The Lifeguard Hates You (Completed)

August Chapter 27

My god this was a mess.

There were no words to describe how much she didn't want to leave Earth and Body at the end of this month on such bad terms with everyone, except Shawn.

Seriously the fact that everyone was mad at me except Shawn who was the most temperamental of the bunch, still shocks me.

Whenever I thought about heading back to Toronto to take up my old life, I always figured that it was be Candy and Shawn who were angry with me for leaving. Only because I mostly took their shifts.

It never occurred to me that it would be Jay that cared, and that Candy would be angry because I was actually leaving. To be honest I didn't think she liked me that much, but apparently I was wrong.

After Candy abandoned me, I walked off the path and made my own path through the woods. Trailblazing as Riley used to call it.

We used to do it all the time when we went up to the cottage. Though, Riley always knew how to get us back to the cottage and back on the trail. I was always helpless with directions but I suppose by that point I just didn't care.

I walked further and further in a downward trajectory until I could see the very peaks of the blue roofs that made up Earth and Body's main building.

It calms me to see them, if only because Earth and Body has been my refuge for so long. My safe place.

Except it wasn't safe anymore.

I had effectively ruined it.

Nothing was the same. Not just because of all the changes but because everyone knew the truth.

Now that they all knew who I was, who I really was, everything was different. All the deep dark shameful secrets and the other life I had left behind had them all looking at me in a different light, like I was pathetic. The fact that I had lied to them for so long, hidden the truth from them, they didn't seem to trust me anymore. Which I guess was far.

Management was changing and so would the full time staff now that I was going back to Toronto come September. They were going to have to hire a new full-time guard to replace me, which meant a whole new team dynamic.

This was the price to pay for change. For going back and tying up all those loose ends I had been ignoring for all those years.

This was the price I was paying for losing my way in my grief.

I sighed as I stared out at the view I had loved for so long, this place I had called home. I was going to miss this. I'd miss working there. I'd miss the horribly entitled patrons and the long boring hours.

I'd miss my friends.

I'd miss the me I was when I was here.

But there was no avoiding that now.

And there was no avoiding that I'd have to go back to the camp at some point. Couldn't stay out here forever, now could I?

My plan is to follow the trail I made to get this far. I've had to bent grass in some small way. I mean, it couldn't be that hard to figure out where I had started off, right? I also had my phone, worse comes to worse I find a signal and call someone.

Though if I called my Uncle Coog for another favour and he had to drive up here a third time to find my lost ass, he might loose his shit on me. Don't get me wrong, he loves me, but even my Uncle Coog had his limit.

But the second I turn I find myself frozen.

It was a mountain lion, in all it's glory. I could barely make it out in the browning dry grass on the crest, but it was there. It had to be the size of my bike all cream colours and rippling muscle.

It was just standing, slightly above me, it hadn't seemed to see me yet but I knew it would. I slowly began to back away. A plan in my mind.

I waited for it to turn in the opposite direction and then I took off. Sprinting down the hillside towards Earth and Body.

Praying that thing wasn't chasing me.

But I wasn't lucky.

I heard it crashing through the bushes after me, the hairs on the back of my neck raising up in apprehension. I hit the ground, not be cause I fell but because I swore I could feel it's breath on my back.

I narrowly missed its pounce. I flew right over me, clearly not expecting me to duck at that very moment.

I got up as it was right itself and continued to run, knowing if I could just get onto Earth and Body's property I'd be saved.

That many people might scare it off and if not then I could make it into a main building and at the very least be safe.

I continue to run, horribly out of breath and hating that my legs were burning. I forced myself through it though, life or death and all of that. All those stories about adrenaline taking over are true, because I'm pretty sure that's the only reason I've last this long. I honestly thought I'd be dead by now.

But I kept missing its pounces, weaving to avoid its lunges and swipes. I couldn't out run it forever though and both me and this mountain lion knew that.

Luckily I hit that Earth and Body perimeter fence and managed to scale it effortlessly.

Adrenaline for the win!

I hit the ground and collapsed figuring myself safe, but I was wrong.

If I thought I had it easy scaling that fence the mountain lion had it easier. In fact it practically climbed it like a tree.

Damn, we really need barbed wire.

I took off again before it even reached the top, heading for the main building. God if I could only get inside, I'd be set. But my legs were faltering, and my lungs were burning and that stupid mountain lion was gaining fast.

I could hear screams, which meant patrons had to be seeing this mountain lion too, but no one came to help me.

Of course, because why would they?

I get to the outdoor pool, throw the gate open and head for the door that will let me into the pavilion. Except it's locked.

Why the fuck is it locked?

We were open. The pool was open. Why was the door fucking locked?

I turn and run again just as the mountain lion slides into area. It hasn't bothered to round the pool to where I am. It apparently senses that I'm heading for our first aid shack so it's attempting to beat me there.

I get through that little doorway, managed to slam that door shut just as the cougar pounces.

That little flimsy lock is not going to hold that thing back long. It barely kept pool hoppers out of the shack, it's why we didn't store anything important in here.

But the whole wall shakes as the mountain lion struggles with the door.

And that's just when something collides with my head.