𝐈𝐅 𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐖 ✰ bryson | + jenzie & cayden

×six×

brynn's pov

Monday comes, and I'm back to plain ol' Bry: thick glasses, and hair that covers my face. I lower my head and walk down the hallway, not really listening to all the conversations circulating through the halls.

"Hey, Bry?"

I look up, and almost crash into Ben. The dude who Gabby told me likes me. "Oh, hi," I say shyly.

"Um..." He looks at the cracks in the hallway tile, trying to find his words. "So...I work at the AMC on Pulaski, and I got 2 free tickets to see any movie. Wanna come?"

Yup, I totally just got invited on my first date. I stare at him for a second, trying to sort out my thoughts. "Uhh...When would we go?" I stumble with my words, and then spit out, "But, uh, thanks for inviting me."

Ben smiles, a nice smile. "I think the tickets are for 6:30 tomorrow."

I've got a dance rehearsal to prepare for TDA (The Dance Awards) in Orlando tomorrow at that time. "Oh. Um, I think I have...homework...I mean, I will...like for the Chem test...ya know...?" Great, I don't even have to act nerdy and awkward. I just am.

"Are you sure?" Ben searches my face, and then says with a wink, "I'm sure you'll pass regardless of if you study or not. You're smart."

I blush. "Thanks, I really appreciate you thinking of me." Blushing harder, I add, "You're a sweet guy. But really, I don't think my mom would approve. You know, tiger moms..."

"Oh. Yeah. Well, when I get tickets next time, I'll be sure to ask you."

I smile with relief. "Yeah. Do that. Thanks again."

"Uh-huh." Ben winks at me, and then turns around and walks off.

×××

Swimming is for PE today. I'm not looking forward to it. I pull on the ugly, uncomfortable uniform gym swimsuit and toss my clothes into my locker. Other girls in the locker room do the same. Then I pull off my glasses reluctantly and pull my hair into a ponytail. Keeping my head down, I head towards the pool door.

I'm stopped rudely before I get there. Ben's sister, Alisster, the queen bee of drama, stands there, with some of her other stingers behind her. Uh oh.

"Hi!" I say, facetiously bright.

"Hi, she says," Alisster turns around to her girl gang and one of them laughs, the most disgusting sound I've ever heard. "Who does she think she is?"

I raise my eyebrows at her, confused. "What's up?"

"You think you're too good for my brother? You think you can just dump him like that?"

Excuse me? Great, I'm in big trouble now. "I didn't dump him..."

"O-H! You're just too busy being a good schoolgirl, and making sure your mommy doesn't get upset."

My face burns, and I want to slap her right then and there, but I can't. I shoot her the most ferocious glare I can muster and push past her. For once, she lets me go.

Luckily for me, I'm a dancer, so swimming a couple laps is easy. I get done with my quickly, and then just hang around, waiting for the period to be over. I duck down into the pool, and touch the bottom. Surfacing just as my air reserve runs out, I breathe deeply and glance around. I notice Carson and Hayden just finishing their laps, and Alisster and her bees are finished with theirs, so they're just hanging around too.

I submerge back into the water, and sit on the bottom. It's funny, seeing just torsos, kicking around in the murky blue-ness. Right when I feel myself getting tired of holding my breath, I push off the bottom and kick to the surface. Before I can rise up, though, I feel pressure on my shoulders, preventing me from popping up out of the water.

I try to move, so I can get out from under this person, but the hands stay on my shoulders. Now I feel my lungs about to explode. Thrashing around, I can't hit the arms off of me. As a natural reaction, my body tries to suck in air, and only succeeds in swallowing water. I kick harder, but I can feel myself losing consciousness.

Faintly, I can hear laughing. Alisster. It must be. I can't scream, I can't breathe, and I can barely move anymore. I hear a yell, a distorted sound under the water and through the sound of me trying to move.

Through my murky perception, I feel hands going under my arms, and suddenly, there's light...and air. The hands lift me out of the pool, and onto the the slimy tile around the pool. Coughing violently, my head pounds, and water spews out of my lungs.

"What the he** is wrong with you guys? I'm turning you in. Get a life."

I hear a couple of exclamations of protest, but the sound of people getting out of the pool and feet receding tell me they left. I cough some more. My lungs burn, and I almost collapse onto the tile.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Groggily, I turn my head. It was Carson. He looks at me, extremely concerned.

"I can take you to the school nurse. Then I have to go to the principal's office. Those girls are sick. I'm so sorry." He shakes his head angrily, and then looks back at me. "Are you okay?" He asks again, and kneels next to me.

"I'm okay." I finally force out, chest heaving. "Thanks. A lot. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead right now."

"No problem." He helps me up, and our PE teacher comes over, looking concerned. Faintly, amid the throbbing of my head, I hear Carson assure him he'll take me to the school nurse.

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