The Lifeguard Hates You (Completed)

June Chapter 24

It's happening.

The plan I mean.

I was going to start when we were on our breakfast break but I'm in luck today, no one has shown up for the six in the morning swim. It's a freak accident but it leaves us goofing around, we've automatically defaulted to our favourite pass time. We're teasing Jay.

Of course, Jay hates it when we tease him, or at least he says he does. He gets all upset with us, argues with us, but he always has the barest hint of a smile when we're ganging up on him. Secretly I think it's the only time the guy ever has any fun. It's all leading up to this moment though.

Rory has been trying to find a ticklish spot on Jay, it's done nothing but make him angry, but he's distracted. He's trying to keep her hands away from him, and he's devoted his entire attention to her. This means he hasn't noticed that I've walked away.

When I'm sure he's not looking, I charge at him, try tackling him, I put all my weight and force into it. Jay was distracted so he almost falls over but regains his balance and suddenly it's not all fun and games anymore.

He lets go of his grip on Rory and turns on me.

"I swear to god if you try pushing me one more time you're going in the water!" he thunders.

That's usually the warning that stops us, but Jay was distracted so she had back up to try pushing him too. Which meant by the time he got the warning out, she was already running.

She shoves him with all her might, but Jay's just angry now. With a lightning speed we've come to expect he turns around and grabs her wrists. He's turned and thrown her before she can even yelp. Rory lands with a loud crash in the middle of the shallow end, on her feet, fully clothed.

She comes sputtering out of the water. "JAY!" she screams while he's laughing. "That really hurt!"

Jay's smile fades and his laughter dies on his lips. "What do you mean it hurts?" he questions.

"I dunno, I landed funny!" she says with a sniff. She's walking towards the wall and Jay has bent over to talk to her. "I didn't mean to land on my feet but it went so fast!"

See this is all part of the plan. This is how most of our arguments go. Rory almost always ends up in the water for some reason or another. And my plan hinged on her complacent agreement with my plan, and us annoying Jay enough for him to throw her. I know Rory's fine, but Jay doesn't.

All I needed was for him to be on his knees, and I've got it. I've backed up, gearing up to charge again, just as Jay has reached a hand out.

He's not paying attention to me at all. His focus is, once again, fully on Rory as he asks: "Where does it hurt Rory?"

She stops walking towards him, she's smiling a little to widely for someone who's supposed to be injured and I start running. When I body-check Jay he's not expecting it so this time instead of staying firmly planted on the deck he tumbles head first into the water. I've screamed: "REVENGED!" on the top of my lungs as I watch him fall and it belatedly occurs to me that Rory might be in the way. Rory was smart enough to have dove to the side to avoid him but when Jay resurfaces there's a look of utter calmness on his face instead of the anger we're looking for.

Rory and I are laughing until we see that face. It's the face he makes right before he goes crazy and starts trying to drown someone. His eyes settle on Rory whose face falls. "What? Me? But she's the one who pushed you in!" she cries.

Jay only says: "Take a breath!" and then he's swimming his impossibly fast crawl towards Rory who's shrieking and trying desperately to clamour out onto the side.

"Candy don't leave me!" she cries as Jay hooks an arm around her waist but I'm already heading for the doorway. My plan is to sit at the reception desk where I can't hear her screaming for me, even though I know I will because Rory's about as loud as a foghorn.

"Take a breath!" I hear Jay repeat and then all I hear is gurgling. I walk faster telling myself that Jay wouldn't actually drown her, and even if he does, he's Super Guard so he can resuscitate her no problem.