Bad Influence - popular girl x nerd boy

6- Rome

Water pours over the short walls and crashes against the concrete path surrounding the pool, the light grey turning saturated and dark as a young boy drops backwards into the previously motionless water.

Standing above him, with her hands on her knees to keep herself upright despite the heavy laughter, is Chloe.

Chloe seems to glow as she watches the boy, smiling with a look that I've never seen her give to anyone before. The pureness of the moment is something I doubted Chloe was capable of, and the innocence of it makes me pause in my attempt to reach her. Before long she passes him a mischievous smirk and walks off, escaping their conversation by walking into the house, and getting lost again in the crowds inside.

The poor boy, still floating in the water, keeps his eyes on her receding figure as she leaves him behind, forgetting the moments they shared. My eyes, however, have trouble focussing on any one thing.

My mind starts moving, my thoughts jumping around my head more than typical linear thinking should. I know the change is spurred by my previous few drinks, an amount that I regrettably lost count of, and the world feels like it is speeding up faster than my body can adapt to. Everything around me moves in flashes, passing by as it feels like I am spinning in circles. Suddenly I am falling, landing with a cold cut through the air as I hit the water of the pool. There is a soft silence, muddled voices barely reaching my ears until I resurface from the bottom.

I realize I am alone in the pool, the boy from earlier leaving long before I even got close to the edge of the concrete. Deciding that being alone won't do, especially on a night like this, I let out a cheer to the people around me.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" I yip, splashing a group of boys that are standing nearby, watching me with hungry eyes.

Of course, with the most popular girl in school encouraging them, groups of people start following me into the water. People are jumping in, stepping down the stairs, or even just sitting on the side with their legs dropped in the liquid, and the area outside of the house has become electrified with movement and life.

I swim between groups of people, giggling in conversation and play. I accidentally start a splash war with another girl, which ends with me choking on the pool water and her wiping water out of her eyes. A boy a little older than me, smelling sharply of weed, finds a beach ball, tossing it around and playing makeshift pass with other guys.

"I missed you." Soft breaths hit my neck, accompanied by a friendly voice.

A body presses against mine, feeling warm against my cold, wet skin. His figure is familiar, sliding right behind mine like it has always been there. Like it has always belonged there.

"Oh, so now you want to talk to me," I pout, continuing this game of chase despite the urge to fall into his arms.

Tenderly, I feel his soft lips kiss my shoulder.

"I just needed time," Jason hums against my tan skin. "You are the one I love."

"I know." I giggle, turning around to him. I pull him closer into a hug, letting him caress me and hold me the way he used to.

I understand this vicious cycle of love seems absurd, where I allow him to misuse my trust and then come walking back into my life. Most people at school laugh when they hear I got back together with Jason, calling me stupid behind my back to make them feel better about themselves. My friends, especially, can't comprehend why I let this happen. I am so confident in every aspect of my life that it's insane to them that I won't leave Jason or start a new relationship with anyone else.