Counting Paths

Chapter 14.

Roland let me have a couple of scoops of ice cream with my sandwich. We ate at the island, side by side, and he watched me carefully the whole time, like he was just waiting for me to burst into tears again. Honestly, if it wasn't for the ice cream, I think I would've. Kevin stood in a corner, scowling at our meals. He thinks I should've picked something more healthier, especially when I'm emotionally eating. But fuck it and fuck that and fuck my life. I grabbed a big spoon and take some more ice cream.

After our breakfast, Roland showed me a part of the house I somehow managed to miss.

"You have a pool?!" I yell at him, gesturing to forty feet pool in front of us.

"Why do you think I told you to get a bathing suit at the mall?"

"I dunno, maybe because it's summer. Is there anything else I'm missing about your house?"

He takes a moment to think about it. "There's a bar in the basement-"

"There's a basement?"

"-movie theater on the second floor-"

"Who puts a movie theater on the second floor?!"

"If you keep interrupting me, I won't be able to get through the list," he points out, and Kevin chuckles quietly next to me. I roll my eyes and wave my hand toward him, gesturing for him to continue. "Um, we have a hospital room, but I'm pretty sure you already know about that. There's...shit, my mind's drawing a blank." He looks over me at Kevin. "What am I missing?"

"In this house, you're only missing the library that only three or four of us use, the gym, and the shooting range."

"Shooting range, whoa, okay, I'm not even surprised by that one but...this house?" I ask Roland. "You have another house?"

"No." He shakes his head. "I have a guest house. It's on the other side of the tennis court."

"Tennis court," I scoff. "What tennis court?"

"It's behind the house, just past the small patch of woods. Haven't you wooden what the little path lead to?"

I hold up my hands defensively. "Honestly, I saw three dozen too many trees and I didn't want to know what y'all were hiding." They laugh at me. "So..." I look down at the numbers by the edge of the pool and see we're standing in front of the four feet section. I clear my throat and take a step forward. "I can't swim."

I jump into the pool.

The water is warm and feels incredibly fresh, like raindrops from heaven. I'm welcomed with a million bubbles that hug my body for a moment then they ease away. It's peaceful. For a second, then Roland's next to me. He grabs my arm with an iron grip and yanks me upwards. I gasp for air as we break the surface.

"Jesus, kid, are you fucking insane?!" Roland yells at me, his booming voice echoing through the large room. "Who the hell says they can't swim then dives into the water?!"

I push my matted hair out of my face and smile up at his scowling. "Me. I just did it. And it's four feet. You're literally like two feet taller than me right now."

"That's not funny!"

"No one's laughing!" I fire back.

"Wipe that smile off your face! You could've gotten hurt."

"Fine, I'm sorry!" I slash water at him, and his scowl only deepens. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry," I say it and mean it when I realize he just jumped into a pool fully clothed to save me. "Really, I am. Thank you, Roland."

He softens a little. "If we're swimming, then I'm going to put on a bathing suit."

"Will you teach me?"