Chapter Fourteen
I resurfaced, coughing and spluttering, completely sobered and most definitely no longer drunk on Toby.
Just as I gained my breath a huge explosion catapulted next to me, and I flinched against the force as rivulets of water and waves toppled over my head. All of a sudden, Toby appeared from the depths, flicking the excess water from his head in that famous head flick boys do when they swim. He beamed at me.
I retaliated with a splash of water to his face. "You're such a child." I glowered at him.
"Aw, don't be like that," he laughed.
Laughter rang from the boat as Ellie and Sean leaned over the rail, observing us.
"He had little choice, Tess, mutiny means walking the plank."
"Traitor!" I threw back at him.
Sean clenched his heart and looked hurt.
Toby caught my eye, and he didn't even need to say what he was thinking. We were on the same page. On the count of a silent three, we let Ellie and Sean have it. With a unified sweep of water, we saturated them with a giant splash.
Before we knew it, we were set upon by a six-foot-three-inch sized human bomb.
And it was ON!
I decided to escape the caveman display of who could outdrown the other and made a wide berth for the boat.
While Toby and Sean continued to wrestle like rolling crocodiles in the murky lake water, Ellie was waiting for me with a towel and a knowing smile as I hauled myself up the side of the boat.
Toby followed thereafter, causing the boat to dip slightly as he effortlessly hoisted himself in.
Glistening droplets fell off his shoulders and down his flat stomach. I eyed the beads with a slow, lingering look that made me want to reach out and touch them.
Sean was next. He scurried over to Ellie and captured her in a huge, soppy, saturated bear hug.
"Ugh, don't!" she grimaced.
"At least you didn't get thrown overboard," I said, as I threw an accusatory glare at Toby. He shrugged as if he had no idea what I was referring to.
"It can be arranged," said Sean as he grabbed for his towel.
Boys.
"Don't even think about it," Ellie threatened.
I realised we could be hoisted overboard at any time if they suddenly felt like it. Although I had secretly loved every single minute of it, there was a part of me that wanted some form of revenge, for the sisterhood. Something to wipe those smug smiles right off their smoking-hot faces. And then I had a cunning plan, it was a risk, but I thought it was my best possible chance.
"You better watch your backs, boys, or you'll be the ones hoisted overboard next."
"That's some serious trash talk, McGee, you think you and your dainty self could take us?" Sean rubbed his head, eyeing me with interest.
I shrugged. "I think I could take Toby."
This scored me some laughing and incredulous looks from them both. Even Ellie lifted her glasses onto her head, her expression suggesting that I had lost my mind.
"Is that right?" Toby asked.
I tried to play it cool. "I'm just saying if push came to
shove ?"
I eyed Ellie, hoping to transport some sort of telepathic message to her, but she just stared back at me blankly.
"What do you think, Ellie?" I asked. "Do you think I could outdo Toby ? say to ?" I looked for a landmark and found one, "the pylon?"
The three of them followed my gaze to the concrete pylon that served as support at the base of the bridge; it looked like a little island. I had seen teenagers lounge and jump off it like a colony of seals, but today it was noticeably barren. Ellie's penny dropped; I knew it had because she gave me a winning smile, and if she was telepathically sending me a message, I could tell it was something like 'DO IT!'
"Let me get this straight, are you challenging me?" Toby pointed to his chest, as if he could hardly believe it.
Cocky much?
I laughed. "Well, if you're too afraid ?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa ? so what are you suggesting, McGee? That you could beat Toby to the pylon?" Sean said.
"Oh, I don't think, I know."
Trash talk was fun.
They both looked over my five-foot-nothing stance. I stood tall and proud, my hands on my hips. Who would have thought that a mere couple of hours before, I was hiding in the ladies' toilets at the hotel, threatening to go home? Now I stood, staring down two seriously hot boys, challenging them, in my soaking wet bikini. An element of self-consciousness came over me as I remembered just how much of my bare flesh was in front of them, a thought that ripped my focus back to the present.
A devilish smile formed on Toby's lips that silently said 'challenge accepted'.
