Soon dinner was through, and the kids took turns changing in the bathroom. Morgan and Katie went into the bathroom upstairs to change, to avoid the line for the main bathroom.
Morgan was changing in the shower stall, and Katie was changing in the main part, and was listening as her sister talked to her.
"So what's going on between you and Zac?" Morgan said from the shower stall, where she was changing into her swimsuit.
"Absolutely nothing." Katie said, pulling her swimsuit up.
"Oh, well I couldn't tell if it was from the constant smirks or those lovely glares." Morgan said, sticking her head out of the shower to smile at her sister. She raised her eyebrows at her.
"Well, I guess you're right. I was acting pretty childish wasn't I?" Katie said, thinking about her behavior during dinner. She had been pretty gutsy.
"Just ignore him, he either likes you or is too immature to show it. God, I hated boys when I was your age too. Either that or they were too immature for me. All the cute ones are, anyway." She laughed. "God, I know what you're going through, and boy was it hell for me."
"Really?" Katie asked.
"Really. I'm glad I found Tay."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, so you should at least give Zac a try, since we're going to be seeing so much of him. I can tell that Judy likes his parents."
"Yeah, but I can't stand him."
"Well, give it a try."
"Yeah, but there's this other guys Ian, and I saw him too the other day. He was pretty hot. I haven't really talked to him much."
"Well, I say give them both a try. Zac's pretty cute, he might be worth whipping into shape."
"I dunno…" Katie said slowly.
"Well, just take my advice for now. He just wants your attention, and the only way to piss him off more is to ignore him. That's what you want to do, right?"
"Yeah…" Katie said slowly.
"Just don't string him along. That's all. I can't stand it when girls do that to guys. And most of the time the guy is just helpless and stupid. It's an awful thing to do."
"No, I won't do that.' Katie said, looking at her reflection in the mirror.
"Hey, can you give me your honest opinion of this outfit?" Morgan said from the shower.
"Yeah, lemme see it."
"You sure?"
"Well, you kind of have to, you can't just go naked." Katie said, wanting to see what her sister was wearing.
"Well…" She said, stepping out of the shower stall. Katie's jaw just about dropped to the floor. Her sister was wearing a tiny, red crocheted looking bikini that basically showed all.
"You're going out there in THAT?" She said.
"Yeah, why not?" She said with a devilish grin as she piled her hair on top of her head.
"Well, it's just that…it's a little revealing, that's all…" She said, shrugging. She suddenly felt very overdressed.
"Aw, it's not that bad…besides, I want to get Taylor's attention." She said, slipping on her sandals.
"Well, I think you're going to get more attention that Taylor's." Katie said.
"That's fine with me." She said, walking out of the bathroom, a baffled Katie in tow.
When they walked outside, they were the last ones, and they by far caught the attention of everyone there. Judy's mouth dropped, Walker looked away, Diana giggled, the kids just stared, and Taylor stared, except he stared with his mouth open and practically drooling.
"What's everyone looking at?" She said sheepishly, then walked over to the steps. She dropped her towel at the edge of the pool, then stepped in. Taylor rushed over to her from his place by the edge and soon everyone returned to their previous activities.
"Hey." He said to her, taking her hand.
"Hi." She said.
"You look really good." He said quietly.
"Thanks Taylor." She said.
Katie, tired of the mushy stuff, looked around the pool area. She saw the Zoe floating around the shallow end where Isaac was bumping her raft against the wall of the pool, making her laugh hysterically, and Krista, Sandra, Avie, and Jessica were talking on the edge. Mackie was chasing Madison around in circles around the table, and Madison looked hot and panicked.
"Maddy!" Katie yelled. Her head shot up, and the sweaty little girl flew into Katie's arms.
"Save me, Save me!" She shrieked.
Mackie just laughed.
"He's trying to get me!" She said, burying her face in Katie's hair. She stepped into the pool with the little girl, then grabbed a floating noodle to sit on. Madison sighed in relief then wiped her sweaty forehead. It was near eight at night, and it was still around ninety degrees.
Katie looked over to where Zac was doing endless handsprings off the diving board, trying to get higher and higher every time. She looked away, remembering her vow not to look at him.
Diana looked at Taylor and Morgan. They were sitting on the steps up to their necks in water, quietly talking. She walked over to light the insect repelling candles that surrounded the pool, watching her son in the process. Never had she seen him look so calm or gentle around anyone. She sighed as she sat back down next to Walker on the wicker couch that was sitting on the deck.
"They're in love." She said, looking at him.
"I know, I just hope they know what to do with it." He said, taking his wife's hand, giving her a tight smile.
