Noel’s POV
“You did what exactly?”
I sighed, “I. Made. A. Deal. With. Quinn.” I repeated for the fourth time in the last thirty minutes.
“No no no,” Aaron says waving his hand like he’s in a building of fire calling for someone’s help. “I know what you did, but what did you do?”
I look at him like he’s a lunatic which he kinda is. Sighing—again— I repeated everything understanding his lunatic talk, “I made a deal with Quinn and we decided to have a swimming contest. If she loses she apologises on her knee and if I lose— which I won’t— I’ll leave. Back to California.”
“One day,” Jesse says as he stops hitting his head on Aaron’s cupboard, “One day we leave you in school alone and you ran off into the sunset doing stupid things!”
“How could you Noel?” Aaron asked squeezing the fluff out of his pillow.
I got off the ground, “You guys should chill ok? And its not a stupid deal,” I said turning to glare at Jesse.
“It is, I mean do you even know Quinn? She’s the head of the cheerleading squad, you? You’re practically a potato.” Jesse said gesturing to me.
I opened my mouth in disbelief of what he just said, then closed it back when I realized he was right. “Ouch, is what I would say if I was hurt. I can win.”
“Yeah right, ofcourse you can. Do you need to tell you Quinn has won medals in sports, I mean what grade was she even a life guard again?” Jesse asked Aaron.
“Summer before we joined highschool,” Aaron replied.
“Aren’t going to defend me?” I asked Aaron.
“Um… yo Jesse stop hurting my girlfriends… ego?” Aaron posed as a question.
I picked up a pillow and threw at him. He caught it laughing. “Look let’s just go to Quinn and call this thing off.” Jesse said not laughing or smiling.
“Jesse I would win, I never was a lifeguard but I did participate in swim competitions back in California. I totally beat Quinn.” I assured.
“Yea she can. Have you seen my girl swim?” Aaron asked getting up his bed and wrapping his arms around me from behind.
God, back hugs should be some kind of compulsory stuff. It’s a so good.
I craned me neck up to look at him, “you believe me?” I just want one person to think I can do it. Nadine and Peyton didn’t in school and now Jesse and Aaron don’t too.
“Ofcourse I do. I just don’t like that you made a deal that can make you leave New York, leave me.” Aaron says kissing a trial down my neck.
“That’s not an option,” I replied his kisses distracting me.
“Hello? Seriously? In front of me?” Jesse asked and I quickly pulled away from Aaron as he groaned. Jesse chuckled. “When I start my own DAFOF— display of affection in front of friends— you guys won’t recover from it. Like it would be imprinted in your memory forever.”
Aaron and I looked at eww each other, “Ewwwww.”
“Back to the topic. You really want to do this Christmas?” Jesse asked.
“Yep, hopefully it would stop this school war madness and probably slap some sense and humility into Quinn.” I say.
“What if you lose? Huh what happens then?” Aaron asked.
“I won’t. You guys won’t let me right?” I asked looking at them both.
Jesse shrugged with a smirk. “Well since you asked. We won’t.”
“What does that mean? Why that smirk?” I asked confused.
“Well Quinn won’t ever agree to this. Unless she has some chicken wings up her sleeves.” Aaron said.
“We’re gonna have chicken feet up our sleeves too.” Jesse said smirking with Aaron.
Huh? Chicken wings? Chicken feet? What has Chicken parts have to do with…. Oh. It took me a minute to understand them. “No. No, no cheating.”
“Cheating? Nahhh no way.” Aaron says dragging the words to show that he definitely would cheat.
“Come on guys, I want this fair and square.” I say.
“Fair and square, right.” Jesse said. I gave him a pointed look. “She cheats I cheat, fair and square.”
I sigh, “fine. Whatever let’s just get this done with.”
“I have a pool we can practice on.” Aaron says. “And I think Bella has some tight swim suits.” He winks at me.
“Pervert!” I say at him blushing as I remember our pool experience.
“When you guys are done meet me outside. I’m getting a whistle and a timer.” Trust Jesse to take things extreme.
“Want me joining you in the pool?” Aaron asks as soon as Jesse shuts the door.
“No, I’d like to do this in my right senses.” I answered.
“Ah, I confuse you. That’s good to know.” He says his arms going around my waist. “Are you nervous?”
I nod, “I am, I really want to win. It like I’m proving my worth to Quinn.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Any one that can see you for what you are is a complete block head.” He says.
