Bad Taste (Part I) // Colby Brock

80 - Rebecca

Sam was the first one to come out of the house, darting to the sunbed where Katrina had laid. He didn't bother to hide that speed from me like I thought they were going to. It didn't freak me out or surprise me: I was starting to get used to it already. Corey was next through the door. He moved straight to Devyn and took her hand before they appeared in the jacuzzi. I realised, after a second, that he was in an old t-shirt and shorts.

The other girls moved out from under the shelter as the other boys came out. Jake came up behind Tara, Reggie slung his arm around Cassie's shoulder, and Griffin held Xepher tight against him, his hand on her ass. Mike, Kevin, Aryia, and Elton, on the other hand, zipped to the side of the pool all wearing only shorts. They dipped just their feet in the water, leaning back on their arms or hunched forward into their own laps.

It seemed the girls had only been with their boyfriends for a few seconds before there were three splashed and they were in the water with us. Tara surprised me by swimming at the speed of light to my side whilst Cassie went to Katrina with Xepher.

"Looking good, girls." Elton teased with a whistle. Kevin laughed and kicked his foot through the water sending it over our heads. Katrina squealed as she tried to hide from it even though she was already soaked anyways. I just turned my face away so I didn't need to flinch back from the droplets.

"Come on, Jakey. Get in the water with us." Tara cooed as she held her hands out for him. I noticed for the first time that he was shirtless and wearing shorts, Sam the same on the sunbed. He looked like he was enjoying the sun even though he was probably not supposed to be in it. He was pale enough that he looked like he'd never been in it.

Jake jumped into the water creating a huge splash that hit Reggie and Griffin on the side, who both whined like children. Nobody took any notice.

"Ooo it's been so long since I've been in here." Jake breathed, brushing his soaking hair this way and that with his hand. It stuck out in a few places, but I doubted he cared much.

Tara was smiling. "I know. I've missed it."

"Me too." Corey agreed.

"You're not even in the real water, Corey, shut the hell up." She snapped back, though her tone was a lot lighter than mine would be.

"Shhh, Tara. I can't hear you over my comfort." Tara scowled at him as she flipped him off and zipped through the water to where the orange rocks created a waterfall. She dipped her head underneath and a pleasant shiver ran through her body before she zipped back. I wanted to question it but I didn't.

I brushed my fingers through my hair to pull out any tangles. It was strange to feel it straight down my back, weighted by the water. I wondered what I looked like; I hadn't seen myself with straight hair for a very long time—since I was ten, actually. Long time.

I saw Katrina eyeing my hair as if she wanted to comment on it, though she caught my gaze and blushed as she turned away. The boys lowly growled; Sam growled louder than them as a threat. Though they didn't entirely shut up, they turned their heads away to control themselves.

"Sammy?" Katrina called, the blush gone. Sam, who was lying on her sunbed, looked up at her curiously. "Can you go and put some music on? Corey's playlist is the best."

"Hell yeah it is."

Sam zipped into the house too quickly to see. Not even a second passed before music started to blast suddenly from indoors. It was so loud that every word and beat could be easily heard from out here, even in the furthest areas of the pool. Whatever speakers Sam had used, they were ten times stronger than what they used in the red room. He returned and sat on the edge of the pool just beside the jacuzzi, Katrina already on her way to him.

Tara pulled me towards her. "Colby won't be long now. He's just... recharging." I decided that I didn't want to know right now. "You're gonna tease him all night, right?"

I shrugged. "I don't have to." I motioned to my thin bikini that showed off more of me than there was to show without being naked entirely. He would have a hard time dealing with that, let alone with me actively messing with him. Although I did have a couple of ideas...

"Hey, Rebecca!" Reggie called from the side of the pool, catching me off guard. I looked at him. "Got any theories about what we are yet?"

I scoffed. "I do, actually. But you're very fucking wrong if you think I'm gonna tell you."

He smirked at me. "Shouldn't we all know if you're right?"

"No."

"Don't you want to know?"

"I don't care enough. Stop fucking asking me questions." My voice was an angry snarl. Reggie glanced at Jake with a smirk still on his face before he eased back in the chair he sat in. I realised he was holding a glass with a liquid in it I couldn't quite identify. He caught my gaze.

"Curious?"

My eyes narrowed. "No, fuck off." Just as I was about to turn my head away from him, I caught movement flashing behind the backdoor. Tara was looking at me with a smile now, telling me all I needed to know about who that was.

My stomach twisted in my stomach imagining Colby's reaction to my bikini, even if he had already seen it from his window or wherever when he first woke up. I had pictured how I was going to mess with him—not tease him—this whole time, and I knew that I had the perfect plan now.

Devyn looked at me with a smile just before Colby slid through the backdoor. He hadn't made any effort to dress for the pool, but he wasn't wearing jeans and one of his nice shirts. Instead, he wore a black pair of sweatpants and a vaguely familiar black t-shirt. He was walking at human speed.

It occurred to me that this would be the first time we were really seeing each other since last night and he looked a little wary. He was acutely aware that everyone was here and I could do a number of things to embarrass or piss him off in front of them. I just had the one plan, though, and I even pulled out my softer voice for it. And his nickname.

"Colbs, come and help me out." I said as I moved closer to the side. Tara glanced at me in the corner of her eye, not daring to look all the way and expose my plan.

Colby was a little hesitant but he darted to the side of the pool and waited for me to get close. I placed one hand on the side. We both reached for each other at the same time.

I had the element of surprise on my side when I tugged as hard as I could...