Walls Up (One Last Time #1)

Capturing

Chapter Forty Two
Capturing

Also, if you don't know how to play capture the flag please comment so I can explain. But I doubt you'll need to. Just in case though.

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I break away -- he lets me go this time -- and kick once to the surface. Cold air hits my cheeks as Conrad splashes up beside me. I spin around, gasping as we float, swallowing great lungfuls of air that taste so good. The canoe isn't that far, actually it's right behind Conrad.

He smirks at me as we tread water. "Melody!" Talia appears behind my canoe and swims up towards me. "You shouldn't swim in this part, c'mon."

She grasps my wrist pulling me along side her to the rest of the group. Talia and Ally are both in their bikinis and Jack in his swim shorts. I tread water with them and look down at myself. I still have my crop top and shorts on.

Jean shorts wasn't the best thing to wear, they tighten against my thighs and my shirt rises above my chest revealing my bikini underneath. I pull down my shirt trying to tie it in place, but remembering I don't have hair band makes me groan in frustration.

"Just take it off Mel." Ally suggests. Conrad appears next to me and I loo behind me to find my canoe. I rip the shorts and shirt off my body tossing it into the canoe. A wave of coolness flushes though my body; goosebumps appearing along my open skin. But otherwise my body feels free and light.

"Oh! We should play a game," Ally says happily splashing around. Talia yells at Ally to stop and agrees.

"Yeah, but what could we play?" I ask. I look around at each one of them the Talia speaks up.

"Tag?" I shake my head. Tag doesn't seem very safe in the water. . . Come to think of it. Nothing is really safe with dangerous life beneath us.

"I don't think that's really safe, maybe we could just go back, play a game there." I say.

"Plus we still have to cook the fish, and set up the grill." Jack says, he nods towards me agreeing. Conrad and Ally mumbles in agreement, Talia's left.

"I guess so," she dunks her head underneath water gaining momentum underwater to swim back to her canoe.

"C'mon, last one there has finding log duty." Ally snickers. I groan and swim back to my canoe as fast as my legs could take me. I struggle getting on the canoe slipping off the edge.

I groan and do the weirdest way to get on the canoe. I lift my leg above the water gripping the edge of the canoe to hoist myself into the seat.

Surprisingly it worked. I looked around for the others and to my dismay their already canoeing away. I groan loudly catching their attention. Jack turns around and gives me a weak smile.

I bite my lip gripping my paddle floating next to my canoe and paddle my ass off.

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I was too far behind, and that sucks really badly because now I have to collect firewood, "sorry Mel, but Ally already said-"

"I got it." Talia reaches out her hand to help me out of the canoe. I ignore her hand and step out of the canoe. She steps back, hurt. I sigh running a hand though my hair. "I'm not mad; I just really need to clear my head."

"I guess it's good because now this gives you time to. . ." she bites her lower lip, shutting up, noticing my eyes roll. "Sorry." She mumbles before walking away to where Conrad and Jack are setting up the barbecue.

Ally's showering according to Talia. And we're taking turns since, we're all covered top to bottom in salt water and, there's only one shower.

I pull out my canoe along with my wet clothes. I wring the clothes free of water in the lake after taking my canoe out and setting it besides the others.