starfish ✴︎ - clarisse la rue

ten. hey siri, play the grudge by olivia rodrigo

  𝑹𝑶𝑹𝒀 𝑯𝑨𝑫 𝑩𝑼𝑩𝑩𝑳𝑬𝑺 𝑰𝑵 𝑯𝑬𝑹 brain. Her vision blurred with chlorine stinging her brown orbs, seeing a pair of pale legs standing at the floor and a shorter pair floating. The nine year old pushed her legs, splashing an older woman as she swam to the two pair of legs.

Rory swam up, the air hitting her lungs as she emerged from the water, taking in deep breaths as she pushed her blonde sap of hair out of her face.

"Hey there Moon." Sally Jackson greeted, looking at her daughter as she smiled back at her, her smile showing her two front teeth missing.

"Hi mommy." Rory said, then the same woman she had splashed came up.

"Tell your daughter to control her splashing. She just splashed me and my grand baby with water." The woman said, her hand holding onto a floating baby that seemed to have no interest in what was happening.

"Sorry ma'am. Moon, tell this rather 'nice' woman you're sorry." Sally said, winking at her daughter.

Rory giggled, then looked at the woman, the older latter looking at her as if she was waiting for the apology. "I'm sorry ma'am. I just learned to swim so I didn't know my splashing would get you and your precious little grand baby."

"Well, whatever. Come on Chrissy, let's go to the corner where no one will splash us." The woman said, turning around and dragging the floating baby.

Both Sally and Rory looked at each other, both slowly swimming up to the woman and splashed her, the woman letting out a gasp as the baby started laughing uncontrollably.

The lady looked at the mother and daughter, her face practically red. "How dare you!"

"Sorry, I think we need to control our splashing, right Moon?" Sally said, a fake apologetic look on her face as she looked at her daughter.

"Yeah, mom. We really need to control our splashing." Rory said, giggling.

The woman just made a noise of frustration, the baby still laughing hysterically as she swam away, both Sally and Rory giggling to themselves.

The only reason why the Jackson family was at the local pool was because Sally had signed up Percy and Rory for swimming lessons, Rory being the more compatible one as she basically started swimming herself and Percy having difficulty.

Both girls swam back to the boy that was clinging to the edge, Sally taking the boy by the armpits after helping Rory sit down at the edge, her feet dipping into the water.

The lifeguard coach blew the whistle, everyone else swimming backwards with their kids besides Percy and Sally.

"Ready?" Sally urged the small boy, trying to pull him away from the edge.

"You have to let go, Percy." Sally said, the blonde boy shaking his head.

"I can't." He said, gripping onto the ledge.

"Yep. You really can. You just have to try. Be like Moon. Fearless. You always say you wanna be like her, now's your shot." Sally tried to reason but the boy still wouldn't let go.

"I did try." He argued back.

"No, you didn't. We have been in the same position for fifteen minutes. Even when I helped Moon, you didn't budge. Please. Come on. Just do it once with me." Sally pleaded, trying to tear Percy away from the ledge.