Hardly Worth Your Time

“Emily!”

Emily turned her body around quickly before being plunged into the chlorine depths of the pool at Amanda’s pool party. She pushed her way back to the surface after the muscular body took the pressure off of hers. She gasped for breath and rubbed her eyes that were stinging from the pool water.

“You!” she laughed at the guy smirking at her from a couple feet away as he stood with the top half of his chest and head above water. She lunged at him and successfully plowed him into the water.

They came back up laughing before he splashed water into her face beginning a full out splash fest. It was nice spending time without the crazy bunch she usually did but she was missing them all too much.

As her thoughts drifted to her best friends she heard a shout from the side of the pool calling her name. She swam over to the edge and found Amanda holding up her ringing phone. She quickly jumped out and ran to grab a towel, wiping off her hands. Then wrapping the towel around her body, she took the phone and hurried into the almost deserted house.

She saw “Ri-dawg” on the screen and quickly pressed the green send button. “Hey, how’s my favorite drummer?”

Rian chuckled, “Great, what are you up to?”

“Amanda’s pool party,” she shrugged. “How’s tour going?”

“It’s awesome! We were just at Subway!” he said excitedly. “And someone knew me!”

Emily laughed. Rian was usually confused for a crew member or vice versa. “That made your day, didn’t it?” she teased.

“Ha ha,” Rian replied sarcastically. “But no tell me how’s home? I miss you.”

Emily shrugged. “Like any other summer. Pool parties, bowling, parties every other night, beach, etcetera,” she replied.

“It’ll be more—hey hold on!”

Emily waited patiently as she could faintly hear Rian talking to someone else and then she heard a struggle for the phone and laughing. “Em?”

“Alex? Are you running?” Emily asked amused.

“Uh…yeah, I just stole Rian’s phone. Shit, hold on,” he said breathlessly. She heard a struggle on the other end before she heard the distinct squeal of Alex and a shout from Rian.

“So anyways—stop!—what were we talking about?” Rian asked.

Emily chuckled. “Where are you guys today?”

“Norfolk—dude really just go call her later—we’re going to prank Cute on stage tonight!” Rian replied.

“But I want to talk to her,” she heard Alex whine.

Emily smiled to herself as she felt a blush start its way onto her face. “Rian give Alex the phone for a minute,” she asked.

Rian sighed before Alex’s voice came smoothly over the receiver. “Hey,” he breathed.

“What’s up?” she asked leaning against the counter.

“Uh we just had Subway and we’re going to prank Cute on stage tonight—“

“I already told her that!” Rian yelled.

“—I uh, I miss you,” he admitted quietly.

Emily sighed before replying truthfully, “I miss you too.”

A silence stole over before screams filled Emily’s ears from outside the house and over the phone. She looked out the window and chuckled at a couple guys about to throw in Rachel, who had been denying the water all afternoon.

“Hey, I’ll call you guys later, okay? Their bringing out the Jack’s right now…” Emily trailed off as everyone outside cheered at Nick Bramaer carrying a couple cases of Jack Daniel’s into the backyard.

“Oh, well okay. Talk to you later, Em,” Alex said sadly.

“Yeah definitely.”

“Emily?”

“Yeah Ri?”

“Don’t go because of dick face. I want to talk to you!”

Emily chuckled. She could picture Rian stomping his foot and glaring at Alex. “I’m sorry Rian. What did you want to talk about?”

“Uhm,” he stretched out the “m” for a minute before saying, “Tell Jason I miss him.”

Emily laughed and shook her head. “Alright. I’ll talk to you later, okay? I want to get some Jack and coke.”

“Bye!” Rian yelled.

Emily nodded her head before closing her phone and walking back outside.

“Asian!” Emily yelled to the other side of the yard.

“Yeah?” Jason called back.

“Rian misses your cute Asian ass,” she yelled receiving a laugh from the surrounding teens.

“Hell yeah!” Jason yelled throwing his fist in the air.

“Emily!” she heard a voice from the pool.

She saw the same guy from before the phone call, Eric, motioning for her to come over. She jumped in over his head and waded over to the edge with him where he held a cup of Jack and coke for her. She thanked him and drank slowly from the cup.

“Emily!” someone yelled from the pool chairs.

