Page 20 of A Little Bit Reckless

“I’m… I’m fine. I…” It was still hard to breathe, my mouth still warm from his, tingling. I fought touching it. “I wasn’t drowning. I was just…”

I didn’t know what I’d been doing underwater. I just knew I didn’t like seeing him with that girl, and I was shutting off my system to all of it. Like being in one of those salt tanks where you couldn’t hear anything or feel anything.

“Youweren’tdrowning.” His blond hair dripped water droplets on me. He dyed his hair, but I always liked it brown. He forced all that electric blond back. “Why would you do that? Why would you?—”

Another scream came and splashing. It wasn’t Jasmine or Leigh who were beside me with red faces and dropped jaws. They’d watched the whole thing, as well as what seemed like everyone at the pool. There was a healthy crowd around Wells and me, and no one was watching the other side of the pool.

Because if we had…

The screaming, the flailing ceased when a girl disappeared beneath the water. It was the girl Wells had been talking to, and, without another thought, he left me. He ran, diving back into the pool, and people around me started to scream.

“Oh my God, she’s drowning!”

“Oh my God…”

“Wells, get her!”

People were freaking out, panicking, and it was like I was watching it from a bird’s-eye view. I’d left my body. Ifrozewhen people left me and went to the other side of the pool. When they watched Wells drag a limp girl’s body out of the water…

When they watched him try to resuscitate her….

A similar crowd formed but this time around Wells and the girl. I was there too. Though, I didn’t remember how I got there. I just knew I was standing there, wet and helpless, as I watched my older brother’s best friend legitimately try to save a girl’s life. She lay there unmoving on the concrete just like I’d been. I didn’t know how long I watched Wells try to breathe life into her. I didn’t think any of us did.

But I think we all knew when he ultimately stopped.

CHAPTER

EIGHT

Wells - the present

Me:Consider our deal officially off, Squeak.

Me:I’ve decided I’m making other arrangements for a tutor.

Me:I think you know why.

Me:Also, don’t ever try to blackmail me again.

Me:You’ll severely regret it if you do.

My thumb hovered over my last text to Bow.

I deleted it.

I didn’t know why. That shit would have been more than fucking valid. I waited over an hour in the quad for her to show up for our tutoring session, and she didn’t.

Still waiting there now, I gazed around, my hands in my hoodie’s pocket. It was warmer today in Queenstown Village, but it was still colder than shit. Others were out on the quad studying in jackets despite that, and I would have spotted Thatch’s little sister anywhere on the quad. She was tiny, stood out.

Needing to get high, I decided to text Thatcher to see if he wanted to go to a party tonight. He probably wouldn’t get high himself. Thatcher and his hard partying days were pretty muchover since he got a girlfriend. A part of me was happy about that though. He used to party harder than me before he met Aspen.

Thatcher:Can’t. I have to study, and I’m video chatting with Aspen after.

Thatcher had gotten way more responsible since he found his girl. No one deserved what he had with Aspen more than him. Thatcher had a pretty rough go of it before she came around. She completed him, made him happy, and I loved that for him.

Thatcher:You should see if some of the other guys want to go though.

I probably wouldn’t. Ares and Dorian rarely came out since they found their own girls. That left Bru, and that shit wasn’t happening.