*SILVER'S POV*
"Hi, pretty," someone said.
I scoffed, ignoring the intruder.
I *was* pretty no doubt about that and guys were always all over me. They should all back off. I wasn't interested in dating any of them. I wanted to focus on myself. No distractions necessary.
"Hello, damsel."
The intruder approached me. I couldn't ignore him this time; that would be rude and against my nature. I'd always been polite and friendly, even though I was naturally shy.
"Hello," I replied, forcing a smile.
I was irritated I wanted some quiet but clearly, I wasn't getting that with him around. I could already tell he wasn't going to give up easily. The only way he'd leave was if he got what he wanted. And if I wasn't mistaken, what he wanted was my number.
"Why aren't you having fun with the others?" he asked.
"I'm having fun here," I replied.
"Then I'll need to check your definition of fun in the dictionary, because from what I see, you look completely left out," he said.
I scoffed.
"You see an isolated girl I see someone who's happy and at peace," I answered calmly.
"Maybe we can go in and swim," he offered.
"I can't swim," I replied truthfully.
"I'll teach you," he said confidently.
I scoffed. "I'm an enemy of the water."
"Not with me. I'll take care of you. You won't regret swimming with me."
He sounded so sure.
Maybe those water incidents were just that 'incidents'.
Maybe water didn't hold a grudge against me after all.
Maybe I'd actually swim peacefully this time.
I nodded and excused myself to change into my swimsuit.
I just hoped nothing would go wrong.
When I came back, he was waiting for me. I looked at him and gasped, trying to steady my breath. He was shirtless geez, this guy was *hot* and undeniably handsome. I clenched my hands, fighting the urge to reach out and touch his chest. But my eyes betrayed me, roaming shamelessly across his toned body. At that moment, I knew I wanted more than just a glance.
I quickly shook off the thought. That was when I noticed he was wearing nothing but a pair of brown underpants. I shut my eyes tight, willing myself to stay calm and push aside every naughty thought. When I opened them, I caught him watching me, his eyes locked on mine, reading every expression on my face. He saw the desire burning in me. I was mortified.
Thankfully, he said nothing, just turned and led the way.
He helped me into the pool. I had a life jacket on, I wasn't about to take chances. He must've noticed my tension because he softly assured me everything would be fine.
I decided to just enjoy the moment. The water was cold but soothing, and slowly, I began to relax. I smiled in appreciation, silently thanking him for inviting me. There was no way I could drown in a life jacket, right? Floating in the water felt surreal. For the first time in a long while, I felt truly happy, free, even.
But my happiness didn't last.
Suddenly, the water around me rippled violently, forming a ring that shook and pulsed. "What's going on?" I asked, fear creeping in. The water began to rise unnaturally, inching over my face. I tried to scream but no sound came out. My mouth felt locked, tongued tied. I looked around frantically. Everyone else seemed distracted, laughing and swimming oblivious. Even the hot guy had disappeared.
This couldn't be happening.
I was sinking with a life jacket on. I started gulping water, helplessly choking. I smiled bitterly. *So this is how I die?* No goodbyes, no last words. Just a college girl who drowned at a party.
I could already imagine the headlines:
"Twenty years old college student, Silver Morris, drowns mysteriously at pool party. Life jacket fails to save her."
Or worse...
"Jealous girls suspected in tragic drowning. Victim last seen speaking to a handsome stranger."
There were different types of stars so many of them, in every color imaginable: blue, white, crescent, violet, silver, yellow… even black.
But then, slowly, the stars began to fade, and I felt myself being pulled back into consciousness.
I sensed I wasn't alone.
Gradually, I opened my eyes. Everything was blurry at first, and it took a while for my vision to adjust. When it finally cleared, I heard someone say,
"She's awake. Thank God we almost lost her."
An elderly man, whom I later realized was the swimming pool attendant, added,
"Well, everything's under control now."
"Good thing we didn't call the manager," another attendant muttered as he turned to leave.
"Hi," I greeted faintly, glancing around.
Benita was there. And so was him the handsome guy.
I smiled.
"You didn't abandon me after all," I said to him.
"I couldn't," he replied, voice gritty with guilt. "Besides, your drowning... it was my fault."
"Look, kid," the pool attendant interrupted. "This is no one's fault. Accidents happen. What matters is that she's alive."
He glanced at me and added,
"If you don't mind, I'll take my leave now."
I nodded in appreciation.
"Nice words," Benita acknowledged politely.
"I'm sorry," the guy said, looking at me with regret. "I wasn't there when you started drowning."
I nodded weakly.
"Why did you go into the pool to swim?" Benita asked, her tone sharp.
I scoffed. I had hoped for at least a day without having to answer such questions.
"It was me I persuaded her to," he said before I could speak.
"Didn't she tell you she was hated by water?" Benita fired back.
"She did… but I didn't believe her," he admitted.
"Or maybe you thought you could protect her?" she snapped.
He looked startled, almost choked on his own guilt.
"But you didn't. You weren't even there when she needed someone," she continued.
"You brought her to swim, even after she explained her fear. Then you just... left to have fun with your friends!"
"I wasn't gone for long," he defended himself. "And besides, she had the life jacket on. I thought she'd be fine."
"You thought..." Benita's voice rose. She was furious and ready to let it all out.
The atmosphere turned tense thick with blame and guilt. I could sense a storm about to break.
So, I did the only thing I could think of started coughing violently.
It worked.
Immediately, they both rushed over to comfort me.
Crisis: averted.
The cough burst out of me like an old generator sputtering to life, cold and relentless.
"You need to help her change out of that outfit," Ray said, glancing at me with concern once the coughing calmed.
That's when it hit me I was still wearing my wet swimming suit, clinging to me like regret.
"Like I don't know that already," Benita muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes so hard I thought they'd fall out.
Ray ignored her perfectly and turned to leave like some mysterious hero walking off into the sunset.
"Wait," I blurted out before I could stop myself. "Can I at least know your name?"
He paused mid step, looked over his shoulder like a movie character, and said, "I'm Ray."
Just *Ray*, like that name alone should come with thunder and background music.
He walked away, and, I kept smiling like a complete idiot.
Benita snapped her fingers in my face. "No. Nope. Don't even go there. Tell me you're not crushing on that guy!"
"I think I am," I said dreamily. "Or maybe... it's something deeper."
Benita gasped. "Girl, have you lost it? That boy literally abandoned you in the pool! You almost met your ancestors!"
I shrugged. "But he came back... eventually."
She groaned. "Ugh. I officially hate him. No, I double hate him."
"Where's Hannah?" I asked, still floating in my Ray fantasy.
"She ran off to alert your family," Benita said, grimacing.
My daydream popped like a soap bubble. "Oh no. Not again."
The last time I nearly drowned, my parents sentenced me to two weeks of house arrest and that was just for slipping in a bathtub.
This time? I was basically doomed.
I inhaled deeply, stared up at the sky, and whispered, "Dear universe, please tell my parents it was all part of a character-building exercise."
Benita snorted. "You're gonna need more than that. Try holy water."