COUNTRY GIRL - The 7th summer

Chapter 18 - Kitty

With our little trick, we manage to secure the rope and he uses it to climb down the tree.

-- What would we do without you, says Harry putting his arm around my shoulders and giving me a peck on the cheek.

Thomas approaches me with his hand up, I think he wants to go for a high five? He smiles big as I clap his hand with mine. Yeah, big deal...

-- Well, he says to me, you wanna try it first?

-- Try it for what?

-- Jump on the water, genius, replies Harry.

-- Oh no I'm not doing that...

-- Come on Kitty!

Harry drags me to the rope now dangling from the tree, 2 steps away from the edge of the pond, which mean you'll have to swing far away to hope reaching deep enough water...

-- I'm not doing it, I say again.

-- Look it's easy, says Thomas as he grabs the rope. Watch me!

He takes a few steps back and run before hanging himself to the rope, the speed swinging him above the water. But he let go of the rope too late and lands too close to the shore where the water is only 5 feet deep...

-- Ouch, he says as he stand up rubbing his butt.

-- What is it you said to me earlier, laughed Harry, that you would swing like Spiderman?!

-- Spiderman in training maybe, I can't help but giggle.

Before I can register what's happening Thomas grabs me by the waist, drags me in the pond and throws me underwater! When I surface Harry as dived in too and we start messing around. My sundress is clinging at me but I don't really care.

The boys jump with the rope a few times, not always more successfully than Thomas' first try. I still don't want to do it. I know I'll just end up clinging at the thing without ever letting go and basically just...swing until my arms can't carry me no more.

I don't realise that I have drifted on the landing zone and I jerk as Thomas jumps literally 2 inches from me. He surfaces in my face, with that sorry-not-sorry smile and I shove him away. Stupid Thomas...

-- You still don't want to try, he asks me.

-- No thanks!

And I swim back to a spot where the water is only mid chest high and where I thought Harry was. But now I can't see him any-

-- Woah!

I feel someone sneaking between my legs and standing up with me on his shoulders.

-- Harry! Put me down, I scream clutching on his hands on my thighs.

-- Too bad Elle isn't here, chuckles Thomas, we could have had a chicken fight!

-- Who's Elle?

-- His girlfriend, answers Harry so quick Thomas barely had the time to open his mouth.

I don't really know what to do with that piece of information, so I just nod. I notice Thomas is looking at Haz weirdly but the smug smirk comes back fast.

-- Let's see if Spiderman in training can lift you up, he says before diving.

-- What?!, I squeal as Harry chuckles.

And he does, that bloody studip Thomas! He lifts Harry on his shoulder, with me still on Harry's! And my head end up caught in the lower tree branches. But the boys are all cheering and laughing.

-- Put me down, is all I can get out of my mouth, which only makes them laugh harder.

I hate heights!

But Thomas can only hold us for a minute and I soon find myself falling in a messy lump of arms and legs. I hit something with my foot but when I surface none of the boys seems to be in pain so it was probably just a rock. My foot hurts though!

I hop toward the shore and sit on the grass to take a look at it. The skin is a bit red but it's not bleeding. I glare at Harry and Thomas nevertheless. Stupid boys!

-- Don't scowl like that Kitty, it was fun, shouts Harry.

Before I can reply, a phone starts ringing on the picnic table and Thomas walks out of the water. When he passes near me he holds his hand to me:

-- Need a lift, Amy Pond?

This time I don't wince at the nickname. I kinda like it, if I'm being honest...So I guess he can call me that if he wants.

I take his hand and let him lift me up. I'm not putting much efforts to it but he doesn't seems to struggle. He's stronger than he looks like, and he already looks stuckier than Harry!

Anyway, he's off answering his phone and I really need to get that sundress to dry off because it feels awfully clingy now that I'm out of the water!