Incongruence (On hold)

chapter 11

Keegan's P.O.V

Chapter 11 

I don't understand how she can just dive in to the water right now. It's freezing. Imagine being stuck in a glass of water with ice floating in it, and then being hit with a blast of liquid nitrogen, in the windy planes of Antarctica, while chewing peppermint gum. My toes are numb, and I can feel the ice like water lapping against my body, pressuring me to sway along with the waves going in the direction I really want to go towards. Back to shore. I'm in shock that she's just diving in and splashing around without turning to a block of ice and sinking to the bottom right before my eyes. It's not like she has a lot of body fat to keep her warm, there's barely enough to keep her alive. When she surfaced close by I could see her skin turning a sickening shade of purple and her lips are blue. Yet she refuses to get out of the water. She's been in for almost 30 minutes and it's seriously worrying me. I don't want her to catch hypothermia, or shiver to death on my watch. The whole point is that I'm trying to protect her, not let her die a saltwater death. I don't even know what house she lives in, how would I tell her parents? Just go knocking on every door along the beach till someone answers? That would be a really awkward conversation, especially because I've never even met her parents. I'm guessing that wouldn't make a very good first impression. 

Most of the guys are already back in the house getting fresh clothes and warm towels. Leaving me and Nick to drag the freezing fish princess out of the water. She keeps going under and disappearing just long enough for me to start panicking, then coming up far from where she went under in the first place. 

“Can you please just get out of the water?” Nick practically begs. 

“Fine. Only if you promise we can go swimming tomorrow.” Without hesitation both of us answer.

“Yes!” She dives back under and we start scanning the water for where she's going to pop up. I feel something move my my side and turn around just in time to see her emerge from beneath us. She starts towards the shore and we follow. She grabs her stuff and runs up the beach. 

Kelly loved to swim. She used to go swimming all the time. She would always make me drive her to the beach at random hours of the night because she just had to get in the water. I would pull my truck onto the beach and sit in the back watching her swim back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until the sun came up. Then she would get out of the water and would join me in the truck bed wrapped in a towel and we would watch the sun come up. Sometimes we would bring some fruit or candy if we had any. My parent usually freaked out. But since it was Kelly they had no choice. They loved her just as much as I did. They were just glad I was with her and she wasn't going alone, at least I would let them know where we went. 

The cold finally catches up to Ambree, she's sitting on the couch wrapped in three different towels shivering. I can hear her teeth chattering together, her skin is almost as blue as her lips and her lips are even more blue than before. 

“You need to get out of those wet clothes.” Carlos offers her some dry clothes. She stands up slowly and takes them, still wrapped tightly in her towels and walks to the bathroom. 

“Maybe she should take a warm shower?” Tony suggest. 

“That's a good idea.” I walk to the bathroom door and knock lightly. 

“Yeah?” she replies in a shakey voice. 

“Why don't you take a shower to help you warm up, I really don't want you to get sick.” She doesn't say anything at first. 

“Okay,” Then I hear the water start. 

Later she comes out looking 20 times better; her skin looks warm and healthy, she isn't shivering uncontrollably anymore and she's dressed in dry clothes. The sweatpants are way too big and so is the gray shirt she's wearing. Her hair is wrapped up in a towel on top of her head. It amazes how girls do that. I don't understand how it stays in place.