coward!” I yelled to him, grinning at
him.
“Nope, too cold for me!” He called back.
It was an invitation I couldn’t resist. I climbed out of
the pool and went running after him, wrapping my arms
around his torso and getting him all wet.
“Aw, c’mon, Sky, this isn’t fair.” He complained, albeit
grinning at me as he tried not-so-much to pry my arms
from him.
I sighed.
“Alright.” I let him go, only to shove him into the water
that I’d manoeuvred him next to.
He yelled when he hit the water, and then splashed me.
Everyone on the shore shrieked as the water hit them, and
Yasmin went running after him for getting her wet. Petre
picked her up and threw her in and she plunged into the
water for the first time, having been sun baking on the
rocks. I grabbed Petre from behind and, catching him off
guard, managed to shove him in. Rain then pushed me in,
Dena pushing her in.
All of us eventually ended up in the water, splashing
each other and screaming. Dustin put me on his shoulders
and jumped in with me, starting a round of shoulder wars.
Dustin and I won before everyone else gave up.
It was a new experience for me, having Dustin around.
Every time he touched me, whether it was to push me into
the water or pick me up, I felt exactly where his hand had
made contact with my skin, usually coinciding with a
barrage of butterflies in my stomach.
As everyone sunned themselves on the rocks, Dustin
and I climbed perilously up the waterfall, finding a ledge
that over looked the water hole.
“You miss him, don’t you?” He said quietly.
“How can I miss someone who doesn’t like me?” I
replied heavily. “Do you miss… her?”
He nodded and silence fell between us.
“It’s such a beautiful view from up here,” I said, looking
around at the sunlit forest, the water sparkling below us
and bubbling past us.
“I would have to agree,” he said softly, but when I
turned to look at him, he wasn’t looking at the view at all,
but at me instead.
He leant in to kiss me again, and I responded shyly, the
butterflies going crazy. We would’ve stayed up there for
hours, if I hadn’t heard Dena say in surprise below us:
“Phoenix!”
I broke away from Dustin and crawled to the edge of
the waterfall, peering over. My heart did this funny
wobble as I saw him emerge from the forest, only wearing
shorts with a towel slung over his shoulders.
“Can I join you?” I heard him ask Dena, who nodded
mutely.
I climbed quickly down the waterfall again, sending an
apologetic look to Dustin, who just nodded, his eyes
expressionless. As I walked towards Dena and the others,
Phoenix looked up at me, and to my disbelief made eye
contact with me.
“Hello,” he said.
“Hi,” I replied automatically, too stunned to say
anything else.
He dropped his towel on the ground and set off for the
water before anyone could say anything else. As he
jumped in, I turned to Dena and was met with the most
gormless expression I’d ever seen on her face.
“What?” I asked.
Yasmin and Theresa also wore the same stunned
expression. I turned and watched Phoenix climb out of the
water as a new game of shoulder-wars began.
“Wow.” I managed to say hoarsely.
“Tell me about it.” They chorused back.
His upper body was extremely muscular, and whilst
that was what the other girls were admiring, I was looking
at the assortment of scars across his body.
Turns out Petre was correct when he said Phoenix had
led a hard life.
We watched Phoenix swim out to Dustin and Ispin,
who accepted him into their game immediately. Petre was
on the rope, watching Phoenix with distrust. Theresa
motioned for Rain to come to us and she climbed out of
the pool.
“What?” She panted.
I turned her around to face the pool, just as Phoenix
climbed onto a rock ledge to jump on Ispin. Rain’s jaw
dropped.
“I know,” I said laughing, “I had no idea!”
Even more surprising than Phoenix’s physique was his
attitude. He was laughing and
him.
“Nope, too cold for me!” He called back.
It was an invitation I couldn’t resist. I climbed out of
the pool and went running after him, wrapping my arms
around his torso and getting him all wet.
“Aw, c’mon, Sky, this isn’t fair.” He complained, albeit
grinning at me as he tried not-so-much to pry my arms
from him.
I sighed.
“Alright.” I let him go, only to shove him into the water
that I’d manoeuvred him next to.
He yelled when he hit the water, and then splashed me.
Everyone on the shore shrieked as the water hit them, and
Yasmin went running after him for getting her wet. Petre
picked her up and threw her in and she plunged into the
water for the first time, having been sun baking on the
rocks. I grabbed Petre from behind and, catching him off
guard, managed to shove him in. Rain then pushed me in,
Dena pushing her in.
All of us eventually ended up in the water, splashing
each other and screaming. Dustin put me on his shoulders
and jumped in with me, starting a round of shoulder wars.
Dustin and I won before everyone else gave up.
It was a new experience for me, having Dustin around.
Every time he touched me, whether it was to push me into
the water or pick me up, I felt exactly where his hand had
made contact with my skin, usually coinciding with a
barrage of butterflies in my stomach.
As everyone sunned themselves on the rocks, Dustin
and I climbed perilously up the waterfall, finding a ledge
that over looked the water hole.
“You miss him, don’t you?” He said quietly.
“How can I miss someone who doesn’t like me?” I
replied heavily. “Do you miss… her?”
He nodded and silence fell between us.
“It’s such a beautiful view from up here,” I said, looking
around at the sunlit forest, the water sparkling below us
and bubbling past us.
“I would have to agree,” he said softly, but when I
turned to look at him, he wasn’t looking at the view at all,
but at me instead.
He leant in to kiss me again, and I responded shyly, the
butterflies going crazy. We would’ve stayed up there for
hours, if I hadn’t heard Dena say in surprise below us:
“Phoenix!”
I broke away from Dustin and crawled to the edge of
the waterfall, peering over. My heart did this funny
wobble as I saw him emerge from the forest, only wearing
shorts with a towel slung over his shoulders.
“Can I join you?” I heard him ask Dena, who nodded
mutely.
I climbed quickly down the waterfall again, sending an
apologetic look to Dustin, who just nodded, his eyes
expressionless. As I walked towards Dena and the others,
Phoenix looked up at me, and to my disbelief made eye
contact with me.
“Hello,” he said.
“Hi,” I replied automatically, too stunned to say
anything else.
He dropped his towel on the ground and set off for the
water before anyone could say anything else. As he
jumped in, I turned to Dena and was met with the most
gormless expression I’d ever seen on her face.
“What?” I asked.
Yasmin and Theresa also wore the same stunned
expression. I turned and watched Phoenix climb out of the
water as a new game of shoulder-wars began.
“Wow.” I managed to say hoarsely.
“Tell me about it.” They chorused back.
His upper body was extremely muscular, and whilst
that was what the other girls were admiring, I was looking
at the assortment of scars across his body.
Turns out Petre was correct when he said Phoenix had
led a hard life.
We watched Phoenix swim out to Dustin and Ispin,
who accepted him into their game immediately. Petre was
on the rope, watching Phoenix with distrust. Theresa
motioned for Rain to come to us and she climbed out of
the pool.
“What?” She panted.
I turned her around to face the pool, just as Phoenix
climbed onto a rock ledge to jump on Ispin. Rain’s jaw
dropped.
“I know,” I said laughing, “I had no idea!”
Even more surprising than Phoenix’s physique was his
attitude. He was laughing and
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