Take a Breath and Hold On Tight

The smell of chlorine infiltrated my nostrils as soon as we stepped into the backyard. The majority of the group was already in the pool, save for Jared, who was messing with an old boom box. Libby and Garrett walked hand in hand to the edge of the pool, leaving me hanging behind with John.

"Come on," he told me and gestured towards the group.

I followed behind him silently. When we reached the pool, Acey was the first to smile at me.

"Harper, you came!" she said.

I smiled and nodded my head. "Yeah."

She bobbed out of Pat's arms and swam over to where I was standing. "You're gunna swim, right?"

"Um, maybe."

She frowned. "Maybe?"

"I'm not a great swimmer," I admitted.

She nodded her head. "I see. Well, I suppose you could always just stay in the shallow end . . ."

Libby took off her shirt, as Garrett slid off his tank, and they both jumped into the water, making water droplets splash everywhere.

"Fuckers," Kelsi muttered and shoved a handful of water their way.

Libby laughed and stuck her tongue out. "Deal with it."

“Ace, don’t you have a net somewhere?” Kennedy asked.

Acey looked around her yard and put her index finger and thumb to her chin. “I do, but I couldn’t tell you where it is.”

He rolled his eyes and bounced an off-white volleyball between both of his hands. “How about we just set some shoes on the side, and that can be the line?”

Acey shrugged. “Sounds good to me, bro.” Her and Pat swam closer to Kennedy and Kelsi.

“Count me in,” John said and jumped into the water.

“Your tall ass is standing in the back,” Libby told him.

He pushed her forward lightly, and laughed. “Whatever.”

Libby looked at me. “You up for it, Harper?”

I shook my head. “I’ll just watch.” I took a seat on the concrete edge of the pool, crossing my legs pretzel-style.

I watched as they formed two teams: Kelsi, Kennedy, Pat and Acey, against Libby, Garrett, John and Jared. Kelsi, Pat and Acey stood in the front, with Kennedy in the back. Libby, Garrett and Jared stood in the front of the opposite side, with John in the back.

“Harp, wanna be score keeper?” Jared asked me, squinting his eyes, as the sun was directly behind me.

“Um, sure,” I said.

He gave me a smile. “Alright, and remember, Pat’s flip-flops represent the line.”

Pat glared at him. “Why does the line have to be my shoes?”

“Because it does; now shut up,” Jared said, causing everyone to laugh.

“We’ll use someone else’s shoes next time, babe,” Acey told him.

“Alright, alright, let’s start this shit already!” Garrett said.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Kennedy threw the ball in the air and slapped it with the palm of his right hand, sending the ball flying to the other side.

Garrett was the first to jump up and slap it back, which Kelsi got and hit back. Libby dived to get it, but ended up missing the ball entirely, letting it land on top of the water.

“Damnit!” she yelled.

Kelsi laughed and high-fived Kennedy, Acey and Pat. “I believe that’s one point; right, Harper?”

I nodded my head. “One point,” I repeated.

They rotated, and now it was Kelsi standing in the back. She repeated Kennedy’s actions, and threw the ball in the air, slapping it with her right palm, sending it flying over to Libby’s side.

“I got it! I got it!” Garrett yelled and spiked the ball, making it land with a loud ‘thud’ in front of Acey, who jumped into Pat’s arms. “POINT!” Libby gave him a kiss, and Jared and John nodded their heads at him.

“Not for long, Mr. Nickelsen. You’re gunna pay for that stunt!” Acey told him.

And so the game carried on the same way for awhile. Kennedy’s team would earn a point, only for Libby’s team to earn one right after. When it came to game point, however, Kennedy’s team was in the lead.

“Game point!” he yelled as he got ready to throw the ball up.

“You’re not winning this!” Jared shouted.

Kennedy rolled his eyes, threw the ball up and slapped it as hard as he could. For a second, it didn’t register in my mind that Kennedy had hit the ball the wrong way, making it fly to the side in the air. The worried looks on the groups’ faces also didn’t strike worry in me, although it should have. It was almost as if I were in a daze, completely oblivious to my surroundings. I felt a sharp pain strike the right side of my face and instantly, tears sprang to my eyes. The ball bounced off my cheek and landed on the concrete beside me.

“Oh my, God; Harper are you okay!?” Libby began swimming over to me.

I placed my hand on my right cheek and instantly winced, causing more tears to fall from my eyes. I stood up and ran into Acey’s house, ignoring the shouts from the group behind me. I glanced around for a split second, before seeing that the bathroom door was open. I ran inside and slammed the door shut, locking it. I looked in the mirror and noticed a giant, red print on my face, starting from my hairline and ending at my jaw.

“Harper, open up, babe!” Libby called, knocking on the door.

The pain was throbbing and I stared at the door, knowing that everyone was probably waiting for me to open it on the other side. I was already feeling humiliated, but to have them see me crying . . . God, that hurt more than anything else.

“Harper, please?” Libby called again.

I laid my hand on the doorknob, turning it slowly, coming face to face with Libby and John. “It’s fine,” I muttered.

“Oh, God . . . It’s even redder up close,” she said.

I looked down at the ground and stared at my feet. “It’s fine,” I repeated.

I heard her sigh. “I’m going to get some ice. At least it will help keep the swelling down.” She walked away, and I cursed her for leaving John and I alone, once again.

“Kenny feels really bad,” he told me.

I nodded my head. “It’s not his fault.”

He placed his hand under my chin and lifted my head up. He sighed. “I still can’t believe you didn’t move with us yelling at you.”

“You were yelling at me?” I asked, confused.

He nodded his head. “Yeah, you didn’t hear us?”

I felt my cheeks blushing, and I imagined my face was a deep crimson color. “I guess not.”

He laughed. “Hey, if it leaves a bruise, you can always tell people you got in a fight . . . beat some chick’s ass.” I bit down on my bottom lip, smiling and shaking my head. “Is that a smile, I see?” This only caused me to smile wider. “It is! And maybe . . . Oh my God, a laugh?!” I couldn’t help myself – I began laughing, which caused him to laugh. “I can’t believe this! Oh, man, wait until I tell Libby I got you to laugh!”

I quieted down and stared at him, still smiling. “She’s heard me laugh before.”

“Yeah, but I haven’t,” he said.

“It’s just a laugh.”

“Laughing is good for the soul, Harp. Didn’t you know that?” I shook my head. “Well, it is. And you have a beautiful laugh. You should let it be heard more often.”

My cheeks were so hot; they felt like they were on fire at this point.

“Sorry it took me so long,” Libby said as she walked back into the living room. “I had to . . . find a bag for the ice.” She handed the ice bag to me, but the cunning look in her eyes told me she had found the bag with no trouble.