No Control • hs

eight

I sat on the back of the boat, still baffled about his appearance at the same lake I was spending vacation.

I shake my head, clearing my thoughts and get out of the boat. Not realizing that my feet were wet, and the dock was slippery, I slipped and fell on my stomach into the water.

I kick and flail my arms in the surprisingly cold lake water. The dock was too far away to reach because the current pulled me out farther than I anticipated. I heard a motor getting close to me. The motor stops and I feel a hand grasp my forearm and pull me up into a small boat-like vehicle. The arm wraps around my waist and swings one leg over a seat. I breathe heavily before wiping my eyes and looking forward at Harry wearing a backwards baseball cap and white swim shorts. "Are you alright?" I cough a couple of times before answering him. I admired that he had concern for others.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Anytime." He says, then gives me a smile. "Is that your place?" Harry asks.

"No, it's my friend, Lacy's."

"Where are you staying then?" He asks.

"Her and her husband are letting me stay with them there."

Harry gives me a smirk. "See that?" Harry says pointing to the house just to the right of Lacy's. "That's Liam's place and I'm staying there."

I just can't get away from him, can I?

"Who's Liam?" I ask still looking at his light-yellowish, ivory house next to Lacy's.

"Another one of my friends from England, he owns the place." Harry says, now looking into my eyes.

"I'd better get back to the house, Lacy and Jim probably don't know where I am."

"Oh, yeah. Of course." Harry says plugging in the circular key to start the jet ski. He pulls up at the very end of the dock and helps me get out.

"Thank you, a lot."

"Of course." Harry says placing his hand back on the handle of the jet ski and smiles widely at me.

***

I get out of the shower, brush my hair, and put it in a side braid. I throw on some waterproof mascara and concealer that was "long-lasting".

I walk downstairs into the living room and pull up twitter on my laptop. I scroll through feed until I get bored of it. I close my laptop and march up the stairs to get my bathing suit on after Lacy told me we were going tubing.

I slip on a patriotic bikini that has blue and stars on one boob and white and red stripes on the other. Then, I slip on the matching bottoms which are just plain white.

I slip over a graphic tee for a cover up, grab my towel, and go downstairs. Lacy is waiting for me on the swing outside of the house. She had sunglasses on and her hair in a topknot. "Ready?!" Lacy says looking up from her phone, smiling at me.

"Yes!" I say in an obnoxious high-pitched exited tone. We walk outside on their dock and see someone unfamiliar sitting in the driver set of the boat.

"Oh, Peyton... I forgot to introduce you to Liam, he's our next door neighbor."

"Hi!" I say smiling and he smiles back.

"Are you guys ready?" Liam asks.

"What do you mean you guys?" I ask, confused.

"What do you mean 'What do you mean you guys'?" I turn around and see Harry laying on the tube.

"Ah." I sigh.

"Love, stop your crying and just get in a life vest."