Kori typed away at her laptop, glancing at the clock every five minutes. Karen had said they'd start at 7, and it was already 6: 45. She wanted to go, however, every minute that got closer to the allotted time freaked her out. Shaking her head, she continued to type, ignoring the fact that her fingers were missing keys and punching random characters
Any minute now she would get a call. How would she tell Karen that she changed her mind and didn't plan on going anymore? She could use the "I'm helping unpack my house," excuse, but then that wouldn't really work, would it? She could say she randomly threw up. Nerves. Wait, why would she have nerves?
Kori groaned.
"Ah!" She screeched when a loud knock came from her door. She sighed.
"Come in dad!"
"Dude, I'm not your dad," Karen said, strolling in, with Raven behind her. Kori groaned again.
"Did you really think hiding in your shit hole would seriously stop me from dragging your sorry butt to my place? Sheesh, what do you take me for, an idiot?"
"Look, it's nice that you're here, but I changed my mind. It's a no."
Karen glanced at Raven, who merely shrugged. "Does it have anything to do with a mr. sunglasses?"
"No!" Kori said honestly. While Richard was a pain in the ass, that's not what she was worried about. She secretly worried about leaving her dad alone with Koma having been missing for two days, and Ryan…well, not existing in the family. Her mom already abandoned the family, and now her two older siblings were doing the same. If Kori started to drift off…She shook her head.
"Look, I can't. Okay?"
"We got permission from your dad, already." Karen said. Her new friend's face fell slightly at the mention of that. Ok, so pretty girl had a serious issue. Karen decided to leave Kori to do the talking when she wanted. It wasn't her business.
"Raven, help me out," Karen turned to her buddy. Raven rolled her eyes, "I did this too, and once again, was forced to go."
Kori stopped fake typing. "Wait a minute. How did you know where I live?"
"I mighta hacked some stuff, gone through some other stuff…" Karen admitted sheepishly, then brightened, clapping her hands together. "Okay, girl, get a swimsuit, some pajamas, since you're spending the night, and other stuff you might need. Let's go! The boys are waiting!"
Kori cringed. Damnit, another complexity.
"Um, listen, the whole pool thing…"
"What? Afraid of water?" Raven asked.
"No. I can't swim."
Karen burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. "Of all the excuses to get out of the party, you choose that one! That's the oldest excuse in the book, girl!"
Raven nudged her tall friend and muttered, "She isn't kidding."
"Wait, you seriously can't swim?"
Kori shook her head and turned her laptop off. "Sorry."
"Oh. Then I'll tell Vic to make sure not to throw you. Sounds fair?"
They began to look at her with puppy dog eyes and Kori bit her lip. Raven was pretending to be like the abandoned kitten that looked at you from the corner of her eyes and pouted, and Karen was all puppy dog style, with the big brown eyes and puffy face. Kori fidgeted.
"Oh…ALRIGHT! Fine, I'll go!"
"WOO!" Karen fist pumped in the air. "Gather your things!"
Kori sighed. She couldn't believe that she had been caught in their trap and dragged here. She was weak. The minute she had arrived, Vic led her to "the seat of honor" which was merely the stone bench by the fire pit, and forced to test out some meat that he was cooking. The meat was, undeniably, the best she had ever tasted, so Vic went along his way. Then, Gar came up, in competition with Victor, and shoved his tofu dogs down her throat. Admittedly, she liked it, and when expressed her thoughts, Victor branded her a traitor and said no more meat for her, and Gar looked at her like she was the love of her life.
Kori tried to keep from grinning, but couldn't. Her smile grew wider as she looked around to find Karen and ask if she had told Vic yet. But her eyes fell on sunglasses, and the smile disappeared.
"What?" she snapped.
"I didn't even say anything," he replied nonchalantly, getting off the bench and strolling over to Vic, murmuring quietly to him. She rubbed her forehead and once again wondered where Karen and Raven had gone off to. She wished they had asked to tag along.
"Hey, Kori," Gar asked, "Do you know where I left my DS?"
"Um, no, sorry Gar."
"Darn it," Gar continued, "I can't lose it! It isn't even mine. What am I going to do?"
"Do you want me to help you look for it?" she asked, wanting to help the poor Gar. He honestly did look a little lost. His eyes lit up and a huge smile appeared. "Please!"
She got up and looked with him, searching the ground by the pool when she was scooped up in strong arms and thrown over a shoulder. Her eyes met Gar's and slid past Richard's form.
"What are you doing?" she asked, praying Karen had told Vic.
"Initiation!" Victor yelled and threw her up in the air. She screamed she couldn't swim before plunging into the cold water, sinking into the 12 feet.
"What did she say?" Vic asked, turning. Richard shrugged and Gar was laughing. Karen strolled out with Raven, and looked about. "Where's Kori?"
