Chapter 14

The week was tiring. I talked to Marissa every day and I talked to Noah twice, which I see as a large accomplishment- seeing as before it was a rare wave, and I was lucky if he returned it. I also talked to Floyd every day, which surprised me. I found out that he lives a few towns over and has a job at a fast food restaurant in Southpoint, which is only a half hour away from Stoneview. I also had four tests, all of which I passed. Today, I have a test in Algebra 2, and I’m pretty sure that I’m going to fail it.

Walking into the class made me want to cry. I noticed everyone studying their notebooks, and even a few kids were rereading the last chapter in our textbook. I just stood there, trying to find my notebook in my bag. When I found it, I sighed in relief, only to hear the teacher say that we are to put our notebooks and textbooks away. I did as I was instructed, but grudgingly.

I managed to get an hour in of studying last night, which is definitely not enough, but I was too busy packing my bag for today. I had two hours of homework a day this week, plus an hour of piano practice a day on top of that. It was extremely stressful, and I can’t help but admit that I’m a bit excited to go over to Marissa’s house this weekend. Normally, I’d be a bit reluctant- mainly because her walls are thin and Noah seems to have the hearing of a hawk.

As I was taking the test, I realized two things.

1.)    I didn’t have breakfast this morning and I’m pretty sure my classmates can hear the whale noises that my stomach is making.

2.)   I have no clue what I’m doing.

Maybe it’s because I didn’t study all of the formulas that I’m supposed to remember in order to do the equations, or maybe it’s because I wasn’t taught this information correctly, but I know for a fact that I’m going to get a big fat F on this test. I will have to ask for a retake date, definitely.

I managed to finish the test only seconds before the bell rang. The teacher told us to place our tests on his desk and I contemplated ‘accidentally’ spilling his coffee all over mine. I walked slowly, waiting until everyone else fled the classroom. “Mr. Park, may I talk to you?”

“About?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he sat at his desk. He was already grading the tests. I’m guessing he has a prep period next, so it makes sense.

“My test, I don’t think I did well,” I told him as I clutched the paper in my hands.

“Well, did you study?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yes, but I didn’t understand what I was studying.”

“Well, I guess you just didn’t take good notes,” he shrugged.

I gaped at him, surprised that a teacher could be this cruel. I wrote down everything he did, so technically- he’s insulting himself. “I was just wondering if I could retake the test.”

“I won’t have time for retakes,” Mr. Park informed me.

“But we didn’t even discuss a possible time,” I bit my lip. I really can’t deal with a bad grade, I barely have a B, take two points away and I’m back to a C. I need an A by the end of the semester.

“Ms. West, it’s not my fault that you were too busy to bother opening your textbook. If you would have, then you would understand the content that we were studying, but you didn’t. I cannot be penalized by having to stay afterschool to supervise you while you take a test because, quite frankly, I have better things to do,” he finished.

“Sir, I tried to study but I couldn’t comprehend the notes that you forced me to take. It’s not my fault that you failed to teach me what I’m supposed to know. All I want is a few days; that should be enough time for me to be able to look up what you’re supposed to be teaching me on the internet so I can find a more reliable source,” I spat angrily.

He stared at me. “You have until Tuesday, and if you fail that test as well, I won’t hesitate to report you to the principal for your newfound disrespect, Ms. West.”

I dropped my paper onto his desk before walking out of the classroom, rushing to get to gym. I looked between the elevator and the staircase. The elevator was all the way on the first floor, and I’m on the third. It’ll take at least three minutes for it to return to this floor. I might as well take the stairs; God knows I need the exercise. Jogging towards the steps, I practically busted through the door like a cop. I jogged down the steps, my breathing becoming labored as I tried to reach the gym early. I want to talk to Noah. I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized the words that just drifted through my mind. I’m running to the gym so I can have a two minute unreciprocated conversation with Noah, a boy, who only about two months ago, I was convinced wanted to strangle me with his bare hands?

I entered the gym moments before the bell rang. I have four minutes. I could have taken the elevator. I walked towards the bleachers where Noah sat with a drawing pad on his lap. “Hey.”

“What is it now?” he questioned.

“Do you have any polite greetings?” I asked him.

