Obliterated Beginnings

• 26 •

It was nice to know that he wasn't at least one of those things. At least to me and Laura.

Just before he could move away, Laura stopped him with her hand on his shoulder. "Do something for me."

I'd been prepared for whatever it was Laura wanted him to do for her, but I had not been prepared for Laura to swipe her shirt over her head and dump it on his shoulder, unbutton her shorts and shove them down her legs, dump them on his shoulder too, before running toward the pool in her bra and panties and diving in.

Both Henri and I stood there frozen for over thirty seconds. Me with my mouth hanging open and him, with his shoulders carrying her clothes.

He was the first to speak. "Damn. A girl after my own heart."

When eventually he walked away, I stood there with my arms wrapped around my body, my right hand clutching my phone. I'd left my purse in Laura's car since I figured I wouldn't really have much use for it.

My eyes roved around, searching for an empty chair where I could sit. I spotted an empty one right beside an unfamiliar girl. Perfect. As I made my way towards it, I spotted Alexander sitting on one of the chairs with Tabitha sprawled on his lap. There was also an empty seat beside him, but I had not seen one there before. Now that I had, it still didn't make any difference because I would have to be mad to willingly sit next to Alexander and his girlfriend.

Speaking of, where was Axel?

Him and his friends usually hung around each other. If you saw one of them, then you'd seen the others. I'd seen Henri and now Alexander, so where was Axel and Vaughn? The thought that they'd decided not to come crossed my mind, but I dismissed it.

Axel wouldn't miss a par—

Someone shoved me forward and before I knew it, I was underwater, flapping around and struggling to get back out. My legs wouldn't touch the ground no matter how many times I tried to straighten and when I opened my mouth to scream, water poured in with startling speed.

A shocking thought crossed my mind; Was I going to die?

Legs and more legs. They were all I could see. couldnt they see that I was struggling? Didn't they see me get shoved into the water? Why weren't they trying to help me?

I struggled to move in the water, go far enough to touch one of the legs when suddenly, hands slid under my arms and lifted me out of the water.

Immediately I breached the surface, I dragged in air though my nose which caused me to cough since my lungs were filled with water. I coughed and coughed more water out of my lungs, while an unfamiliar hand patted at my back softly, probably to help with the coughing.

When I could finally breathe well again, I looked around through watering eyes, taking in the face of the person that had his arms around me. It took me less than ten seconds to realise it was Dare.

So he was the one that had pulled me out of the water.

I was a little bit disappointed that it wasn't Axel, to be honest. It would have started a conversation between us whether we liked it or not and maybe I would have been able to use that opportunity to carry out Omar's idea.

"Are you okay?" Dare asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

"Yes, I'm fine now." I answered through a cough.

I might have wanted Axel to be the one to save me as if he was a knight in shinning armour, but I supposed that I should be grateful that Dare had been here to help me in the first place. I might have died if not for him. Laura was at the other end of the pool—and the pool was huge—and no one, absolutely no one had moved a muscle to help, but him.