The Feel of Water

Eleven - Let Her Out

A/N: More chapters have arrived! I've never uploaded this much of a story so quickly, but I'm enjoying writing it, and I'm sure there's at least one person who needs it. Whether you're looking for an escape, or you just love teen drama, I hope you enjoy!

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I found my sister face-down in the bathtub. One of her legs hung over the side. I thought she was playing games, so I stood in the doorway of the bathroom until I assumed she'd run out of breath. I heaved her out of the water then, her eyes partly open, her limbs slack. I shook her and panicked and performed CPR as my body felt as if it was shutting down as well. Somehow, she burst to life and my heart didn't settle for days. I thought she was joking, but really, she was dying. She coughed and coughed and we laid together on my bathroom floor.

She had snorted ketamine at a party. She had mistaken it for cocaine.

"Come on, you look great, let's go."

By the time Allison and I find ourselves back downstairs, the guys are already messing around outside. Cameron and Jalen are horsing around in the grass beyond the deck, shouting and tackling each other like twelve-year-old boys. Sean is leaning against the smooth porch railing, watching them while shaking his head. I stare at his bare back, distracted as Allison flocks to Nick's side. He's already in the jacuzzi. I take a few slow steps over. Allison eagerly gets in the bubbling water, ready to cannonball in if she could.

"It's nice, right?" She asks Nick, sliding into the spot beside him.

"Yeah, yeah, this is great," he says.

Sean turns around and I step behind Allison, behind the hot tub. I somewhat hide behind her, watching as Sean gets in the water as well. Andre comes through the backdoor in his swimsuit, smiles at me, then joins the three.

"Aren't you coming in?" Allison asks me.

"Oh," I pipe up, "yeah. Yeah, I am."

I climb up the steep stairs and quickly place myself beside Allison and Sean. My legs press together, and I attempt to fold myself up, wanting to take up as little space as possible out of fear of bumping Sean. "It's nice," I chirp.

"Anyway, are you guys ready for homecoming when we get back?" She asks.

"I'm not worried about the game," Nick says. "Campo never stands a chance, right Sean?"

Sean nods then glances off.

"The dance should be fun," Allison continues, "you know, since it's at the botanical garden this year. It'll be nice to be out of the gym. I heard it's really beautiful."

"It is," I say. "When I was in Girl Scouts, we used to have events there."

"You were a Girl Scout?" Sean asks.

"Yeah. Both my sister and I were. Only for a few years."

"With the cookies and everything?" Andre asks.

"Of course. That's why my sister wanted to join in the first place, so we could have all the Girl Scout cookies. Turns out, you don't get them for free if you're a scout, but it was fun anyway."

Allison laughs a little. "Oh, I totally remember that. My parents bought so many boxes because of you. I lived off of those cookies for a month."

"Well, it's a nice place, the botanical gardens," I mutter.

"I guess we're going together, right Dani? With Becca too?" Allison says, causing Nick to look down at her just like she wants.

"Oh, yeah. I know," I say.

Sean sits up. "You two aren't going together?" He asks Allison and Nick, making them stir. I know he doesn't care; he just likes to make them squirm.