Saving Grace

I surfaced the water, gasping for a breath. My make-up was surely running down my face now.

I wiped away the water from my eyes before opening them to see the two boys that had crashed into me standing at the edge of the pool, their faces horrified. John, Pat, Kennedy and Linnely were trying their hardest not to laugh at the situation I had been thrust into.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" the strawberry blond boy cried from the edge of the pool. He reached his arm out to me as an offer to pull me out.

In attempt to get my make-up off, I swiped my hands beneath my eyes before taking this stranger's hand. He easily pulled my out of the O'Callaghan's pool with the help of his copper-haired friend that had somehow managed to shove me in the water.

The Arizona heat immediately started to warm my skin. "I really am sorry," the strawberry blond continued. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Y-Yeah." I felt myself starting to blush at my stutter but Bree's voice now caught my attention. "Garrett Nickelsen, Jared Monaco! What have you two done?" she said, the small crowd filling the backyard slowly parted for me to see John's mother with her hands on her hips.

"It was an accident!" the copper-haired boy cried in his own defense.

"I'm sure it was, Garrett. This is how you welcome Amelia?"

I stood there unsure of what to do, my hair dripping and drooping across my forehead. As Bree continued scolding the boys, I felt a towel being draped over my shoulders. Glancing over, I saw John pulling a towel he had managed to find around me.

I shot him a small, appreciative smile before turning back to the conversation happening before me.

"It's okay, Bree," I said. I felt awkward with all eyes on me and I was no longer standing upright, sporting a broken stiletto. The heel of my shoe was somewhere beneath the surface of the pool.

She looked between me and the two boys unsure if she should continue scolding the two or let it go.

"I'm fine, really," I added.

After a moment, Bree puffed out a breath. "Why don't you go upstairs and change? I'm sorry for Jared and Garrett's carelessness," she said.

I smiled and nodded, bending down and pulling my shoes from my feet before taking Bree's advice and going to change. It was kind of nice, actually. It had been almost painfully obvious that I had been overdressed.

-----

I stood in John's en-suite bathroom, carefully running the brush through my now damp hair.

A light knock sounded against the door. "It's unlocked," I called, not pulling my eyes from the mirror.

The door was cautiously pushed open only to expose Linnely, Bree, Garrett and Jared. The copper-haired boy looked to the strawberry blond before speaking. "I'd just like to say that I'm sorry."

Wow, Bree refuses to let up on these boys.

"And I'd like to properly introduce myself. I'm Garrett."

"Yeah, I'd like to apologize yet again. I'm Jared," the strawberry blond said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Linnely and Bree crossed their arms, their eyes flickering between the two. "Your apologies are accepted," I said with a light smile. "I'm Amelia."

Bree looked at me, her eyes almost grateful. I wasn't sure whether these two boys were related but she treated them as if they were her own children. Bree had this very motherly vibe about her so it wasn't hard to feel welcome in her presence.

"Jared! Garrett! I need to talk to you!" a voice belonging to Kennedy called from somewhere down the hall.

The two quickly excused themselves before ditching. Linnely sighed, shaking her head at them before bringing those unforgettable eyes back to me. "They're odd if you haven't figured that out."

I smiled, trying not to laugh. It was unusual for me to feel so comfortable around new people but strangely enough, I wasn't on the border of having an anxiety attack for once.

-----

Freshly changed and standing beside Linnely and Garrett who telling me stories of John's past, I heard John groan in protest for seemingly the millionth time. "No! Not that story," he said, his voice almost whiny once again.

I smiled at his reaction. "It's a good story," Linnely said, her eyes mischievous. "When John was eight, he decided to walk outside to get the mail wearing only his-"

John's hand clamped over her mouth, preventing her to further her tale.

After a moment, John pulled his palm away, trusting that she would stay quiet. "In only his Spiderman underwear! Nearly everyone in the neighborhood saw him," she said, a devilish smirk gracing her lips.

I laughed quietly. "Thanks, Linnely. Thanks a lot," John muttered sarcastically.

Suddenly, I heard one of the horrible default rings playing loudly.

It took me a second to remember that I had grabbed my phone from my purse.

Why I had never changed the ringtone or got a better one, I had no clue but regardless I reached to my pocket and pulled my cellphone from its place.

I glanced at the I.D. and immediately felt butterflies flutter within my stomach. "I'm sorry, but I should take this," I said before finding a more private place to talk.

"I love you," I said as soon as I closed the bathroom door and accepted the phone call.

"Hey. How's it going?" Nick's familiar voice asked. I could picture him smiling at the other end of the line.

I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear as I sat on the closed toilet seat. "It's going," I said, my voice not nearly as cheerful as I would have liked it to be.

"That's good. First day of tour is going good," he said, oblivious to my more depressed tone.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Look, I have sound-check. I just wanted to see how you were doing, I really have to go now."

"Oh, okay," I said, my heart slowly sinking within the cavity it was held in. "I-I'll talk to you later then."

"Yeah."

"Bye, I love you," I heard the click of him ending the call before I finished my sentence.