Pool of Love

Maybe things don't always turn out the way they expect but sometimes it's better that way...

“Throw me!! Throw me!!”

There were four young children in the pool—three boys and the one shrieking, a young girl.

All three boys cast secret sighs and eye rolls to each other as the largest boy sauntered over to the girl to throw her.

He sighed again, taking hold of her arms and lifting her in the air, throwing her to the other side of the pool. “Fine. Jeez. Just stop your stupid shrieking Amelia!”

“Don’t call me Amelia!” The little girl snapped. She crossed her arms and pouted at him, her small brown ponytail flopping behind her.

“And why shouldn’t I?” The boy seethed at her. The other two boys in the pool stood behind him, nodding their heads in a fashion that showed they agreed but were too afraid to say anything.

Amelia narrowed her eyes. “Because then I’ll call you Huggies!!”

The other boys snickered while Michael glared at Amelia. He turned to one of the boys. “Stop snickering Stefan. This is your sister…you want to handle her?”

Stefan shook his head quickly.

“And you too Tom. She calls you Pampers.” Michael turned back to Amelia. “Then what am I supposed to call you, if I can’t call you by your real name?”

Amelia smirked. “Mrs. Grossi!”

Michael and Stefan’s eyes grew wide, as Tom started laughing—only to immediately dissipate once he realised he was solo.

“EW!” Michael and Stefan yelled at the same time. “Listen dumbo, there is no way you’re making people call you by my last name!” Michael snarled.

“Fine,” Amelia huffed. “But you’ll be sorry…” she stuck her tongue out at him and then climbed out of the pool and headed into the big pink-bricked mansion.

“Wow, you’re sister’s weird,” Michael told Stefan.

“I know,” Tom agreed.

“Yeah, there’s no way you’re going to be sorry,” Stefan flapped his arms excitedly; “she can’t even pull a good prank!” He giggled as he often did in his excitement.

“Right…”

Michael crept slowly down the pillar, making sure that he was absolutely invisible and quiet to his subjects. His foot slipped on the next step and he almost fell; if it weren't for his death grip on the cold circular tube. He clutched the metal pipe tighter, his heart in his throat.

If the plan didn’t follow through and he was discovered, there could be a drastic outcome. He had almost reached the ground—words such as freedom and kissing and Alyssa flowing through his head. He had made it! He had—

“HI MICHAEL!”

Even though the words were exclaimed and not yelled, they shattered the evening silence and Michael lost balance on the last few feet of the pillar, tumbling to a stop at the bottom.

He groaned. Not again.

“Michael!” The person exclaimed again. She came running over to his side. “Ohmygod, are you okay?”

Michael let Amelia untangle him, but before he could answer her, a new voice interrupted them.

“No, he’s not okay. Now he’s grounded now for a month instead of two weeks.”

Both preteens looked up to see a woman’s head sticking out of the kitchen window.

She frowned at Michael. “Get back inside.”

Once she was gone, Michael said, “Look what you’ve done idiot!”

Amelia frowned at the comment but sustained her cheerfulness. “I just was coming over to um, to peer tutor your brother. But then I saw you first!”

“Yeah right! You, an eleven year-old, peer tutoring a seventeen year-old!” Michael stood up. “I know the truth.” He narrowed his eyes, “You heard about my date with Alyssa, didn’t you?!”

Amelia shook her head, but it was written all over her face.

Michael smacked his head. “Of course,” he muttered under his breath. He looked down at her. “I told you, and I’ll tell you again! Gr. 8’s do not date gr. 7’s!” He clenched his fists. “And just like every other date you had to ruin this one too!” He yelled at her.

She actually looked scared of him for once.

Too far this time.

He noticed.

Mrs. Grossi intruded the moment again. “Get inside or you’ll be grounded for a year.”

Michael shot another glare at Amelia. Before going inside, he said something that stuck in Amelia’s head until she could shed no more tears about it.

“You’re so annoying, I hate you.”

5 years later (present time)…

“Yay!”

Amelia landed in the deep end of the pool. Upon rising to the surface she giggled and throwing her wet hair back, she did something out of character. She batted her eyelashes and said, “Thank-you Troy. You’re so strong!”

Troy flexed his muscles, “Ah duh, glad you think so cutie. That’s a result o’football and soccer you’re seeing.”

