ANONYMOUS

CHAPTER 7 - IF IT WEREN'T FOR HIM

CHAPTER 7

ZACS POV

The music stopped at the sound of someone's ear piercing scream. Everyone immediately looked outside towards the pool and so did I. I looked helplessly as Skye was pushed into the pool.  

I immediately spotted Jeremy across the room and he looked at me in horror. We both took off towards the pool.  

I gestured for Jeremy to go after the guy that pushed her in. He ran after him. 

 'She can't swim,' I kept repeating in my head. 'She can't swim.'

While running I took my jacket off, threw it to the side and jumped in.  

The sound of everyone's voices in the background drowned out. I blinked a couple of times adjusting to the water. I looked to my left and saw Skye. She was moving her arms and legs around helplessly. Her eyes widened when she saw me. I swam to her and grabbed her wrist with one hand and wrapped my arms around her waist with the other. She wrapped her arms around my neck and held on. I kicked off the pool floor and made my way ,with Skye up to the surface. As soon as our heads were out of the water, I heard her take a deep breathe. I pulled her away from me and placed her arms on the cement.

"skye, you alright?" I asked patting her back while she coughed up water.  

She nodded and I helped her out of the water. She lay on the cement and looked up at me. She kept blinking. I immediately knew that she must've hit her head. I held two fingers up.

"Skye, can you hear me? How many fingers am I holding up?"  

She blinked a couple more times before she answered.

"Three? No two. Wait it's all a blur," she said softly. "I hit my head."

"How bad is it?" I asked.

"I think I'll live," she said and chuckled. I smiled. Jen handed us both a towel each. I took them both and wrapped it around her.

"I lost him," Jeremy said from behind me. "He ran into the forest." He knelt down beside me and looked at Skye.  

"Skye, hey are you okay?"

"Fine," she said putting a hand on her head and getting up. I grabbed her arm and helped her up having her lean against my chest for support. I leaned forward and moved her hair out of her face revealing a small cut on her cheek.

"Did he do this?" Jeremy took the words right out of my mouth. I looked at him and he looked furious.  

Skye put her weight against me and nodded. Jeremy cupped her cheek and ran a thumb over the cut making her flinch. He looked away furious then got up. "He's going to die."

"Calm down Jer-" I said but got interrupted by Tyler.

"What's going on here?" He said pushing his way through the crowd. His eyes widened when he saw Skye lying in my arms. He knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder.

"We have to call the police," Jen said from behind him.

"No," Tyler yelled. "No, you can't ! My parents can't find out I threw a party. And we have alcohol. Most of us are underage. I'm underage. I'm 17," he turned to Skye with an apologetic look. "Skye, I'm so sorry, but I can't call the police."

"It's okay," she replied. "He told me not to tell anyone about this. Especially the police."

"Did you see who it was?" TJ asked.

"No, he was wearing a mask," she said. She brought her hand up to her head again and shut her eyes.

"Alright enough questions," I said getting up and lifting Skye. "Let's take her inside."  

Everyone moved aside giving me room to go inside. As I set her down on the couch, the prick came running towards us.

"Oh my god, Skye, who did this? are you alright? And the cut, it looks deep!" He ranted on. I rolled my eyes. 

Where was he all this time? Now he comes. I looked at Jeremy and he looked back and shrugged.

"Ray, I'm fine, really," Skye whispered.

Ray. The prick had a name.

"Don't worry, if you need me, I'm here. Okay?" He said. She nodded.

"Yeah you got me, Zac and Jen here too," Jeremy said in an annoying tone.

"Can someone get me some painkillers?" Skye groaned. Jen nodded and ran towards the kitchen with Tyler. I sat down on the couch beside her and looked at her. She looked up and smiled at me.

"Who would do this to you?" I whispered. Skye looked at Jeremy and he got some sort of message from her because he pulled me up from the couch and dragged me to the kitchen.

"What dude?" I asked as he let go of my arm.  

He waited as Tyler and Jen made their way out of the kitchen. "Talk man."

"okay listen," Jeremy said. He told me about some guy that Skye saw on the first day of school that wore all black and it was the same guy at the mall and the same one today as well. He also told me about her getting phone calls and that he was standing outside her house one night. She even thinks that the note she got that day was from him.

"Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief.

"Dead serious bro. She told me today," he said running a hand through his hair. I walked out of the kitchen and to Skye with Jeremy beside me. I had a little headache forming at my temples from all the drinks I had.

"We can't drive her home," I said to Jeremy.

"I know. it's 1. She was supposed o be home at 11," He said. "I was planning on crashing here after dropping her off"

"Yeah me too," I said rubbing my face. I looked over at Skye and Jen as Jen carefully applied something on the side of her head, cleaned her cut and put a bandaid on it.

"She can stay here," Tyler said. "You guys aren't wasted, but your not sober either. So you're not driving her home. And i don't think she should go home in this condition either. She can borrow some of my sisters clothes and leave in the morning." 

 We both nodded. When Jen was done nursing her, I went over and in front of the prick, carried her in my arms.

"Lets get you upstairs," I said and she smiled at me. Jeremy, Jen, Ray and Tyler followed me upstairs and into Trina, Tyler's sisters room.

"Um," Tyler said digging through Trina's drawers. I gently laid Skye down on the bed. "Here."  

Tyler handed her some night shorts.  

"I can't find any T-shirts, I think my sister took them all with her to America," he mumbled to himself then ran out the room. He came back with one of his jumpers and handed it to her, giving her a small smile. "You can wear this for the night."

"Thanks," she said getting up. Jeremy and I helped her up. "Sorry for ruining the party."

"Don't be," he said. As if on cue, the music started playing from downstairs. "Well you didn't ruin it." 

She chuckled. "Get some sleep." He said then went downstairs.

"We'll leave so you can get changed," Jeremy said. We all turned to leave but she grabbed my hand and pulled me in a hug.

"Thankyou," she whispered in my ear.

"If I could, I would do it all over again," I said. "But this time, I'll be there before he evens touches you."  

She smiled and kissed me on the cheek then gave Jen, Jeremy and Ray a hug.  

We all left the room after that.

I couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. Sure, in the past, she kissed me a lot on the cheek, but this time, it was different. It means something to me.

'Maybe because I saved her life,' I told myself.  

'Maybe because you like her,' the voice in my head said.