Thanks to the support of everyone who reviewed and all of those who put a story alert or favorite on this story. I'm thrilled by your feedback.
I was really excited to see that my last chapter was 999 words, that's one of those things that amuse me immensely. I'm a number nerd. :)
Chaddy!" a small voice came as soon as we entered the door. From across the family room came a small girl, who looked around the age of seven. She tried to move fast, but it was immediately obvious that doing so was impossible. She wore a brace on her left leg and was hobbling towards us on crutches that attached to her upper arm. This is what he wanted me to see, what he wanted to show me. His sister was disabled.
Chad moved in from the door and caught the girl halfway as she hugged him tightly, "How're you doing, Chrissy?"
"Good! Mom and I went to the park today and she said I could go to the pool when you got here. Come on, Chaddy, get changed so we can go outside."
He laughed good naturedly and stepped back from her, "Chrissy, this is my friend Sonny."
Her bright blue eyes opened wide, "You're the girl on TV that Chad talks about."
He chuckled uncomfortably, "Christina, do you remember what I told you about her?"
She nodded furiously, "If Sonny ever comes over; you are not to tell her that I talk about her."
He rolled his eyes and I resisted the urge to tease him about this. His cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment.
The clicking of heels approached us and I turned to see a tall woman with strawberry blonde hair walking towards us.
"Chad, is that you?"
"In the family room, Mom"
The tall woman reached us and regarded me carefully, "Mom, this is my friend, Sonny. I brought her here to meet Chrissy."
Mrs. Cooper seemed slightly taken back by his words, but tried to cover it up, "Well then, nice to meet you, Sonny," as she extended her hand towards me.
Chrissy interrupted any reply I could have made by asking, "Mommy, now that Chaddy's home, can we go swimming?"
"Sweetheart, I'm not sure if Chad wants to swim, he's got a guest."
He looked at me momentarily and seemed to get an answer from my eyes for he responded, "Chrissy, of course I'll go swimming with you. Sonny, you don't mind do you?"
I thought about it a minute, he did ask me, instead of assuming, which was a first. Besides, with his sister's bright blue eyes, I wasn't sure if I could deny the young girl what she wanted. I shook my head in response.
"Yay!" she giggled as she swiftly followed her mother away.
Chad grabbed my hand and pulled me up the stairs. We passed several closed doors until we came to one that sat at the end of the hallway. When he opened the door, I saw boxes piled two high. He opened one on top and dug for a minute or two. Finally, he pulled out a pair of blue board shorts and handed them to me.
"What are these for?" I questioned as he shut the box and closed the door.
"For you to wear," his tone indicating that he thought it was pretty obvious.
"Chad, I'm not going to swim."
He glanced at me, a contemplative look on his face, "Oh," I wasn't sure if it was just me, but it seemed like he was a bit disappointed, "Still, you're going to get hot sitting outside in that outfit." I looked at my clothes and realized he was right. I was wearing a pair of skinny jeans and a red knit top.
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Good."
"Good."
He began walking again and I followed a couple steps behind him. He opened another door and ushered me in. It was his room. The walls were painted a pale green and he had lightly stained wood furniture. His bed had a simple blue bedspread and there were a couple of photographs on the nightstand. Other than that, it was pretty ordinary. Nothing reminiscent of his show or himself was to be found. I was impressed. He pulled open a drawer and tossed me a grey t-shirt.
"Thanks," I replied, still watching him as he grabbed a white t-shirt and a black bathing suit.
"There's a bathroom down the hall if you want to use it to change. Second door on the right."
I followed his instructions and quickly slipped out of my clothes and into his. As I pulled his shirt over my head, I inhaled. It had a faint smell that reminded me of Chad; it had the fresh scent of laundry detergent mixed with his cologne. I quickly exited the bathroom and made my way back to his room. I paused at the doorway when I spotted him. He was laying on his bed, his eyes closed, while softly singing to himself. His voice was too low for me to make out the words. I stared for a moment before clearing my throat. He opened his eyes slowly and hopped off the bed. His eyes made their way over my body and I waited to hear what he had to say.
"You know, Munroe, you don't look too bad in my clothes," I was about to protest, but his voice gave off a joking air and I could see the small grin plastered on his face.
*
I sat on the side of the pool, my legs dangling over the edge, watching Chad with his younger sister.
His mother came outside and sat next to me, letting her own feet touch the water for a moment. She began speaking without any real introduction, and I was caught off-guard. "Christina was born with one leg shorter than the other. She's had one surgery to help fix it so she can walk more comfortably and will have another one once she turns eight. Chad is very protective of her. A lot of kids have teased her mercilessly and he won't stand for it. She looks up to him so much. I'm just grateful that he takes care of her. He's a good brother."
