"Are you sure about this?"

"Hundred percent," he said. "Are you?"

I took a deep breath, watching Anders turn his convertible around the corner and park in front of a big white beach house. It looked like a traditional American home with a porch out front and a flag pole attached to one of the posts.

"We're already here," I replied, getting out of the car and looking up at the house. It was Reagan and Ria's family estate, rich siblings who belonged to the popular crowd.

Reagan was a football player, and Ria was aiming to be an influencer. Maybe she was already. I wouldn't know, I didn't keep up with them.

"Have you been here before?" Anders asked me, as he got out of the car.

"Once."

The first time Kobe was invited to one of these, he took me with him. I didn't like it, so I didn't come anymore. It was ironic how I felt alone when I was surrounded by people. When Kobe figured out I'd never go with him again, he stopped asking me.

I could feel Anders watching me, and I forced to move my feet.

"This way."

I gestured for Anders to follow me, and we headed to the side entrance. We went around the house, going through the pathway that led straight to the beach. And there, we saw that a few guys were setting up the bonfire.

I noticed that there were less people than I expected. It wasn't crowded, which I was more than thankful for. Maybe they just invited people in their circle.

"Meadow!"

I turned towards the direction of the voice and saw Kobe running up to us with a huge grin on his face while carrying a red solo cup. He was wearing a fitted black tank top and black trunks with red stripes on the side.

He didn't have a ripped body like the athletes in our school, but that didn't really matter. Once he opened his mouth, you'd focus on his face and nothing else. He had that kinda appeal. It was no brainer why he was voted class president.

"I didn't think you'd come," he said, stopping right in front of me.

I shrugged, trying to play it cool. "What's a summer without a beach party?"

He chuckled. "I told you that last year."

"Good news! It finally sank in."

He looked like he didn't buy it but he dropped the subject, anyway. He turned to Anders instead. "Hey, man. Good to see you again."

"Likewise," Anders replied, tilting his head up in a little nod.

Now that move looked casually cool. I made a mental note to ask Anders to teach me that trick.

"C'mon," Kobe said. "I'll introduce you to everyone."

Anders glanced at me before following Kobe. I followed them pass by the bonfire and walk towards the small group of people sitting around a picnic table. I dreaded each step towards them as I recognized their faces.

Welp, here we go.

"Hey, guys," Kobe called, catching their attention. "You know Meadow."

I raised an awkward hand, while the group gave me small nods in greeting. Then I dropped my head and looked away, discreetly taking a step back in hopes of fading into the background. I never liked the spotlight.

"And this is Anders," Kobe introduced, gesturing a hand to the city boy whose clothes screamed preppy with this white collared shirt and blue shorts. "He's staying in town for the summer. Let's give him a warm welcome."

"Hey, name's Reagan." The buffed football player stood up and nodded to Anders as he walked towards the keg. "You drink beer?"

"Yeah," Anders answered.

We exchanged looks. I remembered him telling me he didn't like beer. I guessed he didn't have a choice. Better anything than nothing.

"You look familiar," Ria told him, looking thoughtful.

She was wearing a yellow two-piece string bikini that showed off her bronze dark skin, while her long hair was in dreadlocks. I'd seen her countless times before, yet she was as stunning as Zendaya every single time.

"I get that a lot," Anders replied smoothly, with an easy smile.

"That's Ria," Kobe mentioned.

"My sister," Reagan added, as he handed Anders the cup of beer.

The tone of warning in his words wasn't lost on me. Neither was it lost on Anders, because I caught the corner of his lips twitch in amusement.

"Good to know," Anders said, before taking a drink.

Arienne cleared her throat and leaned forward, showcasing her gifted front twins. "Hi, I'm Arienne. This is Lindy," she added, nodding to the girl beside her.

Anders flashed them a smile. "Hi."

Lindy giggled, twisting her brown hair in her fingers shyly.