"Oh, Walker, you forget how it was to be that young and be in love…" She trailed off.
"Yeah, but I just don't think he's that old…" He said.
"He's eighteen." She said.
"I know." He said, looking down at his hands.
"Honey, he's old enough to be responsible. He knows what's expected of him." She said, patting his hand.
"Yeah, but I can't help but worry…we know he's fine normally, but what'll happen when they're alone, together, out somewhere, and the hormones are flying?" He said, looking over at them.
"Walker, you've forgotten what it's like to be that age. We were only a year older when we started." She said, cuddling up closer to her husband.
"Started…oh, yeah, I guess you're right." He said, putting his arm around her. "I forgot about that."
She pulled back and gave him a look.
"No, no, not that, I mean, how old we were." He said, instantly trying to redeem himself.
"Aw, honey, just don't worry about it."
"Well, I hope we have nothing to worry about."
"No, we'll just try and keep a close eye on him, and I'll talk to him later on if I sense something."
"All right." He said. "Just make sure that you aren't too late."
"Okay honey." She said.
He smiled down at her.
If Katie's mission was to completely ignore and purposely make Zac mad, then she succeeded. He tried and tried to get her attention. He splashed her when she jumped into the pool. He tried to get her attention by doing daredevil dives off the diving board. And she didn't even look at him. He was baffled. Isaac and Taylor had told him that he wanted to get her attention, so why couldn't he get it?
He flipped. He jumped. He dived. She ignored. He was on his last string of ideas, and this one stuck out the most. If she wouldn't look at him, he would have to make her look at him. She was standing by the edge of the pool, helping her little sister out. Perfect. She moved towards the end of the pool, just under the diving board. Even better. Zac started to run, then suddenly, he slipped on the wet surface.
He went flying, landing just below the diving board. On top of Katie. His weight on her small frame sent her crashing down into the water beneath him, where he could feel her falling and moving beneath him as he fell. His feet just hit her shoulders, sending her squarely down under him.
It seemed to happen all in slow motion. He looked down, still underwater, seeing that she was having trouble, he grabbed her arms, then hoisted her above water. He saw that she was definitely hurt, for the water was only eight feet deep at that end, and he had felt her crunch beneath his weight.
He carried her coughing and sputtering to the side of the pool, where Isaac and Diana had already rushed to the side. Isaac was able to pick her up and carry her to the couch near the pool, where she immediately grabbed her arm next to her.
"Ow! My arm! Ow, Judy, Judy, it hurts!" She cried.
Judy came rushing over to her, then felt her arm. "Honey, it's not broken, but I think you may have hurt it. Do you have an ace bandage?" She said to Diana.
"Of course." She said, turning to Walker, who was already heading to the kitchen, where they kept all of their first aid supplies.
"What happened?" Judy asked.
"I don't know, I was just swimming across the pool, then someone jumped on me, and I cracked my arm on the bottom of the pool." She said, wiping her eyes. Zac stood being Isaac, partly hiding from view for a reason. He didn't want to see Katie hurt AND mad.
"Zac, what did you do that for?" Taylor said, looking at his little brother.
"I didn't mean to." He said. And he really hadn't.
"Hey now, boys, accidents happen." Diana said, not wanting a fight on top of Katie's arm.
They both piped down, then turned to Katie again.
An hour later, Taylor, Mackie, the girls, and Morgan were in the pool again, Zac was in the kitchen alone, and Katie was sitting on the couch in the TV room, resting her arm. Judy had asked her if she wanted to go home, but she saw how much fun the other kids were having, so she just took some Advil, sucked it up, and chose to stay.
Everyone was outside, and they were the only two in the house.
He timidly stuck his head in the TV room, seeing her lying down on the couch, looking at the wall. He was walking behind her, and he could see tears streaming down her face.
"Hey." He said, walking up to the edge of the couch.
"Go away." Was her response. She didn't want him to see her cry.
"Look, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to jump on you, I was just trying to look good, and I'm really sorry, and I know that was a stupid thing to do." He said, turning to go out of the room.
"But why would you just jump on me like that? I didn't think you hated me that much." She said.
He walked back to the couch to look at her. "I don't hate you." He said.
"Well then why did you do that to me?" She asked.
"I don't know. It was really stupid. I know that now." He said.
"Whatever." She said, turning away from him on the couch.
"I'm really sorry." He said again.
"I just don't understand why you would do such a stupid thing." She said.
He was silent. "So you don't hate me?" He asked.
"No. I need to be alone now." She said, not really knowing what to say.