I agreed with her as Chrissy splashed her older brother while sitting on a pool noodle.
"I'm glad he brought you here, Sonny. He never brings anyone home, especially not when Chrissy is awake."
I was about to protest, saying that he shouldn't be embarrassed by his sister's, well, for lack of a better word, deformity.
"Let me explain, Sonny. Chad isn't embarrassed by her, only overprotective. I'm not sure if you know, but his cast can be," she seemed to be searching for the right word.
"Cruel?" I offered.
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
"They were making fun of a girl at the arcade today. Chad stood up for her."
"Ahh, so you see it exactly. Teenagers pick fun and make jokes. Chad doesn't want her to experience their ridiculing. Most people don't have something nice to say, so he tries to avoid situations that might lead to that."
I sat for a moment, starring off; thinking about what she was saying. When I broke out of it, she was gone. Their mom had retreated to a chair in the shade, reading a magazine, all the while keeping a watchful eye on her children.
"How are you?"
I turned around startled. Chad was standing; actually he was treading water, in front of me. Chrissy had returned to a ledge in the pool, watching us intently.
"Fine."
"Come in."
"Chad, I'm not wearing a bathing suit."
"I know," he smiled briefly, "why do you think I made you change into some of my clothes?"
I had almost forgotten that I was now wearing a pair of board shorts he claimed didn't fit anymore and a grey t-shirt.
"Chad, that doesn't change anything, this is just better than what I was wearing at the arcade."
He gave me a look that melted my resolve, "Chrissy would really like it if you came in with us," he glanced over his shoulder at his younger sister, who nodded her head furiously.
He could tell that I was giving in. He took my hand and gently pulled me off the edge. I knocked into him and he held me there for a moment. His chest moved against mine as he breathed. "Thank you, Sunshine."
I grinned as he said that. Chad released me and I glanced at him. His blond hair was dark with water and his blue eyes reflected the sunlight the bounced off the water. He looked, dare I say it, sweet. We slowly swam over to Chrissy who was waiting quite impatiently.
When we reached her, she pushed off the edge and Chad lunged forward to catch her, "Yay, Sonny is going to swim with us."
"That's right, Chrissy, I'm going to swim with you and Chad," I replied, her excitement was infectious.
She whispered something into her big brother's ear and he set her back onto her noodle. Both of them wore the same grin. I could tell that it wasn't a good look. Before I could turn around, Chad caught me around my waist and pulled me to the other side of him so that I was between him and Chrissy. That's when his sister started splashing me relentlessly as he held me there, so that I couldn't escape.
I squirmed in his grasp, trying to avoid the onslaught of water that came my way. All of a sudden it stopped. I opened my eyes to see Mrs. Cooper standing at the edge of the pool. She was watching all of us intently, "Chrissy, it's time to get out. Let Chad and Sonny hang out for a little bit, then I'm sure Chad will play a game with you later."
Chrissy reluctantly made her way to the edge of the pool. Chad released me and heaved himself onto the edge of the pool, steadying his younger sister while their mother helped her get the crutches situated.
As soon as his family was inside he slipped back into the pool and made his way over to me.
"So, what do you want to do now?"
I shrugged my shoulders while letting my gaze scan our surroundings. That's when something caught my attention in an alcove created by the rocks surrounding one edge of the pool.
"Is that a waterfall?" his eyes followed mine.
I could hear the grin in his voice, "Yeah, you want to go over there?"
I didn't wait to answer him, but grabbed his arm and tried to pull him towards the object of my attention. He gently removed his wrist from my grasp and swam ahead of me. When I caught up with him, he was standing about a foot away from the waterfall waiting for me to arrive.
"Too fast for you, Munroe?"
"NO! I was slowed down by the shirt. If I had been wearing a bathing suit, I would have beat you easily." His comment ticked me off slightly, so I placed my hands on his shoulders and pushed him underneath the turbulent water. His face wore a look of shock which slowly morphed into a sneaky grin. He grabbed my own shoulders and dropped under the water, pulling me with him. As a result, I was the one who ended up under the pounding water. I paddled my way out from underneath the waterfall.
I glanced around briefly and didn't see Chad resurface. I didn't have too much time to think about that for I felt myself be thrust from the water. Chad had sprung up underneath me and lifted me out of the water and onto his shoulders.
"Chad Dylan Cooper! What are you doing?" I yelled at him.
His arms gripped my calves as I flailed around a bit. He was trying to make sure that I wouldn't fall. I grinned at the gesture. My joy didn't last long as he suddenly slipped under the water's surface and released me, causing me to fall ungracefully back into the cool water.