Yeah, Anders totally had that effect on people. I couldn't count how many times Sunshine giggled in front of him. I caught Grace and Kristine doing that once or twice, even playfully shoving him. I had no doubt Louis also did at some point.

"Where you from, man?" Reagan queried.

"New York."

Kobe asked next. "City or upstate?"

"City."

Arienne whispered something to Ria, which caused her to frown and pull out her phone. Meanwhile, Lindy kept her catty eyes on Anders.

She cocked her head to the side. "What brought you to town?"

"I sank my grandfather's yacht," he stated.

They all stared at him, dumbfounded. Ha, I could totally relate.

"I was sent to Mount Valley to reflect on my actions and repent."

Reagan snorted. "Bullshit."

"It's true," Anders said, grinning.

Kobe laughed and shook his head. "There's no way."

Anders looked at me. "Back me up here, Buckley."

I was enjoying my time in the background, just listening. And now he put me on the spot. I bet this was his way if including me, so I couldn't find myself getting annoyed.

"He's telling the truth," I confirmed.

Kobe and Lindy looked astonished, while Reagan burst out laughing.

"Well, damn," he muttered, looking impressed.

"That's right!" Ria's eyes widened in shock. "You're Maxine's little brother!"

Beside her, Arienne's jaw dropped in awe as she stared at Anders.

Lindy looked confused. "Do we know a Maxine?"

"Maxine, the singer?" Ria gawked at her friend. "You know, that Grammy Award winner? Pop Princess? America's sweetheart?"

Reagan snickered, waving a dismissive hand. "Get outta here." His sister showed him her phone, and he gasped. "Holy shit."

Arienne hadn't stopped staring at Anders. Finding her voice, she said, "Can I have a selfie with you?" Right after, Lindy asked, "Can I marry you?"

Whoa, that escalated quickly.

Anders, being the gentleman that he was, just let out a sheepish laugh like he was embarrassed by the attention. "I'm sorry, I think I'm too young to get married."

Lindy pouted. "Bummer."

"I can have that selfie, though," he added.

"Yay!"Arienne beamed and brought out her phone.

Reagan quickly positioned himself right behind them and posed, with his tongue out and his right hand raised in a call sign. Ria and Lindy joined in.

"C'mon, guys." Kobe sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and giving them a look. "We'll still treat him like any normal person, right?"

Although now busy on her phone looking through the pictures, Arienne managed to say, "Oh, totally."

"Is that what you want?" Ria asked Anders.

Anders shrugged, indifferent. "I'm fine either way." His eyes wandered to me, and his expression softened. "It'd be a nice change, though."

Reagan gaped at him. "Dude, why? Living famous is the bomb."

"It has its perks," Anders agreed with a smile, before taking a sip.

I caught the corner of his lips turning down behind his cup, showing me a hint of that face he always made whenever he was faking it. When he noticed me still looking at him, he reached out his hand and offered his drink.

"Do you want to try?"

Before I could reply, Kobe spoke up.

"She doesn't drink."

Anders looked at him, then at me.

"Um, Kobe's right." I winced as I remembered what went down earlier this week. "Besides, I'm still reeling from that hangover."

Recognition filled Anders' eyes, and he pulled back his hand.

"Right."

He tried to be discreet about it but I noticed him roll his shoulders and straighten his back. I bet he recalled how he swam in my... Yep.

"You had a hangover?" Kobe asked me, clearly not happy about that fact.

I nodded. "Yeah, earlier this week."

There was a part of me that felt guilty. I never once drank with him, claiming that I didn't like the taste of alcohol – yet I got drunk with Anders without him even trying.

Sure, we had a deal. And his highness the witty brat might've outsmarted me, but he never forced me. I chose to drink with him.

Ria grinned at me. "Little miss perfect finally goes over to the dark side."

Reagan raised his fist and hooted in approval.

"You got drunk?" Kobe frowned, crossing his arms. "With who?"

I tried to come up with an excuse, but Anders answered for me.

"With me."