Michael wanted to gag at the exchange. He knew two things: Amelia would never go for the jock idiot, but that she would tease him a little. He also knew that when Amelia stepped out onto the porch, every guy’s eyes were on her.

“This is so cool!”

He looked beside him to see Stefan smiling to himself. “Later, guess who’s coming?”

That shine in his eye could only be for one person. Michael sighed. “Catalina?”

“Yeah! How did you know?”

Michael shrugged, “Just a lucky guess.” Even the geeky kid would get his girl. Everyone knew that Catalina liked him back; it was just a matter of time before they got together. He sighed again and went back to staring at Amelia, but his thoughts were interrupted again.

“Dude stop staring at my sister.”

He jerkily turned around. “Why would you think I’m staring at your sister?” He snarled.

Stefan nervously edged away from a possible fight that he would surely lose. “Oh just a lucky guess…and because you were one of the guys staring at her when she came into the pool and I’ve been calling your name for the last five minutes and you haven’t even acknowledged me. It’s like you’re in your own world man.”

“What are you talking about?” Michael heard Amelia laugh and quickly turned to see what had caused the beautiful sound. He growled when he saw that it was Troy that was tickling her.

Stefan smirked at him and raised his eyebrows. “Guess I’m right.”

Michael decided he could still save himself. “Look, everyone here is a guy. It’s your birthday remember? Of course I would look at your sister along with every other guy.”

Stefan shook his head, “But you’re the only guy who kept staring at her.”

As he floated away to some of his other friends who were playing water chess—a game he could certainly participate in, Michael wondered how he had ever got himself into this mess.

All he knew was that he was in a battle that he was quickly losing.

He was frickin’ scared.

Who knew that a jock such as him—competing in every sport possible, 6.3 ft, and 225 lbs—could be so easily intimidated by a stupid movie that was only rated 14a?

He shakily got up. “Um, guys I’m not feeling too well.” He motioned to his motioned to his stomach, “Stomach ache, I think I need to go to the washroom and then maybe lie down.”

“But you’re going to miss The Ring man!”

“That’s not your concern, Troy,” Michael growled.

Troy shrugged, completely oblivious to Michael’s sudden hatred towards him.

“Hope you feel better dude!” Stefan said waving his hand at Michael, and then making a grab for the popcorn, his eyes glued to the screen.

Michael thought it would be wise to lay low outside, where no one was bound to go—at least until the movie was finished. He opened the sliding glass door and crept onto the large veranda and down to the glass table.

When the table came into better view, his eye suddenly caught someone or something sitting on one of the chairs, and he stumbled, crashing into another chair. “Yeow!” He yelled, shoving his arms out. They did no good as he still fell flat on his face.

“Oh dear! Are you okay?”

Great. He just had to make a foul of himself in front of her all the time. “Yeah, Amelia, I’m fine.” But he let her help him up anyway. It was probably just an excuse to feel her warm hands on him.

Concern was certainly evident in Amelia’s eyes. There were a beautiful pair of twinkling diamonds. They had gone from hazel when she was eight, to violet at sixteen—and even more sparkle and life had been added to them, if that was possible.

He loved staring at her eyes. He could fall into them and stay there forever. Every time she looked at him he melted, just like he was doing now. He was afraid that one day he would become a puddle.

Sometimes her bangs would cross over one eye, making him want to reach out and put them to the side for her. Her brown hair fell in long curls—a cross between straight hair and really curly hair—all around her shoulders, already completely dry from the swim.

Her lips were always red, even without lipstick. Being up so close to her, they made him want to kiss her even more.

She was wearing a pink and white flowered sundress over her bikini and it clung tightly to her curves. In the moonlight and dimmed pot lights from the lawn, he knew her tanned skin was just as smooth looking as ever.

He smiled knowing he must look dazed.

“Michael? Hello, is anyone there?” Michael quickly shook his head when he realised that Amelia had been trying to contact his brain for the last minute.

He smiled and nervously scratched the back of his head. “Sorry. Um, I sort of tuned out there.”

Amelia nodded. “It must have been that fall.”

Michael laughed, “Naw, I’m not that easily knocked out.” Only by you.

“Well I’m glad you’re okay then.” Amelia sat back in her chair and picked up the book she had been reading. She motioned for him to sit down. “So…” she paused for a second, thinking, “…stomach flu.”

Michael laughed. “You’re good. Stomach indigestion.”

“Ahh,” she nodded her head.

