July 22 2019

"This is what summer is all about," Clara muttered to me. We were laying on our lake floats, our hands hooked together so we didn't float apart. My skin was absorbing the waves of sun, and I could feel myself turning more tanned by the minute. My eyes were closed, and I was simply feeling the way my body was swaying on the water.

"What," I started, moving my sunglasses to the top of my head, "being almost naked all the time?"

I felt like I hadn't worn clothes in weeks, we'd been spending most of our time at Khalil's cottage, which fortunately for us, sat on the beach. Pigeon Lake was a popular destination for the summer, people flocked here to escape the heat that lingered in the city air. The lake was also a popular tourist destination, due to the beautiful rocks that surrounded the perfectly blue lake.

"Boyfriends, boats, booze, what more could we need?" Clara hummed out, she sounded like she was in complete bliss. Not that I could blame her, I was too.

"How many hours of sun do we have left?" I asked her, not wanting to open my eyes.

"Not a lot, the sunset should be starting soon," Clara told me, causing me to groan. Nothing was better than the moment that I was in. Content, happy, and with my best friend.

"Are you girls done baking yet?" I heard Jesse call from the boat, and if my eyes were open, I would have rolled them.

"No," I called back, though I felt uneasy at denying him.

Things hadn't been good with Jesse and I. Though, I was trying. He was just so... different than how he was, how he used to be. I felt on edge all the time, just waiting to see what he was going to lash out on next. And the worst part was that he didn't seem to care about the way he was acting. He didn't flinch anymore when he put his hands on me. He used to apologize, he used to beg me not to leave him. He used to tell me all the things I wanted to hear. I wasn't sure if he wasn't sorry anymore, or maybe he never really was.

The only thing that Jesse seemed to care about, was that we were together. He was obsessed with our image, he was obsessed with the way people in our school regarded us as the golden couple. He loved the way people loved us, and he loved the way it made him look. Like the good guy.

"Okay, babe," Jesse surprised me by laughing out. Maybe he was in a good mood today. Everyday he was in a good mood, it gave me another reason to stay. And I knew it was wrong, and I knew I shouldn't, but a part of me hoped that maybe the guy I used to know would come back to me.

"Listen, we're going to head up to Three Point to watch the sunset. Brett and I planned it all out... super romantic," Jesse continued, causing me to finally open my eyes and glance over to Clara. She didn't seem excited at his words or their plans, and I knew why.

She just wasn't that into Brett anymore. Which, well, wasn't a great thing. Jesse and Brett and been so happy that Clara finally agreed to be his girlfriend. They said we would rule the school together. The Dream Team, they said.

"Leaving me to be the fifth wheel, again," Khalil muttered, making me chuckle.

"Okay," I answered for the both of us, since Clara didn't seem to care to.

I pulled on Clara's hand, which was still linked to my own, causing her lake float to be pulled into mine.

"Clara," I whispered, getting her to finally open her eyes. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes," she told me, "sunset, romantic... blah blah blah."

"You could try to seem a little excited," I told her, splashing some water on her.

"Why?" She asked me, "we both know I'm going to break up with Brett soon. Not that you would know how that feels, you and Jesse will be together forever at this point."

"What? Why would you say that?" I asked her, stunned by her words. It gave me a pit in my stomach, just the thought of having to spend forever with Jesse.

Then, it dawned on me how hopeless our relationship really was. I should be excited by the thought of spending forever with my boyfriend, not terrified.

"He'll never leave you, you'll never leave him. Though, maybe you should think about it. His little temper tantrums are kind of freaking me out lately," Clara explained, as she started to paddle towards the boat, which was anchored in the middle of the lake.

"Yeah, I know," I brushed her off, though her words didn't seem to want to leave my mind.

Once we floated enough that we were in reach of the boat, I held her plastic raft still while she climbed up the ladder on the back of the boat. Once she was aboard, she held her hands up to me and I followed her up. We dragged the plastic floats onto the boat, stowing them in their designated place.

I felt Jesse's hands around my waist, his skin was cold against mine, which was still burning hot from the sun. He was drunk, as were the rest of us. I could smell the hard liquor oozing from his skin.

"I love the way you look in this bikini, Lilly," he muttered into my ear. I felt his breath on my neck, before he began kissing the exposed skin. "I'm looking forward to peeling it off of you tonight."

I forced out a giggle, though I couldn't help but lean into his touch. It was the most bizarre feeling, and even I couldn't explain it. I hated him, but at the same time... I loved him.

"Alright, alright," Khalil interrupted us, "enough of making me feel so single. Take a seat, and let's get going before we miss the sunset."

I pushed Jesse's hands off me, following Clara to the bow of the boat, where we usually sat. Almost as soon as we were seated, Khalil launched the boat into motion. He didn't wait before he climbed to high speeds, and I could feel the wind in my hair was we sailed through the air. The sound of the water being pushed away by our boat met my ears, and I couldn't help myself as I raised my hands in the air. Combined the amount of vodka seltzer's I had consumed during the day, the feeling was amazing. It was one of my favourite feelings, being on this boat. I felt free.

We continued at this speed until we spotted the familiar buoys ahead. This part of the lake was tricky, but as locals we knew how to navigate it. You couldn't see them from above the water, but there were huge rocks under this part of the lake. You had to weave through the large buoys, each of them indicating where a deadly rock was hidden below.

"You know what would be funny?" I heard Jesse's voice say, and we all turned to look at him. He was glancing between Khalil and Brett with a devious look in his eye. "If we took this buoys, and hid them."

"Why would that be funny?" Clara asked him, her voice dubious.

"It would teach the stupid tourists a lesson," Brett agreed, nodding his head.

"Rip a hole right through the bottom of their rented boats," Jesse laughed out, getting out of his seat.

"It kind of just sounds lame," I told him, the anxiety creeping into my body. This was a bad idea, I knew it, and judging by the concerned look on Clara's face, she knew it too.

"Yeah, let's just go," Khalil agreed with us.

"What, Khalil, are you a pussy?" Jesse taunted him. He reached out a grabbed one of the red markers, and it wasn't until then that I saw the knife is his hands. Jesse laughed as he cut the plastic rope, and he pulled it out of the water.

Brett pulled out his phone, his own laughter booming from his chest, "do that one!"

I started to shake my head as Jesse grabbed the next one, cutting it like he had the last. "Jesse, stop, what if someone gets hurt?"

"Good, then they'll know to stick to the lakes in their own cities," he dismissed me, continuing his actions.

"Guys, come on. What if this comes back to us?" Clara said, and I could hear the panic in her voice.

"There's no one here to tell!" Jesse gestured around at the empty lake. "Only the people in this boat, and none of us are snitches."

It didn't matter the protests that flowed from Clara and I, the hysterics in our voice as we pleaded at them to stop. Jesse and Brett cut all six of the lines connected the buoys to their own anchors. They dragged each of them on the boat, then they posed beside them as they took too many pictures to count. Khalil didn't seem interested, he merely watched as Clara and I did. Though, he didn't protest.

Once they were finished, and we were past the point of danger from the now unmarked rocks, we sped away. But, the pit in my stomach only grew deeper.

Someone was going to get hurt, at the very least their boat was. But Jesse didn't seem concerned, instead he and Brett welcomed the idea. I could tell by the way they were speaking into Jesse's phone, which seemed to be documenting this all.

I pursed my lips, turning back towards the direction we were headed. I had the feeling this was going to be the beginning of a very bad story.