“No, are you?” I ask, returning the bitchy attitude. I don’t know this girl, but two can play this game.
She laughs like a psycho before saying, “Just watch your back, bitch.” Then she struts away.What the fuck?I roll my eyes, shake my head, and take a deep breath. Turning to face the chairs, I set the cups on the concrete under the chair. At least the alcohol didn’t get on my regular clothes. How the fuck have I been here less than an hour and already made an enemy?
Jessie said she would meet me out here at the pool, butit’s been twenty-three minutes, and she still hasn’t come out. I’m just sitting here in the lounge chair watching the boys toss a football back and forth. They’ve cat-called me five times, saying ‘we won’t bite’ and ‘the water’s warm’, but I’m not getting in without a witness here. What if they drown me or something and stash my body where nobody would find me? I’ve heard many stories like that. So, I’ll just sit here and sip on my drink until Jess decides to show up.
“You look bored over there. I can fix that for you.” Hayden waggles his eyebrows from across the pool. I roll my eyes and continue scrolling through my socials on my phone. He seems like the type to use a girl, then disappear onto the next. Maybe I want to be used. That doesn’t sound too bad after all.
“How do you suppose you could fix that?” Tilting my head to the side, feigning innocence. Guys are so predictable. I already know what he’ll say before he says it. His smirk falls, and his eyes snap to the glass doors. I follow his line of sight to find Jessie stepping out. I guess she really holds some weight over him.
“Sorry, it took a little longer than expected.” Biting her bottom lip and smoothing her hair down. She looks freshly fucked. She’s a lucky bitch. She pulls her oversized T-shirt over her head and tosses it towards me. “You getting in or what?” She grins before diving straight into the water. I’ve always been self-conscious of my body. I’m five feet four and weigh around one hundred and forty pounds, so I’m not petite. I inch my way to the edge and dive right in. Thewater is so cold, it steals my breath and sends a shockwave through my bones. When I reach the surface, my teeth are clattering. It’s only mid-May, so the water hasn’t had the chance to warm up. I should’ve considered that before diving straight in.
“I lied about the water being warm, but you get used to it.” Caleb laughs.
“Ha. Ha. So funny,” Sarcasm might as well be my second language. I’m quite fluent in it.
“I know a game that could warm you up!” Hayden beams. “You and Jess can get on our shoulders and play chicken.” Jessie and I share a look and smile.
“Hell yeah! Kelsey, you take Hayden, and I’ll take Caleb.”
Why do I get stuck with Hayden? I swim to Hayden in the shallow end.
“I hope you’re ready, because I don’t take well to losing. So, you’d better kick ass and hold on tight.”
He realizes this is just a pool game, right? What does he mean by ‘he doesn’t take well to losing’? What will he do? Throw a giant toddler tantrum? By the way he’s grinning, I’m going to assume he’s just amping me up.
“Are you gonna help me onto your shoulders or just stand there like a giant grinning idiot?” The words roll off my tongue involuntarily, and I pull my lips between my teeth, biting them to prevent whatever else might slip past them. I think I’m feeling the liquor now, and it’s loosened my tongue. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out that harsh.” I look back up at him through my lashes.
“Jessie’s rubbing off on ya, I see.” He descends under thewater and hooks my legs over his shoulders. He lifts me as if I’m nothing more than a stuffed animal on his back. I swipe my hands over my face, flinging off the water that splashed me in the process.
Caleb walks up to us with Jess on his shoulders and begins counting down from three. “Three. Two. One. GO!”
Jessie grabs my arms, and I grip hers back. Caleb leans her forward, which pushes me backwards, but Hayden is gripping my thighs so tightly, I believe my back would break before he drops me. I think I understand what he meant by “hold on tight,” however, he’s the one gripping me like I’m falling off a cliff. I tighten my thighs around Hayden, trying to steady myself, and his head rubs that sweet spot, almost drawing a moan from my lips. I’m absolutely getting distracted by the wrong thing right now. I shove Jessie’s shoulders hard, making Caleb stagger back from the force, but Jessie holds on tight. Caleb charges at us, and Jessie’s got a menacing grin across her face. I smile back, just as devilishly.
“Bring it bitch!” I challenge, motioning her closer with my hands.
Jessie yanks my head to the side by my hair, and I fight to grab hers. We’re both laughing like maniacs as we’re all but ripping each other’s hair out. I use my other hand to shove her face to the side while I hold firm to the handful of her hair. Hayden shoves Caleb at the same time, and it sends them both toppling over.
Jessie sputters water as she resurfaces, while Calebpoints his finger in Hayden’s face, “You son of a bitch! You cheated!”
Hayden throws his head back laughing. “Dude, there are no rules in chicken. You just play like a pussy.” He shoves a wave of water at Caleb, splashing him before Caleb’s next words leave his lips.
“Hold your breath, sweetheart,” Hayden warns, but I have no time to question him before he grabs my legs, flipping me off his shoulders.
I resurface and shove my hair from my face. “Damn it, Hayden! Give a little more notice next time.” I shout, blowing out the water that went up my nose.
“I said, hold your breath.” The asshole shrugs while laughing.
I swim over to the corner of the pool, pushing my back against the cool concrete, and close my eyes briefly. The hairs on the back of my neck rise, and I get that gut feeling I’m being watched again. I assume it’s Hayden. I crack one eye open to find him, Caleb, and Jessie all huddled up, talking about something. Jessie doesn’t look amused and has her arms crossed over her chest, pushing her boobs up. Hayden smirks over his shoulder at me. I quickly shut my eyes and hope he didn’t catch me watching.
A few minutes have passed when I hear the water splashing. I crack open my eyes to see Hayden swimming my way. He comes to a stop and stands two feet in front of me. He’s much taller, so I have to arch my neck to look up at him.
“You’re not the type of girl to hang out with people like us, are you?”
“I don’t understand what you mean or how you came to that judgment after just meeting me a couple of hours ago,” I frown. Why the sudden attitude change? Were they talking about me over there, and that’s what triggered this?
“How well do you know your little friend, Jessie?” His tone is mocking, like he’s trying to prove something, but prove what? What should I know about her that he thinks I don’t?
“I know all I need to know about her, and that’s none of your business.” His eyebrows rise, and his head tilts at my snarky response. “I don’t know why you give a shit or why you’re interrogating me right now. You made me some drinks, and we played a fucking game in the pool, and now you think you know me? Get the hell out of my way!” I demand and shove his shoulder.
