A/N: Chapter two. R&R please! Sorry about the language.
"Tess!"
All of a sudden, a strong pair of arms grabbed her and dragged her up to the surface. She was pulled up onto the dock and laid on her back.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" The person demanded. Not getting an answer, they began to get worried. They hurriedly grabbed her wrist and felt for a pulse. When they felt nothing but her soft flesh, they panicked.
"This cannot be happening."
They leaned over her and began doing cpr. She didn't budge.
"No, Tess, you can't quit on me now. Come on!"
Two minutes later, she was still laying on the dock in the exact same position as before. The person looked down at her and let a tear roll down their cheek.
Her ears popped and she groaned inwardly in pain.
Am I dead?
She didn't feel dead. She just felt like she was laying down on some hard surface.
Why doesn't anything I do ever go right?!
"Tess, come on, wake up. Please!"
She knew that voice.
"You can't die now. Please, please, please just move, even a little bit. Just for me." They grabbed her hand and held it tight.
The warmness made her arm tingle. Her fingers shook ever so slightly against theirs.
"You're... You're alive!"
She could already picture the relieved grin forming on their face.
"You really scared me there."
I scared myself.
"I thought I lost you."
You would have if you didn't come after me.
"Will you wake up? I mean... all the way?"
Only if you promise to not hate me.
"I promise I won't be like all them at Final Jam."
Thank you, Nate.
Her eyes fluttered open and she glanced at him tiredly. She tried to sit up, and in doing so, she coughed up all the water that had recently entered her body.
Ouch, that hurt.
"Are you okay?"
She glared at him. "Leave me alone," she mumbled.
"Oh, so that's how you thank me for saving you."
"You shouldn't have come after me." She turned her back to him.
"You would be dead now if I didn't!" He put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.
"Exactly."
"What is wrong with you? Why would you try to drown yourself?!"
"None of your business."
"You're not the same you were three years ago." He shook his head.
"I grew up."
"So that's your excuse? Everybody grows up, Tess."
"God, can you just stop nagging me?"
"If that's how you want it, then fine." He got up and shuffled back toward Final Jam, his head drooping.
"Nate, wait!" She exclaimed.
He didn't turn around; just only kept walking until he reached the doors and went back inside. She sat there and started crying heavily, staring in his direction.
"I just drove away the only person that actually cared about me," she sighed.
Ten minutes later, people started exiting Final Jam and going back to their cabins.
No one seemed to notice the lonely, soaking wet figure sitting on the edge of the dock.
-x-
A cool breeze swept through the camp, causing Tess to shiver. She automatically reached for her covers and tried to pull them closer, but not finding any, she immediately woke up.
"Whoa, where am I?" She sat up and looked around.
She was still on the edge of the dock, and evidently, it was pretty early. The sun was just a tiny dot on the horizon.
I guess no one noticed I was gone.
Oh who was she kidding. They noticed she wasn't there. But did they come out and try to find her? No.
She leaned back on her hands and stared out over the lake. Biting her lip, she glanced right and left.
More time alone. Great.
Her stomach growled. Oh right, she didn't have dinner last night.
She stood up but was only met with dizzyness. She grabbed her head and took a couple deep breaths. She blinked, then headed off toward the mess hall.
Once inside, she rummaged back through the kitchen, looking for something to eat. She found a couple leftover brownies and cookies from the night before. Apparently, they had dessert last night after Final Jam. She ate two or three, then heard a door slam from somewhere in the mess hall.
Shit, it's probably Mitchie.
She looked for somewhere to hide, but couldn't find a place. She ducked behind a counter, but realizing you could see her clearly from her hiding place, she stood up.
Her eyes widened as Nate came through the door. His expression matched hers.
"What are you doing here?" he murmured.
She held up a cookie, motioning that her mouth was full. He smiled softly and grabbed the cookie from her hand, stuffing it in his mouth.
There they were, two people chewing cookies in the kitchen, all alone at six in the morning.
"So, um, about last night..." Tess began once she had swallowed.
"Don't bring it up."
She ignored him and continued, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so mean, especially right after you saved me from drowning. And for that, thank you." She put her hand on his arm and smiled shyly.
"Tess, just tell me why you did it." He let out a frustrated sigh.
"I-I don't even know. It's just, now things are getting to me. Nothing ever goes right in my life. Everything's perfect on the outside; but on the inside I'm dying. I used to be indestructable. Now I'm just some broken mess." She threw her arms up and stared glumly at the ground.
"Look at me." He put his hand on her chin and lifted her face up carefully. "As long as you know me, you have a friend. If you need to talk, I'm always available. I promise," he reassured her.
"Thank you, Nate." Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.
He pulled her into a hug and wrapped his arms around her tight.
"Don't ever try anything that stupid again," he whispered in her ear.
"Will do," she giggled, wiping her eyes. She pulled away and looked at him.
"Hey, you wanna go for a walk?" Nate asked nervously.
"Well maybe I can find some time in my busy schedule for you..." she teased.
Nate rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Ok, I guess I'll just go back to my cabin then." He turned around dramatically and started walking away, knowing that moments later she would be rushing to catch up with him. When she didn't, he whirled around on his heel and wondered if she was playing hard to get. What he saw made him gasp in shock.
Tess was passed out in a heap on the floor.