stands on shifting sands, the scales held in her hands

One of the rules that I generally live by is that it's criminal to waste a good bathing suit. They're kind of like shoes — it's really hard to find one that fits in a flattering way, and sometimes also difficult to find the right color for your complexion. Human bodies aren't really designed to be perfect, and even if I bought into the idea that people shouldn't mind those imperfections, that didn't mean that I wouldn't try to dress myself up. Fashion's all about emphasizing your best features.

So when I'd found a cute little set with cherries and blossoms speckled all over, clearly that meant my day would be devoted to both laying on the beach and taking a dip in the water. And for the latter, I headed to the waterfall by the Compound, one of the things Louisiana really didn't have too many of. The water was almost unbelievably clean, not at all murky like the marsh ponds I was accustomed to. With a stifled laugh, I ended up taking a running start, tucked into a cannonball, and splashed right in.

In that moment, it was sorta hard to keep my mind on any of my greater worries. I guess a lot of stereotypes really do have some truth in them.