"In the pool," Vic said triumphantly, putting his hands on his hips.
"SHE CAN'T SWIM!" screamed the girls.
"WHAT?!"
Victor turned to jump in but Richard had already dived in, and swam down, feeling for Kori's body in the dark water. When his hand found hers, she pulled her up against him and pushed upwards. Kori surfaced, coughing and sputtering, tears running down her face.
"Are you alright?" he asked, as he swam to the stairs.
"L-let go of me, stupid!" she screamed, pushing him away.
"Hold on!" he barked, "Unless you want to drown again, just hold it."
"No! Let go!" Kori screamed, her eyes finding the most beautiful, crystalline blue eyes she had ever seen. She froze, practically mesmerized. Richard frowned. "Kori, you alright?"
"Huh?" She blushed and looked away, fully aware of how tight her body was against his, and how it seemed to be a perfect fit. Richard began to notice too, but any thoughts, any sly remarks of cockiness seemed to disappear, and he was lot at words. Anything he might saw would instantly set off her temper, and for some reason, he felt like saying nothing at all. Her slight body pushed against his riled up emotions he didn't know he had…not sexual emotions, though there was that, but something…more….
"Yo, you going to get her out of the water?" Vic asked, suspicious of the two and their sudden freeze.
"Right," Richard muttered, pulling her along, then setting her at the top step. High hands found her waist, and as she climbed out, Karen reaching for her hand, he had the sudden impulse to pull her back, just to hold her. He let go quickly, pushed past her, and marched straight to Vic's room to clean up, and maybe figure out what wanting to hold her meant.
"You okay?" Karen asked for the hundredth time, as Kori brushed her hair slowly. This time, Kori didn't answer, because her thoughts were back on Richard, and his hands, and muscles, and those eyes. It felt almost too…good. She shook, unable to control her emotions.
"You're still cold, aren't you?" Karen asked, noticing. Kori sighed and put the brush down. "No, I'm not cold, I'm…frightened."
"Sorry, I was going to tell him, honest. I didn't think…"
"It's okay," Kori muttered, not thinking at all about her drowning. That wasn't why she was frightened. She was frightened because of unnatural feelings that were sinking into her skin. Whatever that electrical feeling she had was probably just shock, just like the pounding of her heart. His eyes were just something new, something she didn't expect. It had nothing to do with the man himself. Suddenly, Kori felt better. Why would she be feeling anything for a guy she hated? She was just imagining things.
"Drank too much chlorine water," she said aloud. Raven raised an eyebrow, understanding what Kori meant when she said that thing about looking at Gar. Kori had it too, but with Richard. And if she wasn't mistaken, which she was almost never, then he felt the same thing.
Karen nodded, shamed. Kori smiled and patted her shoulder. "Come on, it's not the first time it's happened to me."
"It's not?"
"Nope. I was pushed in third grade by a friend on accident. When I was ten, I went to the beach with my friends, and was dared to run into the ocean. I had to be saved by a life guard. I-
"Ok, ok, I get it. Thanks," Karen said. "Do you still want to stay?"
"No, think you can give me a ride?"
"Sure."
On her way out, she had hoped to walk away and forget it all, however, there stood Richard, his eyes piercing into hers, and his tousled locks making him look sexier wet. He changed into a white muscle shirt and a pair of black shorts, and Kori groaned.
"So, is princess alright?" Richard asked, meaning to be silly. However, she snapped.
"So sorry you had to waste your precious time saving my arse. Next time, don't bother."
"I-what? You know something, missy, you're just about-"
"Look, let's skip the I'm acting like the Ice bitch, you're the wonderful savior, crap, ok? I'm going home, and that's it. Nothing happened, you didn't save me, I wasn't saved by you…nothing happened."
"Usually, in cases as these, you would give a thank you for saving your arse speech. Not the, I'm not going to acknowledge you because I'm the bitch with a pole up her butt, speech."
"So sorry I don't know the formalities yet! Why not just ignore it?!"
"Fine! I will! And next time you drown, I won't save you! Does that make you happy?!"
"I had no idea you cared for my happiness! Maybe, if it mattered so much to you, you would have thought not to save me because it would ruin my mood!"
"Sorry I can't help you with your bipolar moods, lady!"
"You know what, I can't stand the look of you at the moment. I'm leaving."
"Good, go! Because you're disgusting face is something I obviously want to see!" Richard yelled at her back in sarcasm. "This way, I don't have to spend my whole night trying to erase your ugly face out of my mind!"
Victor walked in, tired of the arguing and saw, with amazement, Kori stick a middle finger up at Richard as she walked away.
Both Kori and Richard wondered how they could have mistaken those emotions for anything else but pure hatred.