“I know right? I’m pretty much the most amazing girl on the planet.”
He laughs. “I’m I rubbing off on you or what?”
I laugh too. “You pick a thing or two when you’re dating the most egoistic, narcissist on the planet.”
“I plan on teaching you a lot more my egoist in training.”
“I’ve learned a lot already but I don’t think I’ve learned the act of kissing quite enough. Tsk I’m a bit rusty and might need a lot, an awful lot of lessons.” I flirted licking my lips.
He smirked, “well I’ve got you covered.” And with that he kissed me, I got on my tippy toes wrapping my hands around his neck. He grabbed my legs pulling them up so I wrap my legs around him.
I missed him, one full day in without him in school. When school ended I learned that Mafe was brought home. I bought a pack of chocolates and came to see her. She looks fine but her tummy hurts when she laughs. I found this out when I made her laugh and she almost started crying after. Mrs Altamira is in her room, Aaron says she’s been with since yesterday, Mafe gave her a big scare that’s she still isn’t over. I stayed behind after my visit, talking with Aaron and Jesse. Which led to Jesse leaving us alone and leading to Aaron kissing me like the expert he is. With kisses like this its a surprised that he haven’t done it. It referring to it. Wham bam thank you ma’am.
Though I don’t think he leave me after we’ve had sex. He loves me. Yes he hasn’t told me the three words yet but I can feel it. The way he looks at me, kisses me, touches me. He loves me and I love him too. Hearing it from him wouldn’t be bad though, it would be wonderful even, settle things. But I understand why I haven’t heard those three words yet. He’s taking things slowly, I’m taking things slowly. I also haven’t told him that yet. I think we’re taking things slow because we want it to be real. Rush in and rush out, right?
A loud whistle blows and makes Aaron jump off me. Yes, we were on his bed but we both still have our shirts on. Slowly. “Stop the hanky panky and get down!” Jesse shouts from outside the door.
Aaron licks his lips and get off the bed, stretching his hand out to me. “Listo mi cariño (ready my Darling)?”
“Sí,” I answered holding onto his hand as he pulled me up and together we left his room.
I practiced swimming at a really fast rate with Jesse as my coach, he really pushed me to the edge, using the timer to set a particular time for me. Sometimes he set impossible times and other times I impressed him by beating his time limit. Aaron just say down and watched spurting out some encouraging words here and there. Overall I am becoming less and less nervous every minute.
.
.
I am becoming more and more nervous every minute.
Ever since I arrived school today Quinn has been sending me creepy smiles, even when she was making out with her boyfriend, an eye was opening looking at me as I walked back. How creepy is that? Even Tyler her boyfriend smirked at me at one time.
“Don’t let them get to you, if all part of their strategy.” Aaron says putting an arm over my shoulder as we walked to my next class.
“Well that’s pretty hard to do, I see them everywhere. Her followers or minions are smirking at me in every class.” I said fiddling with my fingers.
“They are trying to work you up so, you’ll be worked up and get paranoid.”
“Its working.”
“Noel chill, its gonna be okay. You’re gonna beat her no matter what.” Aaron assured me separating my hands and linking our fingers together.
“Yea, I am.” I hope so. Now I’m really happy Jesse and Aaron would be playing fair and square. I’m certain Quinn has something planned out.
School went by really fast and before you know it we were already listening to the closing bell. How come time flew so fast? I hardly paid attention to any class today, I was paranoid and all edge all through. Principal Finley gave everybody a suspicious look as he left the school building and noticed that no student was leaving. Or at least the number that were leaving were nothing compared to the ones staying behind. A boy went out with him and after a while came back to the hall shouting. “He’s gone!”
Everyone sighed and started working around into the school’s indoor pool. The janitor had let us use the pool, and it was really warm in there, not cold like the freezing weather.
“Ready Dolphin?” Aaron asked me his eyes narrowed as he observed me.
“Yep,” I nodded, before Jesse practically pushed me into the changing room. Chimpanzee. I changed into the swim suit and came out looking around at everybody. Some people were glaring, others were smiling. Peyton, Nadine and Liv were giving me a thumbs up, even Luke smiled at me. I felt at ease immediately. I had people here for me, there’s nothing to be scared of.
Quinn showed soon and did an exaggerated walk show before stopping right in front of me. “Good luck.”
