The Academy: OCD Style

Pool Party

I look up after enjoying the water for a few minutes to see both of them staring at me, this time with matching expressions of blushing cheeks. I give them a look, not understanding why they were looking at me like that. I hadn't done anything weird right? Before I can have a panic attack, Kota asks. "So Sang, are the clothes okay to swim in?" 

I give a shy nod and say quietly, "They're a little heavy, but I can handle it." Not wanting to stop when I was on a conversation roll, I ask, "Are you not getting in the water?"

He gives a pleased smile and said, "I will when some of the others get here. I don't want to get tired out before we do our monthly Olympics." 

The twinkle in his eyes dared me to ask what the Olympics was, so I gave into the urge. 

He chuckled and said, "Once a month we have a pool party here and play games and have races. They can get pretty funny. The overall loser has to make diner one night and the winner gets to pick what we are having." 

I giggle at the expression Kota has. It seems that not everyone is happy with the other's tastes. Hearing my giggle, Nathan gives a chuckle. 

He begins to tell me of one such event, "We have one friend named Luke, and he has SUCH a sweet tooth. Don't get me wrong, I love a sweet every now and then, but he goes insane about it. He won once and his little brother North lost. North is big into healthy eating and he almost popped a blood vessel when Luke asked for a double chocolate fudge cake with homemade butter frosting and chocolate chip pancakes for diner. Everyone but Luke was super sick after that and now we all gang up on him to make sure he never wins again..."

I'm laughing so hard it's difficult to breathe. 

A new voice startles me by yelling, "Hey! I knew you guys were teaming up against me! And don't go giving this beautiful bird false information about me! I let North have his cut strawberries on the side." 

I look up and see another angel beside Kota at the edge of the pool. He is outlined by the sun and his golden hair looks like a halo around him. He is staring at me with beautiful brown eyes and he has a grin an angel would become a devil for. Once I process his words, I'm set off on giggling again. He chuckles before he all of a sudden gets a panicked look on his face and is flying through midair. I'm still confused on what had happened when he comes up gasping for air. 

It's only when I hear him yell, "North! What was that for?" that I looked up to where he had just been standing. 

There I see a beautiful demon, he has dark brown hair, almost black and black t-shirt and pants on. He is glaring with gorgeous hard eyes at Luke.

"That's for having created a memory of so much sugar. I had to brush my teeth six times before I could finally get rid of all the sugar." 

His hard eyes turn to me. Instantly my giggles cut off, and I give him a wide eyed look. His gaze softens a bit and he says in a soft voice, "So you're the infamous Sang that Nathan ran into." 

Before I can respond to his soft statement, Luke comes up to me and says, "Finally! We have enough people for even teams. I call Sang!" 

I look over at him, wondering why he would want to be on my team when he just learned my name. Plus, if their other friends have anywhere near as much muscle as everyone else seems to, I'll only bring him down.

"No way," Nathan calls. "Sang is definitely on my team! We're going to kick their butts aren't we Sang?"

I give a nervous laugh at having all of the attention on me. Somewhere inside I decide that I might as well speak up. No need to act shy when they so obviously are expecting me to say something. 

"I think you guys should be on a team together so that you even have a chance at beating me," I say with a smirk. 

There is a beat of silence before laughter fills the yard."Ah, you got some fire don't you Sang baby?" North chuckles as he sits on my chair to remove his shoes. 

All of a sudden, everything is dead quite in my mind. The calm before the storm. I see how his movements have ruffled my towel. I see how he has come into my space and moved something. He has destroyed the peace and the monster in my head rears itself to full height, pushing against my muscles, begging me to put everything back.I faintly hear the boys stop chuckling, still talking around me. I distantly see North get up and come sit by Kota with his feet in the water. But none of that matters. The only thing that catches my attention are the seven little wrinkles on my towel. How it bends and folds in places that it should be straight. I feel my blood pumping, every beat begging me to step forward and right the wrong. Create order. Do anything to get the monster to stop screaming. 

"Sang," Luke calls to me placing a hand on my shoulder. I can tell from the silence that it must not be the first time he has called out to me. 

"Are you Ok? Sang?"

"Baby girl?"

"Sang?"

"Little Peanut?"

None of those voices matter. The only one that does is the monster's. Giving in, I move in a burst, no longer caring if I lose the tentative but already so meaningful ties between me and these guys. I can feel my heart breaking at the thought, but my body moves on it's own accord. Once again, my body betrays me and I can only watch on in a corner of my mind. The monster is in control now.