BETWEEN US AND THE PAST

CHAPTER 11-HOODIE

I didn’t even see it coming.

One second I was standing beside Lori near the pool, listening to her complain about how early practice was.

The next—

I was in the water.

Cold shock hit me instantly.

My breath left my lungs before I could even process what happened.

I kicked out on instinct, but it didn’t help. The water felt heavy, swallowing every movement and pulling me down instead of letting me up.

My chest tightened.

I can’t swim.

That thought came far too late.

I tried to reach the surface, but my arms barely broke through before slipping back under again.

Sounds above the water blurred into nothing.

Panic set in fast.

My lungs burned.

Then—

Something grabbed my arm.

And pulled.

I broke the surface suddenly, gasping hard, coughing water out of my throat.

“Evelyn!”

Lori’s voice.

I could barely see her clearly before I was being guided toward the edge of the pool.

Hands were everywhere—steadying me so I wouldn’t slip back under.

“Hey—hey, breathe,” someone said near me.

I tried, but it came out uneven.

My body wouldn’t stop shaking.

“Get her up,” another voice said sharply.

Mason.

He was there immediately, pushing through the crowd.

But before he could reach me fully—

Frost got there first.

He didn’t hesitate.

He caught me properly under my arms and lifted me just enough to keep my head stable above the water.

“Stay with me,” he said calmly.

I couldn’t answer properly, still coughing.

Everything felt too loud, too fast.

Then I was pulled fully out of the pool.

I collapsed onto the wet tiles, choking and trembling.

Lori dropped beside me instantly. “Evelyn—hey, hey, look at me!”

I tried to breathe, but my chest wouldn’t settle yet.

Frost knelt beside me, watching closely.

“Slow down,” he said. “You’re okay. Breathe.”

I forced myself to follow his voice.

In.

Out.

Shaky.

But steadier.

“Good,” he said quietly. “Keep going.”

Mason stood a few steps away now.

Still.

Watching.

His expression wasn’t loud or panicked.

Just sharp.

Focused.

Controlled.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” Lori asked quickly.

I shook my head slightly, still coughing. “I—I can’t swim…”

My voice came out broken.

Lori went still beside me.

Frost nodded once, like he understood immediately.

“I know,” he said simply.

Someone rushed over with a towel, wrapping it around my shoulders.

It was soaked through almost immediately, barely stopping my shaking.

I kept trying to breathe normally.

It wasn’t working.

“I’m fine,” I said again, weaker this time.

No one reacted to that.

Of course not.

“I’ll take her,” Frost said, already stepping closer.

I blinked at him. “I said I can walk.”

“You can’t,” he replied calmly.

Before I could argue, he reached for me—careful, steady—like he was trying to help me stand properly.

But the moment his hands touched my arm—

“Mason.”

One word. Immediate shift.

Mason stepped in.

Fast. Controlled.

His hand caught my other arm first, stopping Frost from fully taking over.

“I’ve got her,” Mason said.

Frost didn’t let go right away.

Neither of them did.

For a second, I was just… stuck between them.

Still dripping wet. Still shaking. Still trying to understand why my life had turned into a standoff at a swimming pool.

“She needs to be moved properly,” Frost said.

“And I said I’ve got her,” Mason repeated, quieter but firm.

The tension stretched.

Lori whispered behind me, “This is so not the time…”

I wanted to agree.

I really did.

Then Mason exhaled once, like he made a decision.

Before I could react—

He let go of my arm only to shift his grip.

One arm went under my knees.

The other went behind my back.

“Wait—Mason—” I started.

“Hold still,” he said immediately.

And then—

He lifted me.

Completely.

Off the ground.

My breath caught instantly. “I can walk!”

“No,” he said simply.

That was it.

No debate. No pause.

Just carrying me like it wasn’t even a question.

Frost went still beside us.

“I can take her,” he said again, sharper this time.

Mason didn’t even look at him.

“No,” he repeated.

And started walking.

I stiffened in his arms. “This is humiliating.”

“You almost drowned,” he replied.

“That’s not the point!”

“It is.”

Lori walked behind us, shaking her head. “I can’t believe I’m seeing this.”

Frost followed for a few steps, then stopped completely.

Just watching.

Not arguing anymore.

Just watching.

I turned my head slightly despite myself.

He didn’t look angry.

Just quiet.

Focused.

Like he was thinking too much again.

“Mason,” I muttered, hiding my face slightly in the towel, “put me down.”

“No.”

“That’s not a real answer.”

“It is for now.”

I groaned softly. “You’re both insane.”

But he didn’t stop walking.

And somehow—

that steady, unchanging grip was the first thing that actually made my breathing slow down again.

The moment Mason set me down, my legs felt strange again—like my body hadn’t fully accepted that I was out of the water.

“I’m fine,” I said automatically.

“No, you’re not,” he replied, already reaching for his bag.

Lori was beside me instantly, still half-panicking. “Okay, no talking. We’re getting you dry first.”

“I can—”

“Evelyn,” Mason said, firmer now.

That shut me up immediately.

He didn’t wait for argument after that.

He just unzipped his bag and pulled something out.

A folded shirt. A jacket.

I blinked at him. “You just… carry spare clothes around?”

Mason didn’t even look surprised.

“Of course I have extra clothes,” he said simply. “After practice.”

I stared at him. “That’s not a normal sentence.”

“It is if you swim.”

That… somehow made sense in the most annoying way possible.

Lori grabbed my arm again. “Locker room. Now.”

“I’m walking,” I muttered.

“You are being dragged,” she corrected.

Inside, everything was loud and chaotic—wet footsteps, overlapping voices, people still talking about what had just happened.

Lori pushed me onto the bench. “Sit.”

I sat.

Mostly because my brain still felt like it was catching up.

She handed me paper towels while I tried to steady my breathing.

“I hate today,” I said quietly.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “You almost drowned.”

“Helpful reminder.”

Outside the locker room door, I could still hear voices.

Mason.

Still there.

Not leaving.

I frowned slightly. “…He didn’t go?”

Lori glanced toward the door. “Nope. Standing there like a guard dog.”

I exhaled slowly and changed as fast as I could.

My hands were still shaking a little.

When I finally stepped back out, Mason was exactly where she said he’d be.

Leaning slightly against the wall, bag still on his shoulder.

He looked up immediately.

“You’re okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah.”

A pause.

Then he added, quieter, “Good.”

Lori walked out behind me, arms crossed. “Okay, crisis contained?”

Mason shifted his bag slightly.

Then, like it was the most normal thing in the world, he said, “Of course I have extra clothes.”

I blinked.

Lori blinked too.

He finally looked at both of us.

“For situations like this,” he added.

I opened my mouth.

Closed it again.

“…That’s not reassuring,” I muttered.

“It’s practical,” he said.

Lori sighed. “I’m going home. I cannot deal with this level of emotional damage today.”

Mason ignored her completely and looked at me.

“Let’s go,” he said simply.

I hesitated.

Just for a second.

Then followed anyway.

I was still trying to fully process the fact that I had almost drowned when Lori’s phone suddenly started ringing again.

She looked at the screen—and her entire expression changed.

“Oh no…” she muttered.

I straightened slightly. “What now?”

She already stepped back, answering quickly. “Hello?—wait, what?—okay, I’m coming.”

My stomach dropped.

“Lori?” I called.

She turned back to me, already stressed. “Family emergency. I have to go. Like—now.”

“Wait—what about—”

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly, grabbing her bag. “Text me when you get home, okay?”

And just like that—

she was gone.

I blinked at the empty space she left behind.

“…Of course,” I muttered. “Perfect timing.”

Mason was already changing after practice got officially canceled.

The pool area had gone quieter now—coaches dismissing everyone, students still whispering about what happened earlier.

I stood there awkwardly, still in the oversized dry shirt he gave me, waiting.

When he finally came back out, he was in clean clothes, hair still slightly damp.

He looked at me immediately.

“You’re still here,” he said.

“I don’t have teleportation skills,” I replied.

That earned a small exhale from him—almost a laugh, but not quite.

Practice had been officially canceled after the incident.

Too much chaos. Too many questions. Too many people still shaken.

Everything was shut down early.

Mason adjusted his bag on his shoulder. “I’ll take you home.”

I crossed my arms lightly. “I was already planning on it.”

“I know,” he said.

Of course he did.

The ride home felt quieter than usual.

Not awkward.

Just… tired.

The kind of silence that comes after too much has already happened in one day.

I stared out the window while Mason drove, my hoodie sleeves still a little too long.

After a while, I spoke.

“…Today was insane.”

“Yes,” he said simply.

“That’s it? Just ‘yes’?”

He glanced briefly at me. “You expected disagreement?”

I sighed. “Honestly? No.”

That got a faint shift in his expression—almost amusement.

Almost.

We pulled up to my house as the sky started dimming again.

Same place. Same routine.

But I didn’t feel the same this time.

I stepped out slowly. “Thanks… for earlier.”

Mason paused before replying. “You’re welcome.”

A beat.

Then he added, quieter, “Don’t go near the pool alone again.”

I rolled my eyes slightly. “I literally almost died. I think I got the message.”

“Good,” he said.

I hesitated, then closed the door.

But before I could fully turn away—

he spoke again through the window.

“Evelyn.”

I looked back.

“Rest,” he said simply.

Then he drove off.