High School Survival Theory

Chapter 44

"Whose plan was it to go to the pool again?" Cora yells as she tries to scrub her skin with her towel.

"I would like to know the answer too," Grace glares at her.

Cora continues, "It's not like I don't like tan. I love them. But it's supposed to be only for summers. Going to school on a November Monday is not a trend."

I almost agree with her except for the trending part. I don't strive to come on the front page of Teen Vogue. But still, going to school on Monday with this tan will be a bit eye-catching. And I don't like the thought.

"How come none of us remembered that?" Payton says.

I wonder too. Lost in the excitement, we all forgot the consequences of swimming in the pool without sunscreen.

As a result, we all turned red from chlorine and the sun.

"Come on girls, we all agreed on it," Asher tries to cheer us as he looks annoyingly at his own tans.

"Not everyone," I mutter. Ashton shoots me a toothy grin.

"But we had fun," Ashton reasons, and all the boys agree with him. "And the best part, you got over your fears." His look directed towards me. "It's worth the tan."

That, I couldn't object.

That's right folks, despite my fears and everything, I can finally swim!

I couldn't believe it myself either. Ashton had a hard time convincing me to believe the truth. I almost cried in his arms when he told me I was swimming without his help for the last five minutes.

Though he said it's not enough, I need to work on my strokes and breathing, but it doesn't matter. Cause I made it.

I know it's not something to get this excited about, but the feeling of achieving something that you're trying to accomplish for years, the joy and the rush your whole body and mind feel, one can't understand it unless they have experienced it themselves.

"Yes, we have to thank you for that," Miles tells him and I smile.

Ashton waves a hand. "Mention not." And he smiles at me.

I look at Grace from the corner of my eyes. She's sending a weird smug look in my way. Then her eyes move to my left. What's with her today? I mean, it's not me who has a secret crush.

Speaking of crushes, I look at my left and see Nyako standing there. He doesn't take his eyes off his phone as he continues to text someone.

I smirk and stroll in the kitchen where she is currently. "When were you planning to tell me about it?"

Grace looks up from the bowl. She's making chocolate fudge for all of us. "Huh?"

I roll my eyes and look around for a second eye. There's no one other than us in the kitchen.

Then I grab her by the elbow and ask, "Why did I have to learn it from Ashton that you're crushing on Nyako?"

Grace jerks away and narrows her eyes at me. "I'm crushing on-WHOM?"

I sigh. "Look, Grace, I know you don't like to talk about your-"

But Grace cuts me. "Whom did you say I'm crushing on?"

I blink. "Um, Nyako?" Her face becomes lethal.

"And who told you that?" She asks. I explain to her what Owen had told the boys weeks ago and how they all were trying to set her and Nyako up.

When I finish telling her everything, Grace looks like she is going to murder someone any minute now. "So you're saying," Grace says tugging a lavender lock behind her ears. "All this time, when I 'accidentally' sat with him in all my classes, or at lunch every day, because you guys were trying to play Cupid?" She says recalling the last few weeks.