Let's Play a Game

Let's Play a Game (13)

 “So…” Zach started, and I already didn’t like the sound of it.

“What do you want?” I demanded, looking up from the book I had been reading as I continued to lay on my bed. “I’m kind of busy right now.”

“Yeah, sure,” he nodded, waving it away like it was no big deal at ll. “Anyway, you need to change into a swimsuit.”

I nearly dropped the book. “What the hell? Why?”

“Because I invited our friends over for a pool party today,” he grinned, but this wasn’t very exciting for me in the slightest. Swimming was fun, and I loved the pool, but it was something that I had to give up because of my scars.

“And just who did you invite?” I asked lazily, turning back toward my book.

“Johnny, Logan, Kate, and Aveline,” he informed me with a smirk on his face.

I slammed the book shut, very irked by what he had just said. “You invited Aveline? Seriously?”

Zach nodded. “I invited Todd, too.”

“You actually invited Todd?”

“Well, he’s your friend, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, but you hate him.”

Zach shrugged, as if this was no big deal. “Only because he asked you out.”

I couldn’t help but make a face at this. “Does that mean you hate Johnny, too?”

Zach tipped his imaginary hat as he exited my room. “That’s something that you’ll never get to know!”

“Well, I’m still not changing into a swimsuit!” I shouted after him, my eyes barely even flicking toward my gauze, that was still covered by my sleeve. “I’ll come downstairs, but I’m not getting in the pool!”

Zach didn’t respond, so I was going to assume that he had heard me but decided not to respond. I rolled off my bed and looked at myself in the mirror, making a face when I saw what my hair was deciding to do right then. I could not let Johnny see me like this.

When I was finally finished messing with my hair, Zach burst in my room in his swimsuit, telling me to hurry the hell up and get downstairs before everyone got there, since Aveline and Logan didn’t know that I lived there. Aveline was the last person I wanted knowing, so I hurried down as quickly as I could.

When our friends (and Aveline…) got there, no words were even exchange. Everyone but Johnny just jumped right into the pool, which made me feel jealous just a little bit. I was still fully clothed, long sleeves and all, and there was nothing I could do about it.

“They shouldn’t even be in the pool in this weather,” I scowled, watching as they all moved around and had fun. “It looks like it’s going to rain.”

Johnny merely shrugged. “But it’s still kind of warm out.”

I sat beside Johnny as we watched our friends splash around in the pool. Even though I had told him to go inside, Johnny refused to do so unless I did as well. But I was not about to change out of my long sleeved shirt and show off my gauze to everyone.

“Just get in the pool,” I ordered, not wanting him to miss out on any of the fun just because of me. “I’m fine with just watching, really.”

Johnny didn’t look like he believed me. “Not going to happen.”

In all honesty, I wasn’t fine with just watching, but it was something that I had to deal with because of my injuries from the fire. But just because I couldn’t have fun didn’t mean that Johnny couldn’t either.