Drowning

Chapter 3: Jamal, Jaqueline, or Jason?

R A I N E

Gemma had always loved the ocean. But she never thought it would be the death of her.

One year ago today, my cousin drowned. Swept away by the massive waves that engulfed her. Her gurgled screams; her arms reaching out to me as she struggled to stay afloat. The vicious waves wouldn't let me save her. They thrashed her body against the jagged rocks until her skull finally cracked and her eyes rolled back into her head. The ocean has no mercy.

It was a family vacation. We were visiting my aunt and uncle for Christmas in California. Gemma wasn't just a cousin. She was like another sister to me and Candy, with her being a few months older than me. She was always out swimming, whether it be in her small swimming pool or the sea. It was always fun, swimming with Gemma. I always thought she would join the Olympics; it was her dream. She was the happiest person I knew. Gemma had no reason to be unhappy. She had a perfect family, amazing friends; she did well in school and she loved what she did. She could put a smile on anyone's face without even saying anything.

It's too bad she can't anymore.

"Malia, are you going to eat that?" Kris' voice pulls me out of my thoughts. She nudges Malia, my best friend aside from the other eight.

Yeah, I have a lot of best friends, I know.

She passes her leftovers to Kris without hesitation. "Take it. I've lost my appetite." Malia's face twists in disgust as she glances past my shoulder and fakes a gag. I turn around in a not so subtle way to see what she's looking at.

Jacob Cartwright strolls onto the very same patio of the cafe we are currently sitting outside of. I groan and pull up my hood in attempt to hide my face.

"Great, the creep is back." I mutter. I think I've just lost my appetite. "Here, potato. Finish this for—"

Kris doesn't get to munch on the chocolate chip muffin because Angel steals it away before she could even look at it.

"My muffin." She stuffs it into her mouth.

"Rude," Potato huffs.

I smile at their silliness but when I feel someone tap my shoulder, my lips are pressed into a thin line.

"Hello, ladies. Mind if I join you?" Jacob's eyes run hungrily over our bodies.

I really don't know why, because we are all bundled up in our heavy winter jackets with our noses as red as Rudolph's.

Now, let me tell you a little something about Jacob. He's a real creep. He follows both Malia and I wherever we go. If we go to the library, he follows. If we go to field, he follows. He invites himself to sit at our lunch table and he just stares like a creep. We don't even talk to this dude! There was this one time last year, where I had 'accidentally' slapped him. But even after that tiny incident, he still doesn't seem to get the message.

All in all, he has a knack for making us feel uncomfortable whenever he can.

"How many times do I have to tell you, dude? Leave them alone!" Angel throws a pile of dirty napkins at his face.

Jacob's nostrils flare but he doesn't budge. Instead he continues to stare at us silently.

Here we go again.

From the corner of my eye, I see something white slice through the air and hit Jacob right in the center of his face. The snowball slides down his nose, lips, and chin until it falls onto the ground.

I don't start laughing like a mad woman until I turn around to see who threw the snowball. Chloe, Julie, Fana, and Arih all had their hands scooping up the snow and shaping it into spheres. They wear evil grins and wave at us, but their eyes are locked on only one person: Jacob.

"Oops! Sorry Jacqueline, that was an accident!" Chloe obviously isn't sorry at all, because she sends another snowball hurtling at Jacob a second later. It hits his neck. Ouch.

"Watch out, Jamal!" Julie yells, throwing another snowball his way. This time, Jacob manages to dodge it as he springs up from his chair and moves aside so that the snow hits the glass window instead.

Julie, on the other hand, somehow manages to lose her balance and falls into the small hill of snow behind her. Her squeal can be heard from all the way over here. I find myself laughing at the scene and abandon the table to help her get back up to her feet. When she stands up, her teeth are chattering.

"Are you okay? You're covered in snow." I brush off the piles of snowflakes from her jacket. She kicks her legs and ruffles her hair, getting rid of the rest.

"Yeah, but it was worth it. Did you see his face when I called him Jamal right after Chloe called him Jacqueline? He looked pissed." She laughs and walks back over to the middle of the snowball fight.

I duck when Fana throws one at Jacob too. "Heads up, Jason!"

Soon enough, everyone is throwing snowballs at each other. In the corner of my eye I spot Jacob is sputtering snow out of his mouth.

Ew. I didn't need to see that.

He eventually forfeits and stalks away, but not before the girls and I launch snowballs at the back of his head all at once. I fall onto the blanket of white beneath me when he lets out a girlish scream and literally runs away. The uncontrollable laughs that come from me and the girls don't come to an end until a minute later when we get into our own little snowball fight. The adults that watch from the cafe have either amused or irritated expressions, but I couldn't care less.

Ahead of me, I can see Angel building a snowman with Arih and Kris. Of course, it isn't even close to what a snowman should look like, but the rhombus head and straw nose is what makes it unique. 

When something hits my back, I turn to see Malia molding snow with her gloved hands. A mischievous grin takes its place on my lips. When she looks up, her green eyes widen and the toque she wears slips from her head. I shape my own snowball and aim at her face before hurling it through the air.

My jaw drops when she moves out of the way just in time, because behind her stands Aidan Greenwood. The snowball hits him smack in the middle of his perfect face. He freezes for a second and wipes the snow out of his narrowed eyes, and that is when I realize that his gaze is set on me.

I, Raine Emerson, am royally screwed.

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Haii! Wassup? I know this chapter was a little short, but that's how it's going to be for the next couple of ones. I haven't completed the fourth chapter yet, but I hope I can get it done by tonight, because I definitely won't be able to update tomorrow since I'm going to help my mom out at her daycare/school.

Yeah, that means playing with kids and having boogers in my hair. Wish me luck :) and don't forget to vote and comment!

Chloe ❤