It was four summers ago when all three of us were playing truth or dare out in the pool. The only reason that I had joined in on the brothers' stupid game was because I didn't want Brice to think that I was a wuss.

I would do anything to hang out with the guy I had a crush on for years.

"Alright Carson," Brice started, narrowing his eyes at him brother. I remember Brice's hair was wet and messy, and all I could think about was what it would be like to run my fingers through it. The tips of his hair was blonde from the sun and then was a light brown throughout the rest of his hair. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Carson had answered, while floating on his back in the massive pool. This house was one of the nicest ones in Sandy Hills, while every other house was the normal standard beach house that possibly had a pool.

"Wimp," Brice muttered, before trying to come up with a question. "What's a secret that neither Lauren or I know?"

Carson has stopped floating on his back, and looked his brother in the eyes as he tried to think of an answer. I was leaned up against the stone wall of the pool, and couldn't wait to see what his answer was. Carson and I always told everything to each other, so if there was a secret that I didn't know, then it had to be good.

"Alright," he started, and then taking a deep breath. "You guys remember Danielle?"

"The girl from the ice cream shop that you met two weeks ago?" I asked, just to clarify.

"Yeah," he answered, nodding his head. "Well, we were hanging out in the living room, and you both were out at the beach or something, but she reached over and grabbed my hand."

"I already like where this is going," Brice commented, amusement written all over his face. "Continue."

"So she grabbed my hand, and then looked at me in the eyes," he starts to explain, and I can see a nervous look come across his face.

Brice had glanced over at me, and gave me a look, neither one of us knowing where this story was going.

"So she tells me, 'I love spending time with you and all, but there is a new neighbor down the street. Well, he doesn't think you are a good influence on me and I can't hang out with you anymore.'."

"Who is the neighbor?" Brice asked.

"I don't know," he answered, shrugging his shoulders. His mood had decreased after sharing that story because I knew that he really liked that Danielle girl.

"You're not a bad influence," I piped in, shaking my head. "If anything, you are a good influence."

"Thanks," he said quietly, looking up and giving me a small smile.

"Alright," Brice said, clearing his throat. "Your turn."

"Oh," Carson said, realizing that we were in the middle of a game. "Lauren, truth or dare?"

I had to think about this for a minute. If I said truth, which was what I wanted to do, then the question wouldn't be that embarrassing. But, if I said truth, Brice would think I am a wimp. "Dare."

"Oh, there you go Lauren," Brice encouraged, making me stomach do a flip at his smile.

"Alright," Carson said, rubbing his chin. He was thinking for a while, and then all of the sudden this devilious smirk came onto his face. I gulped as I was thinking about what could be going through his mind. "I dare you to skinny dip."

"What?" I asked, my jaw falling down in surprise. Out of anything he had to ask me to skinny dip.

"I wasn't done," he interrupts, holding a finger up in front of him. "With Brice."

"What?" Brice mimicked me, surprised as well by the dare. "You got a lot of balls to say that."

My cheeks started to burn just of the thought of Brice naked, let alone the fact me being naked as well. I covered my face with my hands so that they couldn't see the embarrassment written across my face.

"It's truth or dare," Carson answered, shrugging his shoulders. He looked over at me and saw that I was freaking out inside. "Look, I'll turn off the lights in the pool, I'll be out of the pool, and you both can strip while you are in the pool."

"Oh, wow, you're too nice," I commented sarcastically, and my voice cracked because I was so nervous.

"Hey, I could make you both strip out of the pool and keep the lights on," he told me as he climbed out of the pool and wrapped a towel around his shoulders. He shook the water out from his hair and walked over to the pool lights.

"I don't want to do this," I whispered to Brice, whose ears were starting to turn bright red.

"It'll be fine," he reassures me. Obviously the look I was giving him didn't really mean I was believing him. He grabbed my hand and intertwined it with mine, making my heart pound out of my chest, and my cheeks to turn an even brighter red. "Look, I won't look. We'll be fine."

I nodded my head, and I wasn't sure how I really felt about this whole situation. Twelve year old Carson really did have some nerve to put me into this kind of situation, especially when he knew that I liked his brother.

The lights in the pool went out, but the lights that were surrounded by the pool were kept on.

"Alright," Carson answered clapping his hands together and an amused smiling coming onto his face. "Take off the clothes and throw them towards the stairs."

"Carson..." I whined, feeling more nervous than I had in a long time.

