Hey guys, sorry I've been taking so long to update but I had exams and just lots of work but now I have a week off so I'll try and update more. This one goes to my friend Isabelle who gave me the idea for this chapter. Just a small recommendation guys, watch Les Miserables, *insert fangirl noise here* it is amazing, I loved it, seriously watch it guys, fangirl with me x
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join together this man and woman in holy matrimony."
Bob and I stood facing each other on the side of the pool as Patrick recited the words which he printed out from the internet. Not so long ago the whole group decided to follow Bob and me to his neighbour's pool. Luckily the neighbours were away for the weekend; otherwise they would have already heard the large amount of noise we were all making.
After we climbed over I suggested that we all jump in to the pool, this caused the very stoned Bob to once again ask me to marry him. However this time, I agreed. I really did have too many of those brownies. With Sam, Mary Elizabeth and Alice as my bridesmaids and Charlie being Bob's best man, this left Patrick to be the priest.
"Do you, Jo Harvelle, take this umm man to be your lawfully wedded husband? In sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer, for better and for worse for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." I laughed slightly still looking at Bob.
Patrick then read out the same words to Bob and he replied with, "I do."
"I pronounce you, Jo Harvelle and Bob whatever the hell your last name is, as husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Patrick finished.
As Bob closed his eyes and leaned in I stretched my arms out and pushed him into the pool. Bob's body hit the water with an enormous splash causing the water to spray everyone standing on the sides. The whole group of us erupted with enormous laughter as Bob rose up with a shocked expression. I'm guessing he didn't expect that.
What I didn't expect however was for Patrick to push me into the pool. Luckily I managed to grab onto his arm as I fell which then caused him to stumble and fall into the pool with me. Both of us hit the water with a large noise. When we rose up Bob was already trying to climb out, however Patrick swam up to him and pulled him back in by his ankle. I swam to the other side away from either of them and quickly climbed out and ran up to Charlie. I leaned up and whispered something into his ear. He looked at me with a smile, "I can't believe you're gonna make me do this." I grinned knowing how annoyed Mary Elizabeth is gonna get. Then I walked up to Alice and told her to push Charlie into the pool.
Whilst this was happening Patrick and Bob were splashing each other with water like the children that they were. Right then, Charlie pushed Mary Elizabeth into the pool. Alice knew that it was her turn so she then walked up to a laughing Charlie and pushed him in. I already knew that Sam would push anyone who pushed Charlie in so once Alice was in the water I tapped Sam and the shoulder causing her to turn and gave her an innocent smile before I pushed her in too. Everyone was now splashing and swimming and trying to attack each other. I still stood at the side of the pool and laughed at the group of maniacs in the water.
Patrick saw that I stood there laughing at them and swam up to Charlie, who was trying to get away from Sam's splashing, and told him something which I couldn't hear due to all the noise the others were causing. I'm guessing Charlie liked what Patrick had said because both of them were starting to climb out of the pool. By the time they were out I realised what they were going to do and started running in the opposite direction. Charlie told Patrick to go the other way so that wherever I went I was basically trapped.
As both of them cut off any get away route Patrick grabbed me by the shoulders. "Grab her legs." Patrick said, smiling. Now I was worried. They were gonna throw me into the pool. I tried wriggling out of Patrick's grasp but Charlie was already holding onto my legs, so I tried to kinda kick him instead. They carried me to the side of the pool as everyone stopped and watched them begin to swing me from side to side.
"5…4…3…2…1…" everyone chanted. They were now on the other side of the pool and had already managed to climb out and sit on the age. Before I knew it I felt a rush of air and then a sudden coldness as a loud shout of "Zero!" was drowned out by the noise of my massive splash. I was submerged under the water for a good fifteen seconds before the water stopped pushing down at me. However, because I screamed as I fell into the pool my mouth and now lungs were slightly filling up with water. I lost control of my legs due to the panic and tried to flip my arms and use them to swim up. Unfortunately I was at the deep end; everyone else was at the shallow end. I could feel myself slipping out of consciousness. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to be swallowed by the large entity of water.