“Those are reserved for my friends,” he shrugged.

“Don’t deny our friendship, Noah, it’s rude,” I told him, trying to calm the shaking of my leg.

“Stop that,” Noah muttered.

“I’m trying,” I responded as I attempted to pin my leg down with my elbow.

“Are you nervous or something?” he asked.

“Well, I just failed a math test,” I informed him with a huff. “And my teacher got upset with me and called me a bad student.”

“And what did you do?” he asked.

“I told him that he was a bad teacher,” I shrugged.

“You didn’t hulk smash his desk or anything, right?” Noah laughed at his own joke.

“I’m serious, Noah, I failed that test. It’s going to drop my grade from a B to a C,” I complained.

“I forgot the part where this is my problem,” Noah retorted.

“Noah!” I whined loudly. “I have a week to try and relearn all that I was supposed to learn this semester.”

“And again, I don’t see why I should care,” Noah trailed.

“Do you think you can help me?” I asked.

“But you don’t ask with respect. You don’t offer friendship. You don’t even think to call me Noah. Instead, you come to my bleacher on the day that you fail a test and you uh…ask me to help you study,” Noah imitated the Godfather.

“Please don’t ever do that again, in your entire life,” I told him with a shake of my head.

“What? It fit the moment,” he shrugged.

“Will you at least help me study?” I asked him.

“Nope, do it yourself,” Noah told me as the coach blew the whistle.

“Noah!” I frowned and he simply went back to drawing, tilting the picture away from me. I rolled my eyes and mumbled under my breath as I went to participate.

<<>><<>> 

“Your brother is a jerk; he refused to help me with my math,” I told Marissa, “and he had the nerve to quote Godfather.”

“Maybe he’ll help you if you kiss him,” Marissa giggled, earning a kick under the table from me. “Crabapples, you’re so violent.”

I smirked at her. “Nice choice of words.”  

She grinned through the pain. “Thanks, I try.”

“So can you get your brother to help or what?” I raised the spoon of fruit salad up to my mouth.

“I’ll see what I can do,” she informed me and I nodded. “So are you excited for tonight?”

“To be honest, I haven’t been thinking about it this week; my schedule was filled to the brim with tests. I hate school, a lot,” I informed her. “But now that I’m free of tests, I’m excited. Although, I’m a bit nervous about my Algebra 2 test, but that can easily be relieved if Noah decides to tutor me this week.”

“Stop worrying, he’ll say yes, he has to,” she told me with a smile.

I smirked. “Good, I don’t want to have to hurt him.”

“Of course,” she rolled her eyes. “That’s physically possible.”

“Don’t you remember what I did to Ronnie?”

<<>><<>> 

“Party!” Chloe screamed as she ran towards Marissa’s house. I couldn’t help but notice her lack of clothing. She was wearing a crop top, red in color, and a pair of blue jean shorts. She had red vans on and I felt a bit insecure when I looked at her flat stomach and tan legs. Why can’t I look like that?

Chloe ran into the house as if she owned it while Marissa and I grabbed my bag from the car. Dana said she’d be here in an hour or so, she has to pick up her little brother from school and drop him off at their home. “Don’t worry about her. I won’t let her do anything bad.”

I nodded. I thought that she was over her little fit, but I guess Marissa thinks she isn’t. “You won’t let her dare me to lick feet?”

“I won’t let her dare you to lick feet,” she promised.

I nodded my head quickly. “Thank you, now let’s get going.”

I tried to discreetly glance at the drive way, noticing Noah’s car parked. I couldn’t help but notice its dirtiness. Usually, it’s glossy and shiny. Now, it’s dull and has dried up mud along the bottom of the car. I decided not to ask what happened, in fear that Marissa would ask why I care.

When we entered the house, we saw Chloe in the kitchen with three bottles of water. I was surprised that she grabbed me one. Then again, it could be for Dana. She tossed us the bottles and I managed to catch mine without dropping it or making an odd noise during the struggle to grab it.

“What’s on the agenda?” she asked as she tossed her bottle from hand to hand.

