scandals [czk]

t h i r t e e n

"i know you don't wanna get pneumonia again. everyone wouldn't care anyways. don't make it a big deal." diana looks into my eyes. as she said that, i notice i shouldn't make it a big deal. i take off the robe and set it in the sun, so it would hopefully dry as we get out.

"yayay, she's no longer gonna be a cat." zion claps, as the others giggle to the joke.

i get into the water quickly, before anyone had the chance to get a glimpse. i stop shivering once my body gets used to the temperature. but i just stand in that one spot, with only the top half of my face exposed to the surface. a few minutes after everyone was laughing at the way i was, they parted ways. the only person that stayed with me was zion.

"you're so boring," he points out. "you're literally under the shade, under the water."

"i don't swim. and i don't wanna get a tan or sunburnt. i already have one of the worst tans in the world," i raise my head to speak

"what do you mean you don't swim?" he asked, like as if i said something stupid

"i don't know how to swim, and i don't want to swim. if i was ever in a situation where i was about to drown, id actually just drown." i point out.

"what was with that talk earlier?" he asked

"the one with diana? its just something. dont worry about it." i tell.

___

4 months ago

diana came to visit back home and take some of my things. but it was the time i also went through some other problems. personally.

"how many did you take?" diana asked, as she pulled my hair up.

"not much for you to worry about," i wipe my mouth, and get toothpaste before brushing my teeth

"this isn't healthy," diana tears up a bit.

"why are you crying?" i mumbled.

"this isnt you. this isn't the liliana i remember. this isn't the lily that always gave me hope and inspiration. the one that always stop me from doing this myself." she cried. "you used to always be so confident. and you should be, with your rockin bod before. don't do that to yourself. it will ony make things worse."

"stop, youre making me cry." i say, once i finished brushing my teeth. diana is the only one that knew what i was doing.

"you're perfect, and thats all that matters," diana clears her throat. "who cares if mikey can't appreciate what he had. he lost his chance."

"but it hurts," i whimper, as i drop down to the bathroom floor.

___

i couldn't be too dramatic about my problem, so i wait in the water. but i suppose the site of my face couldn't be stood by zion. he just ended up dragging me and swimming to deeper ends, which left me with some anxiety. once everyone headed out, i rushed out. the robe wasn't even near dry. i couldn't even get a towel at the clean towels since i didn't have my card.

"here," zion said as he handed me a clean dry towel that was warm from sitting under the sun

"thanks," i smiled.

we headed back up to the rooms. since it was already 5, they no longer ate. the rehearsal dinner was at 7, so we basically had no time.

usually, i'd be free to get ready without worrying about looks. but i didn't have a roomie that was a girl, or a gay guy. it was a straight dude.

"i'm gonna get in first," i point out, as i headed toward the bathroom, and grab my dress for the night, and everything.

"okay," he scoffed. "there's another bathroom in the back."

"oh." i walk into the bathroom.

it was already a tough day. nothing went my way, so my only peace and quiet was my only escape. as the warm water loosens up the tension in my body, i let all the worries away. until i hear loud rap music playing out my door, with someone jamming to it. obviously, i'm bothered by now.

"excuse me," i yell in annoyance. "i'm trying to shower here. geese."

i walk back into the bathroom and finish up. as i dry up, i put a touch of makeup. i got the hair dryer and dried my hair. and damn it.

"can you please shut up?!" i scream, once the music got louder

"hurry up then!" zion yells back. "you've been in there for like 2 hours! the others already left!"

"just wait, i'm almost finished," i said. "just go."

after slipping on the satin dress diana lend me, i adjust it to make it feel less uncomfortable. after that, i walk out of the bathroom, and look for my clutch bag, and stuff my phone, card, and some lip gloss. since i wasn't prepared for the occasion, i slipped on my white sneakers to somehow make it work.

"you forgot something." i hear from behind

"i thought you left," i reply, when i see zion standing there

"well, it's kind of cold there. i think you're gonna need this," he says, as he picks up my coat that was packed in my luggage.

"something feels off." i examine his choice of clothing. he wore a hoodie, with a denim jacket to layer it. along with that, some designer sneakers. in my senses, i cringed. this was his majority outfit choice when i first met him. "this is a wedding rehearsal dinner. if you weren't listening to that loud music of yours, you could've listen to your fashion choice."

"well, what do you want me to wear?" he crossed his arms

"do you mind if i looked through your clothes?" i asked. he smirked, and nodded. as i look through his duffle, all i saw was some jeans, hoodies, shirts, and some other stuff i didn't wish to see. but perfectly, i found some white jeans and a button up long sleeve.
"put this on. and change those ridiculous shoes. we have the same shoes. let's go plan job."

after a while, he got changed, and i handed him his shoes.

"damn. i look nice." he looks at himself in the mirror.

"okay, i guess we can go." i headed out the door.