Just Another Reason I Could Never Forget You

I watched Zack get up from his seat when the movie ended and then walked over to his bedroom window. I knew that his window overlooked the pool in the backyard because I had glanced out the window a few times earlier while waiting on him to come back from the kitchen.

"Do you wanna go swimming Jerri?"

"Isn't it a bit cold to go swimming? It's nearly eight at night."

"It would be if we were going to the beach, but it's my swimming pool, and my parents keep it semi-heated at night."

"Oh. I didn't bring my bathing suit, so I couldn't if I wanted to."

"Yeah you did. It's in your purse."

"No. I didn't bring my bathing suit."

"Oh really. Let's check then."

"Fine. Go ahead, I don't have anything worth hiding in my bag."

Zack walked over to my purse and picked it up, dumping it out on his bed. Along with my little makeup case, the brush I carried with me, my wallet and some gum, out fell my bathing suit. "I did not put that thing in there! You...you must have grabbed it when you went to the bathroom. You sly fucking dog."

"Yup. I had kinda planned on asking if you wanted to anyway. I also knew you'd decline with the excuse of not having a bathing suit. Please?"

Oh god no, not the puppy dog look. Say goodbye to your arguement because you and I both know you always lose to the puppy dog look. Oh shove it. I hate it when you're right.

"Fine....I hate you right now, just so you know."

"Sure you do, Jerri. I think you mean you love me."

"As if," I scoffed before grabbing my bathing suit and shutting myself in his bathroom. Off went the skinny jeans, white shirt and undergarments. On came the purple, silver and black bathing suit. It was a simple halter top swimsuit, nothing fancy because I don't like spending fifty bucks on a swimsuit that I would probably only wear one summer.

"Hurry up in there! I still have to change too, ya know."

With a soft sigh, I slid the white v-neck back on and then bundled the rest of my clothes up before unlocking the bathroom door and walking out. I didn't look at Zack at all as he brushed past me into the bathroom. Nor did I utter a sound when I felt a slight tingling feeling where our arms had touched. I quietly put my bundle of clothes in my bag, hoping Zeus was past the stage where he liked to snoop around in people's things. As I waited for Zack to get down changing, I sat down on the window seat and began leafing through the Guitar World magazine again.

"Ready to go?" he asked quietly from beside me.

"How the hell did you get there without me hearing you?!?"

"I'm just a ninja like that," he said with a smirk.

"I'm sure," I said as I stood up and followed him out of his room and to the backyard. Zeus followed along behind us, a happy grin on his face. He seemed to know where we were going. It was adorable how he followed along behind Zack. It made me think that I was acting a bit like Zeus in the fact that I was following Zack without question. I guess that in a way, I did trust him. I knew that nothing too awful would happen to me while he was around.

"Towels are sitting on the chair over here, Jerri. Are you gonna get in?"

"I don't know. Depends on how cold it is to me."

"Oh c'mon," he said as he tried to splash me with some water. I barely jumped back out of the spray zone.

"Don't even. I have to get in at my own pace."

"Well your pace is too slow."

"Too bad."

I sat on the edge of the pool in the deep end and let my feet hang in the water. I stared at my feet, watched them float below the surface, and thought about the last time my feet had been dangling in a pool. The party at Jack's house had been fun, albeit a bit hectic. I remember waking up in my own bed, not remembering how I had really gotten there. I also remembered Zack sending me a text telling me I had left my jacket in his car.

"Hey Zack... thanks."

"For what?"

"For driving me home the night of Jack's party forever ago. I don't remember much of that night and therefore don't remember if I've thanked you already. But yeah... thanks. For the ride. And for being a...well, you know... gentleman."

"Oh, yeah. It was no problem. I was raised better than to take advantage of people. I'm sure you've figured that out by now."

"Yeah, now I have."

He swam over to me underwater with long, sure strokes. I could tell from just watching him that he paid special attention to all of his muscles when he worked out. I wasn't going to deny he had a nice body. Especially when it was dripping water. I watched him swim up under my feet and then resurface. His hair hung in his face and made it hard for me to see his eyes, but I could see his smirk. The smirk said it all. And by all, I meant that it gave away the fact that Zack was up to something.

In the blink of an eye, I was submerged underewater and trying my hardest not to scream. I opened my eyes and saw him smiling at me before pointing up. Pushing off against the cement bottom, I launched myself to the surface and pushed my bangs out of my face. Zack was hanging on the wall at laughing quietly, but not quietly enough. I swam over to him and shook my head.

"Very funny, Merrick."

"Would you stop calling me that? It sounds way too formal. If I have to call you Jerri, than you have to call me Zack."

"Okay, fine, Mer.... I mean Zack."

I pushed off the wall and let my body float in the water as I stared up at the sky. It was just beginning to get dark outside which meant that my mother was probably on her way home from work. She'd find the note and then call to check on me. I glanced over at Zack and found him staring at me with an odd look on his face. Almost as if he was trying to make some sort of internal decision. I closed my eyes again and let go of all external feeling. I focused on the feeling of the water slowly trying to pull my legs down because of their weight. I focused on the way the water lapped against me whenever Zack would move. Feeling the water begin to push me sideways, I opened my eyes and saw Zack standing beside me.

"Do you trust me, Jerri?"

"I suppose I do, why?"

"You suppose you do?"

"Yeah. I trust with some things but not others. Like... I trust you to keep me safe but I don't trust you to not try and pull another prank on me."

"Oh. Well, what if I told you I didn't want to prank you tonight. What if I told you that I just wanted to spend time with you and try to make things less awkward between us?"

"Well, then I guess it's working. I honestly feel more comfortable around you than I did before."

"Good," he said before he gently grabbed my legs and pushed them under the water so that I was treading water. I raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he took a step forward. All I did was back up some. He took another step forward and I pushed myself a little bit more backwards. We kept this up like an awkward dance until I found myself stuck against the wall. Zack put a hand on either side of my head and leaned forward. I knew what he was going to do. I could have easily stopped it. But a small part of me wanted this to happen. A large part of me was screaming at me. It was telling me to stop him before he kissed me. But that small part of me was a part that I had no control over. A second before his lips brushed mine, I had the thought that all it would take was one push downward and I would be safe.

When his lips touched mine, I felt something inside of me break. I'm not sure how to explain it, but it felt like one of the walls I had put up against Zack had just crumbled and disappeared. My eyes fluttered closed as one of his hands moved to the side of my face. But the kiss ended as quickly as it started and I opened my eyes to look at him. I didn't know how to respond to that. No idea whatsoever. So I said the first thing that came to mind.

"I should probably get home soon..."

He looked a bit upset by the fact that I could just change mindsets so easily. But I watched the realization that I had let him kiss me cross over my features. He smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose you should. Let's get dried off and then I'll run you home."

"Okay."