Water gushes over my head. The last image I have burned into my brain is Jared standing on the edge of the pier with a perplexed look on his striking face. The world turns to green and brown as the lake swallows me whole. Pain burns my lungs, pain that isn't just from being oxygen deprived. Betrayal is a new kind of pain as my brain keeps repeating on a loop that Jared pushed me into the lake with the knowledge that I can't swim.
My arms and legs kick out. My thoughts are not with the action, but I'm aware of the flailing limbs that try to erase the growing distance between me and the surface. The world shatters as something breaks the surface and zooms toward me. I can't see through the murky water as an arm circles my waist, and we're tearing toward the surface. Light glitters off the r