"Not my fault you choose dare," he told me, raising his eyebrows.

I looked over at Brice and saw that he was already working on taking off his swim shorts. Immediately, I turned away and took a deep breath before taking off my tankini. Once I had removed it, I felt completely and utterly exposed, and I just wanted to put it back on.

"Here," Brice said, rather rudely, and throwing the swim shorts towards the stairs. I took a gulp before doing the same, and then sinking as low as I could into the water without my mouth being covered.

"You doing okay?" I heard Brice whisper next to me. I didn't dare look over at him, knowing that he was exposed as well, making my cheeks burn with sensation once again.

"Yeah," I croaked, nodding my head.

"I'll see you all later," Carson said, killing the lights around the pool making it pitch black. I heard the water move near the stairs and then Carson running away.

"He did not," Brice said through clenched teeth, obviously outraged about something.

"What?" I asked, reaching out in front of me trying to find Brice. "Where are you?"

"He took our swim suits and ran off," he answers me, and I start to get angry as well. What is his problem anyway? As if the skinny dipping part wasn't enough, now we are left out here completely naked. "Just stay where you are, I'm coming towards you."

I could hear him moving through the water, and I got nervous and scared not knowing where he was in the complete darkness. I was on the brink of crying from everything that had happened tonight.
All of the sudden, a pair of hands landed on my shoulders.

I gasped, surprised the gesture and reached out on instinct and put my hands against his toned chest. For a fourteen year old, he had always been really ripped. Once I realized what was happening, I pulled away from him and was glad that he couldn't see the redness of my cheeks.

"Look," he starts before letting out a cough. "I'm going to make my way to the stairs and get our towels. Just stay here and I'll help you out once I get your towel."

I nodded in response, and then realized he couldn't see me. "Okay."

He moved away from me and the movement of water started getting quieter the further he went away from me. At one point, I heard the water stop moving and I wasn't sure what was going on.

"Alright, I found the towels," he told me, and then I heard the patter of his feet against the tiles that surrounded the pool. "Where are you?"

"I'll move over to the wall," I answer him and start swimming through the water. Swimming without anything on was a completely different experience, but I didn't like it. "Alright I'm over here."

I heard the tapping of his feet coming closer and then he told me he was reaching out to grab my hand. Reaching my hand out, I started feeling the air until my hand was held in his.

"Alright, on three I'm pulling you up and out," he instructs me."One, two, three."

I was lifted up out of the water and was surprised at how fast it had happened. He acted like I weighed the same as a feather. When he pulled me up, he pulled a little too hard, and I was pulled into his exposed chest.

We were pressed against each other for a moment before I pulled away as fast as I could. If I thought I was embarrassed before, this was a whole new level.

"H-here's your towel," he stuttered, before extending his hand out and putting the fabric into my hands. I grabbed it and wrapped it tightly around my body.

_______________________

We had made it back to the house, and Brice didn't even say anything to me or Carson as he made his way into his room.

As for me, I changed into some shorts and a big t-shirt and walked into Carson's room to see him sitting on his bed just staring at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry," was the first thing he said to me, without taking his eyes away from the ceiling. I walked farther into his room, and shut the door behind me, not wanting Brice to hear any of our conversation.
"That was really immature of me to do. I-I just really like Danielle and I was mad that I had to relive that stupid memory."

He sniffled, and I walked over to his bed and laid down on his bed next to him. "I'm sorry, that you had to go through that."

"I'll never see her again," he said, taking in a deep breath. A few tears rolled down his face, and then he looked over at me. "I really liked her, and she just threw me away like I was a piece of trash."

"Carson..." I whined, and he rolled over and stuffed his face into the crook of my neck and started sobbing. I shushed him, and told him that I didn't want Brice coming in here.

"Am I really a bad influence?" he asked me, his voice muffled from my t-shirt. I started running my fingers through the hair on the back of his head. April did it all the time to him when he would get worked up about something.

"No," I answered, shaking my head. He was such a sweet and caring guy who would always be there for you if you needed him to be. "I'm telling you that she was wrong in what she said. And I hate to say this, but she obviously wasn't good for you if she thinks that a guy she met yesterday is smarter than you."

"Thanks," he said, and then continued to sob for ten minutes. We both just laid there in his bed, his face pressed up against my neck, and me playing with his hair. This was the kind of thing that I liked about coming to this house.

We could just tell everything to each other and we would both be there for each other.