"Okay." He said, not wanting to push his luck any further. He turned and left the room, stopping to look at her, her head just barely visible over the couch. He shook his head and smiled as he walked back onto the back patio where everyone was still swimming.
"Morgan?" Mackie asked the girl.
"What?" She said, bending down to his level.
"Can you put me into the pool?" He asked innocently.
"Sure, honey, where at?"
"The deep end. I've got my floaties on." He said proudly, holding up his arms to show her his blue arm wings.
"He can go in there." Taylor said from behind her.
"Okay." She said, picking the little boy up. She was bending down to lower him into the pool, when she heard Madison yell.
"Hey Mackie…" she said, holding up a super soaker and pointing at him. Morgan had just let him into the water when he screamed and grabbed the strap of her bathing suit, pulling it down just enough for everyone outside to get a glimpse. She screamed as her top came undone and fell into the pool, her closely following.
"AAHHHH!!!" She screamed, falling in face first, topless.
Taylor didn't hesitate to jump in after her. They surfaced and he stood in front of her, trying to cover her topless chest as best he could.
"Taylor!" His father screamed, thinking of the hormones, and running to the side of the pool.
"Morgan! Oh my god!" Judy screamed, setting Kristen down on the chair. They ran over to the pool, and Diana jumped in the pool, fully clothed, to hand the poor girl a towel.
"Taylor, get away!" Walker said, pulling his son away from his topless girlfriend, all while thinking of the hormones. God, he thought, he'll be a mess after this.
They finally got a sobbing Morgan out of the pool, with her, clinging the towel to her. She ran inside, not bothering to dry off. She ran to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Taylor immediately followed.
"Morgan! Come out!" He said, knocking on the door.
"NO!" She said, leaning against the door, tears streaming down her face. What a way to make an impression to her new boyfriend. Topless in front of his entire family.
"Morgan, they didn't see that much." He said, trying to make her feel better.
"Yes they did!" She said, not fooled.
"It's okay, no one cares. It was an accident. They happen. No one thinks any less of you." He said.
"Taylor, how would you like that to happen to you?" She said.
"I wouldn't, and I know how it feels." He said.
"You couldn't possibly." She said.
"Yes, I could. Zac de-pantsed me when I was twelve by the public pool, that's kind of close, right?" He said to the door.
"Really?" She said.
"Really. It was humiliating." He said.
"Well, this was in front of your family. Taylor, I just wanna be alone for a minute, okay?"
"Okay." He said, trying to understand.
With that, he walked away, and she slumped down against the bathroom wall.
"I cant' believe that happened." She said to herself.
Around half an hour later, she sulked into the TV room where her sister was still hiding. On her way there, she passed the kitchen, where Zac still was sitting reading a comic book. He looked up quickly when he saw her go by, but then smiled sympathetically when he saw who it was.
"Hey." She said, sitting at the end of the couch with her sister.
"Hey." She said, looking up.
"What happened out there?"
"A lot." She said with a sigh.
"Oh."
"Yeah." Morgan said.
"Care to share?" Katie asked, sitting up.
"Okay." Morgan said, proceeding to tell her sister the whole humiliating story.
"Ouch." Her sister said once she had been filled in.
"Yeah." Morgan replied.
They just sat for a few more minutes, sulking in their lack of luck.
"Hey, your friend is still out in the kitchen." She said.
"My friend?" Katie asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, Zac. He's still out there, reading spiderman comic books." She said with a smile.
"Oh. He's still out there?"
"Yup." She said.
"I thought he'd be back outside."
"He looked pretty glum."
"Yeah, he came in and apologized." Katie said.
"Oh, that's a good sign." Morgan said.
"Well, he seemed pretty sorry."
"Kait, you gotta understand, it's really hard for guys to say they're sorry."
"Why?" She asked.
"I don't know, it just is."
"Oh, well he did."
"I hate to say it girlie, but he's stuck on you."
"You're just saying that." She said.
"No, I'm not."
"Whatever." Katie said, laying back down, being careful of her arm. She still hadn't made up her mind about Zac.
"Well, like I said earlier, take him into consideration." Morgan said, patting her sister on the leg as she got up.
When she was gone, Katie sat and contemplated what her sister had said. Yes, there was no doubt in her mind that Zac was immature. But why had he done that?"
Zac was in the kitchen, thinking about the same thing. Of all the stupid things he had done in his lifetime, that was way up there. He shook his head, wanting to ram his head into a wall for about the millionth time that evening.
He glanced at the clock, seeing that it was only nine. He would call Jabin for advice, which was what he called him for most of the time. But, he thought, neither one of them was very literate on the subject anyhow.
Girls.
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