Emma: Freshman Year

Chapter 2: Pool

Emma lay stretched out on her beach towel with her hands tucked behind her head, staring up at the bright, blue sky. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a sidebraid, which was resting over her left shoulder, and over her blue eyes were a pair of trendy sunglasses. She was wearing a cheeky white string bikini, showing off her small-boned, skinny body. At five feet, three inches tall, Emma barely tipped the scale at 82 pounds. Her stomach was sunken, her hip bones stuck out drastically, and there was a large thigh gap between her thin legs. It was a hot day and the sun shone brightly; the heat felt amazing to Emma, who usually felt chilly.

Emma, who would be turning fourteen in a couple months, was spending her day at the Colorado Springs Community Pool with her best friend Lizzie. She had met Lizzie in the beginning of seventh grade, back when she was still friends with Maggie and Ashlyn. However, after a huge misunderstanding with her former childhood best friend Hannah, Maggie and Ashlyn had decided that Emma wasn't a very good influence for them and ultimately cut off their friendship. 

Suddenly, Emma felt cold water being poured on her bare belly. It was such a shock to her system that she instantaneously sat up and screamed.

"Well, that's what you get for being lazy!" A familiar high-pitched voice giggled.

Taking off her sunglasses, Emma blinked and saw Lizzie standing in front of her with a pail in her hand. Lizzie was of short stature, but was an average weight, and her dyed blue hair was pulled back in a wet, messy ponytail. Like Emma, Lizzie was also wearing a string bikini, except hers had black and white stripes on it.

Behind Lizzie, the pool was bustling with activity. Parents were helping their toddlers swim in the shallow end. Kids with inflatable tubes were swimming and splashing each other in the deep end. And there were people like Emma, who preferred to lie around on their towels, soaking up the sun.

"I'll get you back, Lizzie!" Emma called as she got up and started running after her friend, with the intent of pushing her into the pool.

Lizzie screamed, turned around, and ran away from Emma as fast as she could. Emma chased after her, dodging sunbathers and children, until a shrill whistle sounded behind them.

Both girls stopped in their tracks and turned around to see an angry lifeguard standing behind them, his hands on his hips. His muscular arms and shoulders could be seen under his red T-shirt, which had a white cross on the back. He wore a baseball cap over his dark hair, and his fiery blue glare penetrated Emma to the bone. "You girls need to slow the hell down," he snapped. "No running allowed here."

Emma hung her head in shame as she instantly recognized the lifeguard as her friend Heidi's older brother Shane. He had an abrasive personality and fiery blue eyes to match. He had made Emma cry on more than one occasion, so now Emma was afraid of him more than anything. "Okay," she mumbled, glancing over at Lizzie, who had a frown on her face. The fact that she was being scolded like a child embarrassed her. In two months, she would be fourteen years old! She wasn't a child anymore. Why did everyone always treat her like one? However, despite a fleeting mass of thoughts against Shane, Emma stayed silent. She did not want to cause a scene and make the whole situation worse.

"We weren't running!"

When Emma heard Lizzie's saucy response, she cringed. She knew that Lizzie often overreacted to situations, making them ten times worse than what they actually were. Clasping her hands together in front of her, Emma braced for the worst.

"Oh yes you were!" Shane retorted. "Don't play games with me! I know what you were doing!"

"You know nothing!" Lizzie snapped, putting her hands on her bare hips defiantly. "I told you we weren't running, you big fat liar!"