having it out at Wal-Mart

Ellie and Eric were meandering the isles of Wal-Mart.

"I really hate shopping here, but then again, its cheap. And its close." Ellie could tell he was trying to talk himself into why they were here.

"See, we should get something that coordinates," He pulled at some swimming trunks with a big Hawaiian flower on them.

"Coordinate?" Ellie wasn't sure what he was getting at.

"I just want us to look like we're together. That we just didn't bump into each other at the pool," he told her.

"Well, we're not faking this anymore," Ellie said, then she felt bad for saying it because she didn't want to think it was fake. She felt a slight ache in her throat then.

"Is that what you think?" She'd hit a nerve. He walked on and left her in the men's swim trunks section.

"Wait." She had to hurry up and catch up to him. "Its just I don't know if I'm ready for you to see me in swimming stuff."

"Why not?"

"Its just, you see everything." She squinted. "All of me."

"Why would that be a problem?" He looked at a black bikini then. "You should try this one."

It had so many strings to tie. It was a trap for disaster. She thought of eighth grade when she went to the pool with Roger, jumped off the deep in and she lost her top. Of course, he brought it back to her. She couldn't let that happen again. It was so embarrassing.

But it wasn't just the swimming suit. It was plain and simple.

"Because you're skinny." She put the bikini back.

"What? You're not fat."

"I feel like a sumo wrestler when I'm with you. If we were at the pool, I mean," she hadn't meant to sound so gross, but it was true. He was a runner, a distant runner who could eat what ever he wanted. She felt fat, and he'd find every fat cell on her if he saw her in a bikini.

"I can't believe you just said that. Sumo wrestler?" He rolled his eyes. "You have curves. You need to show them off." He kept smiling like an idiot. She wanted to punch him.

She shook her head, no. She turned then and grabbed something a little more modest than the string bikini. It was black with a halter top that she didn't think she'd fall out of.

Ellie hesitated then. Black was still in, wasn't it?

So they went back to the men section and he picked up a pair of the longest trunks there that just so happened to be black.

"See, this is not fair." She laughed. "You get to wear something practically to your knees, and I get this." She held up the black bikini.

"Don't make me wear a Speedo, that would be so gay," he smirked.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes.