• tab She told him everything.
    tab For a whole hour, Nate sat besides her in the sand listening to her story. The same story that her friends had heard and concluded that she made the whole thing up. But not once did Nate interrupt her. She told him all about Jason, a guy she had tutored earlier in the school year in math. She told Nate how Jason called her up one day out of the blue and asked her to help him study for his final. At first things were normal, she helped him with this review sheets and went over his study guide. But when it came time to leave, Jason suddenly became violent. He started yelling at her about having a boyfriend that wasn’t him, about sleeping with another guy rather then himself. Jenna had tried to run after that, but Jason beat her to the door and pushed her onto the ground. Then he was on top of her, while she desperately tried to stop him. Afterwards, he told her that if she really had wanted him to stop, she would have tried harder. She spoke about how her friends abandoned her, and how she became the biggest outcast her school had ever seen.
    tab When she was finally done speaking, Nate stood up and helped her to her feet, “Tomorrow night and every night afterwards, you meet me at the pool inside White Sands. I’m going to teach you how to swim.”
    tab With that said, Jenna watched Nate disappear among the crowds of people on the boardwalk.
    tab That night she dreamt the dream again, only this time, when Nate defeated Jason, he stayed down.

    tab “Why are we doing this again,” Cassidy murmured while she and Jenna browsed through the racks of dresses at one of the stores in the mall.
    tab Turning to Cassidy, Jenna explained for the hundredth time that they were buying something to wear for the anniversary dance that the apartment building had every year. After seeing what Cassidy had in her closet, Jenna had decided that it would be fun to go dress shopping with her new friend. Back when her friends at home still liked her, they used to do this almost once a month. It was always fun watching each other trying on different dresses and helping each other choose which one to buy. But from what Jenna had seen of Cassidy’s closet, the girl had obviously never gone shopping with her closest gal pals.
    tab Glancing out the display window, Jenna smiled at the amusing image of Nate and Theo, sitting on a nearby bench. Both looked bored out of their minds and slightly uncomfortable to be sitting next to a dress store. Every now and then Theo would give her a cold stare, as if to remind her of the torture she was putting him through.
    tab Flipping through a few dresses, Jenna pulled out a flowing light purple one that sparkled when the light hit it. Holding it up to Cassidy, Jenna smiled. The color looked good with her hair and the style looked like something a fairy would wear.
    tab “Try this on,” she said, pointing towards the changing room, “and unbraid your hair,” she called.
    tab While Cassidy changed, Jenna signaled for the boys to come and join them.
    “How can you guys stand this stuff,” Theo grumbled as he gestured to all of the overly dressed mannequins.
    tab Nate shot Jenna a look and rolled his eyes. “I don’t see why this is necessary. I like Cass for who she is, not for what she’s wearing.” Walking over to a rack of dresses, he grimaced as he pulled out a big poofy yellow dress. “I’d rather die then see Cass wear something like this.”
    tab “How do you know if that’s true if you’ve never seen her all dressed up?”
    tab Raising an eyebrow Nate smiled slyly. “Good point, maybe we should experiment. Take your clothes off and maybe I’ll like you better,” he joked with a smirk as Theo smiled in agreement.
    tab Jenna ignored his comment before folding her arms and leaning against a mirror. “Wait until you see her in this dress, she’ll look just like a princess.”
    tab “I look bad don’t I?”
    tab All three of them turned and watched Cassidy appear from the changing rooms. Jenna had been right, the color did look good with her hair. Nervously, Cassidy spun around letting the airy material fan out, looking like it was made of soft clouds.
    tab “You look amazing,” Jenna said and she meant it. With her hair out of their braids, Cassidy’s hair seemed longer and wavier.
    Looking at the guys, she was anxious to see their reactions. Of course Jenna couldn’t read Theo’s face, that was no surprise, but she could easily see what Nate was thinking. His green eyes were nearly popping out of his skull and she could see a faint trace of red on his cheeks. Every step Cassidy made, Nate’s eyes followed obediently like a lovesick puppy.
    “Cassidy you have to get this dress,” Jenna said as she led her over to the mirror, “its perfect for the dance.”
    Cassidy didn’t look convinced. “Isn’t it a bit much?” she spun around to prove her point.
    Shaking her head, Jenna pulled out the invitation that had arrived in the mail the other day. “It says right here, ‘black tie’ see?”
    tab It took a while but in the end, Cassidy relented and bought the dress. After that, they walked up the stairs towards the food court. Jenna had to admit it, the mall here made the one at home look pathetic. At home, her mall only had one floor and after years of the same stores, it had gotten a bit dull. But White Sands mall was huge, two floors, with a movie theater and a massive food court. All the stores were different too and Jenna spent more time just staring into the display windows than she did actual shopping.
    tab Once they found a table, Cassidy went with Theo did get their food. As soon at they were alone, Jenna leaned forward and whispered to Nate, “Why don’t you ask Cassidy to the dance next week?
    tab Startled, Nate nearly choked on his soda, “What? Why would I want to do that?” he stammered though Jenna could see his cheeks turning red again.
    tab Smiling, she twisted a strand of her hair around her fingers. “Cause I know that you like her. Plus, I really think that this would make Cassidy really happy.”
    tab Sighing Nate scratched the back of his head uncomfortably, messing up his already messy hair. “I’m not sure that that’s a good idea.”
    tab “Why not? I can tell that you like her,” she insisted just as Theo and Cassidy came back. While they ate, Jenna couldn’t help but notice the way Nate constantly kept staring at Cassidy, his eyes glancing over to her only to dart away as soon as he made actual eye contact.
    tab While they walked back towards the castle after lunch, Nate pulled Cassidy aside and talked alone to her for a few minutes.
    tab Out of the corner of her eye, Jenna watched Nate speak to Cassidy and after a few minutes, she squealed excitedly and threw her arms around him. When they rejoined the group, Cassidy was all smiles and she asked Jenna if she would do her makeup for the dance next week.
    tab “Of course,” she winked at Nate, “you’ll look so beautiful that every guy will wish he was your date.”
    tab Cassidy smiled and dropped her voice. “Nate asked me to go with him. This is like a dream come true.” Cassidy looked so excited; Jenna could help but feel happy for her.
    tab “Hey Jenna!”
    tab All three of them turned around to see Lance and the blond triplets leaning against the railing. Behind her, Cassidy, Theo and Nate backed up as Lance approached her.
    tab “So, your still hanging with the weirdo squad I see,” Lance said as he gestured to behind her. “Anyways, why don’t you come hang with us? We were just about to go get some ice coffees and-“
    tab “Please don’t call them names,” Jenna interrupted.
    tab Lance looked surprised by her request. “Why not? They’re only freaks anyway,” he whispered as he touched her arm.
    tab The feeling of his hand on her arm made her shiver. He was standing much closer then she wished he would and could feel his breath on her skin. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nate make a face.
    tab “They’re not freaks,” she responded taking a step back. “They’re my friends.”
    tab “Ok, ok, don’t need to get mad about it,” Lance replied, sounding a bit offended.
    tab “Forget about her Lance,” one of the blonds said as she walked in between him and Jenna. “I saw her getting it on with oddball over there,” she pointed with her long manicured fingers at Nate.
    tab “Really?”
    tab Feeling her cheeks blush, Jenna shook her head, “No that’s not true.”
    tab “Yes it is,” another blond chimed in, “I saw them in the elevator, they couldn’t barely keep their hands off each other.”
    tab This was getting out of hand; pretty soon Jenna would be hearing similar rumors to the ones she had heard at school. “They’re lying,” she insisted though she wished she sounded more confident. “I’m not like that.”
    tab Lance nodded though he didn’t look convinced. “I hope not, cause you’d have to be pretty desperate to want to hook up with someone like him.” The girls signaled to him that it was time to go. “I’ll see you at the dance I guess?” Lance asked after the blonds had left.
    tab “Yeah, sure,” Jenna replied.
    tab Suddenly she felt Lance’s hands on her shoulders before moving down her back to her butt. “Good, cause I’d hate to have freak face hog such a pretty piece of work like you all to himself,” he whispered in her ear before pulling his hands away and walking off.
    tab Even after he was gone, Jenna couldn’t move. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t erase the feeling of Lance’s hands moving all over her body. Not even when her friends came to her side and praised her for her bravery, did she move. Everywhere Lance’s hands had touched, her skin felt like it was burning. Suddenly, in her mind Lance morphed into Jason and she could all too easily recall the feeling of him on top of her.
    tab “Jenna,” a voice whispered softly in her ear, breaking the spell that Lance had placed over her.
    tab Looking up, she saw Nate standing besides her, a look of concern etched out on his face. Taking a deep breath, she smiled hoping that the others hadn’t noticed that something was wrong. “I’m fine, just thinking about something.”
    tab He stared at her for what felt like forever before rolling his eyes, and walking past her.
    tab “I hate that guy,” Cassidy confessed once inside the building, “ he’s always making fun of us, especially Nate. One year, he purposely locked Nate inside a closet. We didn’t find him tab until the next morning.”
    tab After parting ways, Jenna walked into the apartment to find it empty. On the table was a note from Dahlia saying that her parents had called. Taking out her cell phone, Jenna dialed her home number only to get the machine.
    tab “Hey, it’s me. I know you’re probably worrying about me but I’m fine. I’ve made some friends and am having a good time. I’ll talk to you soon bye.’
    tab After that, she walked into her room, closed the door and lay down on her bed, watching the clouds move across the sky. Sighing. She reached under bed and pulled out the jacket Nate had given her. Putting it on, she closed her eyes and curled up into a ball and fell asleep.

