You Call This a Gift?
Chapter 26: Jonah

I ran back to my cabin hoping the staff didn’t see me leave the girls’ cabin. I ran through the door to see Bradley siting at the table eating a bowl of special K cereal.

“Hey, man. You’re back late,” he said between spoonful’s.

“Uh, yea, I fell asleep right after you left,” I responded quickly, maybe too quickly.

“So are you two a thing now?” he asked.

“No, man. She doesn’t like me like that. We’re just friends,” I said. Just then I felt my heart plunge into my stomach. I really liked her and it hurt knowing we would never be more then friends. I loved being with her. Her presence could light up a room, her smile could stop world hunger, and her spark could win a war. I have never felt like this about anyone. I also have never been friend-zoned by anyone.

I decided to spend the day outside in the woods by the lake. A peaceful day outside sounded like a good distraction for my case of puppy love. Definitely not a cure, but a good distraction. I packed a bag with a towel, granola bars, water bottles, phone, and headphones and made my way into the woods. I walked slowly trying to enjoy the scenery. There were squirrels and birds everywhere. The grass was getting very tall in some places and the pricker bushes seemed to have doubled or tripled in size. I saw the lake peeking through the gaps in the tree line and pushed my way out to it. The sun streamed down bouncing off the lake making it sparkle like a diamond. Which reminded me of anna’s eyes. “Stop it! This is supposed to be a distraction, not a reminder,” I thought shaking my head. I peered out at the lake thinking of how great it would feel to just plunge into it and spend the entire day swimming around. Water was by far my favorite element. Swimming just made you feel free. The weightless sensation of gliding though the water, the rocking of the current, and the coolness left on your skin were just a few of the things I loved about swimming.

I made a pros and cons list of whether or not to dive right in. The pros list won by a landslide. I dove from the rock and felt as the water took up the space around my head, then my shoulders, then my chest, and continued down to my toes until my entire body was submerged and swimming through the water. I felt an enormous amount of relief and all the struggles, drama, and stress washed away molecule by molecule.

By the time I arrived back to my cabin, the sun was starting to set. I met all the guys inside for dinner and plopped down on the couch. I missed the water already, the spa-like effect a swim could have on your body was amazing. I grabbed my phone from the side table and turned it on to check my messages. No missed calls, but three texts from Lorraine. Had something happened? I quickly opened the messages to see what she had said. “No flipping way!” I muttered out loud.