Becoming the Luna

Everyone is already at the pool, My mom and Mae are getting the inflatables out while Virgil and Dale are watching them with their backs to me, Dale is in the water, most likely standing at the shallow part because he places his arms on the rim of the pool while Virgil crouches near him.

I stop struggling against Shana and slip my hands out of hers, maybe I'm the only one overreacting which is ridiculous considering how many times my friends have seen me with fewer clothes on.

"Renee, this would be easier if you just let me help you." Virgil was saying, with amusement in his voice as he watches her struggle with the air pump.

"Don't be sexist, Virgil." She huffs out, panting breathlessly. "I can pump my own bloody floaty."

"Did you finish the big jug of chocolate last night?" Virgil asks. "Because I think you're drunk, you sound it."

My mom groans and stands up, placing a hand over her head. "You're right but I'm more hungover than drunk."

Mae takes over the pumping from her and effortlessly fills the rubber bags made out in shapes of donuts, colorful donuts.

"Oh Hay, baby, you're here!" My mom exclaims and I unconsciously flinch as Virgil and Dale swivel their head around to look.

"Are you okay?" She calls to me from the other side of the pool, oblivious to what she had just done to me.

"Yeah! I'm fine." I mumble the last part, crossing my arms in front of myself, swimming trunks were going to take some getting used to.

Virgil remains crouched on the ground even though he's staring at me now, Dale's hair is wet and plastered to his face, no doubt he has already swum a couple times already. He's also facing us, elbows propped against the pool's rim.

"Stop moving so much, Shana, my eyes hurt." Dale says, rubbing his head to sell his point.

Shana drags her gaze from Mae who's still pumping air into the floaties to glare at him and his cheeky grin nearly melts my heart. "I'll drown you, moron." She threatens darkly.

Dale just shrugs, unperturbed by her threats. "How did you even find a neon pink swimsuit?" He asks rhetorically, referring to the one piece that Shana had on, it was the same bright bubble pink as her hair and actually reflected the sunlight.

"Maybe she dyed it." Virgil says in his quiet way and he and Dale burst out laughing, it's almost comical to see them so jovial and on good terms.

"That's it, I learnt some jujutsu so get ready for some high kicks." She rages, storming away from where she's walking beside me, over to them. "I'll knock you out then drop your limp bodies off in the middle of the pool so you'll sink." She continues, beelining for the pool.

"Shana!" Mae's bright voice calls her, stopping her in her raging tracks. "Could you come over here, please?"

Shana just turns around to the side, a peaceful smile on her face like she hadn't just threatened to decapitate Virgil and Dale and makes her way towards Mae.

Virgil gets up from his crouching position, pulling my eyes from Shana's journey to him.

I look up at him and my brain short circuits and I… am I drooling?

He starts towards me and I flinch, trying my hardest not to freeze and pull a deer in headlights move because that's how I feel staring at a half-naked Virgil.

While he wasn't a prude, he actually covered up really well, the last time I had seen his torso was a really long time ago and it definitely didn't look like this then.

There are abs, six of them, and my hand twitches, wanting to touch which is ridiculous. How does he manage to get a body like that? I know he doesn't go to the gym, so just, how??

He walks up close to me and my brain is definitely not prepared for all of that hard chiseled skin all up in my face, my hands keep twitching like they want to betray me and I start feeling light-headed.

Please don't hug me!

Please don't hug me!

I chant in my head like a mantra, panic dripping down my mind.

"Are you okay, Hay?" Virgil asks and I realize that I've been staring at his body ever since he walked up… how long ago was that again?

"Y-Yes." I say distractedly, forcing my eyes to stay on his face, I'm surprised I was even able to pull the right answer out of my jumbled mind.

"Are you sure? You're really red." He points out, moving even closer that if I take a deep breath our bodies would touch, and if that isn't the fastest way to make my brain shut down and rob me of coherent speech.

"I-I… um I-I f-fine?" I stutter out and blink in surprise when my reply actually made a bit of sense.

"You look like you need to cool down." He says with a slight smirk on his voice and my world tilts a little… "I'll cannonball you into the water." He adds and my world rights itself instantly, clarity coming to me.

"W-What…" Too late, he grabs me by the waist and throws me over his shoulders, making his way quickly to the pool.

Seeing Virgil's toned body and touching it are two different things but they sure brought about the same reaction, I cover my red face with my hands, feeling the heat from it.

It happens too fast for me to remember to have a mental breakdown with my ass in the air while wearing these swimming trunks because Virgil is already hurtling me into the water with a wide grin on his face.

I nearly scream but then I remember that screaming while you're about to crash into a pool isn't probably the best idea so I clamp my mouth shut.

I wasn't a terrible swimmer, although it just took too much energy and I'd end up stopping halfway through a swim and walking the rest of the way but I needed to get a purchase of the pool floor with my legs the first time to get my bearings.

Virgil had thrown me into the deep part of the pool and I start to swim a little when I get in but when I try to stand… there's no floor! I think desperately, searching for the cool hardness of the tiles.

Dale appears from nowhere and I've never been more grateful to see his amused green eyes, he stands easily in the pool that'll cover my head if I try to do the same and I don't think twice about jumping on him with my legs wrapped high on his torso.

He huffs out a laugh and I flinch, just realizing now that I no longer think I'm going to die that I'm bare chest to bare chest with Dale.

"Do you always climb up the nearest person when you're scared?" Dale asks and I can feel the lightest brush of his chest against my lower stomach, I'm not even surprised when I start burning up again.

I look away at his question, red smattering my face now. Actually, It's just Dale I end up jumping on but I wasn't about to tell him that. "Not really." I say vaguely, looking away from his telltale expression of amused disbelief.

"I'm short." I pout, my arms still thrown around his neck. "Could you help me get to the shallow part?" I ask immediately when it seems like Dale is just content to carry me like this, my lower half that is wrapped around him is still in the water, the water gently lapping around us.

"Sure." He agrees easily, turning around to start moving towards the other end of the pool, I just hang on for the ride, counting the seconds when we'll get there and I can get far away from Dale's half-naked body before I embarrassed myself.

I've never gotten down so fast when he finally got to the end but I'm too high up on his body so even when I stretch one leg out, it doesn't touch the bottom of the pool, my next option is to jump down but I'm too close to him and I'll just end up sliding down his hard body… okay I'm feeling light-headed again - fainting at the pool was definitely not on my bucket list.

While I'm caught up making elaborate plans on how to come down without banging my head on the side of the pool and passing out, Dale's large hand wraps around my bare waist to gently lift me off him and down into the pool.

I freeze at this, when did my waist get so small? It feels like his hands can fully wrap around it.

"There." He says, stepping back. "All good?"

I choke as he steps back because his toned body is on full display, I just nod because there's nowhere I can find a suitable reply in my melting brain.

The girls enter into the pool with the floaties and my mom hands me a purple inflated donut which I don't hesitate before taking.

There's a mini splash contest when Shana feeds Dale and Virgil water and they both end up teaming against her and Mae.

"Are you okay, baby?" My mom sidles up to me, she's inside a floaty, her arms hanging around the sides.

I smile up at her, feeling peaceful. "Mmh hmm." I hum, floating around slowly.

I look up and now they are playing a kind of messy pool ball because Shana keeps going over to smack Virgil or Dale whenever they hit Mae with the ball, there's lots of laughter and happiness and I just let it waft over me, smiling happily.