missing | gilinsky

30

I sit down on one of the plastic chairs in the pool area and let the smell of chlorine surround me. The hotel pool reminds me so much of the pool Nadia worked at. There wasn't a lot of people, only a handful, but they were all getting ready to leave.

Kicking off my shoes and socks I sink down further into the seat. I watch two guys as they roughhouse their way out of the water. I can't help but think of Johnson. I have no idea how he would react or is reacting to all this shit that's going on right now. I just really hope that wherever he is he's safe. 

After I told Nadia about her brother and what I knew it felt like a weight had been lifted of my shoulders. It's easier to breathe now, I don't have to be walking on eggshells anymore, but that doesn't make the fact that he's still missing any easier. 

When Nadia was about to kiss me I wasn't sure if it was because she actually wanted to or if it was a in the moment kinda thing. A part of me is glad Hannah walked in and stopped it but another part wonders what would've happened after the kiss if she didn't. 

I know I shouldn't like Nadia. I know it's a bad idea. I have no idea how Johnson would feel about it but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be too on board. 

It wasn't on my agenda to catch feelings. I was just supposed to go to Omaha and figure this Johnson shit out. Nadia wasn't supposed to be this amazing girl who I'd wanna kiss every time I saw her. She wasn't supposed to be a girl who instantly grabbed my attention every time she walked into a room I was in. She was only supposed to be Johnson's little sister, that's it.

"Jess, let's gooo," a voice whines. The sound of water moving causes me to look up. A young girl who looks about fifteenish stands at the pool steps, arms crossed against her chest pestering her friend who's floating in the pool. 

"Oh, come on, Madison, you're no fun," Jess complains.

"My mom's gonna be mad, I said we'd be back in the room by six and it's already six thirty!"

Jess rolls her eyes, climbing out of the pool. Her eyes find mine as she walks to a chair a few feet away from me. Her cheeks heat up and she gives me a shy smile. I smile back, adverting my eyes to the ground. I feel like such a perv.

"Jess!" Madison squeals. I look back up to find her staring at me while simultaneously slapping her best friend's arm.

"Your moms waiting!" Jess responds, grabbing her friends wrist and pulling her toward the exit. I laugh. Teenage girls are so weird.

"Well that was quite a show." I jump, turning around to see Nadia standing at the entrance. She's got this cute little smirk on her face. "I didn't know you were into younger girls." 

I shake my head. "Ha ha, very funny."

"What kind of creep sits around at a hotel pool all by himself watching two girls swim?"

"I was not watching them!" I deny. "They were watching me."

Nadia laughs, taking a seat next to me. "Whatever floats your boat."

"You float my boat," I joke, kicking the leg of her chair. 

"I will drown you in that pool," she says, kicking me back.

"Do it!" I jeer.

At that, Nadia jumps up and jabs me in the shoulder with her pointer finger. "You wanna go!?" She sasses.

"Hell yeah!" I square up, getting up from the chair.

She throws a fake punch my way but I stop her, grabbing her fist. "We're not doing this on land," I tell her. She furrows her eyebrows, shoulders drooping. "There's a pool right there."