It Started With You + Me

Chapter 2: Floating aimlessly

-SHEA'S POV-

Back home in Ireland I was always considered as average, a wallflower that was neither in the "in" crowd or "out". Summer break was comming soon and my parents had booked tickets to go and explore Southern Africa and to visit their old friends. It was just the three of us, as Patrick and Charlie, my older brothers, were unable to get leave from work.

We were almost done with the vacation. And our last stop was Malawi, though an amazing experience, nothing really exciting had happened on the trip. I had mostly been sightseeing with my parents, going to lunches with their friends. I hadn't seen many younger people, let alone be able to speak with them. Truth be told, I was a little tired of it, slowly beginning to feel a bit lost.

We were staying at an amazingly modern cottage at the lake. According to the chef it had just been re-built thanks to the flooding the previous year. I felt like my typical moody self, what my parents would call a "temperamental teenager", so I decided that I would take our rented speed boat out for a spin before my dad wanted to spend "quality time" with his son. Restricting both the max speed or distance I was allowed to go.

I strapped on the neon safety vest and with one heaving push the vessel was in the water. Once deep enough I climbed swiftly onto the seat and turned the ignition. Slowly I felt the the engine comming to life. Vibrating ever so slightly. As an adrenaline rush flew througj my beins i ooened my eyes admiring the water. Now this was what it felt like to be free.

I zoomed over the waves and zigzaged through an imaginary course I thought up in my head. I rushed past the masses of stringy sea grass until I could no longer see the shore. It was just me, my boat and the vast lake.....
And some weird blue floating thing...

The mass was floating aimlessly, bobbing slowly in the water. A hazy clean caught my eye as I scanned it over for the second time. Unable to decipher what the material was, I zipped cautiously closer, as curiosity got the better of me. Once it came into my line of focus I realized it was a floatable mattress. And there was a sun kissed body lying on it. I killed the motor immediately and reached for the life ring.

"Um.... hello?" I queried nervously unsure of if the girl was even alive. When there was no answer I started to get worried.

"Hey.. can you... um ... hear me?" I aked again rather awkwardly. Her head twisted in the direction of my voice, her nose crinkling gently almost upturned in disgust. The wind had started to pick up and if she didnt get onto my boat soon she would drift even further into the lake.

"Just a bit longer mom. PLEASE!?!" Her sleep-coated voice croaked.

Stifling an awkward laugh, i opened my mouth to speak. I shut my mouth when her eyes started to slowly flutter  open. She was onviously taken aback, her poise disoriented, eyes blinking with a slighyly parted mouth. I sat there with my arm outstretched to her whilst she was processing the scene that unfolded. The moment of realisation sunk in and she lost her balance on the floatie and promptly fell into the water.