It took me quite some time to realise that I was okay. As in not being very close to death okay. I could feel someone's warm hands pumping on my chest to try and get the water out of my lungs. Suddenly a feeling of sickness and vomit caused me to get out of my unconscious state, I sat up faster than a bullet and all the water in my lungs and some of the food and alcohol I had eaten were emptied. There was a chorus of sighs of relief and I was finally able to open my eyes. I lied back down and felt a wet carpet underneath me. Patrick's face suddenly appeared in front of me and I grasped onto his shirt as he pulled me into his warm embrace. We sat there for quite some time as he rocked back and forth, not letting go of me as tears mixed themselves with the water which I was soaked in.
"Come on, let's get you home." Patrick said softly. He sounded very upset by what happened.
"Wait, at least take some blankets so she can warm up." Bob said as he walked down the stairs with a huge pile of blankets. Patrick decided to take one and wrapped it around my shoulders as I stood looking at the floor. He grabbed one more blanket from Bob's hands and we made our way to the door.
"Jo, are you gonna be okay?" Sam's voice came from the kitchen area. You could tell she had been crying.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." I coughed. "I just need to rest I guess." I looked up at the group of people staring back at me as I spoke. Their eyes filled with uncertainty. "Really guys I'll be fine." I put in a quick smile at the end. Patrick put his arm around me once more.
"Sam I might stay at Jo's tonight gotta keep this little rascal safe." He smiled at his step sister. Everyone chuckled slightly but no one really had the energy anymore.
Patrick and I walked to his car and he began to drive to my house very quickly. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the window. I didn't realise I had been asleep until Patrick switched off the engine, came around to my side and started to carry me up to my house. He took my keys out of my handbag and carried me into the living room before setting me down on the sofa.
"Do you want me to make any tea or anything?" Patrick asked still worried.
"A hot water bottle and some tea would be lovely thank you." I replied. Once he was in the kitchen I slowly got out of my wet clothes so that I was only in my underwear and wrapped myself in both of Bob's blankets. Soon Patrick came back and passed me my hot water bottle which I quickly placed underneath my feet. He placed the tea on the table and sat down next to me. I leaned my back against his chest only to find that his clothes were still wet.
"Come upstairs I'll get you some of my dad's old clothes instead of these wet ones." I said and we both stood up. Once we went upstairs to my parents' room I dug out some of my dad's pyjamas which he didn't wear anymore and passed them to Patrick before giving him directions to the bathroom. In the meantime, I went to my room and took my bed cover and another blanket downstairs and spread it out on the sofa and wrapping myself up once again.
"You look like a burrito." Patrick's voice came from the stairway. I laughed slightly my eyes closing from exhaustion. Patrick came around, sat next to me and pulled me into him once again. This time my face met with a comfortable feeling of cotton and I leaned into Patrick's warmth. He took a large blanket which I left for him on the floor and covered both of us with it.
"It shouldn't have happened." I heard Patrick say very silently, almost not loud enough for me to be able to hear.
"It wasn't your fault, Patrick." I looked up at him. His eyes were closed. His expression unreadable. His forehead wrinkled slightly as he pinched the bridge of his nose. I could tell he had been thinking about what had happened too much. I really didn't and couldn't blame him for what happened.
"I shouldn't have thrown you into the pool. I shouldn't have even thought of the idea." There was so much regret in his voice. So much doubt.
"Patrick. I was completely high and drunk. You couldn't have known I wouldn't be able to breathe properly once I was in the water. It wasn't your fault, eventually I would have jumped in or something and there was no way of knowing this would've happened. Anyway I am fine now, it's all fine, and I'm alright. Just relax." I said staring up at him.
"Okay. I'm sorry." He stroked my hair and then my cheek. The slight spark of heat caused by his touch on my face was not strange. It was comforting. I moved my head up slightly and wriggled my arms out of my cocoon and used them to pull Patrick down to my level by his shirt and give him a quick, soft kiss on the lips. It was more of a kiss shared between friends but a kiss nonetheless. I couldn't forget the slight attraction I felt to this guy.
"Shh... Sleep now." I said and muzzled my head into his chest. I turned to lie on my side and Patrick put his arm around my back to hold me up. He started to hum a song which I couldn't make out as I was already drifting away into sleep.
I didn't know what to make of what had happened. I guess I hadn't actually accepted what happened yet. I almost drowned. Almost. I was just a step away from death. But I was safe now. I felt safe in Patrick's arms.