“Well when we saw you going all fighter to Alessandra, we ran and saw Gerald there. He told us to get in the car and wait there.” Mel answered.

“I thought you want them here to help you vent. I know that when something’s bothering me, I’d like my friends support. And there’s a lot happening now, especially with your Dad’s accident.” Gerald stated stepping into the kitchen.

I followed him there, “Where’s Chris and Isabelle. I thought they’d be here house-sitting.” He handed me a water bottle. “Thanks.”

“I called them after my class. I said I’ll be there soon. They left a while ago. They also said nothing weird happened, so we’re safe so far.” He took a long sip. “I’ll be in the pool house if you need anything. Have fun with your friends now, you deserve it.” He put his hand on my shoulder.

“Okay,” I walked back to the living room.

We spent the afternoon in the living room watching a movie. “So what do consider Gerald?” Mel asked.

I stared at her confused. “What do you mean?” I continued eating the bowl of popcorn. “Where did that come from?”

“Well, you guys seem close, just not in that brotherly-sisterly way that you should see him since he’s living in the pool house.” Erich stated. “Look, we just want to know if you like him.”

“Okay, I thought we were watching a movie. Didn’t I tell you to stay out of my love life?”

“You mean lack there of.” Mel muttered.

I sighed, “I just got out of a serious relationship, and I’m not looking to start one again.”

“You called that a relationship? He barely acknowledged your presence. We all think that you deserve someone to be happy with, especially with this being our last year. And we all agreed Gerald would be perfect for you especially with him being one year older, a college boy, he’d know how to be a good boyfriend.” Erich said.

I rolled my eyes, “Look, Gerald is…he’s like the perfect boy, I won’t disagree with you, but it’ll never happen.” I didn’t sound totally convinced.

“And why not?” We decided to go swimming, so we were continuing the conversation on our way to my bedroom to change.

“Because it’s weird. I mean, we’re totally different, and I highly doubt he’d want to date a high school girl.”

“Then you haven’t seen the way he looks at you. Come on, the way he came to your defence, holding you back. Obviously he held a couple of girls back,” Mel teased. “You said it yourself he’s perfect, so why not? It couldn’t hurt to try again in the love game.”

We were finished changing into our bathing suits and we sat on the cool pavement, dipping our feet into the blue water. I sighed, I loved the feeling of the water on my skin, it was cool, but soothing. “What about Matt and you?” I asked Mel. “How are you guys doing?”

She smiled, “He’s taking me out tonight. I have to admit how happy I am. I don’t even remember what I did before me and him got together. You should feel that feeling, Kim. Instead of always settling for something less than what you deserve.”

I slipped into the water, and began kicking my legs to keep me afloat. The water rose to about my neck. “Look, when I want to be in a relationship, I will be. On my terms and not on anyone else’s.”

Like on cue, Gerald stepped out in his swimming trunks but quickly stopped when he saw us. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you all were here.”

“Its okay, Gerald. You can join us.” I could see that all Mel’s eyes were on were his flat stomach with abs.

I rolled my eyes and slapped her leg. “You have a boyfriend. You can’t check him out.” I whispered, but I knew he heard me because he threw his towel over one shoulder which covered a part of his body.

Mel slipped into the pool beside me, and we starting doing laps.

OKAY, SO I’M GOING TO GO BACK TO THIRD-PERSON NARRATIVE JUST FOR THIS SCENE. AFTER, IT’LL BE FIRST PERSON NARRATIVE WITH A SYMBOL OF ** BEFORE THE PARAGRAPH BEGINS SO NO ONE GETS CONFUSED 

Gerald took a seat by Erich and watched while Kim did laps in the pool. He relaxed, and took a deep breath. “So how long have you known Kim?” He turned his body towards her, but kept his eyes on Kim.

Erich was nervous around him. He was just really intimidating being a college student, and being extremely cute didn’t help the butterflies that grew in her stomach. But she would never do anything because she believed that Kim really liked him, only her best friend was afraid to admit it. “I’ve known Kim my whole life. We were neighbours when we went to grade school. She’s like the sister I never had.”

“So you’d say you know Kim better than anyone?” He questioned, but he moved a little further away from her because he sensed her uneasiness towards him.

“I’d like to think so.” She answered. “But lately I’m not so sure.”

“What makes you think that?” He now stared at her, but kept his eyes light, instead of staring straight past her brown eyes.

Erich sighed. “For the longest time, Kim was never up front about her feelings, but I could always read her. I knew when she was mad, I knew when she was scared, even when she had a crush on someone that she didn’t want anyone to know. We never kept secrets from each other, but now I see that there’s something she’s not telling me.”

