I Can't Drown My Demons / Chase Lawrence

Chapter Two

"What'd you do today, honey?" my new dad asks as I come back inside from the pool. 

"I almost drowned," I say casually, grabbing a cold-pressed juice from the fridge and plopping down on a stool by the kitchen island. 

New dad doesn't look up from his iPad (2019) but nods his head understandably. "Good job, doll," he says supportively. I slam my cold pressed juice on the island and storm out of the kitchen. 

I go upstairs to my room and take a shower. I cry in the shower. Not because I almost died but because chase is in love with me. Why else would he save me? I use my best body wash so ill smell like strawberries and honey. 

When I am done I put on Victoria's Secret PINK shorts and a hoodie. I brush my hair and pieces fall out. I hope I don't go bald. 

I hurry up and finish getting ready and go back downstairs. Mom is outside talking to Chase by the pool. I feel myself getting angery at the thought of them speaking to each other. If my mom steals the love of my life I will never forgive. 

I decide to go eavesdrop. I put on sunglasses and a hat so that they won't recognize me and walk out to the pool again. I am starting to love and hate the pool. 

"Is hannah ok??" Chase asks nonchalantly. He pulls out his notebook, tearing a page out of it. "I wrote something for her. could you give it to her?" he asks gently, blinking a lot. I wonder if he's crying. "sorry, I'm allergic to pollen," he says. Oh, guess he's not crying. 

Mom takes the folded up note and stuffs it into her bra. She smiles at chase. "You are just so handsome, young man," she tells him. 

"Cool," he says. He goes back to a sun tanning chair and sits down, writing in his journal again. Mom looks mad that he didn't give her attention. 

She runs into me on the way back inside. I tense up, thinking ill get into trouble. 

"Oh, hello," she says. "You must be the new maid? My daughter is upstairs and can show you around." She pats me on the back and heads back inside. Woo. that was close. 

I go up to chase, keeping my disguise on. It'll be easier to talk to him this way.

"hey," I tell him. "it was really brave what you did- saving that girl. Hallie?"

"Hannah," he corrects me. "She's cool."

Cool. he thinks I'm cool. Deep breaths, Hannah. This is the biggest day of my life. it's even bigger Than the time my mom tried to set me up with Brooklyn Beckham. 

I stare at chase for a minute longer. his hair is perfect. the chlorine makes it kind of green somehow but I never see him in the pool so I don't know how it happens. oh well. 

"Your hair is green," I blurt out stupidly.

"Must be the light of the ocean," he says.

So poetic. 

I run away back to my room and then go back downstairs once my disguise has been taken off. I see my mom in the den and I ask her If she has anything for me.

"No, honey, but I can give you money if there's something you may need," she says. I look closely at what she's doing. 

She's got the fire in the fireplace lit and there is a piece of lavender-colored paper in the fire, curling in on itself as it burns and shrivels. my heart starts to ache. the only person who I know with lavender paper is a pretty boy with blonde hair and a red speedo. 

The paper is Chase's.