Unbreakable

Chapter 10: Scars

Chapter 10: Scars

KEENE

“Juliet, there’s no snake over there.” I say, trying to convince her.

“Can’t you just check one more time?”

“I need to get back to Kamie.” I plead.

I swam away from her and back to the rock in which I’d placed my girlfriend, but she wasn’t there. I figured she’d walked back up to the bank.

I get out of the water and return to the group, but Kamie is not amongst them.

“Is Kamie up here?” I ask them all.

“No, we thought she was with you.” Clara says.

“Last we saw she was down there.” Maria says, standing next to Jay.

We all looked at each other for a second, but then instantly started running all over the place, frantically yelling for her.

Everyone ran to the bottom of the bank and slowly waded into the lake. I didn’t have time for that. I jumped off the land and dove into the water.

I frantically searched the water, looking for her.

I was almost positive that I wouldn’t see her; but then my eyes ran across her limp body.

I pulled her up from underneath, and shook her violently.

“Kam! Kam, wake up!” Her lifeless body was flaccid in my arms.

“Please, baby, please wake up.” I beg.

She stayed there, unmoving.

“I love you! Please!” I cried.

I shook her again. When all hope was lost, she began to forcefully choke.

She gasped, then clung to me.

“I’m here.” I promised.

She hyperventilated, but I was happy; she was breathing.

I tightly held her shivering body, trying to supress her cold spasms.

She breathed quickly and looked at me. Her lips were blue. “Are you ok?” I ask.

“I… slipped.” She says, still trembling in my arms.

Everyone came over to check on her. Including Juliet, I was surprised to see this. Tears were flowing down her already wet face.

                               ____________

I carried Kamie up to her room; I figured she’d be to weak to walk. I set her down on her bed, and wrapped a few blankets around her still cold-to-the-touch body.

I was immensly greatful that I had her back.

I held her close, then I closed my eyes and thanked god that we were together.

“Kam, I know you can swim.” I say.

She droopily nods. Slowly, she lies back in the bed. I followed her and did the same.

“Why didn’t you pull yourself up?” I ask again.

She inhaled, catching her breath.

“Juliet took my necklace and threw it for me to get, and then I just figured… why not take your advice? I should just let it all go. So, I did.”

“But, why? Why do you need to ‘let it all go’?”

She takes a deep breath.

“I’m guessing I never told you about Tyler.”

“Who’s Tyler?”

“My ex-boyfriend. He…” she took a breath, and as if calming herself and said “ was abusive.”

I wasn’t expecting that. “Oh.” I say simply.

“He would hit me. Punch me, slap me. Anything he could do to hurt me, he did it.”

“Why the hell would someone do that?” I ask, trying to wrap my head around the fact that someone could do something so evil to someone so great.

“There was this one time where he came at me with a knife. He scarred me.” She says.

She lifts up her arm to reveal a long slash from her elbow to her wrist.

“See?” She says.

Gently, I trace it with my fingers.

Kamie

“My heart’s been broken, cheated, crushed, and just torn apart so many times that I can’t count.” I tell him.

“Hmm. I wonder…” He said, turning over, lying on his side.

Slowly, he slid his hand up my arm- my breathing became uneven- and placed it on my chest over top of my heart, it drummed hyperactively under his palm. I hoped that one day my heart might someday stop trying to jump out of my chest everytime he touched me.

“Seems to work okay to me.” He chuckled.

“But, just in case…” he moved his hand, and replaced it with his lips instead.

“There, it’s fixed now.” He smiled.    

“I love you.” I say. The truth in my own words made me stop. Every nerve in my body was a live wire.

“I love you more.” He says.