Unchanging [h.s. au]

seventeen

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. . .

Marco!" Niall shouted with his eyes closed from where he was in the pool.

"Polo!" the chorus of all our voices replied.

I quickly dove underwater and found a new hiding area before Niall got to me. I surfaced and saw Harry on the other side of the pool. Niall swam ultra close to where he was floating, but didn't stop to tag Harry, which caused him to mischievously wiggled his eyebrows at me. I covered my mouth to prevent myself from laughing out loud.

Frustrated, Niall shouted. "I don't know where all you buggers are! Marco!"

"Polo!"

Niall swam closer in my direction and I had to stop moving so he wouldn't hear me splashing.

"Marco!"

"Polo!"

He was an arms length away and I found myself cornered at the edge of the pool. I couldn't swim out of his reach unless I went underneath.

"Marco!"

Niall already was swimming towards me, knowing I was there.

"Polo," I said as softly as possible.

He swam in a frenzy in my direction and I got ready to take a breath and dive underneath him. I mistimed his approach and suddenly he was next to me. I frantically fluttered my feet to move away from him but forgot how close the wall was. Niall reached out to touch me and ended up pushing me against the wall of the pool, my body slamming against the cement.

Niall's eyes opened in alarm and he had an upset look on his face. "Clara, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

There was pain in my head again and my body felt limp.

"Clara!" Harry shouted from across the pool and immediately swam towards me. Niall tried to give me a hand, but Harry swooped in and lifted me from the water to the edge of the pool. Harry hopped on the edge next to me, with his feet dangling in the water. I felt fatigued and leaned against him to support myself while Harry wrapped an arm around my shoulders to steady me. Unable to hold my head up, I laid my head against his shoulder and felt his warm breath on my face.

"Are you okay? Did you hit your head again?" he said in a hurry.

"No, Harry, no. I'm okay, I think that small hit just took all my energy away."

"Niall, what were you thinking? She just had a concussion!"

Niall put his hands up. "I'm sorry, mate, I really am. I didn't know she was right by the wall."

"Harry, he didn't mean to," I faintly assured him.

Harry ignored me. "I think we should just take you home."

"But-"

"Clara, don't argue with me!" Harry raised his voice.

This was the first time I had really seen him angry. It was actually a little bit frightening. The Harry I knew had always been so patient and gentle. I began to pull away from him in fear.

Harry noticed my uneasiness. "Hey," his voice was soft. "I'm sorry, I-it's-I'm just worried." He now seemed more angry with himself. "I won't yell anymore, but I really do think you should go home."

I stared at him confusedly, disoriented by his sudden change in behavior. His green eyes bore into mine and I could see the concern. I did find it comforting that Harry cared so much about my well being, but I was annoyed that he didn't think I could make my own decisions. I was having fun at the pool until this happened.