Prologue: Part 2
The story begins a year ago, on the exact same day. I was busy doing my own homework in class when...
"We have a new transfer student." The teacher's words jarred in our ears. Everyone couldn't believe that fact, and that disbelief was turned into utter shock when a boy walked in. My first impression of him? "This guy is gonna be so easy to bully!" Everybody apparently had the same thought, because a grin had suddenly erupted throughout the class. The boy seemed to be lost at first, staring around the class, wondering what was up with us; suddenly, he stared at me with open defiance, holding an air of wanting to challenge me. Involuntarily, my eyes narrowed into slits, and we stared each other down; however, as suddenly as the staring match began, it ended, both of us looking away from each other. I couldn't help but notice a tinge of pink in his cheeks. I decided to ignore it, but kept dwelling on the fact that he was deeper than he looked.
---
"Crap." I cursed; he HAD to be paired with me, of all people. The pairing had already caused thousands of tongues to wag. Okay, maybe not that much, but the moment break came, the whole world would know. The newcomer had tried to introduce himself, but his friendly overtures were all ignored by me; even though I felt slightly bad, I couldn't weaken in front of all of my classmates. After all, status was all I had left - years ago, my parents died, leaving nothing behind; I now lived on funds from the government and school. The status I held in my class was the only thing left to me, what I used to prevent myself from getting bullied. Sighing, I waited anxiously for the bell to ring, for me to assert my authority over everyone else. Five... four... three... two... one... RING! The loud bell shocked me out of my wits, even though I had been expecting it. Jumping up, I was about to speak when the class members dissipated. Cursing, I ran out, only to be stopped by the new student. Whirling around, I shouted, "WHAT?!" He responded as if I'd talked to him normally, saying in a calm, flat tone, "I don't know the way around. You mind helping me?" I narrowed my eyes and was about to shout "yes" when curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to see how he was like, how he behaved and so on. In the name of reconnaissance, I had to swallow my pride and...
"Nope. But you'd better not address me in a close way, else you'll know how it feels like to get hurt in your weakest spot." He shrugged. "Been there, done that." I looked at him curiously, and he glanced back at me. "What?" Shaking my head, I headed out. To the left and right, dull classroom blocks rose, painted grey. Ahead were the sports zones; they held my talents. Walking towards the pool, I was about to enter the locker room when there was a call from behind me. "Can I join in?" The voice suddenly sounded very shy, not like himself. Shrugging, I continued on my trip towards the changing room. This was the time of day when least people were in the pool, which meant I would have it all to myself. And the new dude, maybe. Come to think of it, I still didn't know what his name was...
I considered everything from a different angle. Did I actually NEED to bully this guy? Obvious answer: yes. However, though, I had to consider the fact that he was a new student, and then there was the possibility that I might need his help in the future. Undressing, I was about to reach for my swimming suit when...
"What the hell are you doing here!?" We both screamed at the same time. The new transfer student was standing there, in the open doorway leading to the middle room, mouth open. We stared at each other for a few seconds, then I noticed his eyes moving downwards... to rest on my chest. Right afterwards, he did a 180 degree turn to face the door. I quickly slipped on the school's one-piece swimming suit in a hurry and strode towards him. Before he'd realized what was going on, he'd received a resounding slap that echoed through the whole changing room. His eyes blurred for a moment, and then refocused, his expression becoming indignant. "Hey, you're the one that's not supposed to be here!" I looked at him incredulously. "Hello, this is the female changing room, if you'd please. YOU'RE the one who's not supposed to be here. Now just get out!" Not put off, he rebutted, "The sign outside..." Without waiting for him to finish, I stepped out of the room and looked at the sign.
"What... the...?" Stoning, I tried to figure out what was going on. Wasn't this supposed to be a female bathroom? Just at that moment, a draft came down from the fan above, and something on the sign moved. "Wha-?" It looked like the corner of paper... reaching for the sign, I tore it off and raised an eyebrow. I could almost hear my own mind click, putting the pieces together. All that was left was a final piece of information. The giggling that came from around the corner was almost like a godsend. Rushing around, I glared at my friends, who immediately collapsed with laughter. I didn't even need them to confess; they spilled the beans on their own.
---
"That was one long confession!" the newcomer said, yawning. All of a sudden, he stopped and glanced at me awkwardly. "Hmm?" I replied, in a tone softer that normal; this imbalanced him, and he stuttered for a moment before saying, awkwardly, "I don't... know your name yet." I raised an eyebrow for what seemed like the millionth time today, and replied, "Angeline." I wasn't comfortable with telling him my surname, and apparently, he didn't need it either; he just lowered his head and seemed to be deep in thought. "Hey?" I queried, quietly. It took him ten minutes before he responded with a "huh?"; hearing that response, I laughed for a while before quietening down. He was blushing. That makes it so much more awkward... Trying to strike up conversation, I asked him, "So, uh... why did you transfer here? From your class response, you're not really bad at studies, and this school isn't really well known for it's academic..."
