveled at the expanse of pristine blue water. It called out to her, begging for her to come in, promising sweet relief from the heat and the grime of the city. Feeling incredibly nervous, Karissa set down her towel on a nearby chaise lounge and quickly changed into her bikini.
This was nuts, what she was doing, but it also felt right at the same time. Once everything was secured, she stepped forward, her toes curled over the edge of the pool.
Was she really going to do this? Hell yes, she was. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then launched herself into the air.
The chilly water was a shock on her bare skin, but one that felt sublimely wonderful. Instantly, her worries melted away, leaving behind a sense of calm and serenity.
Moving her arms and kicking her legs, she glided effortlessly through the water, finally escaping that stickiness that had been haunting her for weeks.
After a few minutes, she reached the end of the pool and climbed out, shaking off the droplets clinging to her skin. She lay down on the lounge chair, sighing happily as the warm sun dried her wet skin. The rays caressed her skin gently, coaxing her into a deeply relaxed state.
Now, this was certainly the life, she happily thought to herself. If this was her pool, she'd spend the whole summer relaxing beside it, sipping on ice-cold drinks until she'd acquired a deep and glowing tan.
She almost felt sorry for the owner, probably out somewhere working instead of enjoying his lovely swimming pool.
When her skin began to tingle, she got up and refreshed herself with another quick dip in the water. Soon, several hours had slipped by, and still no sign of the owner.
Feeling more confident now, she unfastened her bikini top and set it aside. The sun on her bare back was like a warm hand, massaging all the tension out of her muscles.
She could easily stay here forever. Sure, a tiny part of her felt guilty for having trespassed onto someone else's property and used their pool without their permission. But was that really such a big crime?
After all, no one else was using it. Swimming pools were meant for girls to be laying out and soaking up the sun. So, in a way, she was doing the owner a favor.
And just to make sure that the owner was getting their money's worth, Karissa went ahead and slipped off her bikini bottoms as well. This way, she could ensure that her tan would be nice and even.
And oh, how glorious it felt, the golden rays of the sun stirring up a new kind of heat from somewhere deep inside of her.
Closing her eyes, Karissa let herself give into the rising groundswell of passion. With her perfect tan, she would instantly be selected to join the cheerleading squad.
And once she was a cheerleader, all eyes would be on her, including the cute guys at school. Her senior year would be the best one yet, with teachers giving her top marks in all her classes and hotties fawning over one another to ask her out.
"Oh god, yes!" she moaned as her fantasy reached its climax with her being chosen as the school valedictorian by popular acclaim.
College scouts were rushing the stage, vying to give her full-ride scholarships, all while her parents smiled, proud of their amazing girl and all of her accomplishments.
When the aftershocks finally subsided, she opened her eyes, sighing as she reluctantly returned to reality. To her relief, the owner had not returned home, so her dirty secret remained safe.
Feeling slightly chagrined but now bolder than ever, she marched over to the pool and dove in naked, savoring the water one last time on her skin.
She then climbed out and toweled herself dry, leaving her hair wet for the long walk home. She changed back into her clothes and gathered her things in her bag.
Taking one last look around, she sent up a silent prayer of gratitude for the magnificent afternoon and then slipped through the bushes to emerge onto the sidewalk.
When she got to her apartment building, she carefully removed the triumphant smile from her face. If her parents asked, she would say that she had been studying at the library. They never asked about the details anyway.
She'd learned early on that it was better to keep most things to herself unless she wanted to hear the same tired lecture about how she should be focusing on her studies.
As she unlocked the door, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair had fully dried and was looking magnificent, almost as if she'd gone to the salon for a blowout. Even better, there was a healthy glow on her face, and her skin was sparkling with color.
The heat in her room was still as oppressive as ever as she walked over to switch on the fan, but now she didn't care. Somehow, a bit of that refreshing freedom from her illicit afternoon lingered on, giving her hope for making it through the rest of the summer.
The only question that remained was when she was going to go back and try her luck again.
