The New Boy

Chapter 18: I Needed Him More Than I Thought

When I was in third grade I was on the swim team. I loved the water and how it felt on a hot day, but I hated the pools that had the freezing cold water.

Before a meet my friends and I dipped our toes in the bitter water. We quickly shrieked and pulled them out. The meets were brutal and the water seemed like the coldest water in the world.

I was wrong about that.

The coldest water in the world was probably the water I was in right now. Too many thoughts went through my mind as I thrashed in the freezing water.

After a few seconds I get the courage to open my eyes under water, I knew I had to. I look up to see a hole enough to fit myself up through. I want to swim to it, but I'm paralyzed by fear.

I see James swimming to it, until he notices I'm not with him. He looks around until he sees me below him.

He quickly swims to me, I wish I could swim to him. But my limbs seemed paralyzed.

James grabs my arm and pulls me up.

My lungs were running out of oxygen, I felt like I they were going to run out of oxygen any second.

James stops at the hole, and I knew what he's thinking. He can't pull us both out of the small hole in time. He puts his head above the water, takes a breath then comes back down.

I start feeling a little out of it. But I witness James trying to break ice to the side of the hole right before I black out.

***

"Come on dammit!" James cries. I could hear his words, but I couldn't open my eyes or my mouth to talk to him.

His lips are on mine, he breathes air, and I immediately know he's trying to do CPR.

"Jenna!" My moms voice calls. I want to open my eyes and hug her, and tell her I'm alright.

How long have I been out? The farm was at least forty five minutes away from my house, and my moms work was thirty minutes in the opposite direction.

"You bastard!" I hear a familiar voice call, it was Daniels. Now I really wanted to open my eyes.

"Really? You really took her to a frozen pond, and wanted to ice skate? You're such a dumbass!" Daniel shouts.

"I didn't know-" James starts.

"No. That's no excuse, you're no excuse for a boyfriend."

"That's not what Jenna thought when she chose me." James says cockily.

I knew shit was about to happen, and I wish I could do something.

Daniel inhales then I hear a punch. I hear James voice scream, someone throws another punch.

My mom shrieks and screams for them to stop.

Another punch is thrown, then another.

I can't handle the situation, until it almost hurt.

"Stop!" I scream leaning up from the snow I'm laying on.

***

The first thing that I feel is coldness, bitterness. My teeth chatter together, I notice my shirt is off. But I have a blanket wrapped around me.

"Jenna." Daniel says coming over to me.

He had a bloody nose, but he didn't seem to care.

He sits down next to me and takes my hand.

"You're warm." I say dreamily.

"I didn't fall in a pond in a snowy February day." Daniel says smiling warily.