Down in the Forest || Joshler [Completed]

12- Row

A/N
I'm supposed to be studying for my permit test right now but I'm writing instead
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I stood in front of the mirror, contemplating. I looked at the few scars that were poking out from the top of my swim trunks. I sighed and slid my t-shirt on. Josh and I were taking our campers to kayak and canoe on the lake today.

I walked out of the bathroom and met the rest of our group in front of our cabin. Josh was chasing the kids around. It was really cute. He noticed me and stopped, smiling. I felt myself blush and tried to hide my face. A warm laugh escaped his lips as I walked closer.

"All set?" he asked. I nodded and we started walking. This time, Josh led the way while I trailed behind. I watched as the kids laughed and walked along the trail, pushing each other playfully. When we got to the beach, they all ran off to the boats. All of them except for John. He stayed between Josh and I. I walked faster so that I was next to him.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He looked up at me and nodded. "Are you sure?"

"I'm not a great swimmer," he admitted.

"You're going to be in a canoe."

"But what if it flips? I've seen movies where the canoe flips."

"If it flips, which it won't, I'll be right here on the beach. Okay?"

"Do you promise?" he asked, stopping. I stopped as well and crouched so that I was at his level.

"I pinky promise," I stated, poking out my smallest finger. He linked mine with his and smiled. I ruffled his hair before leading him to the other kids. I made sure that they had all put on sunscreen before helping them climb into the boats. John, Hunter, and Jordan were together and Matt, Lucas, and Kyle were together.

They began rowing along the calm water, the sunlight peeking through the trees and laying on us. I could feel the warm rays tanning my skin as I watched them travel. It felt so relaxing to be outside without our campers screaming nearby. I kept a careful eye on each canoe.

"Do you want one?" Josh asked. I turned my head to see a bottle of water in his hand.

"Yea. Thanks," I said, taking it from him. He smiled and grabbed himself one. I unscrewed the cap and took a sip. That one sip made me realize how thirsty I actually was and I downed the rest of it swiftly.

"Someone's thirsty," Josh joked. I stuck my tongue out at him, playfully, and turned back to the lake. I squinted across the reflective water and saw one of the canoe's shaking violently. I stood up and jogged onto the dock. As I got closer, I could hear screams. Suddenly, the canoe flipped over, the three kids inside falling into the water. I quickly pulled my shirt off and dove into the water. I swam faster than I ever had before to where the kids were. When I got there, Hunter and Jordan were holding onto the capsized boat. To my left I saw splashing and darted to catch him.

Under the cool water it was hard to tell what was where. I flailed my arms wildly in search of John. I felt something and began to pull it up. I soon realized it was an arm and lifted him higher. I heard a loud splash as John was just below the surface. I pulled him up and slung him over my shoulder. Josh was soon next to me and helped me bring him to the dock. We lifted him up and laid him down on his back.

"Do you know CPR?" Josh asked. I nodded my head and got into the best position. I began the chest compressions and hoped. The more I did, the more I was trying not to cry and freak out. He began coughing and wheezing and I moved him onto his side. I sat back in relief and took a few breaths. When I sat back upright, Josh was smiling wide and rubbing John's back gently. Seeing John okay filled me with relief.

"What the hell happened out there?" I shouted standing, abruptly. Josh looked taken aback by my outburst. The other kids had rowed themselves back to the dock and were standing around us. I turned and looked to Hunter and Jordan who were soaking wet. Neither of them were looking at me. They just stood there silent. Hunter wiped a tear away from his eyes and looked to see if anyone had noticed. I sighed and turned back to John. "What happened?"

"Th-they knew that I can't swim very g-good and they were m-making fun of me. I t-told them to stop and they started sh-shaking the canoe a lot and it flipped." I gave him a sympathetic smile before turning back to the other boys. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"You two," I said, pointing at Hunter and Jordan. "You guys are coming with me. Josh, can you take the rest of them to shower and change for dinner?"

"Yea." I motioned for the boys to start walking and I followed behind them. When we got to the main area, I walked ahead of them and held our cabin door open. They walked in and I told them to sit.

"You guys understand what you did was wrong, right?" Hunter nodded his head and Jordan sat still, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. "Hunter, you can go. Apologize to John when you see him." Jordan's head shot up and he scowled at Hunter as he left.

"Why does he get to go?"

"Well, Hunter was willing to admit that what he did was wrong. Also, this was the first time I've had a problem with him. This is the 3rd time I've had to talk to you about bullying someone. It's not okay." I paused to see if he had a response. He just rolled his eyes before dropping them to his feet. I let out a frustrated sigh as I ran a hand through my hair. "Jordan, this is serious. John could've died today. What would you have done? How could you carry on knowing that was your fault? You couldn't. It would eat you alive and ruin you. It may seem like a joke to you, but jokes can go too far very quickly." Someone coughed behind me and I turned around. Josh had walked in sometime while I was talking.

"Jordan, Mr. Roberts wants you in the office." Jordan stood and left, slamming the cabin door behind him. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temple, soothing the headache that was forming. "Tyler," Josh started.

"Can we talk later?" He was surprised by my sharp retort, but gave me a small smile, regardless.

"Yea."