by Bella King
“I think it would amass at the center, right?” I replied.
“Right. That’s what I thought.”
Titled back my beer and finished it off as Jennifer swam circles near the end of the dock. Watching her, I had the urge to get in the water and join her. I grabbed another beer from her bag and opened it. Then, placing it down on the old wood of the dock, I began to remove my clothes.
Chapter 11
Isn’t it a shame when we bare it all, just to be torn down on the stage?
The water was warmer than I expected it to be, but that was probably because my feet had been so hot fresh out of my shoes before, fooling me into thinking the water was colder than it truly was. Perspective has a lot to do with how we view things.
I sunk into the water completely naked, somewhat afraid that bacteria would eat me from the inside out, but it was worth the risk. I felt free doing this, and it was oddly peaceful floating around the water in nature. It was so much more natural than the angular walls and crystal clear water of the swimming pool.
Many of the lakes I had swum in were manmade, but I seriously doubted that this one was. It appeared to be too old and unusual in shape to be blown into existence by carefully placed explosives. It had to be a natural occurrence, the only relic of what had been here before Granite Hills was founded in the late 60s.
I wondered if there were bodies at the bottom of the lake as well. How many people had met their final fate in this water. The idea creeped me out, but it was likely that at least one poor soul lost their life here. Statistically, I thought it quite probable that many had.
The lake had been a popular gathering spot long before I moved here, entertaining generations of high school students during the long summers that spaced out their time at school. Back then, the summers felt like a lifetime. Now, as an adult, they were only growing shorter.
It seemed strange to reminisce back on summers like I was an old woman, but life had aged me quickly. At 19 years old, I felt like I was well into my twenties. I missed the innocence of my youth, stolen too quickly by the death of my mother.
It always came back to that. No matter what I did, or how much fun I was having, my mother still had an iron grip in my poor brain. I feared that no amount of time would dull the sadness, but I noticed that recently I had begun to feel better. There was still hope for me, even if I was struggling to find peace.
I let myself enjoy the time I had with Jennifer as the sun began to set. I didn’t want to be out too late, because my father would worry about me. I had told him that I was hanging out with Jennifer after school, but I knew he would still be concerned until I got home. That’s how he always was.
I could already see the moon shining in the evening sky, signaling that it was probably time to get out. We hadn’t brought towels, and if we were in the water for much longer, we would freeze on our way home.
I swam toward the dock and was about to pull myself out of the water when I saw a man walking down the dock toward me. I dug my nails into soft wood of the dock when I realized who it was. Atlas had come to join us, but what the hell was he doing here?
“Having a nice swim?” He called to me, walking up like he owned the place.
Jennifer was at my side in an instant, glaring at him.
“You want to know what’s funny?” Atlas said, his voice loud and cocky.
“Your face?” Jennifer retorted.
I couldn’t help but snicker. Jennifer was full of one-liners when she was around Atlas. I was certain that she kept them stocked up just for the occasion.
“Very funny, but no,” Atlas said, stopping next to our piles of clothes. “I left my booze in the locker at school, and somebody glued it shut.”
“Maybe they should have glued your mouth shut,” Jennifer yelled.
Atlas rolled his eyes. “Well, aren’t you little miss queen of comebacks. Let’s see how you come back from this,” he said, then took a swift kick to Jennifer’s clothes, sending them flying into the water. They sank faster than she could save them.
“You prick,” I shouted as Jennifer dived for the clothes.
Atlas shrugged. “I do what I have to do to keep you women in line.” He walked over to Jennifer’s bookbag.
“Don’t you dare,” Jennifer warned, popping up from the water, her hands empty.
“Relax, babe. I’m just getting a beer since you denied me the liquor I had in my locker,” Atlas said, pulling a beer for the bag. “Still cold.” He cracked it open and took a sip. “Delicious.”
“Get the fuck out of here,” Jennifer shouted.
“Nah, I think I’ll have a few beers before I leave. The sunset looks so nice from here,” Atlas replied casually, sitting down cross-legged on the dock.
I groaned. “Can’t you leave us alone? I’m naked.”
“I noticed. Part of the reason why I’m staying. I didn’t get a look at you the last time you weren’t wearing clothes. Towels are a bummer, but I see you don’t have those this time,” he mused.
“I’m going to call the cops on you,” Jennifer threatened.
Atlas laughed. “With what phone?”
He was right. Jennifer’s phone was at the bottom of the lake, tucked away in the pocket of her jeans, and mine was sitting on the dock, also tucked into my pocket. For some reason, Atlas hadn’t kicked my clothes off. Maybe he had taken mercy on me because I didn’t yell at him like Jennifer did.
Regardless, I wasn’t amused by his antics on the dock, and I wanted him gone just as badly as Jennifer did. I was just a bit less expressive than she was.
I glared at Atlas while Jennifer spoke again. “You’re too weak to open a glued shut locker, so you come here to harass some helpless girls. What kind of man are you?” She taunted.
Atlas chuckled. “One that had the upper hand, it seems.”
