This chapter was supposed to be uploaded on Tuesday and another one on Thursday, but in Mexico there were quite heavy rains, streets, underground parking lots and the first floor of my house flooded. So I spent a couple of days busy, saving everything I could along with my family, furniture and appliances.
There were also many failures in the electrical system.
Everything is fine now, but I got a bit delayed, therefore only one extra chapter this week.
Enjoy.
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Dry, now wearing clothes much more suitable for swimming in the lake, I left my room immediately, seeing Diane, on her own, sitting in the living room.
As I approached, completely still, in silence, staring into space. "Is everything alright?" I asked with concern.
Diane was so focused that she didn't notice my presence. Startled, she jumped in place, immediately turning the upper half of her body to look at me.
Surprised by her reaction. "Sorry" I apologized, embarrassed, it was never my intention to surprise her like that.
Calming her breathing, pressing a hand to her chest to relax her pulse. "No, it's all right" Diane replied, "it's my fault, I was distracted."
Nodding slowly, I took a seat next to her; yes, she was definitely distracted.
"I can see that" I said with a slight smile, "are you okay?" I asked again.
Diane quickly shook her head, waving her hands as if to push the question away. "Oh yeah, excellent" she replied, snorting carelessly.
It was painfully obvious she was lying.
Raising one of my eyebrows. "Really?" I asked, feigning surprise. "It went that well with Meredith?" I asked.
Opening and closing her mouth like one of the fish in the cooler. Diane, staring into space again, shook her head slowly, seeming to be in an internal battle deciding whether to lie or not.
Finally, after a few long seconds. "I lied, it went... not that bad" Diane replied, not entirely sure, narrowing her eyes slightly as she shrugged and pressed her jaw.
So... really bad.
Sighing. "Okay" I murmured, not really knowing how to proceed.
"I mean, there has been a development" Diane continued, with a hint of desperation to explain, "but you could classify it as a minuscule development... almost nonexistent."
She looked at me intently, as if expecting some kind of feedback or perhaps a performance review.
I had nothing.
I tilted my head slightly. "Any development is good" I said, without full conviction.
"Yeah, I guess so" she murmured, sighing in defeat.
Seeing her so downcast, I wished with all my might to help her, go and talk to Meredith, maybe ask Teddy for help, something. But I had promised myself not to interfere… or at least to interfere as little as possible.
"I'm serious" I said, more firmly.
At least if I wasn't going to help directly, I wouldn't take away her confidence.
"No matter how small progress may seem; as long as it exists, it's solid proof that you're doing something right." I added, gently taking her arm.
My words, though not an epic speech, were enough for Diane to lift her head, with a glimmer of longing in her eyes.
"Do you really think so?" she asked softly.
I was quite sure what her concerns were, I doubted very much that despite all her emotional growth, Diane didn't see the situation as some kind of experiment, and being the genius she was, there were few experiments that didn't yield results almost immediately.
"Yes" I replied seriously, "But today you've already done enough. You can't force a human reaction as if it were an instant chemical reaction. It's more like cultivation, you have to let it grow, step by step… even exponentially, but only after a solid foundation."
She stared at me, and I could see how my metaphor latched onto her mind.
Nodding slowly. "Of course" she whispered, as if she had just solved a riddle. "It's not a single test, it's necessary to do a series of controlled experiments" she added, increasingly excited, "I can't expect consistent results from something as volatile as feelings."
I didn't know whether to be glad to see Diane much more animated than a few seconds ago, or worry about the overly analytical way she was approaching getting closer to Meredith.
"Yeah" I murmured slowly, "or maybe just try talking to her from time to time each day" I added, a little anxious but as if it were a casual recommendation.
Looking at me in surprise. "Add a randomness variable?" she asked.
"Yup" I replied, pressing my lips, "exactly that, it makes everything more organic" I added, nodding seriously.
Placing a hand under her chin. "Interesting" she murmured, quickly losing herself in her thoughts.
Noticing how Diane was taking the matter completely seriously, I smiled softly. "You know" I said, catching her attention, "what you tried was an excellent idea" I added, "looking for things in common with another person to get closer emotionally is a great approach."
"Yes, you told me, first I should start a conversation" Diane recited, nodding quickly, "I've tried."
"Yes" I said, remembering that those had in fact been my words.
It was good to remember from time to time that Diane literally remembered every word we spoke.
"But I think I lacked a bit of context" I continued, "it's not bad to use things you both have in common to start a conversation, that's normally how conversations with people you've just met work."
"That was part of the article I read" Diane commented, "that's why I tried it."
"The problem was that you used something too strong right from the start, which would scare anyone" I explained calmly, trying at all times to avoid making Diane feel bad. "What you want is to connect on many small things, to build up to the bigger things."
Narrowing her eyes. "Small things" Diane repeated, not entirely sure she understood what I meant.
"Yes, things like her favorite ice cream flavor, movie, song, even activity, by looking into those kinds of things, you're sure to find something to relate to."
