I barrel through people as a swarm heads out to see what idiot is planning on jumping. I know what idiot it is; mine.
Several people cuss at me as I shove them out of the way and stumble out the back door, but I don't have the time to be nice. My heart is beating in my throat as my attention darts up to the roof. As expected, Ollie is on the roof, leaning over the edge.
Oh, God.
I quickly figure out her plan with the way she's eyeing the narrow patio space between the house and the outdoor pool. The fucking psycho is going to dive off the goddamn roof!
Others around me start chanting, "jump, jump, jump."
Don't fucking egg her on!
"Ollie, stop!" I shout, but the roaring chants muffle it out. I barge my way closer, still calling out to her.
Ollie steps back up the roof for what I can tell is a running start. My stomach churns. I'm not sure she could make the jump sober, much less drunk off her ass. A lump grows in my throat as I holler. "Ollie don't!"
Just as I crest the front of the crowd, Ollie takes off running across the roof. I can hear the scratch of her sneakers pounding across the shingles. Each step is in slow motion as I watch on in horror. I'm completely frozen as a dark bleak claw slowly encases my heart and squeezes. All the breath in my lungs escapes when she balls up into a cannonball.
She's not going to make it. There's no way. It's too far!
When she shockingly hits the water, my knees buckle from the relief.
I'm going to fucking kill her. She's fucking lucking. She barely missed the edge of the pool and made it into the deep end.
Once my legs no longer feel like jello, I storm over to the edge of the pool. Ollie breaks the surface of the water, sputtering, and pushing her hair out of her face.
She stops treading water long enough to throw her hand up and holler out a cheer before dipping below the surface again. Rolling my eyes, I grab her hand to pull her up before she drowns. A giant goofy grin is plastered on her face when she looks up at me. With ease, I jerk her out of the water and get her on the cement.
"I made it!" She gleefully declares as she steps up onto the pavement. Her sneakers squish beneath her feet as water pours out from the meshy material. Her sopping hair is plastered haphazardly across her face. Her white shirt is practically see-through now, not leaving much to the imagination.
Around us, her audience cheers. Dumbasses. If she hit the pavement, they would have been just as much at fault as she is.
"You jumped from a fucking roof!" It's all I can do not to wrap my hands around her throat and squeeze, which seems counterproductive after just saving her from drowning.
"I know, right!" Ollie bounces with excitement. "I'm going to do it again."
Oh, fuck no.
Just as she takes off to run to the ladder that some shithead set up near the far end of the house, I grab Ollie's arm and jerk her back. "We're going home."
With her like this, it'll be me chasing her down all night and keeping her from doing more stupid shit.
"Aww," Ollie whines. Her shoulder drops as a pout forms on her face. "I thought we were going to party."
"You just jumped into a pool by using the roof as a diving board. You peaked in your party-o-meter." I drag her off around the side of the house to the front yard.
"Come on, Zany." Ollie jerks her arm away. Since she's sopping wet, she easily gets loose. "If you had three more beers you would have been up there with me."
She's probably right, but I'm not three beers in, and she scared the fucking shit out of me. "I'm about five seconds away from tossing you over my shoulder." I grab her arm and drag her around to the front of the house.
"Kinky."
I look back to glare at her, only to find a big goofy grin meeting me. Water Rund over the round cheeks and drips from her chin. There's even a tiny river that sources from her sopping locks and runs down between her-
I force my gaze up from her chest, knowing I can't let any thought drift past friendship.
I shrug off the heavy material and drape it over her shoulders. "Let's get you home before and dried off."
I bundle her up, hoping it's enough to keep her warm. My only means of transportation is my motorcycle. The wind will whip over her and chill her to the bone.
"I don't wanna go home." Ollie pouts. "I wanna see Miss Nancy."
Yeah, like I'm letting you jog over to my Nan's house drunk off your ass.
I glance down at my phone and notice it's almost two in the morning. "She's in bed, Ollie."
"But I could stay over and she can make her apple pie pancakes tomorrow morning!" Ollie bounces off toward my lime-green motorcycle.
Well, at least I'll be able to keep better track of her if she's with me all night. With a sigh, I follow after her. When I reach my bike, I pull my spare helmet out of the saddlebags and put it on Ollie's head. I don't trust her to get it on tight enough in her state. Once it's secure, I grab my full helmet with a raptor face painted on the side and put it on.
I flip the shield on my helmet up and eye her warily before getting on my bike. "Are you even able to hold on and not fall off my damn bike?"
She scoffs and hops on behind me. Her arms wrap tight around my waist, making me feel a little securer that she can hold on while I drive.
"I was born to ride, Zany. I could never fall off a bike."
Let's hope.
I kick off and speed away from the southern coastal home. Pavement soring under my feet helps me settle into my seat. I feel at home on the back of my bike. With Ollie's arms wrapped around me, it eases my nerves to the point that a chuckle rumbles my chest as I think about the perfect splash she made when she hit the water.
By the time I get across town and home, Ollie is chilled to the bone. Her whole body is shaking as I help her off the bike. Her teeth chatter as she hugs her arms tightly around herself. I feel bad for her, but she's a victim of her own circumstances. Maybe this frostbitten ride will be a lesson learned.
