It was after seven when Kevin, AJ, and Chris finally got home. Chris had fallen asleep in the Jeep, due to the painkillers. AJ had his arm around her, his head resting gently on her own.
"We're home, guys," Howie said quietly.
"Hmm?" Chris said, waking up slightly.
"We're home," Kevin repeated, getting out of the Jeep. "Thanks for the ride, 'D."
"No problem. Do you need any help?"
"Nah. We'll be okay. AJ wake up." Kevin said, shaking AJ gently.
"Huh? What?" AJ said, jerking awake, jolting Chris fully awake. "Are we there?"
"Yes. Can you get out and help me get Chris out?"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," Chris said, rubbing her eyes. AJ got out of the Jeep, and turned around with outstretched arms.
"Can you ooch on over?" Kevin asked.
"What the hell is 'ooch'?" AJ said.

"Nevermind," Chris said, sliding across the seat, and taking AJ's hands. She jumped to the ground, landing unsteadily on her left foot, and falling into AJ. "Oof!"
"Are you okay?" AJ asked, alarmed.
" 'Okay' is an overstatement," Chris muttered. "Can we just go inside?"
"Here, Chris," Kevin said. "I'll carry you in. It'll give AJ a chance to recoup."

"Great. Now you're insinuating that I'm fat." She shook her head. "Fine, fine. But I'm still in my bathing suit, I'm freezing, I'm tired, and in pain. All I want to do is shower and change and go to bed."

Kevin picked her up, and Chris wrapped her arms around his neck to hold on. "AJ, can you bring in the bags? I'm going to get her settled in the rec room." AJ nodded and reached in the back for the duffel bag. After saying "Goodnight" to Howie, he opened the front door and went inside, closing the door behind him.

"Chris, I don't know if you should clean up tonight. There's no way you can stand in the shower by yourself, and if you sit in the tub, you'll never get out," Kevin was saying when AJ entered the rec room.

"Now I'm lazy? I've been swimming in a lake, and sweating from four hours of dancing. I deserve to get clean." Chris argued, her dark eyes glittering angrily.

"One day isn't going to do much damage," Kevin began, before AJ interrupted.

"Why not call Kat? She lives just across the street," he suggested.

"Nice try, but Kat was leaving for theater camp this afternoon and won't be back all summer," Chris replied. "And I most certainly not waiting three months to get a shower."
"Well, what about Emily?" Kevin asked. "She could be here in no time."
"Do you think she would?" Chris said, hopefully, her anger slowly fading.
Kevin nodded. "I'll go call her," he said, leaving the room.
"What a day," Chris said, leaning back in the chair. She stretched out her legs and grimaced.
"Do you want to talk about it?" AJ asked, sitting in the chair beside her.
"No. I don't remember anything." Chris thought a moment. "Except opening my eyes and seeing you." She looked over at AJ, whose head was lowered.
"She's on her way." Kevin said, coming back into the room. "Everything okay?"
"He's just upset because you called Emily and he wanted to give me a bath," Chris said, with a serious look in her eyes. Kevin rolled his eyes.
"At least you're not mad anymore."
"Maybe not at the moment. But I could use some meds."

Kevin snapped his fingers. "That's what I need to go over with you. These are really strong so you can only have them when it says. And only as much as it says."
"Yeah, but can I have one now?" Chris prodded impatiently. AJ smiled at her child-like mood change.
"I'm not giving you anything until after you bathe. I don't want you falling asleep in the tub."
"Very funny." Just then, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," Chris said sarcastically.
"No, I'll get it." Kevin said, leaving the room again. When he opened the door, Emily was there with Brian.
"We decided to come together," Brian explained.
"You two are just so much in love. Can't stay away from each other, huh?" Kevin teased.
"You got that right." Emily said, squeezing Brian's arm. "But really, how is Chris?"
Kevin sighed. "She's being herself as much as she can be. Quick mood changes again."
"Poor thing," Emily said. "But I'm sure she'll be more relaxed after she gets cleaned up."

"Well, she's in the rec room. There's a bathroom here on the bottom floor. But I'm not sure where she's gonna want to sleep." Kevin moved to the side as Brian and Emily came in. He closed the door and followed them back into the rec room.
"Hey, babe," Brian said. "How you feeling?"
"Oh, fabulous, B-Rok," AJ replied in falsetto. Chris and Emily exchanged looks.
"Looks like Chris's been given a run for her money." Kevin joked.
"Alright, alright," Emily said. "Will one of you guys help Chris to the tub and someone else get her something comfy to wear?"
"I will," the three guys said in unison. Emily rolled her eyes.
"You're really pushing my buttons, Brian."
Brian smiled seductively. "But Em, I push your buttons everyday."
"Never mind. I'll help her to the bathroom. AJ," Emily pointed, "get her something to wear."
Brian followed AJ out of the room and upstairs. When they were gone, Kevin picked up Chris and took her to the bathroom, Emily following behind.

"So what, exactly, are we supposed to get her to wear?" Brian asked. "I never go into Emily's room, even if she tells me to."
"I know what you mean," AJ said. "I'm afraid of opening the wrong drawer and sticking my hand into a pile of her underwear. It's not right."