His laugh sent shivers down my spine, but for all the wrong reasons. This situation confused me, because I should have been pissed, and I was, but I also felt something strange in my lower belly that concerned me. Was it the hint of excitement at Atlas seeing me naked? He didn’t look like he was going to budge until Jennifer or I got out of the water. How bad would it be if I just lifted myself onto the dock and went to fetch my clothes?
It would be a crazy thing to do, but I also felt like it would be empowering. I could regain control of this and do something that even Jennifer would do. It would be the ultimate defiance of Atlas, flipping the tables on him.
That, or I would just give his perverted mind more fuel for further harassment. What if he tried to grab me when I got out? I would dive back into the water, but what if he went in with me? I could drown under his heavy body.
There was the paranoia creeping back in. I steadied my thoughts as Atlas took another sip of his beer, smirking at Jennifer’s death glare. I had to do something or we would freeze in this water. Jennifer seemed stumped, and that meant I had to be the one to take charge this time. It was totally unlike me to do something this bold, but Atlas had pushed me too far this time, and I was sick of his games.
I placed both hands on the edge of the dock, gripping the wood and pulling myself out of the water and flopping onto the wood less gracefully than I had intended. I kneeled, then stood up to both Jennifer and Atlas’s amazement.
Without even looking at Atlas, I took quick strides past him and grabbed my clothes from the ground. I could feel his eyes on my bare ass as he watched me get dressed. Neither he, nor Jennifer said a word until I spoke up.
“There, now leave,” I demanded, finally turning and looking dead into Atlas’s green eyes.
There was shock on his face with a hint of arousal, and if I was being honest, I felt a bit of the same. He had seen me in my most vulnerable state, and that gave me a thrill. Adrenaline was pumping through my body, making me feel even more powerful and energetic.
Atlas licked his lips, looking back at Jennifer, who was floating in the water with her mouth open in awe and a smile plastered on her face. “What about her? S
he still needs to get out.”
I felt the heat of anger rise into my cheeks, or was it jealousy? I stomped my foot into the dock and glared at Atlas. “Stop being a pervert and get out. You kicked her clothes into the water. You don’t get to enjoy this.”
Jennifer cheered after my words, but Atlas didn’t leave. Instead, he stood up to his full height, the beer can in his grip slowly starting to crumple under the force of his hand. “You don’t call the shots here, Virginia. I do.”
Something came over me in that moment, and I snapped. The adrenaline that had rushed into my body, combined with the beer I had consumed, was giving me strength like I had never experienced before. I fought back.
I ran forward, meeting Atlas’s torso with my shoulder, slamming into him like he did to the other jocks that he played football with. He didn’t see it coming. Nobody did, not even me. He stumbled back off the edge of the dock, unable to steady himself in time.
He landed with a gigantic splash in the cold water, but I didn’t wait for him to recover. I held out a hand to Jennifer, yelling at her to move. She took my hand and I pulled her onto the dock with surprising force. She looked amazed, but I had no time to gloat over what I had done.
I tore off my shirt, throwing it to her so that she could cover her naked body, and grabbed her bookbag. Beer cans rolled out of it into the lake, but I didn’t try to stop them. We needed to get out of here before Atlas pulled himself out of the water and pounded us both into pancakes.
“Run,” I yelled, slinging the bookbag over my shoulder and taking off down the peer.
Jennifer took off after me, grabbing my shoes for me as we passed by them. I looked back for a moment to see Atlas pulling himself out of the water, but by that time, we were already too far ahead of him for him to catch up.
Jennifer and I disappeared into the trees, heading for her house so that she could get some real clothes on.
Chapter 12
Victory is sweet, but revenge takes the cake.
Jennifer and I laughed as we ran through the trees, breaking into the open space that led to her house. We were full of life and energy, and I could tell that Jennifer was amazed by what I had done.
“Holy shit,” I gasped as we finally slowed to a fast walk.
“You really did that,” Jennifer said, shaking her head. “That was awesome.”
“Somebody needed to put that asshole in his place,” I said, smiling more than I had since my life had taken a bad turn. This was the kind of thing I needed to do more of. This was my first taste of thrill, and I loved it.
“Did you see the look on his face when you got out of the water. He looked like he was about to piss himself,” Jennifer said, moving the wet strands of hair out of her face.
“I didn’t even look at him. I just got out and went. I saw his face when I knocked him over though. So much for captain of the football team. He got knocked over by a small woman,” I jeered.
“He won’t be able to live that down,” Jennifer replied.
There was anew life in both of us as we walked up to the front door of her house. I slung the heavy bookbag off my shoulder and placed it down at my feet. “Take your beer.”
Jennifer bent over and picked it up. “Wait here. I’m going to get dressed and I’ll give you your shirt back.”
I had forgotten that I was without a shirt. I stood on her porch in just a pair of jeans and a bra. My father would freak out if I came home dressed like this. It was better to get my shirt back and look presentable when I arrived.
“And your shoes,” Jennifer said, swinging them to me by the laces.
I took them and put them on the ground in front of my feet. “Thanks.”
Jennifer opened the front door and dashed inside, coming out thirty seconds later in a pair of pajamas, holding my shirt out to me. “You were great today, Virginia. I’m proud of you,” she said, her face still a mixture of surprise and glee.
