Stroke Of Fear

     “Barely,” I choke out. I cough more water onto the ground, before rolling to my back. The clouds are so white… the sky blue. You’d never guess someone was drowning in the lake on a day like this.

   “Put your arms above your head.” When I don’t move, he taps my elbow, then slides his hands down to my wrists. Pulling with gentle ease, he stretches my arms over my head. The feeling sends warmth throughout my arm. Christ. Get it together, Aubrey.

“What’s your name?” he asks.

   “Aubrey. What’s yours?”

   A small smile lifts from the corner of his full mouth. Obviously he was asking to see if I was truly okay. Heat rushes toward my cheeks, and I pray he can’t tell. “Tanner.”

   Tanner. His name even sounds southern. Judging by the smooth tanned skin, I’d bet he was born and raised in the south. I wonder what has him in Cali.

   “Aubrey? Jesus Christ!” Jake yells.

   I clench my muscles and screw my eyes shut. Anger is not even the word to express how I’m feeling. I could rear back and punch the jerk’s lights out. If I had the strength I would. “Baby, you okay?”

   “Get the fuck away from me.”

Jake freezes, his arms outstretched toward me. His eyebrows are pulled down in the middle and a worry line is creasing his forehead.

   “What’s wrong…? I mean are you okay? I’m so—”

      “You fucking asshat!” Cassie shouts. She comes to a stop in front of me. Her bright blue eyes glassy. “Look what the hell you did, Jake. She can’t swim.”

   “She can swim,” Tanner says.

   What? A pain burns through my chest. How does he know? Cassie is helping me to my feet when I glance around and look at Tanner.

   “Who the fuck are you?” Jake asks.

   “I can’t swim,” I say, taking deep breath. “Obviously.”

   Tanner’s face doesn’t change. His strong jaw moves when he swallows. His chest rises and falls in quick jabs. His T-shirt drips puddles on the ground by his feet. If he wasn’t calling me out, I’d ogle that amazing body. “You can. I saw it in your face. You can, but you’re scared.”

   How fucking dare he. The weight on my chest increases. Everyone is staring at me. My bottom lip is pressed between my teeth. My body quakes with shivers. “That’s a lie,” I whisper helplessly.

   Tanner raises an eyebrow. “Is it?”

   “Again. Who the fuck are you?” Jake yells, throwing his arms wildly in the air.

   “The person who saved your girlfriend’s life.”

    Oh hell. Jake cranes his neck to the side and pops his jaw. Jake likes to fight. It must be imbedded into his DNA or something. I can’t count how many times he’s started shit at parties on campus. Drunk or not… he loves it.

   “Don’t you start, Jake,” Cassie says, pointing her finger at his chest. “He just saved her life. And he had to because, you pushed her off the ledge when she begged you not to.”

   A loud noise explodes from Tanner’s chest. It’s almost animalistic. “You fuckin’ pushed her? What kind of man are you? When a fuckin’ woman asks you to stop, you fuckin’ stop.”

   Jake clenches his fists at his side. “Oh, so you’re going to show me how to treat a lady, partner?” he asks, in his best country accent. “Is that how they do it down south?”

   Tanner’s jaw tightens. A husky laugh comes from deep in his throat. “You’ve got a big fuckin’ mouth. I’m gonna beat your ass before this summer is over.”

   “Oh yeah?” Jake takes a step closer. His knuckles have turned white at his sides.

   Damnit. “Stop. I’ve had enough bullshit for today. Can we tone done the testosterone?”

   We all sit in an awkward silence until both guys are cooled off. Cassie groans and wraps an arm around my shoulder. “Well, we’re leaving. We’re already late for the meeting. Plus, it’s going to take us ten minutes to walk up to the damned counselor hall.”

   Jake mumbles something underneath his breath but comes around and swoops me into an infant’s cradle. Damn it. “Put me down. I don’t want you touching me.”

   I’m staring up at Jake’s chin, but he doesn’t answer. A frown curls down from the corner of his mouth. He starts to walk, ignoring my request.

   Giving up, I rest my head against Jake’s shoulder. Not because it’s comforting, but because I’m mentally and physically exhausted. My body won’t move. I’ve tried. My head only wants to rest against the softness of Jake’s shoulder—a shoulder that used to comfort me. A shoulder that was always open and ready. Now it seems frigid and wrong.

   The sound of chairs scrapping against tile wakes me. The bright florescent lighting is blinding. “What happened to her?” someone yells. The voice sounds familiar but I can’t place it.

   “She had an accident,” Jake says.

   A snort. “Yeah the fuck right. Whose fault is it, big boy?”

   “Shut the fuck up, country. Or I’ll fuck your face up.”

   “Boys. Language. Put her down in this chair. Hold on.” More scrapping against the tile then I feel the hardness of a medal chair against me.

   My eyes flutter open. Ms. Jones is crouched down in front of me. Her short, gray hair is chopped off around her ears, and her big brown eyes are full of worry. She’s our supervisor for the summer. “Sweetie, are you okay?”

   Can I nod? Shit, it sounds like so much work. “Yes,” I mumble out. “I just…fell into the water. I can’t swim.”

   She gasps and throws a dirty look over her shoulder. “How did you get out? Do you think you need medical attention?”

   Glancing around, I see all of the camp counselors have made a group around me. I groan. Great. My side is hurting badly, but I don’t want any fuss over me. I just want to get the hell out of this drafty building and into my bed. “No, I’m just…tired. It took a lot out of me.”

   A small hand slides against my hair. “Okay. Just relax. We’ll get you back to your cabin after the meeting. It shouldn’t take long. Would you like some water?”

   I give her a soft yes.

   With a glass of water in my hand, Ms. Jones turns to the rest of the group. “Welcome to our first official camp meeting. Go Camp Awesome.” Oh, the agony. “Today we’re going to go over the activities for the week. I’ll pair you with a different partner for different events. I want all of our counselors to have spent time with each other. I’m passing around the schedules now.”

   The papers go around, and I nearly snatch mine from the person beside me. I scroll down until I see my section on the calendar for the week.

   Monday – Cassie Miller and Aubrey Depp – soccer practice.

   Tuesday – Jake Rem and Aubrey Depp – canoeing.

   Wednesday – Tanner Young and Aubrey Depp – hiking.

   Thursday – Heath Long and Aubrey Depp – horseback riding.

   Friday – Cassie Miller and Aubrey Depp – movie night.

   Saturday – Tanner Young and Aubrey Depp – campout.

   Holy shit. I glance up over my calendar, my fingers shakily holding the paper below my eyes. Not only do I have to work with Jake, who tossed me over the cliff—literally—but I have to work two days with Tanner. In the woods. Alone. A pair of dark gray eyes flutter toward mine and hold. Warmth starts to build in my belly but I push it away. Not. Going. To. Happen.

   Who the hell did I kill in a past life?