Brian laughed. "So what do we do?" He followed AJ into the guest room. AJ opened one of the dresser drawers and pulled out a gray Nike t-shirt and a pair of his boxer shorts.
"Wadda ya think," AJ asked, holding them out to Brian.

"Um," Brian hesitated. "I think that's okay. But she's gonna need a pair of underwear. No," he continued as AJ began to open another drawer, "I don' t think yours will fit."
"But I really feel weird about going into her room," AJ protested.
Brian took his arm. "Okay, Bone. This is what we're going to do. We're going to take a deep breath and enter the forbidden female territory."
"Your mission," mocked AJ, "if you choose to accept it, is to secure undergarments for my girlfriend..."
"Whoa!" Brian interrupted. "She's your girlfriend?"
AJ rolled his eyes. "Duh. I asked her this morning."
"And then you threw her in the lake."
"Let's just be mature about this task at hand."

Brian looked at AJ and nodded. Taking a deep breath, the two went through the bathroom and into Chris's room.
"Where do we start?" Brian asked, looking around Chris's room. AJ went over to the dressers.
"I guess right here. We grab the first pair we see and get out of here."
"Found 'em!" Brian said, opening the top drawer.
"Good. Now grab 'em and let's go."
"No way, man. I'm not touching these things. They're way too nice."
"For crying out loud," AJ said, exasperated. "You can take them off, but you won't pick up a pair." He picked up a pair of white silk underwear and put them between the shirt and the shorts.
"What a macho man you are, Bone," Brian said, opening the bedroom door and heading downstairs.
"Thank you, 'Rok. At least I picked them up."
"I highly doubt that she'll love you just because you got her underwear."
"Shut up."

"What in the world are they doing?" Emily asked Chris, who was in the tub. "All I did was send them for clothes."

Chris shrugged. "Maybe they were afraid of looking in my room so they took a drive to the mall to get something really cool."
"No. I can't imagine Brian buying women's clothes. Do you feel cleaner now?"
"Yes. Thanks so much for coming over to help. I feel like such an idiot." Chris reached around the curtain for a towel. "Do you think you can get me up without either of us falling?"
Emily opened the curtain. "Honey, there's nothing to you. I think I can handle it."

Soon Chris was wrapped in a towel and sitting on the closed toilet. There was a knock from the other side of the door.
"Everything okay in there?" Kevin asked. "We have her clothes, a brush, and so on."
"We're fine," Chris replied. "Em, could you hand in my stuff so I can dress?"
"Sure. You want me to leave?"
"If you don't mind. I think I can dress myself."
"Yeah, but you may need a little help undressing next time," Brian said, when Emily opened the door for the clothes. She handed them to Chris and made a face. Then she went out of the room and closed the door.

Chris looked at the pile she was holding. "These aren't mine," she said to herself. But they smelled good, like AJ. She started to laugh. I can't believe it! He gave me his clothes to wear!
"Of course I'll put them on," Chris said, beginning to dress. The process was long and awkward, but she managed. He foot was throbbing like nothing she had ever felt before.
"Can someone get me some meds? I'm throbbing here," Chris called. "I'd get them myself, but I'm kinda stuck."
Emily opened the door. "You're dressed?"
"Yep. Clean and dressed. But extremely tired. Think you can help me to the couch?"

Emily smiled. "I can only carry short distances. I'll get one of the guys to help." She left and a few moments later, AJ came in.
"You look nice," he said.
Chris smiled tiredly. "Not really, but thanks." She put her arms around his neck and he lifted her up.

As they maneuvered toward the rec room, Chris tensed her body and groaned. "It hurts."
"I know," AJ said, putting her gingerly on the pulled out sofa bed.
"Here," Kevin said. "Take these." He help out two pills and a glass of water. Chris took them gratefully and relaxed against the pillows.
"Thanks you guys," she said, already beginning to drift off.
"Just go to sleep. We'll be here if you need anything," Emily said.
"Good night, Chris," Brian said, leading Emily out of the room.

" 'Night," Chris replied, weakly raising her hand in a wave.

"I'm going to take a shower," Kevin said, smoothing her hair from her forehead. "AJ will be here with you."

" 'Kay," she whispered, her eyes closing. If Kevin said anything else, Chris didn't hear it. All she wanted to do was sleep.

Chris was back at the lake, standing on the dock. The sun beat down with an intense heat; the sky was an extraordinary blue with no clouds in sight.

There was a group of people with her, most of them in the water. Two were sitting on the dock, and as Chris looked closer, she realized she was replaying the events of the day.

Suddenly, Chris felt herself being picked up and thrown. In horror, she knew what was going to happen, and struggled to swim towards the surface when she hit the water. But something was pulling on her leg. She looked down. There was a shape in the water, like a person in scuba gear, and it was wrapping a chain around her ankle. Chris felt it growing tighter, and herself being dragged.
She looked down again and saw a person swimming away, pulling the chain, long dark hair flowing behind them.