17 | Promise

17 | Promise

Paige's Point of View ~

"We are going to the lake today right, Ms Paige?"

"Will we be swimming in the water?"

"Can I bring my iPad?"

The kids bundled up. All in swimsuits, swim trunks, and holding pool toys they brought with them. One held a pool noodle. How'd they smuggle a pool noodle onto the bus?

"Yes, yes, no." I answered. If Billy brought his iPad he wouldn't even care to touch the water.

"Whyyy nooott?" He stretched out the y and the o, dramatically.

"Because Billy, it's time for swimming." I say as calmly as I can.

"But I want my iPad!" He yells and grabs his iPad from my arms before I can stop him. I think It would be easier to let him have his iPad instead of fighting with him for 30 an hour about it.

"Okay. Is everybody ready?"

"Yes."

"Yes, Miss Paige!"

"Of course, lets go now!"

"Uh-huh."

"Yes!"

"Duh!"

So many voices, but I never heard Maddie's.

"You guys, where's Maddie?" They all pointed to their bedroom. I thanked them and told them to get some snacks from my backpack.

"Maddie, whats up?" She sat on her bed alone with her arms around her legs.

"If I go I want you to talk to my big brother." She immediately grinned so hard it looked like she was going to burst.

"Wait what?"

"I know he likes you, and you like him. Why can't you just talk to each other?" She crossed her arms with her doll still in her hand. I froze. Wait, isn't she ten? What does she know about relationships? She totally has the wrong impression about my liking of her brother.

"I can't promise anything Maddie." I kept myself from smiling at her childish pose and attempt at having an attitude. If I smile she'll probably know I like her brother.

Know?

Did I just say know?

I mean think. She will think I have feelings for Leo, when I do not.

"Then I'm not going." She frowned and leaned back in her bunk bed.

"You can't just not go, it won't be fun without you."

"I'm not moving until you promise me." She yelled dramatically. Is she doing that thing that kids do where they don't move or do anything until they get what they want? What do I do? I don't have any experience with little kids. I only have experience with an older and more popular sister that never really helped me.

"That's too bad because I wouldn't be keeping that promise." I crossed my arms mockingly. Her eyebrows furrowed in disappointment and she said nothing.

"Maddie?" I shook her shoulders but she didn't move.

"Mads say something."

She didn't talk.

Should I go get someone? Like someone who would know what to do in this situation?

An idea popped into my head like a light bulb. Should I get Leo? He'd know what to do. Maddie is his sister.

"Stay here Maddie." I made my way out of the room as fast as I could. The lake opens in 15 minutes if I'm late—I'm in trouble.

"Everybody stay here. I will be right back!"

Not knowing what I was doing, I ran out of the cabin and in the direction of cabin 1. I knew Leo's cabin was cabin one because when we were signing into our cabins, I had overheard that he was placed in cabin 1.

Of course of all numbers he got number 1.

When I got to cabin one I started to panic. What do I say when I show up to his cabin wanting him to come to mine without sounding like I'm some sort of stalker?

I knocked on the door and stood there awkwardly.

The door immediately sung open and Carson's eyes widened in surprise.

"Paige!" He exclaimed loudly, his teeth completely shut. "How nice to see you here!"

He sounded like he was telling someone I was here without actually telling them I'm here.

I heard shuffling movement sounds from inside the cabin. I moved my head and tried to peek in the cabin, but Carson blocked my view.

"What's going on?"

"What do you mean?!" Said Carson even louder than before. "Nothings going on!"

I tried pushing past Carson, but he wouldn't budge so I threw myself in the spot between his leg and arm.

I made it.

"Why are you on the floor?"

I jumped at Leo's voice and looked up at him.

Because your boyfriend wouldn't let me in.

"Here." Carson put his hand out and I took it and he pulled me back to my feet.

Leo was pulling a shirt onto his bare skin. It fit him perfectly.

After getting the black shirt on he stood there staring at me like I was one of his subjects. I couldn't get myself to say something. Seconds later, he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water, chugging it down.

"Uh I need your help." I said finally. He looked up to me then back down at his phone. "It's about Maddie."

"Why, what happened? Is she okay?!" His blank expression became a worried one.

"She's okay, but she won't move or talk."

"You call not moving or talking, okay?"