This is also Ollie, so probably not.
"Regretting jumping into that pool?" I wrap an arm around Ollie's shoulders to try and help warm her.
"Never." Her simple reply is a testament to her eccentric personality. Ollie lives life to the extreme and never regrets a single step she takes, even if it's stupid as hell.
It's a personality trait that I find both annoying and envious of. I would love never to have regrets. However, I also know that Ollie is a hard pill to swallow, resulting in few friends and one asshole semi-boyfriend that treats her like shit.
"Let's get you in the house." I place my hand on the small of her back and guide her up the heaved sidewalk, which seems to be a challenge for Ollie to maneuver. I hug her tight to me to avoid her tripping over her own feet. Even our worn, rickety deck is like a heaving sea for her.
Once I get her inside the single-wide trailer, I call out into the abyss. "Dad?"
Silence greets us. He wasn't home when I went to bed at ten. I thought he'd be back from his date by now. I guess that means it's going well.
Ollie is still shivering in my arms. I quickly flip on the light in the living room, revealing the ugly green checkered furniture in the outdated living room. The stained tan carpet is a testament to several Miami Dolphins losses and a spray of beer and soda from Dad and me yelling at the TV.
"We need to get you in a hot shower to warm you up."
A coy smile pulls at the corner of her lips, making me groan.
Please, don't.
"We? Does that mean you're joining me?" Her light-brown brows wiggle at me playfully.
And there it is.
The chronic flirt always has to give a line when the opportunity presents itself.
"No, that means I'm starting the damn water for you and leaving." I guide Ollie to the left, past our kitchen, and into the bathroom, which I share with my dad.
"I'm going to go grab a tee shirt, and boxers for you, don't strip yet." I firmly tell her since she's already stripped out of my jacket and trying to wiggle out of her shirt. The last thing I need is an image of Ollie wet and naked haunting my dreams.
I hurry across the trailer, tripping on a recliner in the process, before darting into my dark room.
The old dresser in my room sits slightly tilted from the missing foot at its base. Despite trying to prop it up with a book, it still rocks slightly when I tug open the top drawer and grab the first pair of boxers and tee I get my hands on.
By the time I make it back to the bathroom, Ollie's already peeled out of her shirt and tossing it on the floor with a splat.
"Ollie." I sigh and step over the pile. I quickly turn the shower on for her and get it to temperature.
"I know, I know," she grumbles under her breath. "You don't need to see all this." She makes a grand gesture to herself.
The jean skirt clings tight to her, and the strapless bra doesn't help hide much, unfortunately. The water is still beading across her skin, placing images in my head that I try not to let myself have. Ollie is my best friend, and I can't allow myself to think of her as anything else but that. If things didn't work out between us and I lost her-
I shake that thought from my head.
"Will you at least cuddle with me tonight, or am I banished to the couch again?" Ollie starts to unbutton her jean skirt, sending me straight for the door before I see more.
"I'll take the couch tonight. You can have the bed."
"That kind of defeats the purpose," She calls after me as I shut the door behind myself.
When Ollie gets out of the shower, I throw her clothes and shoes in the dryer and turn it on full blast. If she wants to go to Nan's house in the morning, I don't want to walk over with her while wearing my shirt and underwear. I like life.
Ollie and I argue over her taking my bed and how it defeats her snuggle purposes before I end up in my bed and her on the couch.
Just as I'm about to doze off, I hear the dry hinges of my door squeak open. "Ollie-"
"I'm so cold, Zane." She cuts me off. "Please."
I don't know why I even try. Having Ollie over is like having a petulant puppy. "Fine."
There are two thumps from her feet as she bounds across my floor and springs into the air. The bed bounces and groans under her weight before she scurries to the top of my bed and pulls the covers back.
She cuddles up to me, pressing her frigid hands into my bareback.
"Jesus!" I try to jerk away from her touch, but I'm forced to suffer with nowhere to go.
"I told you I was cold." Ollie presses against me more, and I swear she's sucking the heat from me. "And you're so warm." She gives a hum of contentment.
Silence finally falls between us, and when I think she's fallen asleep, Ollie pipes up again. "Are you so moody tonight because something happened while you were dancing with Becca?"
What?
I frown and roll over to face her. "No, I'm frustrated, because you jumped off a fucking roof, Ollie. You could have missed and hit the pavement. I told you to stay with Becca's friends."
"They were borning, and rude." Ollie shifts on the bed and tucks the blanket up under her chin.
"Rude?" I raise a doubt-filled brow. When Becca and I dated, I hung out with her friends all the time. They seemed fine then, and I doubt they've changed in a year. "How were they rude?"
She shrugs, making my blue and white striped comforter heave up and down.
She's too drunk to have a conversation with, and I sure as hell am too tired. "Just go to sleep, Ollie."
"You deserve better than her, you know?" I hear Ollie whisper as I drift off to sleep.
Hello everyone! I'm sure you weren't shocked to find out Ollie was on the roof. Thankfully, she didn't break anything. This was a bigger view of Ollie, and I would love to know your thoughts on her. I know she's a bit... much. But she's got a good heart, promise. Thank you so much for reading, and I will see you in the next chapter.