Chap.2
I kicked up dust as we walked down the road.
Ashley coughed, "You know I hate dust, stop kicking it up!" She coughed again.
I ran ahead of her as we entered the Smooth Smoothie's parking lot.
Brittani leaned on a black Jaguar; she was wearing all black, right down to her ray-bans.
She looked me over, "Hey, what's up?"
"Why do you look like you just came from a funeral?" Ashley asked, walking up.
I elbowed her in the ribs, and then smiled at Britt.
She took off her sunglasses and hooked them on the edge of her shirt, "You know I like wearing black, so why do you always ask that?"
Ashley shrugged and brushed past Brittani.
I followed after her, Brittani came in last.
"So, are we going to do it or are we not?" Brittani asked.
"I don't know. You know I hate water." I said.
"But Alder Island is so cool! Some people said when it's a full moon, the water turns red and green like Christmas!" Brittani said excitedly.
I sipped on my iced coffee, thinking.
"No." I said calmly.
"I bet Ashley would like to go, wouldn't you, Ashley?"
Ashley hadn't said anything the whole time; she was just slurping down her grape icee without a word.
She looked startled when Brittani asked, like no one ever asked for her opinion ever.
"I think it would be fun." She said quietly, finishing her grape icee and ordering a chocolate chip muffin.
I sighed and nodded slowly, "I guess we could go, but just for a little while."
Brittani cheered, but regained her calm and put on her sunglasses.
"I'll need to borrow your parent's spare boat." Brittani said.
"I think you mean steal," I said, "Because I 'm saying no."
"Thank you, Aqua."
Ashley took a bite of her steaming hot muffin and started jumping around, "HOT MUFFIN! HOT MUFFIN," she screamed.
We laughed.
I laid on my couch, thinking about what I agreed too.
I felt like I was going to be sick, having the salty air whip in my face, the rocking of the boat, it made me very queasy just thinking about it.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, gathered my courage and stomped down to my dock.
Ashley was sitting on the dock, biting her nails nervously.
"Stop that. That's a bad habit." I said, taking her hand away from her mouth.
She sighed and straightened up, "We can do this. I can swim."
"No you can't. You look like a drowning cat in the water." I said with a laugh.
Even though we were laughing, I could hear Brittani's scream from a mile away.
"Was that Brittani?" Ashley said worriedly.
"I think so; let's head to her parent's dock. Maybe she tried to leave without us." I said, panicking.
We ran over to the dock, I got there first, and instantly slipped.
"Aqua, are you ok?" Ashley helped me up, and then pushed me away.
"What?" I said, surprised.
"You slipped in blood, that's blood!" Ashley screamed.
I looked at my bathing suit, it was dripping red liquid.
I screamed, trying to wipe it off, but I just smeared it on my skin instead.
"Go wash it off! I'll search for Brit." Ashley said.
I went down to the shore, my eyes got bigger as I walked down into the water.
It was ice cold and it was freaking me out.
I pictured myself drowning in this vast wasteland and a shark gulping me whole.
I quickly rinsed off the blood and pulled myself onto the dock, shivering.
"I think she swam from here to the island after she got hurt," Ashley said, handing me a warm towel.
"So we need to go and find her. We'll take my boat." I said.