“Let’s all get settled in,” Marissa told me. Rather than putting my stuff in the guests’ room, we put it in Marissa’s room. She had three sleeping bags thrown around on the floor. I claimed the orange one, knowing that Dana would probably want the blue one and Chloe already dropped her stuff on the yellow one.

Like me, Marissa was dressed conservatively, or at least more conservatively than Chloe. She’s wearing black capris and a pink blouse. I’ve become more adjusted to her girly style and now, I don’t cringe whenever I see her decked in all pink, which happened on Wednesday. When I asked her about it she replied: “On Wednesdays, we wear pink.”

I’m dressed in a black and gray hoodie, despite the fact that it’s seventy degrees out.  Underneath, I have a short sleeved gray shirt with the words, “I shoot people” written on it around a camera. I matched a pair of black jeans and black converses with that. I wore it to school and didn’t get much odd looks, only from girls wearing light colored dresses. Black attracts heat, which is probably why I practically died during gym class- which we played outside. I was late (because I waited for the elevator) so I couldn't change.

“Don’t you want to change, Chloe?” Marissa asked, shifting from one foot to another.

“No, why would I?” she asked, placing her hand on her hip as she glanced down at her outfit. “I look hot.”

Marissa nodded before glancing at me. “I hope you brought your bathing suit.”

My eyebrows rose and I blinked a few times. “Bathing suit? We’re going swimming?”

She nodded. “Yeah, on Monday, Noah and I removed the tarp from the pool and had a few pool cleaners come and clean it.”

I stared at her. “I didn’t know you had a pool.”

She shrugged. “You can see it from Noah’s room, and I don’t think you’ve ever been in his room.”

I nodded, feeling slightly uncomfortable. If you can see it from his room, he can glance outside at any time. “Well, I didn’t bring my bathing suit. I can sit and tan, though.”

“We can always go and buy you one,” Chloe suggested with a shrug. What is she trying to do?

“No, it’s okay, I don’t like swimming very much. Besides, I wouldn’t want to take a two hour drive out to the nearest store that sells bathing suits,” I admitted earning a frown from Marissa. I decided to change the subject. “How about we watch television and wait for Dana to get here?”

“I can start the snacks!” Chloe offered and Marissa and I plopped down onto the couch.

<<>><<>> 

Twenty minutes later, Marissa received a text that Dana can’t make it. Her mother’s car broke down so she needs to use Dana’s. Marissa, a quick thinker, offered that we can go and pick her up. She also decided that while we’re out, we can pick up a bathing suit for me. “How about I tell you my size and you can go and get it?”

Hopefully, she says yes so I can tell her the wrong size. When she comes back, she gives it to me and I’ll pretend to be upset about how I gained a few pounds. Then, they won’t force me to get into the water. Why am I not winning Oscars for my amazing ideas? Can you even win Oscars for ideas? Probably not. “No, we have totally different styles. I’ll probably pick out a bright pink bikini for you, and it isn’t even Wednesday. For some reason, my eyes just stare at all things pink.”

The thought of wearing a bikini, and a pink one at that, gave me an aneurism. “Just forget about the bathing suit!”

“No, we have to get it!” she frowned. “We can all go out and help you pick one out!”

“I can’t; I have food in the oven,” Chloe excused.

“You can just buy me one, I trust you,” I smiled at Marissa.

“So you’re going to stay here?” she asked. With Chloe? I pursed my lips before grabbing my purse.

When we got into Marissa’s car, she laughed loudly. I asked her why she was laughing, but she didn’t bother to reply until we were ten minutes away from the house. “I’m surprised you didn’t realize that she’s alone with Noah.”

“And I care why?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

She shook her head. “No reason, now we should hurry this up or else Noah will murder me when we get back.”

The drive to Dana’s house was a half an hour, a half hour filled with crappy pop music and the occasional good song. Dana was waiting outside of her house upon our arrival. Once she opened the back door, she looked around. “No Chloe?”

I shook my head. “She’s back at the house.”

“With Noah?” Dana asked, slamming the door shut. I nodded and she rolled her eyes. “Can that girl get any more desperate? What happened to Brent?”