I didn't respond. She was perfectly fine; she was just throwing a tiny tantrum. He looked into my eyes with a concerning look. Suddenly his eyes widened and he ran for the front door and swung it open, making his way to my cabin. It's not like she's dead or anything.

I quickly said goodbye to Carson and left cabin 1 to follow Leo into mine.

By the time had gotten into the room Maddie was in, Maddie was sitting with her legs criss-cross on the bottom bunk in front of Leo who was kneeling down to her height, checking if she was alright.

I walked up to them and Maddie started smirking, looking back and forth at me and Leo.

Wow she's smarter than I thought.

She jumped off the bed and started skipping to the other room full of kids her age. I was now left alone with Leo.

"Why am I here? She's perfectly fine." He straightened his legs and stood up.

"Technically, I said she was okay." I retorted casually. He's acting like I asked him here.

"Why wasn't she moving?"

I am not answering that question.

"Can we go Ms. Paige?"

"Yeah I wanna swim!"

"You guys how about we play truth or dare while the grownups talk?" Said Carson's voice in the other room. When did he get here? I never heard the door open. Everyone cheered and he cleared his throat. Me and Leo still stood closely next to each other in the other room looking through the crack of the door that was big enough to see all the kids huddled around Carson.

Carson had put all the kids in a circle and he sat in the middle. All the kids smiled and giggled.

"Okay. You truth or dare?" he pointed to Billy and he immediately beamed with excitement.

"Truth!"

"Hmm,"he scratched his chin. "Top three turn-ons?"

My eyes widened and I instantly ran into the room and scolded Carson about them only being children. Leo sat on the couch and talked to the kids sweetly.

We ended up all being late to the lake together. Grandma said she would forgive me if I got up and actually went swimming, which I probably wasn't going to do anyway.

A bunch of girls were whispering about me showing up with a couple of the hottest counselors here, but they let it go when Carson went in their direction to talk to them.

I've been sitting alone on the floor making sure the kids were okay in the water. I smile as Maddie splashes around with another little girl.

Somebody appears from behind to sit next to me. I don't go out of my way to look at them because I already have an idea of who it is.

"I wouldn't do that." Said Leo from the side of me. I turned to him confused. He was watching Maddie play.

"What?"

"I wouldn't hurt you just because I wanted to." He's completely blank. There's no expression on his pretty face. "You go around assuming I would do something like that to you, and that I'm a bad person." My face slowly fell as he talked.

"I don't think you're a bad person, Leo. I just — I couldn't make myself believe someone wouldn't do something like that to me. Never in my life has something good or interesting has happened to me." Until I met you. The mean voice in my head scolded.

I knew Leo wasn't a bad person. He cares for his family and for the little things. He just gave off the vibe that he didn't care about my feelings. I am the type of person to judge people, but I honestly can't help but wonder if I was right or not.

"You're the only person that doesn't put up with me because of my popularity." He turned to me and I raised a my eyebrows.

"You know what I mean." He went on. "You go around with that grumpy attitude, so you don't have put up with your other feelings."

"As if you don't do the same thing?" I crossed my arms and raised a brow.

"You know I'm not wrong. Your always mad at people, unless their perfect in every single way."

That's completely wrong. Nobody's perfect. Not even Beyoncé—who is stunning.

"A girl kissed you, am I not supposed to be mad about it?"

Before he could say anything two girls walked by. One of them was the one who ruined my favorite shirt. They flirtatiously waved and smiled and Leo did nothing.

"What makes people so special if they look better than others?"

"It's not my fault I'm so hot." Leo leaned back and rested on the log behind us, waiting for my response.

"Okay one would say you're attractive, I won't lie. So what?" I say without thinking about my words. He smirked and sat up.

"You think I'm attractive?" He asked playfully.

"I thought you already knew all the girls think you're gorgeous." His grin grew even wider.

"So now I'm gorgeous?" He smiled cooly. I ignored his teasing and looked into the distance

"Don't flatter yourself." I scoffed and he suddenly stood up. I looked up at him and he looked down at me. I just then realized he was wearing black swim trunks and a navy blue sweatshirt with his basketball number and last name printed on it. How many of those does he have?

"You want this one too?" He pulled his hood over his head and smirked.

Yes I do.

No I don't.

How do I explain that I lost his other hoodie?

"Are you gonna go in the water, or what?"

"No." I said plain and simply.

I like swimming. It's just the last time I actually swam, I almost got Hypothermia.

