Shocker Rising

Chapter 7 (V-Arc): Love at First Sight

Later that night, Adriana and Hailey pulled up to Diamond's house. It was a sprawling estate containing a large, two-story house and an expansive front yard and backyard. Most of the festivities, however, were in the backyard. Various people from Hailey, Jaden, and Adriana's school were hanging out, laughing, sharing drinks, trading stories, and lounging around the big pool that seemed to act as the backyard's centerpiece. In addition, background music played via a set of nearby speakers. 

Soon, the two girls ran into Jaden and Diamond after grabbing some drinks and doing a little bit of exploring. "Hey, guys!" Jaden greeted cheerfully. "Glad to see you could both make it!" 

"Oh, I definitely wouldn't want to miss this....." Adriana replied. 

"Yeah, me neither!" Hailey added. "Happy birthday, Diamond! How's college going, by the way?" 

"It's actually going surprisingly well, which I didn't think it would. So that's something," Diamond responded with a chuckle. "So far, my grades have been pretty good, so more or less everything is currently getting paid for me, and not by me." 

"Sweet!" Adriana said, taking a sip. "Any idea what you want to do?" 

Diamond shrugged. "Practicing medicine seems pretty tempting at the moment. I've heard it's both extremely expensive and a lot of work, however." She gestured jokingly to the three younger girls. "You guys still have a lot of time to figure your paths out. Consider yourselves lucky," she remarked. 

Just then, Jaden spotted a shirtless man with swim trunks standing on the roof of the nearby shed. "Umm....hey, guys? You're seeing him too, right? Was he always there?" she asked, pointing to the person in question. 

"Oh, crud.....I think he's going to jump!" Diamond exclaimed in alarm. 

"What?!" Hailey cried. 

"No, dude, don't do it! You have so much to live for!" Adriana called to him. 

Soon, everyone had gotten wind of the mysterious jumper, and they all began trying to talk him down as well. But despite their pleas, he ended up jumping anyway.....

.....and doing an incredibly smooth forward flip before flawlessly diving into the pool, much to everyone's applause. 

"Oh, umm....." Jaden muttered, embarrassed. 

"Yeah, I, uhhh....I did not see the pool right there," Diamond added. Adriana shrugged. "Meh. I legitimately thought he wanted to end it all," she said casually, while the others looked at her with shocked expressions on their faces. 

After a few seconds, the man exited out of the pool, with the water dripping down his body. 

As soon as Hailey looked over, she couldn't take her eyes off of him, and ended up dropping her glass on the floor. His strong, built bod, his chiseled features, and his confident, charismatic personality were all on full display as he interacted with the other party guests. 

Soon, he began walking towards her with a friendly smile on his face, while Jaden, Adriana, and Diamond gave the two of them some room. "Hey," the man greeted happily. 

"Umm....hi...." Hailey muttered nervously. 

"You're, uhhh....you're standing on my shirt," the man commented, pointing downward. 

"Oh! I'm so sorry," she said in a panicked tone as she hastily moved aside. The man picked up his top and used the towel underneath it to dry himself off. 

"My name's Derek," the man said, bowing courteously. "You are.....?" 

Hailey was so enamored by Derek's presence that Jaden had to elbow her as a reminder to give an answer. "I'm Hailey!" she replied.