I decided to butt out of the conversation. Marissa drove us to the clothing store, talking rambunctiously about the potential bathing suits I could buy. I just nodded every so often, groaning quietly when I got out of the car. Dana laughed from beside me, towering over me once she fully stood up. She had a crop top, too, but had an undershirt beneath it. Her stomach was obviously toned. I could tell by her jeans that she was fit, too, just like her two friends. Why did I have to make friends with the extremely fit volleyball players? Why couldn’t I befriend chubby chess club members? I’d fit in well with them, aside from the fact that I’m really bad at the game of chess.

“Come on, little sheep,” Marissa told me as she steered me towards the bathing suit aisle. “What color do you want?”

“Black,” I told her.

“That will make you look so pale,” she told me. “Navy blue will, too.”

She laughed loudly at the memory of me in the navy blue dress. I gave her a flat look before thumbing through one pieces. Dana and Marissa began looking for bathing suits for me, too, occasionally holding one up to my skin to see if it matches my complexion. “How about this one?”

I spun around to see Marissa holding up a red skimpy bikini and I gasped aloud. “Put that thing down!”

She and Dana laughed loudly at my expense while I went back to searching, mumbling absurdities under my breath. “Don’t buy a grandma one piece.”

I frowned at Marissa. “What’s a grandma one piece?”

“A once piece that is plain,” Dana explained while Marissa pursed her lips. “For example, this.”

She held up a plain black one piece. It looked like something a lifeguard would wear. “That’s cute, though.”

Marissa snorted. “You need help. You can’t just wear black all the time.”

I unzipped my sweater and motioned towards my shirt. “Gray!”

“Black,” she pointed to my jeans, my shoes, and my jacket.

I grabbed the sleeve of my jacket and wriggled it around, despite the fact that my arm was weighing it down. “Gray.”

She rolled her eyes. “Just get something colorful.”

I held up a red swimsuit, a one piece of course, and she wrinkled her nose and shook her head. She grabbed a light blue one, which looked just like the red one and nodded. “It looks just like the red one.”

“No, this one has tiny slits in the sides,” she shrugged and I looked at the sides of the bathing suit. They weren’t that big, so nothing would be revealed if I were to buy it.

“Oh look, it’s in red,” I told her and she shook her head quickly, grabbing the light blue swimsuit’s hanger.

“No, get it in blue,” she convinced and I nodded awkwardly, slowly backing away from her. Dana laughed as we went to check out.

The stupid swimsuit cost $28.00, but I paid, even though I’ll only use it once. It’s a waste of money, if you ask me. I waste a lot of money when I'm with Marissa. When we were leaving, Marissa grinned. “Noah’s favorite color is blue, you know?

<<>><<>>

“Go away!” Noah’s voice shouted throughout the house.

“I just want to talk to you!” Chloe responded. The smell of burning food filled my nose and Dana was already running towards the kitchen. We’ll have to order pizza or something. Everything that goes in that oven for the next few hours will come out with a smoky aftertaste, which I’m not looking forward to.

“Well, I don’t like you!” Noah called back. Marissa and I glanced at each other and we ran up the steps. Marissa was obviously ahead of me, thanks to her long legs. We saw Chloe standing outside of Noah’s room with a frown on her face.

“I just want to talk!” Chloe whined. The sight was cringe worthy.

“Go away!” Noah repeated. I could imagine him piling things against the door in an attempt to fend her off.

“Chloe!” Marissa called and her friend whipped around, putting an innocent smile on her face. “What are you doing?”

Chloe slowly walked over. “I just wanted to ask him where you guys keep your bread.”

“Leave him alone, Chloe,” Marissa snapped before storming down the steps. I couldn’t comprehend what had just happened, so when Chloe glared at me, I didn’t even think to respond.

She stomped down the steps, causing the floor to vibrate as I stood there. I heard a door opening and I looked to my left to see Noah poking his head out of the doorway. His hair flopped downwards to the left as he looked out, making him look adorable. If he weren’t so intimidating, I would have cooed at the cuteness. He stood up straighter and fixed his shirt before looking at me. “Can you, uh, do me a favor?”

My eyebrows shot upward. “Noah Rivers asking me, a lowly peasant whose friendship he refuses, for a favor?”

He gave me a flat look. “I just want you to get me something to drink.”

“What? No sandwich?” I scoffed, crossing my arms across my chest.