Ellie and I knew I wasn't outgoing or a go-getter. You wouldn't find me being the life of the party. I was more often than not a wallflower, praying not to be noticed. A creature of habit in all things school and home life, but when it came to the water, now that was where I shone. Naturally, like many a local, we were born on the doorstep of the Lake District. With a small population, there was little else to do for fun other than water activities. Whether it was swimming, water skiing, boogie boarding, fishing, canoeing, or something else - you name it. We were all water bound, one way or another.
My preference was (and always would be) swimming. No one had ever beaten me in sprints to landmarks. My mum's scrapbook was littered with first-place ribbons. I was small and 'dainty' but I was fast ? real fast. I looked at Toby and knew I could take him.
Boys being boys, it was clear by the way they looked at me that they underestimated me. And Ellie knew it, too.
Ellie balanced on the edge of the boat, staring out to the pylon.
Toby and I looked each other in the eyes, like two opponents about to face off in the boxing ring.
"Okay! It's simple, when Tess beats you, she'll hand your arse back to you in a hand basket, does that sound fair?" Ellie said.
Only then did Toby's eyes frown from me to Ellie.
"Why don't we make this interesting?" added Sean. "Sort of 'winner takes all'."
"Oh, this sounds good," I agreed.
Toby laughed and shook his head. "You are something else."
My heart threatened to leap out of my chest, as I stared up into his eyes. His crooked smile formed on his lips.
"What do you suggest?"
I bit my lip. Exaggerating deep thought, I clicked my fingers in a Eureka moment.
"If I win, you fix my bike." I was quite pleased with this.
"And ?" added Ellie, "until you do, you have to be her personal chauffeur and take her wherever she needs to go."
My head nearly spun off my shoulders as I threw a dirty look at Ellie, who seemed quite proud of herself.
Toby crossed his arms, uncertainty clouding his eyes.
"That's two things."
"What's wrong, Toby? You afraid?" Ellie teased.
He squared his shoulders. "Fine. Done. But if I win ?" He thought for a moment, flicking a quick look to Sean. "If I win, you have to supply me and the boys with a stash of pies from your mum's shop. Freshly baked and delivered."
Like taking candy from a baby, I thought. And then my heart did a little flip at the realisation that he must have held my mum's pies in really high esteem.
"Shall I put my order in now?" Toby said. "The apple and rhubarb is a particular favourite of mine."
I held up my hand. "Best not to build up your hopes, save the disappointment."
Toby and Sean were enjoying this. In their minds, there was no contest. True, Toby could hurl me around like a ragdoll, but once he entered the water, I was lighter, faster and younger, something I would rub in after I won.
We stood on the edge of the boat, poised for the command. My heart raced as my adrenalin spiked. We gave each other a final long, lingering 'psyche out' look. When you chose to hang with the big boys, you had to prove your metal, earn your respect.
Sean shouted, "On your marks ? get set ? GO!"
> I smashed into the concrete pillar with such force, waves of water carried me forward, and I had to place my hands up to stop myself from slamming into it. I knew I had won. It wasn't by much, but it was enough. Ellie screamed and jumped for joy, dancing around Sean on the boat, who stood with his hands on his head.
"Dude!" he yelled.
Toby and I clutched the concreted ledge, our breaths ragged and our senses blurry as everything slowly caught up to us. He was a mere inches away, looking at me. I managed to smile and once I gulped in enough air, I spoke.
"Hello, slave!"
The boys were surprisingly good losers, and Ellie and I weren't thrown overboard. Instead, after more cruising around the lake, we headed back inland and back to the Onslow Hotel for a drink.
I felt so giddy and fresh from the day in the sun with the boys. With Toby. And he hadn't laughed at me in my barely there bikini; instead, he had looked me over with a lingering male appreciation that I was happy to get used to.
I tied the sheer, matching sarong around my hips so that the split ran along my leg. We arrived as we had left, Ellie and I trailing the boys across the grassy embankment with Sean carrying our beach bag over his shoulder.
"Aren't you glad you wore the bikini?" Ellie whispered.
I just shrugged and played it down. I didn't want to have to admit I was wrong, again.
"Oh come on." She shouldered me. "Did you see the look on their faces when you took off your dress? Priceless!"
I wanted to press further; in fact, I wanted to stop her dead in her tracks and break out in song: "Tell me more, tell me more." But her thoughts had quickly moved on.
I was interrupted by her high-pitched, ear-tingling squeal. I followed her manic gaze just as she screamed.
"Adam!"