Everyone stared at him, and he didn't even look the least bit bothered. He made it seem like he was claiming responsibility for it.

"I made her drink," he added.

I rolled my eyes. "You didn't make me do anything."

"I manipulated you into drinking with me."

Was that how he saw it?

"It's not without a price," I said, giving him a knowing look.

His lips stretched into a grin, and he looked up at the sky. "Ah, yes. Karma got me good for being your first."

Ria, Arienne, and Lindy gasped.

Reagan nodded and sneered. "Score."

Kobe, on the other hand, remained speechless for what seemed like forever. I was seriously about to poke him to see if he was still alive, when he slowly turned to me and whispered, "You had sex with him?"

I recoiled. "What? No! That's—That's not what he meant."

"First... drinking buddy," Anders clarified.

"See?"

"Oh," the girls chorused.

Kobe's eyes went from Anders, and then to me. He seemed a little relieved but he looked like he was still trying to solve a puzzle.

"Do you play football?" Reagan asked Anders.

"Occasionally."

"Sweet. What's your..."

I wasn't able to hear the rest of their conversation because Kobe sidled up to my other side, and said, "We need to talk."

My heart began to beat faster, full on panicking. I was nowhere near ready to talk to him! I hadn't even fully prepped myself yet. I was in no state to have The Talk.

Not now. Not in front of his friends. Not in front of Anders.

"Meadow, about that night—"

"Phil!" I exclaimed, when I saw him approaching.

Phil looked at me weird and I couldn't blame him. This was the first time I talked to him and I called his name as if we were the best buddies. He shook his head before turning to the rest of the group, totally ignoring me.

I didn't take it personally. He was closed off to all but his friends.

"Boat's set up," he said. "Y'all game?"

Lindy leaned back, shaking her head. "Pass. I don't wanna ruin my hair."

Arienne yawned. "Same."

"I'm going," Ria declared, giving her drink to Arienne.

"Anders!" Reagan called. "Wakeboarding! You in?"

Anders smiled real wide. "Hell yes."

Then, he turned to me with a mischievous expression.

Uh-oh. I knew that look. I started to shake my head and step back but he grabbed my arm to stop me from getting away.

He leaned over and murmured, "You promised to put yourself out there."

"I don't know how to wakeboard," I hissed back. I didn't wanna make a fool out of myself in front of everyone.

"You can just stay on the boat, Mead," Kobe assured me.

"Please?" Anders pouted, trying to be cute.

Suddenly, I couldn't find my stupid self saying no. Oh, frack. Not trusting myself to speak, I only nodded. Kobe smiled, while Anders grinned.

Reagan whooped. "A'ight, let's do this!"

We walked along the shore and headed to Phil's motorboat that was floating not too far from the beach. It looked pretty small from afar so I was a little surprised that it comfortably seated the six of us.

I eyed the wakeboards, life vests, and ropes on the floorboard. I wasn't the least bit tempted to use them, but a part of me wondered what it felt like to be athletic enough to be able to try them out.

I was too caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't realize Phil had sailed us away from the shore and into deeper waters until he spoke.

"Who's up first?"

"Me!" Reagan volunteered.

Without waiting for anyone to contest him (I doubted someone would), he stood up and balanced himself, before grabbing one of the boards and putting it on. In fairness to him, he didn't forget to wear a life vest.

Once he was done, he grabbed the handle of the rope and hopped off the boat. He raised a hand as a signal, and Phil revved the boat to move.

Anders' jaw clenched as he watched Reagan with intense longing I'd never seen in him, almost as if he was daydreaming that he was out there himself.

Ria laughed out loud, making me glance at her. She was recording a video of her brother from her phone.

"Do a flip!" Kobe yelled over to Reagan.

He obliged and did a flip, causing us to cheer. He was pretty good at this. When he was done, he gave us a thumbs up right before he was flung.

"Anders, you wanna go next?" Kobe asked him.

Anders' eyes lit up. "Sure."