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not being sexist; I’m just not going to go down there when Crazy is roaming around.”

“Noah, do you remember that one time when I was in dire need of help? When Floyd was there, talking to me? Do you remember that?” I rubbed my chin as I stared at the ceiling. “Because I do, and I remember you snorting and walking off.”

“You weren’t in dire need of help. Floyd is a nice guy. I know him. He wouldn’t try and jump on you the moment you two are alone,” he shivered. “Chloe, on the other hand, is crazy.”

“Do you also remember when I asked you for help with my Algebra 2?” I continued to rub my chin. “And you replied with a stupid Godfather quote?”

He chuckled under his breath. “That was a good one.”

“Noah!” I exclaimed and he looked up at me. “The point I’m trying to make is, you want me to do something for you yet you don’t want to do anything for me!”

“What? I’m only asking for you to get me some soda,” he muttered.

“Yeah, I’m only asking you to help me out with my math because I don’t know what the heck I’m doing!” I replied. “And if I fail that test, my mother will kick me so hard that I’ll—.”

“Okay, I’ll help you. Just stop talking; your voice is annoying,” he rubbed the bridge of his nose, earning an annoyed look from me. Once he noticed, he threw his hands up. “I said I’ll help you, stop looking at me like that.”

I grinned. “Okay, so you want a drink?”

“Cola,” he told me. “Not Pepsi.”

I nodded, slowly backing away. “Wait, can you grab me some chips, too?”

I gave him a flat look. “Do I look like a food truck?”

“What? I’m going to be trapped in here all night and probably all day tomorrow, I might as well have something to snack on,” he told me.

I sighed loudly. “Okay, what kind of chips?”

He bit his lip and furrowed his eyebrows in thought. I couldn’t help but stare at him. At one point, I saw his lips move but I didn’t hear what he said. I slowly shook my head until I was fully aware of my surroundings. “Uh, got it.”

I swear a faint smirk appeared on his lips. “Do you?”

I nodded. “I do, I’ll be right back.”

I turned around to get his stuff when he called me back. “Kennedy?”

I whipped back around, pointing at him with my index fingers as my thumbs were facing upwards. “Yes?”

“While you’re at it, would you mind making me a sandwich?” he was leaning slightly out of his room and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“I will spit in your drink, little boy!” I exclaimed. I went to go after him but he quickly slammed the door shut, his laughter sounding from the other side.

I grinned widely as I hopped down the stairs. I tried to avoid everyone’s gaze as I walked towards the kitchen. “Marissa?”

She poked her head into the kitchen and I smiled at her. “Where do you keep the cups?”

She opened a cabinet and grabbed a cup, placing it in front of me. She went to leave but I called her again. “Marissa?”

She turned around. “Yes?”

“What chips does Noah like?” I sheepishly asked.

She rolled her eyes with a smile on her lips as she walked over towards their snack cabinet. She took out two large bags of chips, one of which was a red bag of Doritos and the other was plain Lays potato chips. I wrinkled my nose. What a plain person. “If you want to make him happy, go into the freezer and grab a small tub of Ben and Jerry’s.”

“Which one?” I asked as I open their freezer. Along the side, there were several bins of Ben and Jerry’s.

“Cherry Garcia,” she informed me and I nodded as I began reading the labels. “You can have one if you want to.”

I decided to take her up on that offer and grabbed a Chocolate Fudge Brownie tub. I grabbed Noah’s requested flavor and took two spoons out of the drawer. I grabbed his chips, which Marissa put in a plastic bag, and slipped them onto my forearm. Taking his soda in one hand, I struggled to hold the two small cups of ice cream in my other hand, along with the spoons. I walked out of the kitchen, hoping that I’d slide under the radar.

“Where are you going?” Chloe asked.

“To, uh, take a shower,” I excused, urging to slam my head against the refrigerator.

“With chips and ice cream?” she placed her hand on her hip, something she does a lot.

“Well, I’m going to finish my ice cream first. And I’m bringing the chips to ensure that you guys won’t eat them,” I managed to say. Before she could respond, I slipped up the stairs. She didn’t bother to pursue me.

I kicked Noah’s door, seeing as my hands were full. “Who is it?”

