Electricity in the Water

Sweat beads formed above her lip, she looked for anyone watching her before she wiped them on the back of her hand. She was a pretty girl, quite shy though. Not many people knew her like he did. The one person she could tell anything to. She wasn’t perfect, but to him, she was. He watched her steps growing closer to him, he stayed in the water. Jordan moved closer to the edge where she stood.

“Get in!” Jordan said to her.

“Can’t.” She murmured.

“Chicken!” He called from the safety of the chlorine water. It was so inviting for her.

“Why can’t you get in?” The boy called, he had been listening to their loud conversation over screaming voices.

“One, tonsillitis; two, got my phone in my pocket.” She shrugged it–was the thing the French do.

“Prove it!” Jordan said, getting on her nerves, she pulled the black rectangle from her pocket.

“Okay, she proved it, Jordan; let her go now.” The boy said as he came to the edge.

She waved to him, a smile on her face. “Where’s Nat?”

“I wouldn’t have a clue…” he said, looking into her wild green eyes.

“‘Kay, well thanks, I will be back.” The people ran into the water, fully clothed; though she would be no better in a little while.

She walked quickly, on the edge of running. Her hips swung and the boy watched closely. He knew he liked her, but still he didn’t know whether to take his chance or not. She skipped the remainder of the way, looking over for Nat or the boy. She knew him well, and she liked him a lot. At first, between them it was an instant friendship; that wasn’t something normal for her. Normally she would have her suspicions to the extreme of almost verbally quizzing them, but she liked him; mental and physical combustion.

Nat appeared from the warmth of the heated pool. Too many evil, health eating bacteria to think of. “Baby!” She screeched - a week between the two of them lasted longer than a year.

Natalie hauled her soaked body out of the water and flung herself onto her best friend. Her wet shirt seeping into the girls’. “I missed you, Nat.” The girl said, hugging her back, allowing the water.

“You know who has been asking after you?” She said; her voice full of controversy.

“No, normally if you ask a question like that, you should already know the answer. Duh!” They laughed; their trill of laugher molding with the other peels of children screams.

“Well, I know, but as always, yeah well–” The girl sighed, clamping her hand down over Natalie’s lips.

“Cut to the chase, babbles.” She groaned.

“Well, you know that guy, that one that always smiles at you when you walk past.”

“It’s called common-courtesy, darlin’.”

She continued like she was never interrupted, “Yeah well, he kinda asked me if you were here because he wanted to talk to you.”

She pondered over this for a little while, her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. The boy watched from a discrete distance as she did this. “What do you think that means?” She said, trying her hardest to contain her excitement, but after so many months of chasing and being chased, this was exactly what she had been wanting.

Nat rolled her eyes and tilted her olive toned head to the side, “Sounds like he wants to talk.” She punched her shoulder playfully, “Duh!”

The girl looked between the two pools, both temperatures hanging in the extremes of temperatures; one being far too cold for the end of winter and the other boiling your flesh. She decided after the flush of blood to her cheeks, that the colder one would be the go.

She hadn’t brought her swimmers, or a towel. Nat had a hold of her arm, and wasn’t going to let go. Her smile crossed her face and soon she had her body of weight against the girls. “In we go!” She said, her voice squealing as they hit the cold water.

The girls took advantage of the massive slash, swimming horizontal to the floor and sneaking up on the boys. Her body moved quickly through the water, the pressure pushing her grey cotton shirt taut against her skinny body. Her darkened, and wet, hair appeared from the comfort of the soothing water at his body. Her hand slid over his leg, just an accident on her behalf. The body shuddered under her hand. She smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry.”

He looked a little miffed, “I want to talk to you.”

She nodded but Jordan swam over and snatched her skinny legs from beneath her. She yelped at the pressure put on her freshly healed fractured ankle.

“Jordan, I need to talk to her, alone.” Jordan shrugged and trudged back through the water that covered most of his bony torso.

She smiled, her sweet candy coloured lips forming a happy gaze settling upon his eyes. “Talk.” She said finally’ her tone curving around the words flowing from her mouth.

“I like you.” He said, smiling like a maniac.

She pondered for a split moment, one half of her brain was screaming ‘yes!’ and the other half was wondering what to say next. She was quick witted though, “I should have you know the feeling is mutual.” She said in a matter of a fact voice.

“I mean I really like you, like…” he looked from his fluttering hands under the water to her eyes, so deep he could get lost if he didn't concentrate, “Like, like as in love.”

“Ditto.” She said, closing the distance between the water separating their bodies.

“Don’t you know water is a conductor for electricity?” He murmured into the crook of her neck.

“Well…” she thought seriously, she had the boy she wanted and she had to use her brain like a seriously smart, sophisticated girl as she was, “no.”

“I love you Oh-liv-ier.” He said, into the soft, pale skin under her jaw. “But with a girl like you, how could I not?”

“Well, I don’t know. But I am glad you do, Matthew!”

He smirked, balancing his nose on hers, “We had better get out of the water!”