Sleeping Dogs

Chapter 11: Shit Hits the Fan

"Have you seen your mom yet," Kim asked. Speak of the devil.

"Nope." She popped to P. She didn't even know her mom was coming until Claire had woken her up from her sleep and told her she was at Emily's house. She had hardly heard from her shared mother with Emily when her father had died. Not that she expected much. Her mother and her weren't on bad terms, but they were never especially close.

Caroline had lived with her dad her entire life and her presence around the Young household was always a little strained. Her existence put her mother's relationship with Emily's father in a weird place. They were able to work through it eventually, and Emily's dad was never cruel to her but they weren't best friends. Regardless, she would be lying if she said it hadn't stung when she heard their mother had rushed to Emily's side after the miscarriage, but not to hers when her father passed.

"Sounds like there is a lot to unpack there," Shawn said.

You have no idea. Caroline almost laughed. "I'm happy Emily has her mother during this time." She realized how negatively she said it too late, but if either girls noticed, they didn't say anything.

"Yo, Caroline! Come play!" Brady called from across the beach, football in hand. She grinned, glad for a distraction. She hadn't come to the beach to sulk.

"Which one are you, again?" She sat up and smirked at him, very aware of who he was. "Colin?"

The two boys looked at each other with matching devilish expressions and Caroline realized too late that she had made a perilous mistake. They dropped the football and took off in a sprint towards her.

"Oh no! No! No, no, no, no, nooo!" Caroline had jumped up and scrambled down the beach, nearly tripping over the uneven sand, but she barely got anywhere before she was hoisted over Colin's shoulder.

"What's my name?" He asked, shaking her rather roughly to get her in a more comfortable position. He started walking her towards the ocean, Brady besides him cackling.

"Brady," she said incorrectly, calling their bluff. But each step towards the water made her think she had placed the wrong bet. She was still in all of her clothes.

"Try again," he said, picking up his pace. The boys on the beach had started yelling and catcalling but she couldn't pay attention as the crashing waves drew nearer and nearer.

Brady wiggled her sandals off her feet. "Won't want these on when you go in," he said. "They'll be heavy."

She tried to kick at him but missed. "You wouldn't dare."

"Would we?" Colin looked at the other boy. She couldn't see his face, but should could see Brady's and she knew her fate was sealed.

"I think we would," Colin poked her in the ribs and she flinched away from him, nearly jostling herself out of his grasp. They were now knee deep in the water. Before she tried to escape him, but now she held on for dear life.

Across the beach she heard a chant start, "throw her! Throw her! Throw her!" The breeze picked up splashes of water and they littered her face. The sun may be shining, but the ocean was most certainly cold.

"If you do this, I will make sure the two of you wish you were never bo-" Caroline's threat was cut off as she was pulled off of Colin's shoulder and into his arms for a few moments before he threw her into the ocean as far as he could.

Caroline sputtered and coughed as she surfaced. "I'm going to KILL YOU!" She screamed and started running slowly through the water, the waves making it difficult for her to move and her sweat clothes holding her back. The boys were halfway across the beach by the time she was out of the water. She grabbed the football and threw it as hard as she could.