I smiled, happy to see him excited.

While Kobe was helping Reagan climb up and Ria was busy on her phone, Anders leaned over to me and asked under his breath, "Want to ride with me?"

I blinked up at him. "What?"

A crooked smile stretched his lips. "Come on."

"No."

"I swear it'll be fun."

"H—How is that even gonna work?"

He regarded me. "Do you trust me?"

"No."

He burst out laughing, causing the others on the boat to glance curiously at him. Only Kobe's eyes traveled to me. I looked away from him and turned to Anders.

"I'm not gonna ride with you," I told him.

"Trust me." He was totally serious now, but confident at the same time. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

I frowned and bit my bottom lip, considering it. What were the odds of this going wrong and one of us – if not both of us – ending up with broken bones?

'The real secret is not to think about it.'

His words rang in my head, and I tried not to smile. He was really rubbing off on me. But still, this was going to be a risky stunt.

"You ready, Anders?" Kobe called.

"Hold on," Anders replied, not leaving his eyes on mine.

We had a long staring contest, challenging each other's will power. But neither of us was willing to give in and break eye contact. We were both stubborn this way.

"What are they doing?" Ria asked.

"No idea," Reagan said.

"Maybe it's some kinda mating ritual," Phil guessed.

From my peripheral vision, I saw Kobe step forward.

And that was the moment I realized that if Anders went on to wakeboard, I would be left alone and it would give Kobe the chance to corner me.

Nuh-uh. Not gonna happen, pal.

I stood up. "Okay, I'll do it."

Anders smiled proudly. "That's my girl."

I blinked, taken aback.

Realizing what he said, he sat up straight and leaned away.

"I meant my girl apprentice—because I'm her mentor so—apprentice," he added, before clearing his throat and standing up to take the board from Kobe.

This was so weird. I'd never seen him stutter this bad.

"You okay, man?" Kobe asked him. "You're a little red on the face."

"Yeah, I'm cool." He took off his white button up shirt, revealing a toned body fit for the kind of extreme sports he mentioned to me before. As he put on the life vest, he said, "Meadow's riding with me."

They all looked at him like they didn't hear him right, and I couldn't blame them. Hearing him say that out loud sounded just as crazy as I thought. When Anders didn't correct himself, they turned to stare at me.

Oh, right. I should get ready.

I took off my white sundress with cute dainty daisies embroidered on it and put on the life vest, too. I tried not to be conscious with my white bustier one-piece bathing suit. Instead, I focused on strapping myself safe and tight.

Kobe frowned. "That's not safe."

"It is with me."

Anders winked at Kobe, before hooking his finger on one of the straps on my vest and pulling me towards him. He checked on each buckle until he was satisfied. Then, he sat on the ledge and strapped his feet to the wakeboard.

Kobe looked at me with a concerned face. Even though our relationship was rocky and fragile right now, I didn't want him to worry.

"It's okay," I assured him. "I trust Anders." And I did – about fifty percent.

"Don't worry, Kobe," Anders said, glancing over his shoulder and grinning at my best friend. "I know what I'm doing."

Right after he said the last word, he jumped off.

Kobe turned to me. "Do you really wanna do this?"

Reagan raised a hand. "I wanna see 'em do it."

"Let her have fun," Ria encouraged. "God knows she needs it."

Phil sighed, getting impatient. "Are we doing this or what?"

"I'm going," I told my best friend, before jumping after Anders.

I let out a chilled shaky breath, not expecting the water to be this cold. Good thing the weather was warm and sunny. It was a nice combination.

"Your 'one friend' is quite protective," Anders muttered.

"He means well."

Kobe's younger sister died five years ago. Since then, it was like a switch had been turned and he had been overly protective of me. And I let him.

"Alright," I breathed out. "What now?"

"Come here," he ordered.

I swam closer to him, and he rotated me until my back was against him. When he spoke, his breath tickled my ear, causing the hair on my arm to stand up.