“I think you’ll need it more.” I answered her, pulling down my glass, the leather cap covering my hair tightly as I walked away. Deep down I knew I would need all the luck I can get.
Quinn and I took our places at the edge of the pool there was an orange stick-like something dividing the pool into two parts. I smiled at Aaron before turning to smile at Quinn too.
“Ready!” Someone shouted.
“Set!”
A really loud horn blared out almost immediately Quinn and I jumped into the pool creating a loud splash. I was hearing the voices of students, some cheering others booing. I blocked the voices out and just concentrated on the way my hands, legs and muscles moved against the water pulling me forward and forward. We were to reach the end and come back to the beginning.
More than halfway through the pool, the lights in the pool all went off immediately turning the whole place pitch black, not even the water was reflecting any light. I heard students murmuring, somebody even cursed out loud. I had stop swimming in surprise wondering what the hell was wrong. Just when I decided to discard of my paranoia and continue my swim even in the darkness, I felt something hit me so hard in the face, I turned dizzy for a second and sunk into the pool. Just then the lights came back on.
“Noel?!” I faintly heard some people call at the same time.
Gosh that hurts, what was that? An elbow? A bat? Quinn! I know she’s behind this, this was here chicken wings.
“Christmas get up!”
“Noel are you ok?”
I opened my eyes and pushed myself until I was above the surface of the water and could breath in a large amount of air to my lungs.
“Noel, Dolphin are you ok?” Aaron asked squatting beside the pool and looking at me worriedly.
I nod to him. “Keep swimming,” Jesse said urging me forward, Quinn was already at the other end, there’s no way I’ll make it on time to win this. Jesse and I shared a look before I dived back into the pool moving with all my strength. This is the fastest I’ve gone, the longest I’ve stayed without resurfacing for air. But with that it still won’t be enough. Quinn was already turning back.
I reached the edge, placing my legs on it, I bounced back, going back the way I came. I could see Quinn in front of me with a great distance.
“Drinks! Drinks for everyone.” I heard Jesse voice say and soon I heard a splash inside water. “Opps they fell in.”
I was curious to see what he had done but I didn’t want to stop swimming. I couldn’t. I kept chanting the Nemo’s keep swimming, keep swimming, keep swimming song in my head.
“Ugh what the hell?!” Quinn shrieked out and I could tell I was gaining onto her.
There reached a period where we were swimming together at the same place. I smiled at her, she glared at me. We were almost there, almost. And I heard the horn blare out as I came from the water. Shaking water out of my eyes, I looked around and Quinn was also out with me.
“What just happened?” A girl asked breaking the silence of the place.
People started screaming and shouting as I felt four hands lift me up. “She won!”
“You won!”
“OMG she freaking won!”
Who?
Then I noticed that in all the shouts, I was now on top of students, they were lifting me up. “I won?” I asked a broad smile on my face.
“Yes Christmas you did it!” Jesse said excited.
“You won Quinn by an arm,” Peyton informed me.
I was laughing now, I won. I actually won. I’m not leaving. “Put me down,” I asked because I was uncomfortable and somebody that wasn’t Aaron had their hands on my butt.
As soon as I was dropped down I rushed into Aaron’s arms. “See I did it.”
“Ofcourse you did. You lived up to your nickname my little dolphin.” Aaron said and I laughed before hugging him again.
“Move out my way!” Quinn shouted making her way to me. “You! You cheated. Freaking Jesse poured canned drinks into the pool on my side!”
“That was an honest mistake.” Jesse said, clearly lying.
“I didn’t do anything Quinn. Face it I won. You didn’t. Don’t be such a sore loser.” I told her.
“I won’t take this. I definitely won’t!” She shouted stomping out, her two minions following her. I high fived Jesse and Aaron. They helped me.
“We’ll meet you outside.” Aaron said peeking my lips as they left me to change.
I changed quickly looking forward to the party Jesse was planning for me at his house. As I finished changing I walked out examining the bruise forming close to my eyes. Stupid Quinn.
I looked up and met with the hardened baby blue eyes of her boyfriend glaring at me. What was he doing in the girls locker room. I sighed. “What do you want Tyler?”
“You cheated. Time to pay.”
“I didn’t… ” the words got stuck in my mouth as I saw two other guys show up.
I backed away looking around. I’m alone in the girls locker room. With three guys and no weapon.
Oh crap.