Gerald immediately felt bad because he thought this was his fault. He made her promise not to tell anybody, and now her best friend was afraid she was losing her. “Well, maybe Kim just doesn’t want you to be tangled in whatever mess she got herself into,” he was half-joking.

“I just thought she knew she could trust me, you know?” Her face suddenly grew sombre.

He didn’t like it, he had a sweet spot for this girl, and maybe it was because she protected Kim as much as he wanted to also. “So, speaking about you being able to read Kim’s emotions, does she have feelings for anyone in particular?”

Erich smiled, “What’s it to you?”

“I like to think of myself as a big brother of some sort. I want to know I this guy is good for her, is he’d break her heart in the end, like that , Jake.” He spat on his name.

She nodded, “Right. Well, I’m not sure. I think she’s afraid to give her heart away like that again.” They both stared at Kim with her care-free smile on, splashing Mel in the face.

Gerald smiled along with Kim, “She was really hurt about it, wasn’t she? More than she let on?”

Erich nodded again, her smile fading. “She doesn’t like to talk about it. She called me the night after it happened. She spent most of the time crying, saying she gave everything into the relationship. She knew how much he lied, how much he cheated, but she still put her heart into it. I know that she tells everyone that it wasn’t that big of a deal, but it is. Jake broke her heart, took away two years of her life for what? Just to be snatched away from her?” Gerald was hurt by this, why didn’t he realize it? Why didn’t he pick up any of this in her mind? Like reading his mind, she answered, “Kim puts on this tough exterior, like a hard shell branded with things that she’s comfortable with everyone looking at. But she feels so much more underneath. She might have this boundary or wall she builds up to block her from everything, but the bottom line is, she has this heart of gold underneath. You will never meet any person who puts their friends and family first like Kim does. And I think that’s what hurt her the most. She included Jake into the category, and she let him in thinking he was different, that he wouldn’t do those things to her; she gave him the benefit of the doubt, despite knowing his reputation and all the talk around school. And now she has a broken heart to show because of what he did.” Erich sighed, staring at Gerald now. “Ever since that night, I noticed something changed inside her, like the walls grew taller and more thicker. I guess that’s why she’s not sharing as much with me anymore, because she’s afraid of the same thing happening again.”

“Do you think she’ll ever get over it?” He asked her.

Erich shrugged. “I hope so. That’s what the girls are trying to do, get her to stop thinking about being afraid and make her start living life with a purpose. And don’t be offended, but you’re at the top of the list.” She bit her lip now, knowing she said something she shouldn’t. “Sorry, you weren’t supposed to hear it.”

He chuckled at how red she got. “I can keep a secret. Kim’s lucky to have a friend like you.”

“Well she’s lucky to have someone like you protecting her.” Erich slipped into the pool now. “But let me get this straight. You hurt her, Gerald, I’m going to hunt you down and kick your .” She smiled and went to the other side of the pool where the other two were.

When Erich joined them, Kim stared at Gerald who was only soaking his feet in the pool. He smiled at her and she smiled back. She held up her index finger to the girls and slowly made her way to Gerald. “So what? Wraiths afraid to swim?”

He chuckled, “I’m sorry, Kim.” He said.

She stared at him confused, “For what?”

“For not being there when you needed someone.” He replied, looking at her.

**I felt blood rush to my cheeks, just like all the times he stared at me like that. “Okay, what did Erich tell you?”

He shook his head, “Nothing. I just wanted you to know that I’m here for you.”

I nodded like I didn’t believe him, “Right, because you can deal with my drama along with all your own.”

He grabbed my wrist when I was about to swim away. Goosebumps immediately formed on my skin, despite the warmth of the water and sun shining down on me. “Kim, don’t think that you can’t come to me when you need to, I’d feel rather insulted if you feel that way.”

I froze. He wanted to be there for me? I waved that feeling away – the feeling that I knew was growing inside me towards him. “FYI: I don’t need a man to be there for me. I’m all for independent women.” I joked. “But thank you. It means a lot to know that I can trust you.”

“I thought we already went through that, especially since that I confided in you for a lot of things I normally keep to myself.” He smiled.

I didn’t return it this time, “Just because you trust me, doesn’t mean I have to return the favour.” I said seriously. “I’m only starting to get to know you again. I trust you enough to protect me, to believe your promises,” I chuckled then, staring at Erich. “I know you were talking about me with Erich. I know she probably told you things, like how I keep stuff from her. I love Erich like a sister, but there are some things that I won’t tell her, things I can’t tell her. So what makes you think I’d tell you?” I swam away from him now, putting on my smile for my friends.

But I felt it, him staring at me. I never felt so cautious in my life. He already could read my mind, but what else can he read with my face and body language. I was too scared to figure it out.