Michael felt a little embarrassed even though they both knew he could never take scary movies. That was what brought the next question. “So what’s your excuse? Why aren’t you watching the movie?”

Amelia yawned. “I’ve already seen that movie ten times. And it’s such a boring movie anyways.”

Michael’s eyes grew wide. “Boring?” He asked in disbelief. He shook his head. “I always knew you were a fearless girl.”

Amelia giggled and Michael felt like Heaven had come. “Well coming from you I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Michael again caught how beautiful she looked when she smiled. Suddenly there was an awkward silence to which Michael thought up a suggestion. “Want to go for a walk along the beach?” Orange County was a great place for midnight walks a lot the sandbar.

“Sure.”

Amelia slipped on her pink sandals and took his hand. “Let’s go.”

They walked down the porch steps, past the pool and to the end of the property where it met the private beach. They were silent for a while, though to Michael it felt like fireworks were going off inside of him from the long contact to Amelia’s hand.

“So do you ever think about love?” Why had Michael said that?

Before Amelia could answer, she lost her footing on a small rock and slipped. Michael’s arm came out and caught her, bringing her up close to him.

Their heads were close now, inches away, pressed up together—Michael’s arm snaked around Amelia’s thin waist and her arms scrunched his chest.

Slowly and shakily Amelia whispered, “Yeah…”

Shouts from a bone fire down the beach broke into their bubble and they pulled apart, sharing small smiles in their embarrassment. They continued walking in silence, and Michael noticed that his hand was colder than before. It dawned on him that it was because a small hand was missing.

“You look beautiful tonight.” Now where did that come from?

Amelia smiled, blushing a little. “But I wear this all the time.”

Michael searched for an appropriate answer. “I guess it’s just the moonlight.”

They kept walking.

Michael felt that it was today or no day. If he didn’t tell her how he felt then he would never tell her. They were alone for a reason. “So, um I hear you broke up with your boyfriend a couple of weeks ago.”

“Yeah. We didn’t love each other. We didn’t even like each other. He was using me.” Amelia explained sadly.

“He did?” Michael was furious that someone had tried to use her. How could someone do that without feeling incredibly guilty? “I’ll kill that jerk.”

Amelia placed a hand on his arm. They had stopped walking by now. “Hey it’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s not like you’re my boyfriend.”

There was another silence.

“But I could be.” Michael said this so quietly, he was sure Amelia hadn’t heard him.

“What did you say?” Amelia asked quickly.

Time is ticking. “Listen Amelia I—argh never mind.” He started walking again but Amelia grabbed both of his hands and turned him towards her.

“Tell me,” she pleaded.

Michael looked at her for a moment. He was temped to—he felt incredibly guilty with her sad puppy dog eyes looking at him. “No, I can’t –I was actually just going to say, that we-we should be getting back now.”

Amelia sighed and dropped both of his hands. “Yeah, you’re right.” She turned away and started walking the other way, her head slightly down.

Michael looked at her back, confused. “Wait!” He grabbed her arm.

“What?” Amelia snapped, annoyed.

Now or never. “I—”

But Michael interrupted himself by doing something he had wanted to do for the last two years. He brought his face up close to Amelia’s and kissed her. He kissed her until they were both gasping for air.

“Wait a minute, hold on,” Michael pulled away, while still holding in his arms, afraid to let go. “I thought you didn’t like me anymore.”

Amelia laughed. “Where’d you ever get that notion?”

That was all he needed to hear before kissing her again.

It was Amelia’s turn to pull away. “Don’t think I’m so annoying anymore, now do you?”

Michael gently caressed her face. “I don’t know why I ever said rude and mean things to such a beautiful girl.”

Amelia laid her head on his chest, “It’s nice to know that someone thinks I’m beautiful.”

“Why? Hasn’t every guy told you that?”

Amelia shook her head. “They all say I’m hot.”

Michael looked confused. “But don’t all girls like being called ‘hot’?”

“I do,” Amelia nodded, playing with his hand, “but I always feel like a piece of meat on surveillance. And secretly I like beautiful better.” She looked up at him again. “I have a sudden urge to kiss you, you know.”

Michael grinned. “We have something in common.”

Amelia raised her eyebrows. “And you shouldn’t keep someone who’s been in love with you since they were eight, waiting.”

Michael brought his head down and whispered, “I had no such notion of doing that.” And then he kissed her.