    tab “Your strokes are too wide. Make them smaller. No, too small, make them broader again,” Nate’s aggravated voice called from the sidelines.
    tab Reaching the shallow end, Jenna stood up in the water and flashed him an angry glare. For the last hour, all he had been doing was yelling at her to take ‘wider strokes’ or ‘kick harder’. Rubbing the chlorine from her eyes, she glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already nine o’clock.
    tab “Can we call it a day?” She begged, out of breath from the last five laps he had made her do, as she walked over to the pool steps.
    tab Shaking his head, Nate walked over to greet her. “Not until you get it right.”
    tab Jenna groaned. Nate had promised to make a better swimmer, instead the only thing he had done was give her a super headache. She was beginning to think that he was just using the swimming lessons as an excuse to make her look like a fool.
    tab “Show me how do it then, because I need more than just instructions,” she complained before sinking down onto the steps.
    tab Sighing, Nate unzipped his lifeguards’ jacket and kicked off his flip-flops. Jenna watched him jump into the water with barely a splash. Then he was swimming, soundlessly cutting through the water. His strokes were broad and delicate, his splashing minimal. Back and forth, he did three laps before returning to her. When he reached he shallow end, he wasn’t even breathing hard.
    tab “That’s how you do it,” he replied, as if he had just tied his shoe, before sitting on the steps besides her. Jenna wasn’t even looking at him anymore; the sight of his shirtless body was too much for her. Up until then, she had never noticed how tall Nate was, though he was nothing compared to Theo, and how broad his shoulders were. And those muscles. That had been a pleasant surprise. Jenna never imagined that someone who looked so scrawny could actually have some muscles not only on his chest but his arms as well. As much as she didn’t want to admit it Nate looked good, better than good, he looked hot.
    tab Standing up, Jenna walked halfway into the pool, unable to be near him any longer. In her mind she was already imagining what it would feel like to have him wrap his arms around her. Once she was deep enough, she pushed off the ground and tried to copy Nate’s perfect form.
    “Wait!” Nate called as he swam out to join her. Without saying a word he took her arms and repositioned them correctly. “Stop shaking,” he ordered. “I already told you, I wouldn’t hurt you.”
    tab She hadn't realized that she was trembling. She couldn’t help it. Every time a guy touched her she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about Jason and the terrifying way his hands had gone over her body.
    tab “If you can’t trust me, then I’m not sure if this is going to work,” Nate mumbled as he straightened out her body so she was lying flat above the water.
    tab Pushing his arms away, she stood up, “It’s not that easy ok. Every time somebody touches me, I keep thinking about…about that time.”
    tab Then there was silence. Truthfully, Jenna was grateful for the it because it meant that for once, Nate didn’t have a comeback. Then all at once, she felt two arms snake around her body until she was trapped in an embrace.
    tab “Na…Nate,” she stammered, as her whole body seemed to freeze. “What are doing?”
    tab “Scared yet?” she could feel his warm breath tickling her neck.
    tab No, she was more than scared she was terrified. He was too close and her mind kept playing images of Jason attacking her only now. Despite everything that Nate had told her, in her mind he was the one who was now climbing on top of her.
    tab Closing her eyes, she fought back tears as Nate’s grip tightened around her. “Please stop,” she begged.
    tab Nate leaned down and whispered into her ear, “Why? Doesn’t this feel good?” he asked, his voice low and soft.
    tab Bringing her hands to his arms, she tried to tear him off of her. “Nate please let go.”
    tab If this was some form of a joke it wasn’t funny. Her legs were trembling now and she could feel her tears escape from her eyes. Her heart was pounding and she was having trouble breathing. It was too much for her, any moment now Nate was going to hurt her. Everything he had said about trusting him had been a lie. Jason had said the exact same thing to her and even now, she could still hear him saying it.
    tab “Trust me Jenna,” Jason had assured her while he tied her hands together with an extension cord. “Trust me, I’m going to make you feel real good.”
    tab “Trust me Jenna,” Nate whispered and at that very moment, her legs gave out and she slumped against his chest, unable to move and struggling to breathe.
    tab The next thing Jenna knew, she was being lifted out of the pool and laid down upon the cold tile floor. After awhile, her breathing returned too normal and she sat up.
    tab Glancing at Nate, she felt her face grow red with hatred, “What the hell were you trying to do!” She yelled as she clumsily got to her feet and pulled a towel off a bench before draping it around herself.
    tab Nate was standing a few feet away from her, staring at the floor. “I’m sorry ok? I was just trying to help.”
    tab Jenna couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
    tab “Help? If anything, you just made my problem worse!” She was screaming, her voice echoing off the walls.
    tab Tearing his eyes away from the floor, Nate started to walk over to Jenna though she backed away from him.
    tab “Stay away from me understand,” she warned. She had underestimated him, a mistake she had made before and wouldn’t make again.
    tab “I said I was sorry,” he reached for her but Jenna kept backing away.
    tab “And I said stay-” the feeling of the ground disappearing beneath her cut her off. She heard Nate yell her name but by then it was already too late, she had already fallen into the pool.
    tab A second later she felt Nate besides her. Feeling his hand struggle to grab her own, she tried to push him away, not wanting him to touch her anymore. Suddenly and without warning, she felt Nate seize her arm before violently pulling her back towards the surface.
    tab “I said stay away from me,” she snapped after they had surfaced before shoving Nate away and climbing out of the pool. Taking another towel, she grabbed the rest of her stuff and stormed out of the room.