His fist was clenched tight, and his knuckles were really white; they showed clearly against the darkness of the pool water. To my surprise, the sky was already turning pale, fading to a light shade of red. Looking away, I turned and swam towards the deeper end of the pool, and lapping back; I'd done that thrice when I noticed that he'd zoned out, looking straight at the setting sun. His eyes were unfocused. Now's the time to pay him back for peeking on me... I nudged him lightly, and his hands shifted slightly. There was a squeaking noise as his back slid against the tiled side, but he didn't notice. Another push, and this time, the squeak was much louder, and yet he still looked like he was zoned. Just one more would be enough for him to lose his balance... I moved over, trying to look inconspicuous, and was about to topple him when I caught the expression on his face; a slight smirk. My reaction wasn't as fast as I thought it would, and in moments, I found myself drinking poolwater. Choking, I pulled myself over the ledge and spat the entire contents into the drain at the side; behind me, his laughter rang out loud, but only just enough for the both of us to hear. Tempted to be angry, I turned towards him and opened my mouth, but nothing came out; it was as if something was binding my tongue. In that moment, time was frozen, and both of us just looked at each other. What came next was an utter surprise.
Leaning over, he caught hold of my arms and pulled himself up slightly; I could see the entire of his upper torso above the water, and noticed that he had slight packs; enough to be noticeable at close range and not otherwise. Before I could fully process what was happening, his lips met mine. Strangely, I found myself unable to break from the hold, and just looked at him dumbly; his eyes were closed, and I could feel his tongue creeping slowly into my mouth... I tried to push him away, but weakened at the feeling of flesh; gathering all my energy, I pushed myself away, and succeeded in sliding back through his legs, into the pool; still weak from the encounter, I couldn't get out of the water no matter how valiantly I struggled. I'd heard, not long ago, that drowning was the slowest and most painful ways of dying... As my hands and legs started numbing, my Biology teacher's voice was droning beside me.
"When you're submerged under water, the mammalian diving reflex is triggered, slowing the heart rate by nearly 50%, and restricting the blood flow from the brain to the limbs. While you're conscious, you will hold your breath, but breaths will still involuntarily be taken when the level of your oxygen drops beyond the breath-hold breakpoint. At this point, you will involuntarily attempt to throw up or swallow the water, inhaling more in the process. When this happens, your larynx will shut off to prevent water from entering your lungs, diverting the water to your stomach and delaying death. Unconsciousness causes the laryngospasm to relax 85~90% of the time. Hypoxia occurs..."
...
Why are my lungs burning? I have to struggle against this... damn this... I can't see anything anymore... Strangely, my last feeling before passing out was of the transfer student whose name I never knew, of his gentle lips, his tongue...
---
I felt the feeling of something warm above me, and yet cold tiles below my back. My eyelids felt heavy, and so did my limbs; every finger and toe hurt with a nanometer of movement, and I lay on god knew where, unmoving. I knew I was exposed, and anything might attack me at any moment, but I couldn't budge for the pain shooting through my body. Is this how death feels like? There was a soft whisper beside me, saying, "It's like that when your limbs have been numb for a while, keep them moving. Here, open your mouth." I tried my best to follow the voice's instruction but only managed to move my lips slightly; I could feel warm water trickling into my throat. Moments later, I could feel my pulse thudding in my veins, every single rise and fall. I'm... not dead?! Shocked, I sat up and the voice shouted in surprise; the hot water he'd been pouring into my mouth spilled all over him; he shrugged. The towel that had been covering me fell off, revealing the swimsuit I was wearing when I nearly drowned; the water evaporating caused me to shiver slightly.
Pulling up the towel, I turned right when I heard a sputtering noise. The newcomer was half-submerged in the pool, spitting out water. "Gah..." he choked, "Drank too much water." Laughing, I held out a hand to help him up; he gladly took it and flipped over, onto the side. As he climbed up, he accidentally tugged at my towel, enough to reveal my shoulders; as I moved to pull it up, I saw red marks on my shoulders, marks resembling...
In a cold voice, I asked, "What did you do to me?" Sitting straight, he asked, "What?" I pointed to the marks and narrowed my eyes at him. He stared at me, and replied, "Those marks are from me attempting to do CPR! I didn't-" Before he could complete, I ran away from the pool, not even bothering to change back. I just ran on and on, until I reached the dorms and collapsed in the bathtub.