“The muffin man,” I replied, waiting for the door to open.

“Ew muffins,” Noah mumbled as he opened the door. He grabbed the soda from me and placed it on a table beside the door. I peeked over his shoulder as he did so and noticed that the wall was painted dark blue, with gray borders. I nodded in approval. He then grabbed the chip bag that I extended and placed it on the table as well. He turned to me and noticed that I held out his small tub of ice cream with a spoon.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked at the label before giving me a suspicious look. “How’d you know—?”

“Marissa,” I shrugged, yanking the top off of my ice cream. I shoved the spoon into it and practically chewed the silverware as I placed it into my mouth.

“That is the worst flavor ever,” he muttered. "Too much chocolate."

"There's chocolate in that!" I pointed at the label.

"Fudge flakes, and the cherry gets rid of the taste," he told me with narrowed eyes. "That flavor is the worst."

“Says the one who eats like a pregnant woman,” I responded, waving my hand around.

“You have an obsession with chocolate,” he stated. “What type of person do you think you eat like?”

“Willy Wonka, thank you very much,” I retorted.

“I wasn’t going to say that, but okay,” he shrugged as he opened his ice cream.

“Good, because that would just make things awkward,” I told him.

“Kenna, come downstairs! We’re getting ready to go into the pool!” Dana’s familiar voice called.

“You’re going in the pool?” Noah asked.

I snorted. “No, I’ll probably come up with an excuse in the two minutes it takes me to walk downstairs.”

“Have fun coming up with a foolproof excuse that gets past my sister,” Noah remarked.

“I will. In ten minutes, I’ll be sitting on a lawn chair. Just you watch,” I told him.

“I will,” he shrugged.

“And I’m the creepy one,” I muttered as I walked away.

“No, you’re the one that eats like a girl on her—,” Noah began.

“Don’t!” I called from the top of the stairwell.

He smirked as he finished his sentence. “Period.”

I cringed and felt my face go red. Can I throw myself down the stairs?

<<>><<>> 

Everyone else was outside. I said that I would be out there in ten minutes, that I have to brush my hair and change. I don’t plan on getting in the water or going outside at all. Call me a buzzkill or a killjoy but I don’t like swimming, or pools and beaches in general. “Kenna! Are you in here?”

I didn’t expect someone to come in here to get me. “Uh, yeah.”

Marissa walked into the living room, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked at me. She hasn’t gotten into the pool yet, so she isn’t dripping water all over the floor. “What are you doing? Why aren’t you changed?”

“Well, I went to get changed, but I fell and hurt my ankle,” I told her.

“Did you hear that? The pizza’s here!” Marissa exclaimed and I quickly stood up, earning a flat look from her. “Your ankle hurts, huh?”

I dropped back onto the couch, slowly clutching my ankle. “Ouch, that hurt a lot.”

“You’re a terrible actress,” she told me. “Now come on, you’re going to change.”

I groaned and allowed her to drag me towards the bathroom. She picked up my bag from her room as we walked upstairs. She handed me her brush and I sighed as I entered the bathroom. I quickly changed and ran the brush through my hair. I tried not to look at myself in the mirror but I couldn’t help it. I wrinkled my nose as I turned sideways. I placed my hands on my pudgy belly, wishing it would go away. I sucked in my stomach to the point where it almost hurt before letting it out slowly. I wanted to groan but sighed instead. I groan a lot. I quickly looked away from the mirror and opened the bathroom door slightly, where Marissa was standing patiently.

“You’re done?” she asked, noticing my sloppy bun.

I nodded uncomfortably. “You have to understand that I’m not a model.”

“I’m not either,” she shrugged.

“And I’m not a volleyball player with a practical four pack,” I told her as I poked her toned stomach. My head and arm were outside of the door but my body was still in the bathroom.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re overreacting.” Before I could stop her, she yanked my arm and I stumbled out of the bathroom.

“Jeez girl, when was the last time you stepped into the sun?” she asked as she poked my arm.

“Uh, last year,” I shrugged as I tried to compose myself. I held my hands over my stomach, wishing I had a bag or something to cover myself with. “I haven’t gone swimming since I was fourteen, though.”

