J-Fred

Ch. 14: The Beach Pt. 2

Everything was going smoothly. They all sat on blankets while laughing and eating some nice sandwiches Amanda has prepared. After lunch, Amanda and Matt left to go on a walk together. Bryan and Sarah go back to the car to get some beer coolers, so just Alice and J-Fred are left with the kids in the water.

He scoots closer to her on the blanket so they are practically touching. He leans over and whispers, "You looked really cute when you were freaking out in the water." She giggles and shoves him over onto the ground. He just cackles evilly. When he sits back up, he notices her shivering. The clouds had come in, and the beach was now cold. "I'll go get you a jacket from the car. Will you watch the kids?" She nods and thanks him as he walks away.

She sits there for a while, thinking over her relationship with J-Fred. She likes him--she really likes him--but she is afraid that she is going to mess it up again or something bad will happen. Her thoughts are interrupted when she hears Ariana scream. She jumps up and sees Ariana in the water with her noodle, but Isabella is gone. Her noodle still floats up in the water, so Alice assumes that she slipped off and fell in the water. She knows she is not a strong swimmer without the help.

Without thinking, Alice kicks off her shoes and races into the water. It is quickly over her head, but she does not care. Ariana starts to cry as she yells for Alice to save her sister. Alice sees movement under the water. She takes a deep breath and dives under. It is dark underwater and the salt burns her eyes, but she soon finds Isabella flailing helplessly under the water. She grabs the poor girl and kicks up to the surface. 

Just as she is about to reach the top, something snags her foot and stops her in her tracks. She pushes Isabella up so she can breathe, but Alice is still stuck. Isabella grabs the noodle and is okay. 

Alice can feel her lungs burning. She swims deeper to find her leg caught in a massive heap of seaweed that must be attached to the seafloor. She tries everything she can think of. She tries yanking her leg, untangling the seaweed, and even biting through the seaweed. She can hear both the girls yelling up above, but she is almost out of breath. She makes one final attempt to free herself, but she can barely stay conscious. Her vision begins to darken...

J-Fred walks nonchalantly back from the car with a jacket for Alice, but she is nowhere to be find. Both girls in the water start screaming things at him that he cannot make out. He runs over and calls out, "What's wrong?"

"Aunt Alice!" Ariana yells as she points underwater. "Help her! She can't breathe!"

J-Fred's eyes open wide once he realizes what they are saying. He rips off his shirt, throws his phone into the sand, and comes crashing into the water. He is out there in seconds, but he knows he has to be quick. When he reaches her, his heart stops when he sees her motionless under the water. He immediately dives under and wraps his arms around her. He tries to pull her, but the seaweed is tight around her leg. 

He goes back up for air again. He is desperate. An idea comes to mind, and it is the only idea he has. He takes his car keys out of his pocket and dives back under again. He furiously saws away at the seaweed until she is free. He wraps one arm around her waist and pulls her up to the surface. She is unconscious. Both girls are crying and yelling at him, but the whole world is spinning. He cannot focus on anything but the girl in his arms who he is falling in love with. 

Clutching her tight, J-Fred races to the shore and collapses. He pulls her up into his arms, but she is still not moving. "Please," he begs, tears coming to his eyes. "Lord, please let her live." He has no idea how to do CPR, but he is just about to try when she stirs. He sees her chest lift as she breathes, and then she turns on her side to cough out a mouthful of water. "Alice!" J-Fred yells. 

Alice leans against his chest. She cannot speak; all she can do is gasp for air. J-Fred wraps his strong arms around the shivering girl and holds her as close as he possibly can. "I thought I lost you," he whimpers. 

She cradles her head in his neck as she whispers in a raspy voice, "You'll never lose me."

J-Fred holds her for several more minutes, but he has to check on the girls. He wraps Alice in his baggy sweatshirt and swims out to get the girls. They both tell him everything that happened as he wraps them in towels and sits them down in the beach chairs. Once they are safe, J-Fred sits back down next to Alice and slings his arm around her shoulder. He does not want her out of his sight. "Thank you," he sighs, "for saving Isabella. That was really brave for someone who is terrified of drowning."

Alice kisses his cheek and whispers, "Thank you, for saving me." She glances over at his shirtless self and blushes. He does have a nice body, too...

Bryan and Sarah soon come back from the car, but Alice is too cold and tired to push J-Fred's arm off her shoulder. She feels so safe with him, and she just does not care anymore if they see them together. J-Fred explains everything that happened. Both parents run over and hug their children, and after, Bryan comes over to Alice and says solemnly, "Thank you for saving my child. I really owe you." 

She smiles. "You don't owe me anything, Bryan. It's okay." 

Soon after, everyone packs up to go home after the long, stressful day. Alice and J-Fred are the last ones to leave. Alice gets up to walk back to the car, but J-Fred grabs her hand and pulls her back. "I told you I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"I have to go home at some point," Alice giggles.

"Do you?" J-Fred asks, wiggling his eyebrows. "I mean, there's plenty of space in my room for you..."

"Are you inviting me to your place?" Alice asks.

"I am. Will you come for the night?" J-Fred suddenly looks worried that she is going to reject his offer.

"Of course," Alice smiles as she leans against him.

J-Fred kisses her forehead and announces, "Well then, let's go!"