"C'mon you two, this way!"
Carrie yelled over her shoulder. She and Farrah had started out strong on the race to the waterfall, but they were going at a quick clip and she didn't want the girl completely worn out. Now she was ahead of both her and Brody on the tree lined path.
"How much far?"
"Farther.", Brody corrected as Farrah trudged alongside him.
"And not too much from what I remember. You ready for a lift?", he offered, bending over so she could climb onto his shoulders. She did excitedly, patting him on the back.
"Fast, we go fast!"
"Hey hold on. We go too fast and we'll both fall over, brat."
"You brat.", Farrah giggled, getting a laugh out of Brody as he reached into his jeans pocket. Pulled out a small compass.
It was in the pack Carrie had given him that night at the fire road, and he brought it with him everywhere he went.
"What is.."
"It's called a compass. Carrie gave it to me. See the arrow there? It tells us what direction we're going."
"Ah, okay. Stop!"
Farrah ordered. Still settled on Brody's back, she peered over his shoulder at the compass needle.
"Now turn."
Rolling his eyes he laughed, following her instructions as he turned left. Still watching the arrow Farrah gasped as it moved.
"Other way!", she giggled. Obeying her once again, she kept giggling and then asked him to go backwards.
"Backwards? Okay now you're just making me dizzy."
"Nick, turn again! Again!"
"Oooh, wait..don't think I can stand anymore. Too, dizzy. Look out, this isn't good!"
Playing dramatic, pretending to swoon Brody slowly dropped to his knees.
"Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!"
"No! Get up, you get up!", Farrah laughed, still on his shoulders as she pulled at the back of his shirt.
"Hey!", Carrie interrupted, walking back towards them.
"You two were supposed to be right behind me!"
"Brody fall! Can't get up."
"Is that so?", Carie smirked.
"Because I think Brody's just being a huge goofball."
"Hey, who are you calling goofball?", Brody scoffed, as Carrie pried Farrah off his shoulders, put the girl on her back instead.
"You. You goofball. If you'll excuse us we're going to the waterfall. Think you can make it?"
"I'll do you one better.", Brody said deviously as he took off running.
"Last one there is going in!", he mimicked as Carrie groaned, half exasperated and half loving the hell out of this.
Letting Farrah down they both took off running after him.
Finally, a bit winded, Brody reached the waterfall and stood still. Staring admiringly at it for awhile before hearing footsteps behind him.
"Pretty!", Farrah chirped running over as Brody put his arm out, stopped her from getting too close to the ledge.
"Easy. That'd be quite a tumble."
Coming up behind them Carrie watched, smiled as Brody sat beside Farrah on the ledge. Pointing out at the water and saying something that made her laugh. The sight was enough to make her tear up, and she feared moving and ruining the moment. But Farrah looked back and saw her, waved her over.
"There any room for me?", Carrie asked, perching beside the two of them before Farrah climbed onto her lap.
"The view the same as last time?"
Turning to face her Brody smiled.
"Actually I think it's gotten better."
Slipping an arm around her shoulders they talked, laughed, watched the water and broke into the trail mix Brody made and bagged for them this morning. Then though, even with the water close and the mist floating around, it started getting humid and sticky out. Deciding they'd head back to the cabin, try and beat the heat, by the time they reached the property they were all just as sticky as the weather.
"I want to swim.", Farrah whined, looking longingly at the lake as they walked past it.
"Well, what are you waiting for then?", Brody asked, getting a look.
"Brody, she doesn't know how!"
"I can teach her.", he offered, slipping off his outer plaid shirt to reveal the white tee underneath.
"Carrie, please!", Farrah begged.
"Farrah I forgot your swim suit, remember?"
"Why don't you just give her your t-shirt?"
"Gee, wonder why you'd suggest that.", Carrie scoffed as he stripped off his jeans. But she couldn't resist the look on Farrah's, and now Brody's face, and rolling her eyes slipped off her gray tee. Handing it to Farrah who giggled, thanked her, then ran to change behind a tree.
