"When he mentioned he was doing this soaring thing with a girl, I was pretty happy," Jessie continued.
"It's called zorbing," I said.
"Weird," she replied. "But I was glad to see him actually doing stuff with someone, instead of just spending it in bed."
I didn't tell Jessie there has been some of that, too.
"You seem like a nice girl," Jessie said after moments of silence. "I don't want to see you get hurt."
I frowned. "You think he'll hurt me?"
"Not on purpose," she replied. "But guys like Nathan—"
Before she could finish her thought, a streak of red came flying down from the sky.
"CANNONBALL!"
A guy somersaulted from the roof into the pool, landing with a large splash, sending water everywhere.
Everyone sitting around the pool shrieked as the spray hit us, soaking our clothes and getting into our eyes. A mop of bright red hair surfaced with a cheeky grin.
"Your turn next, Jessie!" he crowed.
"You're a lunatic, Cameron Thorne!" she yelled and sputtered as she swam over to him, splashing him back with her kicking feet.
"You're just too chicken," he taunted.
"No, I'm just not an idiot," she shot back.
I watched the two of them fight with each other and took another drink. My cup was almost empty, so I poured another generous amount from the bottle.
I didn't want to think about Jessie's words, but they echoed in my ears anyway.
Guys like Nathan…
What exactly did that mean? Rich guys? Famous guys? Rock stars in particular? Cocky playboy in general?
Jessie knew Nathan a lot better than I did. Did she know something about him I didn't? In what ways might he hurt me? Did she think he was just playing me? Was he just saying what he thought I wanted to hear to… what? Get me into bed again?
The longer I sat there, sipping at my drink, the more my head swam with vague, half-formed worries.
I hadn't wanted to get attached, but the thought that Nathan might not have been sincere with me made the ache in my chest swell until I thought it might rise up out of my throat and make me sick.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts, not wanting to think about it anymore. I gulped down what was left of my drink and swung my feet out of the water to stand.
I swayed slightly, the world going wobbly, before I righted myself.
So what if Nathan had been playing me? It didn't matter. He didn't matter. This was all just fun. Right? I'd had enough of being cautious. I wanted to live life, to experience all the things I'd missed out on. It wasn't like I'd been looking for anything long term. Even if I had, I knew better than to get seriously involved with someone like Nathan. He'd be the first to tell you he was irresponsible, after all.
More laughing and splashing came from the direction of the pool, where Jessie had been joined by others, some of them chiding the redhead for his cannonball stunt.
An idea came to me. I squinted at the rooftop. There was a ladder trellis of ivy climbing up the wall. I stumbled over to it and began the climb. I didn't have to make it to the actual rooftop. There was a balcony only two floors up. My foot got caught and I almost tumbled down, but I steadied myself. I let out a giggle, although it wasn't really funny.
When I finally got to the balcony, I looked out over the back yard, trying to mentally calculate how many feet down the pool was. My head went fuzzy. Well, whatever. That Cameron guy had done it. So could I.
I stepped closer, and gripped the railing, ready to heave myself up and over. I lifted one foot.
"Whoa!"
