Broken Ice {w.b.}

Chapter 13

"Wow," I said to Jamie as we watched IM5, along with some more of their friends, chase and try to throw each other into the pool. Gavin had already been thrown in, but he climbed out and was now running after Dana. 

"I know. There are about nine guys here without their shirts off... It's like we're in heaven." She was right, the nine guys all had amazingly good looking abs, and tanned skin. Well, except for Gavin, who had pale skin, but he still looked hot. Two of the boys had an eight pack, while the others had six packs, and they all had decent sized biceps. 

I think we are in heaven.

Across the pool, Cassidy and Madison were sitting by the pool, their feet in the water, talking to two other girls. "If you were wondering," Jamie said, following my gaze to the four girls, "the girl next to Cassidy is Alex, she's Gabe's girlfriend. And the girl next to Alex is Caroline, she's Will's cousin."

"Cousin?" I repeated. Just as I said that, Will snuck up behind Caroline and pushed her into the pool. When she resurfaced, she threatened revenge on him as he ran away laughing. 

"Yup! Hey, do you wanna swim?" I smiled uneasily and looked at the pool that was about five feet from us. The pool was six feet, more or less, on one side and the other was three feet. It was a pretty cool pool, I have to admit. To the left of it, on the deep end, was a brown stone wall that was about a foot or two high, with water coming out of the top of it and falling down like a waterfall.

The waterfall covered the corner of the pool, furthest from back door and patio. Also, there was a slide next to it, and a diving board on the side we were sitting on. Like I said, it was a pretty cool pool. 

"Um... How about you go, and I stay here in the sun for a while?" I suggested. She gave me a doubtful look. 

"It's, like, 90 degrees out here, and you don't want to go swimming?" I shrugged. "Well... Okay. I'm not going to make you, but if you change your mind you know where to find me." I gave her a smile as I watched her stand up and straighten her towel, which was laying over the back of the chair. 

Then, she walked towards the pool, jumping in before one of the boys could throw her in. I sighed and leaned back against the chair, closing my eyes and taking in the warmth of the sun. 

About five minutes later, I felt a shadow towering over me. Opening my eyes, I saw Will looking down at me with a curious look on his face. I giggled. "Can I help you?" He sat down next to me and looked form me to the pool, then back at me. 

"Don't you want to swim?" I nervously sat up. 

"Um, well, you see...." He made a motion with his hand, urging me to continue. I sighed in defeat and said in a low voice, "I can't swim."

He failed at hiding the shock on his face, which is exactly what I was expecting him to do. But, he shook his head and his expression changed to a soft one. "Have you ever been in water?" I crossed my arms over my chest and watched Dana get thrown into the pool by a kid that looked about his age.

"No," I admitted quietly. Before I knew it, I was being lifted off the chair. Will held me bridal style, with one of his arms under my thighs, and his other arm wrapped around my waist. I stared at the pool with wide eyes as I realized he was carrying me towards it. "Will, what are you doing?"

"Helping you face your fear," he explained. My heart started to pound. Was he going to throw me in? Right after I told him I couldn't swim?! I looked up at him to see if he was serious.

He was.

I could feel my breathing start to pick up with every step he took towards the pool. Will seemed to notice my nerves that had just kicked in, because he promised, "I won't let anything happen to you."

I noticed Jamie and Gavin were watching Will with confused expressions, as was everyone else. They must've noticed my worried facial expression. We were now about two feet away from the pool, and I began to try to get out of Will's arms. "Put me down," I begged, looking from the water to Will. 

I believe he can keep his promise, I really do, but it's just the fact that I have never, ever stepped foot in water because if I did that back home I would get hypothermia. "Put me down!" I yelled, my heart beat now racing and pounding in my chest. 

Now, we were one foot away. "Just relax, nothing will happen," he said in a low, comforting voice. I have to admit, that calmed me down a little. But not for long, because before I knew it, Will's arms were gone and I was about a foot above the water. 

"Will!" I screamed in fright as I fell through the crystal blue water and sank directly to the bottom. The second my waist was through the water, I took a big breath of air and closed my eyes. 

The water felt.... Strange. I sat at the bottom of the pool for a few seconds, and tried to focus on what the cool water actually felt like. It felt as if I wasn't even in water, as if I wasn't even wet. Millions of small bubbles surrounded my body as I sunk to the body of the water, and I resisted the urge to giggle. It felt as if small beads were running across my body all at once. 

A loud noise caused me to gasp, which caused water to enter my mouth. My eyes shot open, and I saw a blurry figure swim towards me. Next thing I know, I'm above the surface again, gasping for air. Will carried me over to the side, where I began to cough violently. 

Lisa and Jamie rushed to my side immediately. I put my hands on the side of the pool and choked on the water I had inhaled while I was under. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Will's guilty expression. "Jaz, I am so sorry," he said quickly. 

I took a few deep breaths and made sure I was okay, then turned to look at Will. A smile broke onto my face and I took a step towards him, pulling him into a hug. He was shocked at first, I think, but then I felt him hug me back. "Thank you," I whispered in his ear, "for helping me face my fear."

"Anything for you," he replied. I pulled away and laughed a little. 

"But, I don't plan on going in the water again anytime soon." He smiled at me, and I think we both became aware of every pair of eyes that were watching us. 

To break the awkward silence, Lisa walked back outside carrying two trays of hotdogs and hamburgers. "Food's ready!" she announced. The attention was gone from us, which made me happy, and everyone walked to the patio to eat the meal the adults had prepared. 

Will pulled me out of the water, then smiled at me. "By the way," he said, "I can't wait for tonight."

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Whoo! So, the date will be in the next chapter! Sorry if you were hoping this would be the date. I hope this was a good chapter, thank you to everyone who has read and voted and commented on this story, you really have no idea how much that means to me. 

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