Fragile

Chapter 6

Being an eighteen year old girl came with its unique set of challenges. College, friends, parties, boys...every college girl was used to these types of dilemmas. They grew up watching college movies and TV shows where the guy gets the girl after a dramatic life saving scene. He abandons his scholarship to marry her. She goes against her parents to find love. They were best friends until there was something more. 

These girls went to high school with boys and changed in locker rooms and had sex ed and all the things I did not. I was not a typical teenage girl. I wasn't used to seeing grown boys (men? Were college guys considered men?) half naked before my eyes. 

"Yes! Charles saved us front row," Kiera cheered, dragging me by my arm. I tried my best not to slip. 

"Kiera! Fay," Charles flagged us over and we sat on benches that would've been scorching if I weren't wearing jeans. "Ready for your first college swim meet?" 

The bleachers were decently filled on both sides. It was an outdoor pool, so the sun was beating down on us from directly above. Not nearly as bad as Arizona, but still concerning enough to make me want to cover my pale skin. The sound of an airhorn went off and swimmers were diving in already. Male swimmers. Wearing nothing but... 

"They're called speedos," Kiera filled in for me. She had noticed my wide eyed staring. "Did Arizona not have swim teams?" 

"I-I went to a private school," I lied. "All girls." 

"Ohh, so you must be frigid horny." 

Both Kiera and I looked at Charles in confusion. "What?" 

"It's a girl that goes hormone crazy after being deprived of release," he said with a teasing smirk. "Like, you know how girls in middle school have hella hormones during puberty? It's like the same idea. Late bloomers." 

"That is not a thing," Kiera laughed. "You're making shit up." 

I found myself scanning the pool area until I saw him. Noah was standing by the concession stand in a baseball cap. In fact, with his attire I barely recognized him. In addition to the cap, he had on a pair of swim trunks and a fitted black T shirt. His muscles rippled against the shirt, outlining nearly every crevice of his abs. I felt that familiar burning in my core. 

"Fay?" Kiera's voice pulled me back. 

"Yea?" I was startled, fumbling to think of an explanation. I pointed. "I thought Noah doesn't do events." 

Fay, you absolute idiot. 

"He doesn't usually," Charles furrowed his eyebrows. "But no one ever knows why Noah Pierce does anything." 

"He looks hot as fuck in that suit though," Kiera sighed, allowing me to let out a relieved exhale. "You think he's a swimmer?" 

"Swimmers don't wear trunks to a match." 

Before I realized, I stood. "I'm getting snacks, anyone want anything?" 

"Is Noah on the menu?" 

My face burned bright red and both of them cackled, leaning against each other for support. "M&Ms please," Charles said between laughs. 

I shuddered as I walked to the stand. They really were two peas in a pod. I felt odd being around them, like I just didn't fit in no matter how hard I tried. It wasn't that they were mean or excluding me, it was just so apparent that I was different from them. Even when my lies were blatantly obvious, they never commented on it. I wondered what they thought of me, why they wanted to be my friend despite me being abnormal. 

"Done avoiding me already?" 

I jumped at the voice, not even realizing I had reached the concession stand. Noah stood next to me, his shoulder brushing mine as he turned to whisper in my ear. "I-I'm just getting snacks." 

"That's all you're here for?" he mused. "I'm not on the menu, but I can text a picture if you'd like." 

My eyes widened, and for a second I wondered if he had supersonic hearing. "W-what?" I sputtered. 

"I saw you staring," his eyes were lit with mischief. "You're so frigid you don't even know what to do with yourself around me." 

My heart pounded in my ears, and I couldn't tell if it was the airhorn or my own brain that was going off. His scent filled my nose. I didn't know the smell, but god he smelled good. My entire brain was filled with only him and his senses. 

"W-why are you even here?" I demanded. "You don't like school events." 

"Who told you that?" 

"Everyone knows that." 

"And who is everyone?" My cheeks burned at our banter. It was so obvious he was teasing. He loved to make me feel small and uncomfortable. I refused to look at his smirking face. 

I hastily ordered M&Ms and a water. "Just people. You would know if you actually talked to people." 

"I'm talking to you." 

"That's not-" I cut myself off irritably. "If you wanna be a loner then fine, but I'm trying to fit in here. So can you leave me alone?" 

"What's so great about fitting in?" he inquired. This time, he seemed less joking. "What are you hiding from?" 

I don't want to be alone. "Does it matter? It's none of your business anyway." 

"Fay-" 

I nearly leapt out of his reach and turned to leave, only to slip by the edge of the pool. There was a reason why people said not to run by a pool. 

The water engulfed me almost immediately, followed by panic. I had no idea how to swim and this was definitely not the shallow end. There were swimmers in the distance, masses of strong legs kicking towards the other end of the pool. But when I kicked, my legs felt heavy and sluggish. I sank further down. Was this really how I was going to die? After all these years of being trapped in a basement, was I really going to die by slipping and falling into a pool? 

My mom had always said I was fragile. Until recently, I thought she just meant that people were dangerous. But what if it wasn't just people? What if I was the problem, what if I was made of glass that could easily break? What if it was me that didn't belong, not the world itself? Why was I even alive then up until this point if the world should've shattered me by now? 

Two hands wrapped around my arms and mere seconds later, I broke from the surface. "I got her, make room!" It was Noah's voice. He sounded so dominant, so commanding. I realized the warm I felt was from his body. 

My lungs burned and I hacked on the concrete by the edge of the pool. I was suddenly freezing, and I felt like a drowned rat. Fresh, hot tears streamed down my cheeks as I gasped for air. An equally wet, but warm body hovered over me. 

I locked eyes with a pair of hazel ones. "Welcome back. You forgot your M&Ms." 

Charles was right. I was frigid horny.