They Could Care Less

29: Another Life and Another Galaxy

"Thea Smith, why are you sitting there all alone?" Thea heard another familiar voice behind her. She looked back and saw Jackson standing on the very beginning of the trampoline behind her with his hands in his pockets. He had a smirk on his face until she looked back and he noticed her tears.

"Leave me alone, Jackson," Thea said with a hoarse voice. She tried not to cry. She didn't want to look weak in his eyes, but the tears never stopped.

"Here, take my hand," Jackson said and stretched his hand out towards her. Thea stood up and the trampoline bent slightly.

"Why? So you can drag me down into the pool?" Thea hissed. She wished she hadn't said that. He wasn't the reason to why Ethan suddenly acted like a jerk. He was innocent in this case. Or is he? He was the one that made us get together, a rude and dark voice said in her head.

"No, quite the opposite," Jackson grinned with his hand still floating between them

"Are you sure? Because it seems to me that you love to poke holes in my life!" Thea said and glared at him.

"I'm sorry for being a complete jerk, but please, give me your hand," Jackson said pleadingly and tried to take a careful step forward.

"No! I'm not gonna forgive you for ruining my life!" Thea barked and stomped her foot on the wet and slippery trampoline. She suddenly lost her balance and fell backwards into the cold pool. The coldness surrounded her and her lungs began to fill with water as she panicked.

She swam back up to the surface and gasped for air as she coughed uncontrollably. Jackson was hysterically laughing on land as he jumped down from the trampoline and looked at Thea from the edge. Every cell in Thea's body seemed to freeze to ice as she swam to the edge and pulled herself up.

"My phone!" was the first thing she said and pressed her hands against her hips. She realized she was wearing a dress without pockets and that her phone was in her jacket. She was relieved and closed her eyes in gratitude until the sound of Jackson laughing loudly pulled her back into the moment.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Thea got up as her body shook tremendously from the cold air and water.

Jackson finished laughing and frowned. "What? No, I didn't do that, you can't blame me. I did try to help you. But you were pissed and wearing heels, and the trampoline was wet and slippery. You can't really blame science," Jackson said with a smile that was actually a laugh he was holding down.

"T-thanks f-for trying, but sometimes trying is not enough," Thea said as the sad and dark thoughts came back. The tears threatened to spill again. Thea wanted to go home, and she planned to. But then she realized her feet were bare.

"G-Goddammit!" Thea stuttered out and wrapped her arms around her body in an attempt to warm herself up and not become a popsicle.

"What?" Jackson asked as she looked into the pool.

"That," Thea mumbled and pointed to the deep end with a shaking finger.

"Oh," Jackson let out as he stared down.

"It's tempting to push you down, you know?" Thea couldn't help but whisper.

"Always so kind," he said. He turned to her with a smile Thea saw through the corner of her eye.

"Do you have something that I can try to fish them up with?" Thea asked and looked up properly at him. He took his tuxedo jacket off and shook his head as an answer.

"What are you doing?" Thea asked as he threw her the jacket smoothly. "Warm yourself up," he said before he started to untie his shiny polished shoes.