Burned {h.s. / n.h.}

Chapter 24

-- Charlie --

We stand outside, walking along the edges of the pool like we're preparing for a balancing act, as the temperature drops lower and lower into the night. Dad had turned on the pool lights for us earlier before they all left to go out for drinks. We declined their invitation to join them in celebration. Drinking with my parents and their friends just didn't seem like the best way to spend my night.

Blake wobbles on one ankle as he stands just on the precipice, the bricks seeming to mold into the arch of his bare foot. He smiles from his good fortune and cites his "strong ankles" as the source of his greatness.

We both skim the edges, careful not to fall into the cold pool water, making our way towards each other on opposite sides. The scent of chlorine fills my lungs, giving off an odd euphoric feeling. I've always loved the smell of pool water as it always brought me great comfort. It reminds me of all the times Georgia and I would stay in the pool all day long, playing mermaids and various forms of Marco Polo. Even Kallie was with us most times and various childhood friends along the way. Now neither of us ever swam together because one of us forgot how to swim.

Blake and I are facing each other. His arms reach out to grasp my elbows to hold himself steady. "You know how this game works, Charlie Rose. The balancing act is crucial, you hear me? Crucial."

I nod and nod my head, trying to understand. Neither one of us is exactly sober. The little refrigerator in the kitchen with all the wine was far too tempting to resist. And so here we are, wine drunk and gambling our lives like true southerners.

"Good. Very good. Now, we cannot fall, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay." He smiles widely at me, like he used to, and looks deeply into my eyes as if he can even focus his. "I really did love you, Charlie Rose. Even though I fucked it up."

"I know."

"You gotta stop," he says.

"I'm the one that needs to stop?" I ask. "You're the one that's fucking your professor."

He snorts in laughter, keeling over and making us both sway dangerously close to the edge. Standing on unsteady legs is unsettling to say the least.

"That's true, you got me there. Look, look, look. I'm only saying it because you know that I know that you know...wait. Fuck, I'm...no, I'm right. You know I'm right. That's what I meant."

"Because you know everything?"

"I do, actually. I'm fuckin' smart. I've got a fuckin' 4.0, baby."

"And that's supposed to make me believe you know what's best for me?"

"I do know! You turned into this person because of me. Don't make yourself into a monster over me. I'm a piece of shit, okay? Totally, 100% not fucking worth it."

I know I should be feeling a bit more emotional, a bit more of something than what I am feeling. Honestly, it's taking everything in me not to laugh. "I'm about to push you in so you'll shut the fuck up."

"I go in, you go in." Blake leans to the left, tugging at my arm.

"No, Blake -- BLAKE!" But it's too late. The cold water encompasses my whole person and sends shocks through my body, letting me feel how alive I am. It's a rush for sure, and it sobers me up quickly.

We both surface and scream from the cold and the thrill of it all.

"Shit this is cold! Oh my god, I'm so not drunk any more," he laughs as he bounces up and down on the balls of his feet to keep his blood pumping. "Let's get the fuck out of here. Oh my god. Why the fuck did you let me do that?!" He's smiling wildly as we make our way from the deep end to the shallow for the stairs that lead up and out.