I laughed. “I was pretty great,” I admitted.
She punched me in the shoulder. “Keep it up, girl. Will I see you tomorrow?”
“I have work tomorrow,” I said, the reality of life beginning to rear its ugly head in again.
“Lame. I’ll see you at school then,” Jennifer said.
“Sure thing,” I replied, turning back around. “I got to get home now. My father is expecting me,” I said as I jumped down the steps off the porch.
“See you later!”
I walked home quickly, checking my phone every few seconds for the time. I was going to be early, but I always got home early if I could help it. Being on time could mean that my father thought I was late. The clocks aren’t always at the same time at home as they are outside.
I burst into my house with too much ferocity not to draw immediate attention from my father. He rushed out of the kitchen, where he was making dinner again, and frowned. “Is everything alright?”
“I’m fine,” I said enthusiastically, pulling off my shoes and tossing them on top of the others that were lying by the door.
“You look like you’ve been swimming,” my father noted.
“I was at the lake with Jennifer,” I said.
“You must have had an awfully good time. I’ve never seen you in such a good mood,” my father said, unsure of whether to be concerned or to be glad that I wasn’t in my usual cloud of depression.
“We were just swimming. I’m really glad it’s finally warm enough to swim outside,” I said, trying to think up an excuse as to why I was so cheerful.
My father nodded but didn’t look totally convinced. “You weren’t doing drugs there, were you?”
“Ugh,” I groaned. “No, I wasn’t doing drugs, dad. I was swimming.”
“I’m just checking,” he said defensively.
“I’m an adult, anyway. Should I be allowed to do drugs if I want to?” I joked.
He shook his head and sighed. “Come get some dinner before it’s cold.”
“Fine,” I said, skipping into the kitchen and plopping down at the table. A bowl of food was already there waiting for me, which I scarfed down and even asked for seconds.
My father was surprised by my request, because I usually refused extra food, but he stopped questioning me. After everything that our family had been through, I think he was just happy that I was finally happy. I didn’t know if it would last, but I was savoring every second of this.
I found it difficult to fall asleep that night. My body had such a huge rush that it couldn’t calm down. I had to drink several cups of herbal tea just to feel sleepy, and it made me have to visit the bathroom several times during the night.
I was a ball of energy, which I prayed would carry over to the next day. Lord knows I would need it if I was going to get through eight hours of sorting mail at work tomorrow on just a few hours of broken sleep. I wished that I could spend a full day just enjoying the warm weather, but that pleasure had been taken from me by the need for money.
Throughout the night, I couldn’t get Atlas’s wide green eyes out of my head. Those were the eyes I saw before he went toppling over into the lack. Those were the eyes that had seen every inch of my naked body, something no man had gotten to see before.
In fighting him, I had given him a piece of me. When two people get entangled in battle, they often become influenced by one another, becoming more similar and often turning into the thing that they hated in the first place. I didn’t believe that could happen to me, but then again, I had never thought I would have acted violently toward Atlas, nor did I believe that I would ever expose my body to him. That was shocking even to me.
I basked in the glory of what I had done, but I began to realize when the sun came up that what I had done had brought me a step closer to Atlas, not away from him. I felt so much excitement from giving in to my anger that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to control myself at work tomorrow if Atlas decided to show up again.
As the sun shone on my tired eyes, causing my body to wake up for the thousandth time, I wok
e into a world where I was the master, and Atlas was the one who had something to fear. He didn’t know what to expect from me now, and to be honest, neither did I.
Chapter 13
The strong fall, but not always it the way we expect them to.
The exhilaration from the previous day carried over into Saturday, giving me energy with which to make myself presentable before work. I took the time to do my makeup in the morning, taking a careful effort to make it as nice as I could reasonably get it to look. I even ended up watching a few videos online to get it to look how I wanted it.
I snatched a clothing iron from the laundry room to press the wrinkles out of my formalwear, looking far nicer now than on my first day at work. There was no need to look this good, but I had a strong urge to show off after everything that had happened. I wanted to ride this good feeling for as long as I could.
I headed out early, grabbing a soda from the fridge on my way out. I took the bus down to H & H Legal Services, catching many wanting glances from men on the bus. I felt like a million bucks, and I wanted people to think the same about me.
I hadn’t realized that fighting back against Atlas would give me so much motivation and power. I felt like I was strolling into my own business with game-changing plans, instead of the reality of working in the basement sorting mail.
Life is all about how you feel. Reality is subjective, right? I had it going for me this morning, and when I walked up the short steps and strode confidently into the lobby, the receptionist immediately snapped to attention.
“Here for work?” She asked, her back straight and her eye on me.
“Yes,” I replied, heading toward the elevator.
“You already know the way,” she said, motioning to where I was walking.
I smiled and nodded, mashing the button to the elevator harder than I needed to. The doors rolled open and I stepped inside, taking it down to the basement floor. A rush of cool air greeted me when I arrive in the basement, the smell of paper and old laundry in the air. I doubted the janitor ever made it down here. The floor was filthier than I had realized on my first day.
