The river had settled back into its lazy rhythm by the time they pulled themselves onto the bank. Water dripped from their hair and clothes, darkening the sand beneath their feet. Jean laughed as he wrung out his shirt, while Shawn lay flat on his back, staring up at the sky, chest rising and falling.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
"Worth it," Shawn said finally.
Jean nodded. "Worth it."
"Do you want a rematch right now?" Shawn asked as he stood up and stretched his almost nonexistent muscles.
"Don't get too cocky. I got a muscle pull while swimming. And still, with that, you only won by a small margin." Jean ruffled Shawn's wet brown hair.
"Stop that." Shawn brushed his hand away. "I'm not a kid anymore. Just because you're taller than me doesn't give you the authority to touch my hair like that. Just wait until I grow taller."
"In your dreams. But okay." Jean's expression became more serious as he sat on a small boulder near the river. "Though I have a question for you."
Sensing the shift in tone, Shawn sat beside him.
"Will you ever get married?"
Shawn stared at him. "What the…? Here I thought you were going to ask something serious, but you're asking about marriage? We're too young for that."
Even so, a faint redness crept onto his cheeks.
"Come on. We're not that young anymore. We're almost teenagers," Jean argued. "Sooner or later, we'll need ladies at our side. We have to spread our legacy somehow."
Shawn looked at him as if he had suddenly gone insane. Jean was the shyest boy he knew. The same Jean who could barely survive a conversation with Sally was suddenly talking about women and legacy.
"Jean… are you okay? Should I call Sally over here?"
Jean immediately shot him a dangerous glare, making Shawn jump away from the boulder.
Then a sly smile spread across Jean's face.
"Hey Shawn… are you secretly gay or something? I'm just asking. No judgment."
"Fuck you, Jean!"
Shawn scooped up several sand balls and launched them at him.
Jean laughed and retaliated with even bigger ones. "I was only asking. Besides, I already have someone in mind. Sally. So unfortunately for you, I'm unavailable."
For the next minute, the two boys bombarded each other with sand while laughing like idiots. Unfortunately for Shawn, Jean's larger physique and quicker reflexes gave him a huge advantage.
In the end, Shawn lost badly.
"Accept your defeat," Jean declared proudly as he walked over and pulled Shawn out of the pile of sand covering him.
"I was joking earlier, so don't take it personally," Shawn muttered while brushing sand off his face.
"I know. I just wanted you to witness my wrath." Jean flexed dramatically. "Though honestly, with your physique, Sally would probably reject you before you even finish introducing yourself."
"Oh really?" Shawn dusted himself off. "Meanwhile you're over here planning your imaginary wedding with Sally and Shelly."
Jean nearly choked. "You are impossible."
"But maybe you have a point," Shawn continued seriously. "Get a nice tuxedo, a cool watch, maybe some black glasses. Sally might finally notice you. And while you're at it, marry her sister too so they won't feel lonely whenever you lock yourself away doing projects."
Jean stared at him for a second before suddenly letting go of his hand. Shawn immediately fell back into the sand.
"You deserved that."
Shawn groaned while getting back up.
"You know, Jean… I've actually been thinking about what you said earlier."
Jean smirked. "About being secretly gay?"
"No, you idiot." Shawn rolled his eyes. "First of all, I'm not gay. I just haven't found someone who makes my heart beat yet. But when I do, I'm definitely getting married before you confess to Sally."
Jean burst into laughter. "You? Getting married first? Unless you plan to marry one of your inventions, I'm pretty sure you'll die before touching a woman."
"Wanna bet?" Shawn challenged immediately.
Jean narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What kind of bet?"
Shawn grinned. "Simple. Whoever gets a girlfriend first gets to order the other around for a whole month."
Jean thought about it briefly before nodding. "Fine. I accept. Just don't come crying to me later when you're suffering under my commands." He flexed again. "Actually… maybe I should confess to Sally tonight."
Both of them burst out laughing.
Shawn already knew Jean would never do it. The guy could barely stand near Sally for more than a minute without panicking. There was no way he would suddenly gather the courage to confess.
The sun had already started lowering by the time Jean glanced toward the river again.
"It's getting late. Should we head back before the teachers realize we disappeared and send people looking for us?"
"Maybe." Shawn stretched again before grinning mischievously. "But first… another race. I need to prove my first victory wasn't luck."
Jean snorted. "Challenge accepted."
Without warning, he jumped straight into the river.
"Wait for me, you bastard! No cheating!" Shawn shouted before rushing after him.