enhanced boobs.
A clock affixed on the pool-house wall pointed out the time. I calculated how long it would take to jump into the water, lose consciousness, see the light, chat with Grandma, pet Cola if he was around, then presto-chango, body switcheroo. Factoring an estimate return for Angie, I concluded that if I entered the water in exactly forty- seven minutes, Leah’s body had a 74 percent chance of survival. Not great odds, but better than my chances of returning to my body once it was pronounced dead.
This is not suicide, I reminded myself. It’s survival.
One minute passed. Then three minutes. Only another forty-four to go — too much time to think, to stress, to dissect every little detail. Did the rocks weigh enough? What if I floated to the top? I had to make sure I was heavy enough to stay on the pool bottom until I saw the light.
That’s when I noticed a discarded brick leaning against a brick flower planter on the far side of the pool. Five rocks
I yelped as the rock smashed onto my foot.
Crying in pain, I jumped and grabbed my sore foot. The hopping jarred the other rock out of my top. I grabbed for it, but couldn’t get a grip. The rock slipped through my fingers toward my other foot. Instinctively I lunged backwards, my arms flailing as I teetered on the edge of the pool. And then I fell …
Something hard smacked my head.
I never heard the splash.
17
When I opened my eyes, a cloudy face hovered over me.
“Grammy?” A sharp pain throbbed in my head.
I didn’t remember hurting so much and feeling so cold last time I visited Grammy Greta. And it was so dark. Had I landed in the wrong place? I’d heard that people who commit suicide never made it to heaven and were trapped in an eternal black hole of nothingness. Had I taken a horribly wrong turn and been sucked into the darkness?
“You’re okay.” The voice speaking was male — definitely
Blinking, I watched as the face swam over me. Brown hair curled in a familiar way, and there were hazel eyes. Not a devil or angel. And as my vision cleared I realized I wasn’t in the dark pits of hell — just under a shady tree. My bathing suit was soaking wet and I had a horrible headache, but like the guy said, I was okay.
Unfortunately, I was also still Leah.
When I tried to sit up, pain exploded in my head and everything went fuzzy. “Ooh … my head … ouch … hurts.”
“It should. You got smacked in the head with a rock and nearly drowned.”
His voice … so familiar … I had a feeling I knew and liked him. Yet something in his tone suggested he wasn’t too crazy about me.
Weakly, I rubbed my eyes. When I opened them again I gasped. No way! Impossible! How could he be here? It just didn’t make any sense. Maybe I wasn’t so okay after all …
I was sure I was hallucinating, until I saw a soggy chocolate bar poking up from his wet shirt pocket. That’s when I knew it was real — that he was real.
“Ohmygod!” I gasped. “Eli?”
“Shhsh!” He pushed back his dripping hair and glanced around uneasily. “Keep your voice down.”
“You? Here? I can’t believe it!”
“Don’t throw anything.” He crossed his hands over his chest protectively. “I’m only the messenger.”
“You’re a miracle!” With an excited squeal, I jumped up and wrapped arms around him. His clothes were dripping wet, but then so were mine.
“‘Thanks’ is enough. More than I’d expect from you.”
“Thank you! Thank you for being here. I’m so glad to see you!”
“Glad, like getting poison oak or food poisoning.” He pried off my hands. “Don’t pretend with me.”
“Who’s pretending? Eli, you have no idea what I’ve been through and what I almost did because there was no one to help me. But now you’re here. And you jumped in the pool to pull me out like a real hero!”
“I’ll probably regret it. What were you thinking, anyway?” He sounded angry, not at all like the shy and sweet Eli I met at Jessica’s party. “Putting rocks in your suit was beyond dumb. You almost drowned!”
“I tried, but I screwed that up. Ooh … my head.”
“It’s just a bump. You’re not bleeding.”
“It still hurts.” I reached up and winced as my fingers touched the bump and exploded into pain. Lights flashed, circling around and around. I swayed, my legs buckling.
“Steady there.” Quickly, Eli reached out and wrapped his arm around my waist. He eased me into a wicker chair. “Sit down.”
“Thanks,” I murmured.
“You’re thanking me? You’re obviously not yourself.”
“You can tell? That’s amazing!” I felt overwhelming relief. Finally, someone was on my side. “You have no idea how good it is to see a friendly face. Everyone here hates me or hates her — it’s hard to keep it all straight. I just want to go home. No one else knows, and I’ve been so scared. They keep me locked in my room most of the time and my body is going to die tomorrow if I can’t get out of here.”
Instead of showing sympathy, he stepped back with a wary look. “Uh … maybe you should take a pill.”
“No more pills or doctors or hospitals! I’ve been out of it for too long. Just get me away from here and I’ll explain everything.”
“You don’t owe me any explanation. Save it for Chad.”
“Chad?” I repeated, confused. “You know him?”
“How hard did you hit your head? Of course I know Chad — he’s the reason I’m here. And for the record, I didn’t want to, but you know how persuasive my brother can be. He conned me into playing messenger.” Eli scowled as he reached into his pocket and handed me a damp red envelope. “Here’s your love letter.”
I felt my face go hot, wondering if he had guessed I liked him. But wait … the letter wasn’t from Eli. “Your
“Not exactly a news flash.” He wrung out a corner of his damp shirt and glanced down mournfully at his soggy chocolate bar. “Why do I get myself in these situations? Next time Chad asks for a favor, the answer is never again.”
I still couldn’t believe that Chad and Eli were brothers, although now that I thought about it, I’d welcomed them both to school a few years ago with a “Hello Halsey” basket. Chad may be a good kisser, but it was Eli who had made my mouth water when we bonded over oh-so-sweet chocolate.
Just my luck. I finally find a nice guy who really gets me, on the day that I’m run over by a mail truck.
I’d hoped to see Eli again, to find out why he’d left so abruptly and if there was potential for anything real between us. Now here he was … only he clearly did
Eli was here by coincidence. Chad’s brother! And Chad was Leah’s boyfriend. Unfortunately, the way Eli was looking at me was seriously hostile.
“It’s been … uh … wet.” He wrung out a corner of his shirt so pool water dribbled onto the cement. “I only came to give you the letter. I’m out of here.”
“NO! Don’t go!” I tossed aside Chad’s envelope and grabbed Eli’s arm.
