Burn in Water, Drown in Fire

~1~ My Guardian Angel

"Help! Help!" someone called. I immediately hopped off my lifeguard podium and sprinted past everyone. A little girl lay on the side of the pool where my colleague had dropped her off at. I checked for breathing and a pulse, which was faint. In the short time of deliberating my next steps and thankfully, the girl gasped and sat up. The crowd of people fled, leaving only a familiar boy, helping the girl up.

"I told you that you'd lose," he said down to her. I assumed they were having an underwater competition of some sort. He acted like a child so engaging with them wasn't an issue for him.

"Whatever," the little girl hissed before walking off and then started jogging. A thankless job, I had.

"Don't run by the pool!" I yelled after her. I looked to the teenage boy, whom I've known since elementary school. I just never really considered him a friend. I crossed my arms and took this as my chance for conversation because I held him accountable. "You know, having any competition underwater can get someone killed."

"Well isn't that why you're here?" he scoffed. "Lifeguard—"

"And what if it was at your house and I wasn't around?" I figured. I knew that he had a pool at home because I had been there once before.

"Then I guess she'd be out of luck and you wouldn't be much of a guardian Angel at all," he ended before walking off in his trunks. I hadn't even given a look to his perfectly sculpted chest much when he faced me, but now all I had was his backside.

He was Zac Tyler. For some reason most girls wanted to date him, some guys wanted to be him. My boyfriend Brian and I were seemingly the only ones who couldn't stand him. But we had to tolerate him because my best friend Lulu was hooked. Their on-going on and off relationship had actually managed to be maintained through three years and I honestly thought they were too immature for each other. His façade to be lovey-dovey with Lulu yet a jerk to everyone else wasn't obvious to anyone but me. And I almost hated him for it and some other unknown thing I didn't care to articulate. And considering I only had the remaining two hours of my shift as the last time the pool would be open for the summer because school started tomorrow, I had other things on my mind.

***

"You want me to live here with my estranged 'brother' while you two figure out why the hell he's here in the first place?" I asked when I had gotten home and was ambushed by my parents with a strange visitor.

"Yes," my parents answered. Twenty minutes later, they were out the door, leaving me to sit across from my newly discovered brother named Devin.

"So...what's up?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and stood before leaving to my room. "ANGEL—"

"Do not call me Angel," I growled. Anyone but him could call me that. I always wanted a brother, but not like this. Not sixteen years later—especially with him as my "care-taker" while my parents sorted some shit out because of him. He was seventeen and hidden from me my whole life. What needed to be done that was more important than helping their children cope?!

I packed my bag with dry clothes—since I was still in my lifeguard bathing suit and cover-up—and stormed out the door.

***

I dove into the water and was shocked to see Zac sitting completely still as he floated upside down. With the movement of the water, his eyes flashed open. When I surfaced, I brought him up with me. It was one thing for me to go there afterhours, but him? I had never seen him here this late before.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Maybe I should ask you that," he commented. I rolled my eyes and sat on the side of the pool. He placed his hands on either side of me while standing in front of me, awfully close. "You just made a bad choice."

"How so?" I asked.

"Maybe I was trying to off myself and death doesn't like to be cheated..." he hissed.

"It's impossible to die holding your breath," I informed.

He moved away and splashed water at me.

"Thanks for commenting on my attempt, however, I think that only applies when you're on land," he joked. I hmm'd and then nodded, looking away. "Anyways...what are you doing here?"

"Why do you care?" I asked, getting up. I didn't come here to be around people, especially not when they were him.

"Oh I don't," he assured. "But seriously, why? I mean, isn't it past your precious curfew?"

"Enforced by who? My idiotic brother?" I hesitated, realizing that my anger was getting to me, and then continued to dry off and pull my jeans over my bathing suit.

"Since when have you had a brother?" Zac asked with a frown. I didn't answer him. I just threw on my hoodie and started to walk off, not wanting to expand on that topic.

"So that's it? One dive and you're gone?" he called after me.

"Pretty much," I figured, starting to leave.

"Guardian Angel is leaving again," he commented and I could feel him behind me. I turned toward him. "What if I almost drown?"

"Then you'll almost safe yourself, show up tomorrow at school, and then act like it didn't even happen," I smiled sarcastically.

"Why do you do that?" he suddenly asked.

"What?"

"Exchange in sarcastic banter and insist on acting like you hate me," he clarified.

"It's not acting," I assured. He rolled his eyes. "And it's not like I have a choice considering how you treat me and Brian—"

"I'm your best friend's boyfriend," he reminded. At first he smirked, but then I saw genuine sorrow in his eyes towards me. "It's been how long and you still don't want to be friends with me?"

"I tolerate you," I corrected as if that wasadequate, but he glared at me. "Look. If you're really hurt by it, think of itlike this...when Lulu builds the knowledge to dump your ass, I won't loseanything," I smiled at my logic before turning, making sure my long wet hairsmacked him in the face.