He groaned and walked closer to me. He put his hand out for me to take, but I didn't move. He raised his eyebrows and turned around.

"Maddie! Maddie I need your help!" He yelled and turned back to me. Maddie immediately stopped swimming and ran up to us.

"Paige doesn't want to swim, do you think we could change her mind?" Said Leo. Maddie turned to me and nodded seriously. She grabbed my hands and attempted to pull me up, but failed.

"Come on, come on, come on! Swim with me and Leo!"

"No, no, no. I can't—"

Leo groaned loudly in response and slightly and carefully pushed Maddie aside.

"I'll do it myself." He pulled his sweatshirt off his body revealing just his fit torso. He lunged forward and swooped me up with his strong arms. I yelped in surprise.

"What are you doing?! Put me down, Leo!" I screamed and tried to wiggle out of his arms, but his grasp was too tight, and he didn't give in.

"Maddie! Help!"

"Don't look at me." She smiled and ran towards the water and her friends.

"MADS!" I yelled. Nobody seemed to care and kept on doing what they were doing: swimming and jumping off the small dock.

I realized Leo was walking on the dock and I yelled even louder. When he was almost at the edge of the wood I wrapped my arms around his neck so tightly, I could suffocate him if I wanted to.

"Stop." I looked at him and he looked at me. I couldn't help but smile at him. He looked absolutely perfect. His scruffy dark hair and bright eyes made him so good looking, my eyes were basically burning. He didn't smile much but when he did I couldn't help but smile too.

He dropped one hand that was holding me playfully, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist so I didn't fall. I held onto his neck tighter and looked down at the dark water and yelled,

"Drop me and your dead!" He laughed softly at my threat and shook his head. I'm not even wearing a swimsuit.

"I guess I'll just have to take you with me." He said. I looked at him, confused at his words.

"What—"

Before I could question him I felt us almost flying in the air. I screamed and let go of his neck as we crashed into the surprisingly perfectly warm/cold water.

While I was still struggling to actually make it to the surface of the water I could barely see the legs moving back and forth, above me. I finally made it to the top.

"Hi." Giggled Maddie from in front of me.

"Oh I'll get you, you little—" Before I could grab her she started swimming away from my grasp. Wait where's Leo? He jumped in with me. I turned around in multiple directions but I never saw him.

"Hey."

I turned around to the sound of his voice. He floated a couple inches away from me. His hair soaked and his broad shoulders covered with droplets of water.

I gasped dramatically and put my hands and his head to dunk him down into the water. I laughed and suddenly a pair of strong hands grabbed my waist making me gasp for air before being pulled down under with him.

Once I got up I didn't stop dunking him in the water.

"Okay, okay. Stop! You're going to kill me." He yelled and I stopped pushing him down.

"You asked for it." I started. "I'm in all my clothes. And I didn't bring extra."

He grinned. "Maddie wanted you to come in, I had to."

"Are you saying you threw me in the water because someone asked you to?" I said, my eyebrows raised. "What if someone asked you to throw me off a cliff? Would you listen to them?"

"Maybe." He shrugged and I frowned.

"I don't want to swim anymore." I stopped floating in place and paddled my way to shore.

"Paige It was a joke." He yelled after me but I ignored him. Once I had gotten on land, somehow Leo had appeared right behind me.

"Are you going to walk back to your cabin soaking wet?"

"If it's the only way to go alone, yes. Yes I will." I crossed my arms and turned around to face him. We were only a couple inches away from each other. He picked up his sweatshirt and threw it to me.

"You'll get a fever again."

"And who's fault was it last time?" I carefully pulled on the sweatshirt over my clothes. He scoffed and my words and raked his hands through his wet hair.

"Carson's."

I scoffed.

"I saved your life twice, okay?" He said and I started walking towards my cabin, leaving him by himself.

"Really? When?" I asked.

"I brought you home when you were unconscious and I saved you from freezing to death at the party." Okay maybe he has saved my life a couple times, but it's not like I asked him to.

"What was that?" I yelled sarcastically. "I can't hear you!"

I saw him roll his eyes as I started walking on the road. I knew the other counselor in charge of our cabin was taking the shift we had planned right about now. So it's probably fine for me to leave.

Once I had gotten to the cabin I heard voices nearby.

"God he's perfect."

"Who?"

"Leo. He was absolutely amazing last night."