Marissa stared at me in shock. “Are you serious?”

I nodded. “Now can I get a towel or something?”

She nodded and pulled one from the linen. She made sure it was blue, to match my bathing suit. “Now let’s go.”

I wrapped the towel around my torso, letting it fall to my mid-thigh. Even though I prefer to have jeans and a shirt on, this is more comforting than just a bathing suit. The slits in the side just made everything worse. They stretched out when I put the bathing suit on and they show a lot of my back. We stood at the edge of the pool. Dana and Chloe were in it, splashing about. I shifted from foot to foot, anticipating Marissa’s jump so I could run back into the house and lock the door so she can’t get in. “Well, aren’t you going to get in the water?”

“I was thinking that I could tan,” I told her. “I mean, I obviously need it.”

Marissa rolled her eyes. “You’re getting in the water.”

I frowned, swallowing the lump in my throat. A feeling of discomfort settled in my stomach and I wanted to run back into the safety of the house, into the safety of jeans and a loose t-shirt. “Get in the water, or I’ll push you in.”

I sighed and handed Marissa my towel as I went to step towards the pool. I felt two hands on my back and I was falling into the water, gasping on impact. It was cold and I couldn't breathe. I saw the white tiles at the bottom of the pool once I opened my eyes, my cheeks enlarged as I tried to hold as much air in them as possible. I struggled to get to the surface, and once I did, I gasped and coughed, trying to bring air to my lungs.

“Jeez, I was getting in the water, Marissa,” I snapped once I regulated my breathing patterns. I panted lightly as I gripped the side of the pool, away from the girls. “Why’d I have to befriend someone that has a pool?”

“Don’t act like you don’t like the water,” she giggled. I scowled when I turned around, waving my arms around as I tried to stay above the water. I’m pretty sure their feet were touching the ground. We were at the five and a half mark. I’m barely making it, even though I’m standing on the tips of my toes and hopping every few seconds.

“I hate it,” I told her as I tried to back into the five foot area.

“Hey look, it’s Noah!” Chloe exclaimed as she pointed to a window on the second floor. Two of his windows are facing the pool and I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. Did he see my graceful fall into the water? Or worse, did he see me in my bathing suit? If there is ever a time to roll into a ball and cry, it’s now. Chloe waved excitedly at him as he opened his curtains. I saw his shoulders rise slightly and I knew that he snorted. As he anticipated, I’m in the water. When his eyes fell on Chloe, who was waving her hand so much that I’m sure it’s dry, he quickly shut his curtains. I didn’t miss the upset look on her face, but I couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

<<>><<>> 

“I’m taking my shower first,” I exclaimed as I crawled out of the pool, grabbing my towel that was on the lawn chair. I ran (something I rarely do) into the house and towards the stairs. I grabbed my bag from Marissa’s room and dived towards the bathroom, reaching for the doorknob. I frowned when I saw it was locked. Don’t tell me that it’s one of the girls who managed to bolt up here and get into the bathroom before me.

I heard the toilet flush and the sink turn on. I waited patiently for the sound of a shower, but it never came. I was greeted with the fabulous sight of Noah. His eyes fell on my dull brown hair, which was soaking and falling to my shoulders. It’s probably drying, too, which means it’s a frizzy mess. I lost my hair tie somewhere in the pool. He glanced at the straps of my light blue swimsuit before they landed on the dark blue towel, which I made sure to keep up in case something like this happened.

“What happened to not getting into the water?” Noah questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“I was pushed, okay?” I replied.

“And you happened to be wearing a bathing suit,” he retorted.

“Just move so I can pee,” I told him.

“How lady like,” he muttered as he walked towards his room. I stepped into the bathroom and closed the door, letting out a sigh as I locked it.

My hair was practically dry when everyone finished with their showers. I was dressed in purple pajama pants and a plain black t-shirt. “Don’t you own anything a bit more, uh, girly?”

I shrugged at Chloe’s question. “I do have girl’s underclothes if that’s what you’re asking.”

Marissa decided to butt in. “So do you guys want to do the crazy makeover contest now?”

Dana nodded excitedly, Chloe muttered a quiet ‘whatever,’ and I just shrugged. “Crazy makeover contest it is.”