Living With The Emerson Girls

Chapter 3

        "Is he dead?" I heard, as my eyes fluttered open. My vision was still hazy and blurred, but I felt a soft hand on my shoulder, shaking me awake. 

        "No, look! He's breathing," another voice yelled. "I'll be right back!" 

        "What..." I said, then remembered where I was. My eyes flew completely open, and I saw Ariel sitting in front of me, her huge eyes staring at me intently.

        "Are you okay?" I tried to sit up, but Ariel stopped me gently with her hand. "Are you feeling lightheaded?" She asked me, and I shook my head, slowly brushing her hand away. 

        "No,  Ariel, I'm serious, it's fine." I gave her a slight smile, which seemed to be enough for her. She retreated a little, and stood up.

"Did you drag me over here?" I asked her, looking at my surroundings. We were on the shoreline. 

"Yeah. You should've seen it Zachary, it was HUGE! I'm serious. I thought you were going to die, the way the wave was throwing you around," she stated, kicking the sand a little. I didn't say anything in response, only looked at the back of her head.

I took a long look at her wide hips, and mesmerizing long legs and gorgeous, shimmering brown hair. 

Shake it off, Zachary. You're still technically with Brooklyn. And you don't even know Ariel!

I ignored the little voice in my head, and, running towards Ariel's frame, I picked her up and hung her upside down, heading for the ocean. 

"Zac! Put me down! What are you doing?! I'm going to kill you later for this!" 

"Are you sure about that, Ariel? Because you thought I was going to die earlier and thankfully... you were mistaken," I said teasingly, as she kicked her legs in resistance. 

"Zac please!" She giggled and tried to wriggle herself out of my arms, but my grip was too strong for her. 

"Magic word?" 

"Please?" 

"Nah, it's more like a password." 

"I give up, you have a steel grip." 

"Then off you go..."

"Off I wha-"  

She went headfirst into the blue ocean, and came up and attacked me. I allowed her to knock me down, and we got into a splash fight. I let her win and held my arms up in surrender, as my heart began to beat faster.

"You're alright, Zachary."

"Zac."

"I like Zachary better," she decided, smiling. I rolled my eyes and replied, "As you wish." 

*****

~Brooklyn's Point of View~

Zachary and I had never been serious. Well, in his world we had never been. According to him, we were just two people who kind of liked each other and were 'In a relationship.' 

But even though to him it was nothing, to me it was everything.

To me, whenever Zac held me in his arms, or intertwined his fingers with mine, I never ever wanted to let him go. I didn't care if he would never see it as something extraordinary. I just... I just wanted Zac to see that I would always be there for him. I really liked him. 

And now he was going to live with eight girls for the rest of the summer. I trusted Zac, but he's a guy. And guys are easily tempted. So what was I supposed to do? He had probably forgotten all about his "casual relationship" with Brooklyn Cresta, while surrounded by beautiful girls with beach bodies and suntanned skin. How did I compete with that?