Maddy dragged herself near one of the sprinklers, limping, with her fingers tightly wrapped around a metallic bottle. Her legs were not very stable, but she just pushed forward anyway.
The sprinkler head was thankfully not rotating like most of them were, so when Maddy kneeled next to it and placed the mouth of the bottle in front of it, she didn't have a hard time filling it up, although she sure looked like she was doing her homework when there was a party going on next door.
When the bottle felt heavy enough in her hand, she got up stiffly and pressed it on her dry lips, greedily gulping the icy water down as she slowly hobbled back towards the others.
That was when she felt a hand landing on her shoulder, and next thing she knew, she was on the ground.
Right in front of a sprinkler. She remained frozen as the steady, high-pressure burst of water splashed her face and hair and body, dampening Carter's hoodie and the collar of her once-white shirt. She wasn't so sure she had taken in what had just happened as she slowly looked down at the soil, where the water had already started forming a small, muddy lake underneath her bent legs. Then she looked up.
Facing a satanic Mia. "Oops... I'm so sorry, Maddy. Are you okay?" she asked, fake concern all over her perfect face.
"You..." Maddy glared at her, speechless. She could feel the little pool of muddy water beneath her spreading, until the ice cold liquid flowed under her thighs and through her skirt.
You bitch, she wanted to scream.
"What happened?" Sia jogged towards them.
Maddy bit her bottom lip, clenching her teeth. "Nothing."
She struggled to get up, but her feet just wouldn't cooperate, the pain slicing through her with each move. Sia rushed to help her, grabbing her hand and sliding hers around her waist.
"Logan!" she shouted. "Don't you have a medical kit in the car?"
No answer.
"Logan?"
Maddy, Sia and Mia turned around, looking for the boys. Who were on the other side of the field, playing with the water, splashing and pushing each other like kids, their laughter loud and childlike in the most adorable way.
"Hey, wait for me!" yelled Mia and sprinted towards them across the grass, ready for a very exciting water fight.
Sia gawked at them, still holding Maddy so she wouldn't collapse, and let out a snort.
"Hey, don't pay attention to Mia... She's just a bit... prejudiced against people she doesn't know."
"Prejudiced? She hates me."
Sia laughed. "She'll get over it. Now, let's get you back to the car and treat your wounds."
The two girls stumbled towards the Ford, one of Maddy's arms draped across Sia's shoulders, the curly-haired girl practically dragging her. When they finally made it, Maddy sat on the edge of the back seat with a moan, half her body in the car, half out.
Sia took her shoes off and, although it still hurt, Maddy was surprised to find out Sia made it less painful than when she had done it herself earlier. Her hands were light as a feather, soft and very gentle.
"Jesus, girl, you're bleeding!" she screeched at the sight of the blood staining Maddy's socks.
"Tell me something I don't know."
"Okay, where's the kit?" Sia wondered out loud. "Oh, there it is." She grabbed something from the truck. "First of all, we might need some water, but the water from the sprinkler system is too cold, so we have to wait a bit."
YOU ARE READING
Smells Like Winter
Science Fiction"Don't touch me, your hands are cold." Maddy Wesley was your typical 17-year-old high school student, a wallflower with excellent grades, a good taste for vanilla ice cream and a normal, somewhat dull life. Until a virus broke out. A virus that brou...