"Place your feet beside mine on the board—a little more forward. There, now lean your knees on mine. Rest your weight on me."

I did as he instructed.

"That's it," he murmured.

My heart started beating fast and my breaths came heavily. I wasn't sure whether it was the bravery or stupidity of what I was about to do.

Maybe both.

"Ready?" Anders whispered in my ear.

I swallowed the big lump in my throat, before nodding. He raised a hand to signal Phil, and the boat started to move. Even from this distance, I could see Kobe's worried expression. I wished I could tell him to relax, though I was far from it.

As if hearing my thoughts, Anders spoke in a gentle voice.

"Trust me."

I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Okay."

Anders gripped the handle with his right hand, while his left one snaked around my waist and settled on my stomach to keep me in place.

I closed my eyes and prayed.

The second I felt we rose above the water, my eyes opened and I gasped. We were speeding through the water with no barrier. It felt like we were floating – flying even.

Anders chuckled as he swerved us from side to side. My lips stretched to a grin, liking the feel of the wind that was blowing on my face and the sound of waves we were leaving behind. I began laughing as I glanced up at him.

He had a soft smile on his face, looking like he was satisfied at seeing me happy. I gazed at him, so grateful that we were able to meet. Otherwise, I wouldn't have tried this and known what it felt like to... fly.

Our eyes locked, and I found myself getting lost in his hazel brown ones – almost golden out in the sun like this. The freckles on his face looked like constellations, and I had this silly urge to touch them.

Anders broke eye contact and looked to his front, his smile widening.

I followed his line of sight with a little shy smile of my own, feeling totally elated. Gaining some confidence, I reached out my right hand and placed it on top of his on the handle while my other one stayed above his on my stomach.

We moved as one.

I wasn't sure how long we lasted until they finally flung us, a scream escaping my lips. We swam to the surface at the same time, laughing our butts off when we came up for air. The thought that I'd been doing nothing but laugh since I met him struck me.

But before I could think more about it, Anders swam towards me with the board in his hands. Wearing a big grin, he reached over and pushed away a few strands of hair that was sticking on my forehead and cheeks.

"You okay?" he asked, searching my face.

I nodded excitedly. "That was fun!"

He chuckled. "I told you so."

"Yup, you were right." I wasn't even ashamed to admit it.

"I'm always right."

I scoffed. "I beg to differ."

He looked away, grinning. "I knew you would."

When the boat finally came around for us, we climbed aboard.

Reagan and Ria applauded us, Phil gave us a thumbs up, and Kobe looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time. Before he could say anything, though, Reagan pushed him to be next.

Anders sat beside me, both of us dripping wet.

"Your sister told me something about a cliff around here."

My eyes narrowed as I thought about it. She told me stories about that, too. Kobe and I tried to look for it years ago, but I got too scared at the thought of jumping that I backed out. We never attempted to find it again.

I scanned the gulf until I found what I was looking for, then pointed to a cliff in the distance.

"That one?"

"Hmm, I guess so," Anders said, sizing it up.

Like a light bulb clicking on in my head, I realized what he was doing.

"Oh, no."

He turned and grinned at me.

"Oh, yes."

I raised my hands and shook my head. "Nooooo."

"You already trusted me with the wakeboard," he reasoned. "Don't be scared now. Let's go all the way."

"That..." I trailed off, pointing to the cliff. "That is something else entirely. That is my death waiting for me. That is why I'm saying no."

He shook his head patiently, and said, "Don't let fear keep you from experiencing the best things in life."

I raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Jumping off a cliff is one of the best?"

"It's what makes you feel."

"Dying?"

"Living."

I stared at him.

"Feeling alive," he added. "Isn't that the point of life?"

My eyes squinted and my lips pursed. "I hate it when you go philosophical on me. It makes you sound sensible."

"It's a secret," he whispered. "Don't tell anyone."

I bit my bottom lip. "If I die, I'll haunt you forever."

"Great, I'll have another stalker."

