Chapter 36 #2
Drops are flying up from where their arms are buried in the blackness. A lonely hand, belonging to no one, sticks out, reaching for the stars high above before grabbing one of the arms.
The hairs on my arms rise as my stomach falls, crashing painfully into the black waves.
Olli.
Olli’s under the water.
With shaking legs, I push myself into a blind run, caution overwritten by panic. “H-hey—” I rasp, the sound barely making it out of my throat.
“Hey!” I yell again. My voice echoes strangely, but I don’t have time to worry about it.
Cold water splashes up my calves. The two silhouettes are towering before me. One turns, but too late.
I grab hold of his middle and duck my head low, throwing my entire weight to the side.
Lake Champlain wraps around us, tempting me to sink lower.
Before my opponent can grab me, I push him into the deeper water.
Stumbling backward into the shallows, I swipe my hair out of my face, half expecting to get jumped by the second guy.
But there’s more than one silhouette when I blink the water from my eyes.
Her blonde hair paints a light arch as Sasha shifts all her weight into a punch. Bone crunches sickeningly. Her target falls over, splashing water in all directions.
Distantly, the wish to know how to punch like her pops into my head.
The guy I tackled has made it back to his feet, wiping lake water from his eyes. His glare finds me, and I try to build myself up tall, squaring my shoulders.
“Who—”
“Fuck off!” I yell, hoping it’ll be enough to keep him away.
“Yeah! Fuck right off!”
I nearly stagger with relief as I register Vince’s voice behind me.
I don’t dare turn my head, watching the guy in front of me warily.
Hopefully, Sasha doesn’t need help with the other one.
I don’t even know what I’m going to do if this one decides to lunge for me.
It sounded like Vince was close but not close enough.
“Yeah, you better fucking run!” Sasha shouts behind me.
A flash punctuates her words, cutting brightly through the night.
“I’ve got you on video!” another voice calls out from the safety of the shore, strangely familiar, but I can’t put my finger on where I’ve heard it before.
“And you as well.” The light turns, falling on the guy standing up in front of me. His soaked polo shirt has Greek letters stitched on the chest. Despite his dripping hair and bleeding nose, I recognize him. A sore loser both at beach volleyball and beach brawls.
“You should start running too,” Sasha snarls, stalking over. Her shoulder bumps into mine, and together we build a wall between the guy and Olli.
“I—we just taught him a lesson.” The guy backs away, holding up his hands. To cover his eyes from the light or avoid being caught on camera, I don’t know and don’t care. Disgust and anger rush through me like poison, shaking me with the force of my utter loathing for this douchebag.
“Just leave,” I spit, already turning away from him.
“Are you deaf? Get fucking lost!” Sasha repeats, taking a step forward. It’s much more effective coming from her.
I don’t wait to see him running, instead dropping and fumbling through the water until I find an arm.
“Oh Jesus Christ,” Vince curses sharply. He’s frozen for another moment, then he reaches down to grab Olli’s other arm.
We half-drag, half-carry him to the beach and carefully set him down in the sand.
“What happened?” I blurt out unthinkingly, sinking to my knees. “Are you—” I break off when the blinding light of a phone’s flashlight illuminates Olli’s face.
The worst must have washed off in the lake, but his skin and clothes are crusted with sand and blood. One eye is quickly swelling shut. Fresh blood drips down from his split lip and now crooked nose, soaking the collar of his shirt.
“Shit,” Vince breathes, reaching out to wipe—
Olli gags.
Both Vince's and my hands grab his arms, leaning him over so he can vomit out all the water he swallowed.
“I’ll call an ambulance,” Sasha announces, ever the pragmatic, steady one. She takes the light with her.
Although it plunges us into darkness, I’m glad that I don’t have to see my friend’s blood-smeared face anymore.
“You fucking idiot,” Vince huffs gruffly, sinking down into the sand.
I can only nod quietly, shifting uneasily and pushing my hands into my hips to hide their shaking. Now that it’s all over, adrenaline slams into me full force. It’s ridiculous and stupid and completely useless now.
