Peaches

actually four lounges, the Magnolia, the Jasmine, the Bougainvillea, and the Rose. Murphy had thought it was hilarious that they were called lounges and had said she had drunk too much water and that she had to lounge right then and could they please excuse her.

    They finished with the Rose, which they’d chosen to be last because it was the most remote, in the back of the fitness hall. By that point the fish had started to melt already and was giving off a slight odor.
    They chose to crawl over the fence back into the orchard a few minutes later. Birdie and Murphy had to hold the old barbed wire open for Leeda to crawl through slowly. Once they were across the property line, Birdie jumped up and down a few times, giddy and breathless. She couldn’t believe they’d done it.
    “I wish we could see his face,” Murphy said, also moving around restlessly. It was just dusk, and it gave the whole event a surreal glow.
    “You two stink,” Leeda said, holding her hand over her nose and then yanking it away. “So do I.”
    “You guys are going home tonight?”
    Murphy and Leeda looked at each other. One more night wouldn’t hurt.
    “I guess not,” Murphy said, waggling both of her hands in the air. “How about the lake?”
    One last time. Birdie didn’t say it, but she knew that was what they were all thinking. They could pretend it was just another night.

    Up ahead of them Murphy had begun stripping off her clothes, and suddenly she was down to nothing.
    “Murphy, please put your clothes on,” Leeda called ahead. “Nobody wants to see that.”
    Once she reached the edge of the lake, Murphy looked at them over her shoulder. “I love this lake. I plan to honor it this last time by swimming in it naked.”
    Leeda and Birdie exchanged looks, turning when they heard the splash of Murphy jumping in.
    Leeda had been skinny-dipping before at a couple of parties, but only when she’d had a bunch of drinks. Somehow swimming naked with just girls seemed more intimate. But she stripped off her tank top anyway, and then her bra.
    Naked, she toyed with the idea of dipping her toes in first.
    “Oh, what the hell.” She dove, the water blanketing her softly. It felt like bathwater. When she surfaced beside Murphy, Birdie was standing on the shore, looking nervous.
    “C’mon, Bird.”
    “Oh, I don’t know. Okay, fine, just don’t look.”
    Leeda and Murphy giggled but treaded water, turning their backs.
    There was a swish swish zip and then a splash as Birdie too got into the water.
    Leeda swam on her back. They gathered and splashed around for a while, talking in low voices as it got darker.
    “It’s night,” Murphy whispered, looking up. Sure enough, a couple of stars were peeping out above them and the crickets had started in singing without anyone noticing. “Can you smell peaches?”
    They were far away from the trees, but Leeda sniffed the air, thinking she did too.
    “I smell peaches in my sleep,” Birdie offered.
    Leeda sank onto her back and backstroked away, then rested her arms and let herself float out into the middle of the lake. She couldn’t remember anything feeling more gorgeous. And maybe it was partly because this was the last of it, and it would never happen this way again.
    Splash. Leeda righted herself. Murphy had climbed out of the water and, without any self-consciousness whatsoever, was skirting the lake to a high rock on one side. She went in with a splash, disappearing underwater for several seconds. And then Birdie let out a whoop and went plunging under.
    When they surfaced, they were both spitting water and laughing. Leeda was struck by just how stunning her friends were. They looked like mermaids, treading water and splashing around.
    Murphy climbed onto shore again, her skin glowing.
    And then she stopped. “Oh.” She stood stock-still for a second, then threw her hands over her breasts and her crotch, walking backward. “Hi.”
    Leeda paddled up to the side of the lake, where a figure had emerged. She felt her heart sink into her abdomen. “Rex?”
    Rex was looking at the grass at his feet very carefully. He glanced up again at Murphy.
    “Rex!” Leeda cried, her voice cracking with jealousy. “Turn around. ”
    Rex obeyed, and Leeda and Birdie scrabbled out of the water. All three girls yanked on their clothes.
    “I thought I’d find you guys here,” Rex explained when they let him turn back around. “I saw your stuff back at the dorm.”
    “I bet you say that to