Numbers (Louis Tomlinson)

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Swim

Years have passed since I've seen Louis. I'm sure he moved but I'm also not sure. And yet even until today I remember the boy and how pathetic I was to ever have hope for him. He's not the one for me, he never was, he never will be.

Today's the last day of summer, not just for students but for the entire town of Markusville. Ice cream shops are closing, pools too. That's why Mary and Madelyn have dragged me down to Anderson to swim for the last time of the year. I hate swimming, not because I'm bad at it but because its dangerous. That's why I sit, my feet slowly kicking bubbles in the water, afraid to dive in. And there sits my friends having the time of their lives, throwing a beach ball around in the water.

Harry hits the ball off his arm, which Mary catches. Niall struggles to take the ball away from Mary, making both sides of the couple giggle as he splashes water against her. It makes me smile, at least someone's having fun.

"You know, you could join us." Madelyn yells across the pool. I shake my head.

"I don't want to be the fifth wheel." I shout back. Madelyn sighs and returns to throwing the ball around. Niall swims over to the spot by the pool where I rest and lays his arms on the concrete next to me.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun." His Irish accent dips in and out, some English escaping into it. I miss his old thick accent, before it was effected by all our own English accents. I shake my head again.

"I really don't like the water." I sigh.

"Please." He pleads, extending the e sound making himself sound like a child.

"No."

"Yes."

"I said no."

"Just for a few minutes."

"No, Niall!"

"If you don't come in then I'll make you jump off the diving board!"

I scoff, but slide into the water next to him anyways. He knows he would be able to get me on the diving board, which is my natural nemesis. Niall grins as I glide my arms through the water. Throughout the game of beach ball I can't stop thinking about how I'm the only single one. I can't help that though, my dad is extremely overprotective and would never let me date a boy. It's stressful, knowing I might never get married, never be happy like my friends in the pool. But my dad will have to give in eventually, right?

Wrong. He's never letting his princess out of his castle which in this case is his house and he'll bite my head off if I do escape. It angers me in a way. I dip my head in the water to distract myself, even though its my enemy it can wash away my madness. It washes away what I want and who I'm not, it gets rid of my thoughts and feelings and scrubs at my heartbreak which my father has caused.

"Alright I think I'm done." I say after about my minutes in the pool. I can't handle being surrounded my the possibility of drowning any longer.

"Aw, okay." Madelyn gives half a smile, giving me a break. She knows I have a fear of this, she understands me. After drying myself off in my towel, I decide to walk over to the concessions to get an ice cream. I need to get cool after hotness from the sun burning down on me for the past hour. I sit alone licking at my peanut butter dipped ice cream cone while still watching my friends from afar. After a while of being bored I stand up from my table with my ice cream and walk closer to the pool.

My eyes glance over at Harry and Madelyn sitting at the edge of the pool talking. That small glance was just enough time for a body to press against me, making me drop my ice cream. I curse under my breath as my five dollars basically spills to the ground.