CYOA Page 11

[lumy12]

Page Eleven

Joel actually doesn't protest as much as you thought he would, although he has one condition: you have to wear your swimsuit. He advised you to bring it for just an occasion such as this: it will allow him to keep an eye on you while you're in the water. The only way he could do that if you went in naked is if you completely submerge yourself, and he doesn't want you to go in that deep. He doesn't have to sell you on that point -- you have no desire to go in far enough to get swept away if you lose your footing. You've learned how to swim, but you're not like... good at it. Water can still be kind of scary. Yes, Joel has saved you before, but that's no guarantee he'll always be able to!

You're not shy about stripping out in the open. There's no one around but Joel, and you're pretty sure that if he saw you, he'd feel even more awkward about it than you. On your first trip together, you usually kept your underwear on when you bathed, and that was kind of like a bathing suit... but then you either had to stay wet the rest of the day or go without undergarments (and you tried it both ways! Swimsuit is the best option now). Back then, you didn't even really need a bra. How young I was... I thought I'd NEVER get boobs! But I did! They're not huge or anything, but they're bra-worthy.

Clad in your red one-piece (with no long-sleeved T-shirt as bite-cover this time! Yes!), you slip into the cool water and enjoy the feel of the ripply little waves playfully slapping against you.

"Stay in that spot there, Ellie!" Joel calls to you. "In the shade if you can. That water'll burn you to a crisp."

Which doesn't really make sense, but you know what he means. It has something to do with the bright reflection of sun on water and you learned all about that on your first trip. Joel tried to get you to bring some kind of hat this time to protect your face more, but you don't like the way hats feel on your head -- and neither does Joel, so he really couldn't argue the point. "You should come in, too!" you reply, trying to wave him over... for some reason. As if you truly think that he might actually join you.

He just gives you a Look and then resumes his... uneasy glancing around.

You squat so the water is up to your chest, giving the little waves slightly more power over you -- and then realize you forgot something. "Um... Joel? Can you bring me the shampoo? And the soap? Pleeeease?"

He retrieves them from one of the bags and heads down the riverbank toward you.

"Thank youuuuuu! I guess I forgot we have these lux-- hey!!" you yelp as Joel tosses them in front of you, essentially splashing you in the face.

"You coulda caught 'em," he teases.

You crank your arm back and send as much water flying at him as you can... but he's already retreated from the edge, and all that makes it onto his person is a sprinkle on his boots. "Oh, fuck off!" You try not to laugh as he smirks at you over his shoulder while walking away.

Maybe he's relaxing a little now... he doesn't seem QUITE as concerned as before... maybe? You squirt a modest dollop of shampoo in your palm, fling the bottle into the grass, and start lathering up your scalp. You have plenty for this trip, but you know better than to overindulge; sometimes you do run out of shit at home, and people have to trade amongst themselves to make do until more supplies come in. Oh shit... You notice the bar of soap drifting away from you. "Come back here, you little fucker," you mutter as you grab it and stuff it into the front of your suit. Your sudden movements caught Joel's eye... but he looks away when he sees where you tucked the soap. Hehe!

You return to soaping up your head, remembering how your friend Becca sort of like... gets off on thinking that Joel liked to spy on you on your first trip -- bathing, changing clothes, peeing, whatever. She's tried to get you to admit to something, anything of the sort. It's pretty fucking weird, really, how pushy she can get on the subject. Of course, she's also tried to get you to admit to spying on him -- which you'll never admit to because of course, you haven't done that. ...not really. That one time totally doesn't count, you've convinced yourself.

You... may have had a stray thought or two about spying on Becca, though. Ha! She doesn't need to know that... especially because you get the feeling she'd be creeped out and not, like... happy about you maybe possibly wanting to? You're afraid that she's only into dudes, and completely oblivious to your crush on her.

You lean your head back to rinse out the shampoo, rather than go under water, because going under water makes your ears feel funny... and you're also not keen to be reminded of the times you nearly drowned. You let your ears kind of bob in and out of the water... and you decide the intermittent under-water-ness doesn't feel bad. In fact, it's quite nice. You daydream about Becca...

When you lift your head back up and look back to the riverbank, you realize you don't know where Joel is. He's not in sight, which means... you're not in his sight. And wasn't he worried about the current sweeping you away or something? He should be watching...

"Joel?" you call out -- somewhat tentatively, but loud enough to be heard if he's nearby. Hopefully he'll tease you about... what? My inability to be alone for five whole seconds? That would be awesome.

He doesn't tease you... but you do hear from him! "Ellie, stay put!" he calls back to you from down the river a little -- but 'up' enough that you can't see him over the riverbank.

"Stay put"? What the fuck, Joel? ...did you hear a little note of warning in there? He could've gone farther downstream yet still stayed close to the edge so the two of you could see each other. You haven't seen any people around... Joel wouldn't have let you go swimming if he'd seen anyone himself... is he in trouble? Or does he just want me to stay in this spot that he seems to think is pretty safe?


If you do as Joel says, turn to page 25.

If you get out of the river and go find him, turn to page 28.

Comments

Carlos

[(Anonymous)]

Okay, I read this one and forget to left a comment... LOL