Flo

Four

It seemed as if the entire pool had fallen in silence, every person frozen, not even an intake of breath. Most gaped in disbelief, some fled, Tess screamed. And before I could comprehend the whole holy-crap-she's-really-drowning thing, I was already in the water, swimming down to the sinking, multi-coloured Flo.

I wasn't sure if it was just the water, but I could swear I could still see her struggling, hands clawing around the water as if there were deadly tendrils wrapping around her body. However, when I reached her, she seemed to be unconscious so I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulled her limp body against mine and kicked off the bottom of the pool, trying to swim my way up. But whatever material Flo's dress was made out of, it was sucking up a hell of a lot of water and slowing us down.

So, feeling awkward and panicked, I started pulling off her dress. I kept mentally apologising to Flo for accidentally touching her in inappropriate places in my struggling attempt to undress her. My heart was hammering for a million different reasons. I hardly even knew Flora Jefferson, yet there I was [a] Undressing her and [b] Touching her inappropriately while unconscious. 

But once the material had fallen off, I was able to easily pull her out of the water. Tess had run for a lifeguard while Quinton and I gently placed her on the cement. Then, both of us, completely clueless, turned to look at each other, searching for some kind of guidance. Before Quinton could open his mouth and share his knowledge, I knelt down beside Flo and pressed my fingers against her neck. The beating wasn't sturdy, but it was definitely there.

We had attracted quite a crowd now, people of all ages circling around the scene and whispering things. I was starting to panic. Should I wait for help? Take a shot at this whole CPR thing? What if I did something wrong? The crowd had become thick by then and I couldn't see past them to know whether the lifeguards were on their way or not. So, I took the plunge and got straight into action.

I was starting to regret not paying attention in Health class where we watched that poorly documented video of first aid skills. At the time, I was completely confident that I could perform the techniques if I ever came to a situation of need, but now that I was actually in one, I realised how clueless I was.

Deciding that if I didn't do something fast, Flo would be nothing but a stunning, empty exterior in polka-dot lingerie. I placed my hands against her chest and started doing compressions. All while doing it, I was still mentally apologising for pressing my palms against her chest. I mean, we were at a nickname basis and my hands had already explored places they shouldn't have explored.  I shook my head and concentrated. Tipping her head back, pinching her nose and tilting her chin so I could get better access to her lips, I lowered my mouth to hers and blew. It felt weird and awkward, especially with everyone watching.

When I leaned back, she stayed still and for a horrifying three seconds, I thought she was dead. Now, I can watch the most graphic and violent movies without feeling sick. I can go through the most disgusting and repulsive video footage without feeling light headed. I can be notified about the saddest and most emotional tragic deaths and not shed a single tear. But seeing Flo there, completely unresponsive, made me feel like I was going to pass out. I didn't want to be the one who couldn't save her, the one who had to go to her parents and inform them that their daughter had died. I didn't want to be all over the media as a local underdog who attempted CPR but failed.