“Yeah?”

“How are the guys doing? Tour going well?”

Emily sighed. “They’re great and yeah…” she trailed off.

The person she was talking to nodded their head appreciatively.

“How’s Alex doing?” Lauren asked from another side of the pool.

Emily rolled her eyes and replied, “Fine.”

After a couple more questions about the guys, she tapped her cup against Eric’s before setting it on the side of the pool and sliding under the water. She was tired of answering questions about the guys and tour.

She resurfaced to hear the music blasting again and everyone going back to what they were doing. She took another sip before resting against the side of the pool.

“So…” Eric said awkwardly from beside her. “How are you doing?”

Emily laughed before shaking her head. “That all you got Eric?”

Eric smirked. “How you doing,” he stressed the “you” part, sounding almost like Joey Tribbiani himself.

Emily smirked before pushing his leaning face away from her. She took another sip as she watched the sun start to set.

“Watch out,” he whispered into her ear just before someone jumped over her head giving her about a split second to cover her face before water splashed into their faces.

Nick appeared from the water with a smirk across his face before winking at Emily who rolled her eyes.

“Emily!”

She turned around to see Rachel motioning for her. She jumped out of the water getting a whistle in return from Nick and then headed off to the other side of the pool, grabbing another cup of Jack and coke.

“What’s up?” Emily asked sitting on the lawn chair next to Rachel.

As she sat and gossiped with Rachel and a couple other girls, she slowly started to become tipsy.

She got up after a while and jumped back into the pool and felt a pair of arms slid around her waist. She giggled before being lifted into the air and back into the water. She resurfaced and went to attack Eric, but he was ready this time and she merely just threw herself into his chest.

The close proximity to him plus the alcohol running through her system plus the fact that it was summer all lead to her kissing him which quickly started heating up.

She heard a splash from the other side of the pool sobering her up slightly. She broke off and realized she had been thinking of Alex the entire time.

“I-I’m sorry, excuse me,” she said quickly pulling herself out of the pool and grabbing her towel and phone. She rushed back inside and sat down on the staircase rubbing her temples.

She pressed the second number on her speed dial and frantically waited for the ringing to stop and voice to fill her ears. Just when she thought he wouldn’t answer, the loud obnoxious voice of Jack Barakat was filling her ear and putting her slightly out of her panic mode.

“Hey girly, what’s crackin’? Drunk yet?” she could hear the smirk in his voice.

Emily sighed deeply before her panic mode started driving up through her again. “Listen Jack, I, I mean I was a little tipsy and we were close and I mean I don’t know it just sort of happened, it’s really not a big deal, but I mean—“

“Whoa slow down there Emi, what happened?”

Emily took a deep breath before slowly replying, “I made out with Eric in the pool…”

Jack chuckled. “So?”

“So, I,” she closed her mouth. “I felt like I was cheating on him,” Emily whispered pressing her forehead into her open palm.

“Oh,” Jack replied seriously.

“Jack I don’t want him, I don’t, but I don’t know. What do I do?” Emily pleaded. She was so beyond confused.

“Uhm,” Jack paused. “Emi,” he said softly, “If it’s really what you want, I mean, to not be with Alex, then go out there and have fun, kiss whoever, just don’t be a slut,” he joked. “I just don’t want to see you sad anymore girly and as much as I hate seeing Alex sulking around, I’m more concerned for you right now.”

Emily smiled before staring up at the door across from her. She thought about what Jack said and then let it take her over. Go out there and have fun. “Thanks Jack,” she told him. “Have you guys played yet,” she asked quickly.

“That’s my girl. And yeah, it was fucking legit,” he explained.

She chuckled before saying bye and closing her phone. She ran a hand through her damp hair before walking back outside without much attention. She walked over to the side of the pool and slid in behind Eric. “Sorry,” she apologized causing him to turn around.

He shrugged and smiled, “It’s cool. Spur of the moment, you know?”

She nodded and shyly grinned before staring out at the drunken volleyball game in the pool.

“Hey Emily?” Eric spoke from her side.

“Yeah?” she said turning to him.

“Would you go on a date with me tomorrow night?”

Emily blushed before slowly nodding her head. “Sure,” she smiled.