I stuck my tongue out at him, making him laugh.

With my forehead creased, I glanced at the infamous cliff again. Wakeboarding was one thing, but jumping off a thirty foot drop was a whole other. This time, I would not just break my bones. There was a good chance I could die.

But I couldn't stop thinking about how Anders had been trying to see life from my eyes. Sure, there was a lot of doubt from his part. He gave it a go, anyway.

It was only fair that I did the same.

I already started with the wakeboard. Like he said, why not go all the way?

"Fine," I sighed, giving in. "Let's do it."

He looked at me in disbelief. "Seriously?"

I nodded.

He grinned. "Brilliant."

An hour later, we excused ourselves from the group and headed to the cliff. Kobe didn't look too happy. In fact, it seemed as if he wanted to come with us. But before he could say anything, Reagan dragged him away.

Anders released a deep breath when we made it to the top of the cliff. He grinned as he looked at me, excitement dancing in his eyes. He was practically glowing.

"It's now or never."

I looked over at how high the jump would be. Wow, it was a pretty long way down there. I mean, I expected this. But it was different now that I was about to do it.

It seemed waaay scarier.

The waves of the ocean crashed on the bottom of the cliff, like it was daring me to jump – challenging my guts. Ha, joke was on the sea because my guts were nowhere to be found right now.

I cleared my throat. "On second thought, I—"

"No, no second thoughts. No thinking at all." Anders grabbed my waist and made me face him, looking into my eyes. "Just do it."

Just do it. Just do it. Just do it.

I shook my hands on my sides, trying to get rid of my nerves.

Anders looked around, before eyeing the edge of the cliff. "Do you want to make a run for it? It might make it easier for you."

I nodded. At least this way, I could pretend we were charging at it rather than just stepping off a plank. This was more climactic.

Together, we walked several feet away. With my heart pounding against my chest at what I was about to do, I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to get rid of my thoughts.

"Don't think about it," Anders reminded me, intertwining our hands together and holding on tight – which was somehow comforting. "I'm here."

I focused my attention on the warmth of his skin, calming me in a way. I wasn't alone on this. He was with me. He'd never let anything bad happen to me.

I trusted him.

"On a count of three. One... two..."

"Three!" I exclaimed, before taking off and jumping.

I heard his laughter as I went down. I seriously felt like I was falling to my death. I might have screamed or passed out for a second. I had no idea.

All I knew was that the rush... was freaking worth it.

Sure, it felt like I was gonna die but then I felt this exhilaration, craving for more – more speed, more tingling in my stomach, and more of everything.

The mind-blowing rush lasted up until I hit the sea, cushioning my fall. I relished the moment underwater, the deafening silence prolonging the sensation of what I just experienced. A part of me didn't want to come up.

When I finally swam to the surface for air, I had a big smile on my face.

"Oh, my God," I gushed.

Anders pushed his curly hair back, his hazel brown eyes twinkled as he grinned at me. "Oh, hey. Look at that, you didn't die."

I splashed him with water. He laughed, splashing me back.

"I get it now," I admitted.

He looked at me questioningly.

"That thing you said earlier about living," I explained, swimming backwards and looking at the setting sky. "I've never felt more alive."

"Same here."

His words were muffled because my ears were underwater, so I swam upright and turned to him in order to hear him clearly.

"What?"

"Swim here."

"Why?" I asked, but I swam there anyway.

"I thought I saw a seahorse."

I gasped. "I missed it?"

I dipped underwater to look for it, and Anders followed me. Sadly, we didn't find anything. And since it was getting dark, we decided it was time to go back to the shore.

"Hey, Anders," I called, as we swam towards the beach. Before I could change my mind, I blurted out, "Let's go to the carnival tomorrow."

He looked at me, suspicious. "Who are you?"

I rolled my eyes, but smiling nonetheless. "I'm serious."