“I'm fine,” Olli rasps out. His voice is so hoarse it's like he scraped the words from the bottom of his lungs.
“What were you thinking?!” Vince and I say, practically in unison. It takes a moment until I realize that Vince was actually talking to me.
“What?” I blink, so taken aback that I forget about my tirade for Olli.
“Going down there? Alone? You’re lucky they didn’t beat you up as well!”
“What was I supposed to do? Wait until they were finished with him?”
“What if—”
“Yeah, Lind,” Olli croaks, and we both fall silent. A siren announces help, distant but approaching. “You gotta read at least three more books to be ready for two at once.”
I groan, shaking my head while Vince covers his laugh with a cough. In an unspoken agreement, we let the topic die, waiting in silence.
Flickering blue lights dart over our heads, interrupting the darkness.
“They're down there,” Sasha's voice sounds, moments before she and the stranger come back into view. This time, I recognize Mia, clinging to Sasha's arm with one hand and raising her phone up high with her other to illuminate the beach.
Two EMTs, their shapes strangely bulky because of their backpacks, trudge down the slope. One is wearing a baseball cap; both are chewing gum.
“Which one of you is Oliver? Or Linden? Your friend said you both needed help?”
“I'm Linden. This is Olliver.” I point, then shake my head. “I'm fine, though. I didn't get hurt.”
Both men assess me, then crowd around Olli.
“Are you drunk?”
I stare, blink, then frown. “He isn't hurt because he drank alcohol.” I'm too tired to mask my annoyance. Now that the adrenaline shakes have subsided, I might keel over any second.
“Yeah, we know. The girls told us all about it. Still have to know,” baseball cap says matter-of-factly as he's taking out a flashlight.
All three of us flinch at the sudden light.
“Did he vomit?”
“Mostly water,” Vince starts to answer, but Olli interrupts him.
“Is this really necessary? I'm awake. I'm talking. I can move.” He waves his hands.
“Cognitive function, alert and awake, mobility.” The flashlight is lowered as one EMT mutters to no one in particular. “Alright, we're going to get you back up so we can see a little more. Can you walk?”
“Yeah, okay,” Olli, Vince, and I all agree, unsure who was actually addressed. We don't pause to find out, but rather help Olli back on his feet, then carefully climb up the slope in a slow procession.
The parking lot is bathed in blue light, turning the curious bystanders who are hovering at the edges into ghostly figures. For a moment, I look around for Micah, but then stop myself, pulling my focus on steadying my friend to get to the ambulance.
A police car is parked next to the ambulance. A third EMT, a woman with short purple hair, is talking to Sasha while wrapping one of her hands in gauze. Mia is pressed against her side, Sasha's other arm firmly wrapped around her waist.
I quickly look away, following Olli to the back of the ambulance. Vince and I both fail not to hover while the EMTs take Olli's vitals, measure his blood alcohol, and examine his pupils and reflexes.
“We cannot rule out anything right now. You could be concussed or have inhaled water. We need to take you to the hospital.”
“What? No, I'm fine! Totally fine!” Olli protests, shaking his head. “I just want to go home. This night's been terrible enough. I'm done.” He tries to untangle himself from the stretcher he's been loaded onto, but the non-baseball-cap EMT puts his hands on his shoulders, pressing him back down.
“You could have fluid in your lungs. If untreated, you might suffocate hours later. It's called dry drowning.”
“I know that. I’m a med student!”
“Exactly!” Vince jumps in, staring Olli down. “So don't be difficult now.”
“I just…can someone come with me?” From one moment to the next, Olli deflates.
“Only one,” baseball-cap EMT says, looking us over.
I turn to Vince and Sasha.
Vince shifts on his feet, then gives me a quick nudge. “Go, we’ll swing by the Nook and then come and get you.”
I nod and climb into the back of the ambulance, squeezing in next to Olli’s stretcher and the EMT. Before I can call out a See you later, the heavy metal doors slam shut.