Meanwhile Brody smiled slyly at Carrie, now in her jean shorts and a black and purple lace bra. She wished she could walk over and kiss that stupid grin off his face, get that shirt off him too. But knowing the reason he'd opted to keep it on, her smile went soft, sadder.
"Okay, I ready!", Farrah cheered as she sprinted down the dock, ready to dive in.
"Whoa, easy there brat.", Brody warned, running to scoop her up mid leap.
"Nick!"
"Let's take this one step at a time. Don't think you're ready for cannonballs just yet."
Setting her down he dove in first, then surfaced and swam right up to the edge of the dock, reached his arms out.
"Okay now I want you to jump at me, okay? I'll catch you and bring you over to where it's shallower. Good place as any to start."
Now nervous, Farrah chewed on her lip and looked back over to Carrie who took the hint, approached her on the dock.
"Hey, it'll be fine. You saw Brody with me at the tree, he's good at catching and besides, you're smaller than I am."
Nodding, Farrah put on her brave face managed a bit of a smile, then on Carrie's count shut her eyes and jumped in Brody's direction. He caught her easily and brought her over to the shallower part of the lake, leading Carrie to strip out of her cutoffs and dive in after them.
Once surfacing she shook her hair out, then swam over and saw Brody still holding Farrah, telling her to kick and only let go of him when she was ready.
It didn't take long before she did let go, then dogpaddled over in his direction.
"Hey, look at you!"
"Carrie I do it! I swim!"
Farrah exclaimed before letting her head dip underwater. Immediately Carrie swam closer and Brody made a move to grab her, hold her afloat. But soon enough she surfaced, then began splashing around the lake like she'd swam there all her life.
Seeing how Farrah was calm and enjoying herself, Carrie opted to follow her lead and started floating on her back, closing her eyes, reveling in how good the sun felt on her face.
Grinning deviously, Brody motioned for Farrah to swim over and start splashing her. When the girl refused, shook her head stubbornly, he obliged.
"Hey! What the fuc..BRODY!" Splashing at him in retaliation, Carrie smirked, jumped onto his back.
"Brat! Help! She's got me!", Brody exclaimed as he thrashed about in the water, then started to go under leaving Carrie scrambling to get away from him, forced to do a sloppy backflip off of him into the lake.
Meanwhile Farrah, laughing so much at their antics wound up accidentally swallowing water, starting choking on it. Brody quickly sprang into action, swimming over to scoop her up, tap her on the back as she coughed.
"You okay, brat?"
After coughing some more, chin quivering Farrah's eyes welled up with tears. Whimpering she buried her face in Brody's shoulder.
"Hey it's okay..everything's fine. I gotcha.", he soothed, rubbing her back as Carrie swam up, kissed the girl on the cheek.
"C'mon honey let's get you inside."
"If you're up for it we can try again tomorrow though, okay?"
Nodding slightly, Farrah coughed again as Brody swam up to the dock, lifted her onto it before climbing out of the lake. Carrie close behind them.
Watching them as he carried her back to the cabin, she put her shorts back on then went to wring her hair out, only to notice her shoulders were beet red.
"Oh, shit!"
Craning her neck around and back to look over them, she saw her back was just as burned.
Once getting Farrah up to the porch, Brody walked back towards the dock and laughed curiously. Seeing Carrie attempting to turn her head 360 degrees.
"Carrie!", he called, jogging back to her.
"Jesus. Are you trying to give yourself whiplash or something? What's going on?"
"Agh, why didn't I think to put some fucking sunscreen on?"
Giving her a once-over, Brody sighed.
"Shit. You really are red. C'mon. I think I saw some lotion in the bathroom medicine cabinet. Hopefully it'll keep you from wanting to itch your skin off."
"Yeah, hopefully.", she scoffed, before turning to him with a sly smile. Thinking of at least one perk to this whole obnoxious sunburn thing.
"Think you can help me put it on?", she grinned suggestively as he arched a brow.
"You have to ask?", he smirked as she took off running to the porch, leaving him to follow.