He didn't say anything for a while, only watching me. As if deciding I was me and wasn't abducted by aliens, he nodded and said, "Okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah." He chuckled. "Meadow, if you think you're ready to brave a crowd like that, I'm the last person who'll stop you."

"I know." And that was what I appreciated about him the most. "For the record, I can tolerate crowded places as long as there's a wide" (I stretched my arms) "area left for personal space."

"I'll make sure to put up a force field around us."

"Oh, my God." I covered my mouth and I looked at him. "You made a nerdy joke. That's so cute."

He shook his head in amusement and rolled his eyes, his tongue sweeping across his smiling bottom lip and I found myself staring at them.

"Nevermind."

I laughed. "I'm kidding! I want the force field."

"No, you ruined it," he said, swimming ahead.

I couldn't stop laughing. "Come on now."

"No."

"Don't be a—AH, OUCH!" I cried, clutching my arm.

Anders glanced at me. I breathed hard, trying not to panic. We were in the middle of the sea. It wouldn't do me any good if I freaked out now.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I think I got stung by a jellyfish."

"Oh, shit."

As carefully as he could, he grabbed my other arm and placed it around his neck. Then, he helped me swim to the shore. I tried to swim to lessen the burden, but the pain pounded in my arm.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

"We're almost there," he grunted.

The second we made it to the beach, I slumped on the sand and cradled my arm while tears streaked on my face. The pain was seriously getting worse. It was beginning to be unbearable.

"It burns. Help me please," I begged him.

"What do I do?" he asked, kneeling in front of me and looking like he was going out of his mind with worry.

I sniffed. "Pee on me."

He blanched. "Pardon me?"

"Pee on me!"

He leaned back, grossed out. "Hell no."

"Do it, Ferguson!" I snapped.

"I—I don't..." He sounded totally at a loss while he looked around. But there was nobody near us on this side of the beach. "You know what, I'm going to get Kobe and he'll pee on you."

I gave him a horrific look, and quickly said, "No, no, no! Don't call him! I don't want him to pee on me!"

"And you want me to do it?!" he demanded.

"Better you than him!"

"Why?!"

"Why does that even matter right now?!"

The stinging sensation worsened, making me close my eyes and shut up. I took a deep breath, glared at Anders, and demanded in a deep growly voice that I had no idea was ever in me, "PEE ON ME!"

"Fuck." He stumbled backwards, pulling up his arms in a defensive stance. "Did the evil jellyfish possess you?"

I broke down and sobbed, hating my situation right now. I barely even went here to swim and on the off chance that I did, I got freaking stung. But this was no time to be shy. I wouldn't be able to bear the pain if we didn't do anything soon.

With a shaky breath, I pleaded with Anders, "Just please get your peepee out and dump your juice on my arm."

He stared at me for the longest time, wearing a concerned expression. Finally, he sighed. "Alright, I'll do it." He moved closer and wiped my tears. "Don't cry."

"Thank you." I sniffed and turned away. "I won't look."

He sighed again. "Fuck it."

I heard sounds of clothes rustling. My eyes squeezed shut. I didn't wanna think about it or even hear it, so I decided to start singing to distract myself.

"Let's get down to business, to defeat the Huns~ Did they send me daughters, when I asked for so—haaans."

Oh, my God! It was warm!

Nope, nope, nope.

I wasn't gonna think about it.

"Sorry," Anders clipped out. "I fucking hate this."

I swallowed my sobs and I raised my arm, before continuing, "But you can bet, before we're through~ Mister, I'll~ make a man out of you~"

"Tranquil as a forest, but on fire within~"

I couldn't help the loud laugh that burst out of me when Anders started singing. It was so unexpected, like when he joined in when I was singing and turned it into a duet. My face was tear-streaked, my sea-salted black hair was in disarray, my nose was clogged, and I was in deep pain... yet I had a smile on my face.

This was the weirdest situation I had ever been in.

But at this point, I was not surprised it was with Anders.

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I edited/revised this for six hours. I hope it made your day. :)