Listening intently, Diane stared at me, nodding slowly without saying anything, apparently absorbing every word.
Finally. "I understand" she said, "what I need to do is connect as much as possible on 'small things' to achieve connection on the 'big things'"
"Yup" I replied, stretching my legs on the comfortable sofa.
Silent again, Diane sank into her thoughts, staying completely still, making me notice how the sunlight streaming in through a window behind her made her hair shine beautifully.
"Enough of this" I said, easily pulling Diane by one of the loops of her shorts, and once she was close enough to me, in one movement, I lifted her, placing her over my shoulder.
Taken by surprise. "Ah" exclaimed Diane, grabbing the back of my shirt, frightened, "what to do?" she asked nervously.
Holding her thighs against my face, as if I were carrying a sack of potatoes, I stood up.
Adjusting Diane on my shoulder, preventing her from somehow slipping, even though she was completely still. "It's a beautiful day out there, and I know from a good source that the lake is at the perfect temperature for swimming" I said, walking toward the balcony door.
Still gripping my shirt tightly. "I don't have the right clothes for swimming" Diane said immediately.
"Doesn't matter" I declared, laughing, "I know from the same source that you'd look perfect in any kind of clothing."
Or without it.
Just a few steps from the door. "It's not about vanity" Diane argued quickly, "I need the right equipment."
Right equipment?
"Please PJ" she added, in a low voice, almost pleading.
Damn. "All right" I said, defeated.
I couldn't do anything against that.
Turning around, still with her over my shoulder, I continued walking toward her shared room.
"Aren't you going to put me down?" she asked me.
"Nope" I replied.
Against my deepest wishes, I had to set Diane down on her feet right under the doorway of her room.
Finally, after a couple of minutes waiting, carefully studying the lines formed by the expensive wood the door was made of, it opened, revealing Diane, dressed in a long loose dress and a straw hat that covered a little beyond her shoulders.
Seeing a bit of expectation in Diane's eyes, I smiled. "Like I said, perfect" I declared softly, as corny as possible, imitating the actors in the soap operas House used to watch.
With a small smile, Diane lowered her head slightly, hiding it from me with her hat. "Thanks" she murmured, "all right, let's go" she added a moment later, surely intending to hide her embarrassment.
"Yes, let's go" I said, without moving from my spot, blocking the doorway.
Waiting a few seconds for me to move, Diane lost her smile, clearly understanding the reason for my behavior.
Taking a step forward in defeat, without saying anything, Diane surrendered to her fate.
Laughing quietly, I once again lifted Diane effortlessly, placing her over my shoulder, and continued my triumphant path to the exit of the house, heading for the lake.
Crossing the kitchen, Mom, who was heating a bottle for Charlie, saw us and smiled silently... at least for a second.
Opening her eyes comically wide. "Wait" she exclaimed, practically running out of the kitchen, forgetting completely about the bottle and the stove left on.
With no other choice, since I didn't want an accident to happen in the kitchen, I waited standing, with Diane on my shoulder, for Mom to return.
Fortunately, she didn't take much longer. Carrying a disposable camera, quickly winding the roll, she brought the camera to her eye, smiling widely. "Say cheese" she said, excitedly.
Snorting. "Cheese" I said, at the same time as Diane, who was basically lying on my shoulder.
After a bunch more pictures, I basically had to lie to Mom to stop her, with the excuse that I was getting tired, I quickly left the house.
By the lake, I set Diane on her feet, having to hold her by the arm, since, as before, she needed a couple of seconds to regain her balance.
Once she let go of my arm, I took off my shirt and flip-flops, stepping into the water deep enough to wet my shins.
Seeing Diane still several steps from the shore, I stretched out my hand, urging her to come closer.
Diane had only gone swimming a couple of times, the first when I showed her how to do it at the public pool and with Kat and Mandela.
Crossing her arms, Diane shook her head slightly. "I think I'd rather stay on the shore" she said, lifting her shoulders with feigned disinterest.
"The water's perfect, come on" I said softly, still keeping my hand outstretched.
Shaking her head again, Diane adjusted her hat. "Do you know how many bacteria there are in freshwater bodies? Or that even in lakes like this, there can be snakes? And let's not even talk about alligators…"
Snorting, I shook my head, walking back out of the water. I knew perfectly well that her refusal had nothing to do… or at least wasn't entirely related, to what might be in the lake, but to her inexperience with swimming.
Approaching the still motionless Diane, I leaned slightly. "I won't let anything bad happen to you" I promised confidently, "it'll be like at the public pool, except this time instead of kids swimming fast, we might kick a curious fish" I added jokingly, immediately regretting it when I saw Diane's look of disgust. "At least me, you're not going to swim, you're just going to float on me."
Pressing her lips together, Diane lowered her head slightly, the straw hat once again covering her face.
I stretched out my hand and waited in silence, and a couple of seconds later, Diane hesitantly took it, nodding.
Smiling. "Great" I said excitedly, "aren't you going to take off the dress?" I asked a moment later.
"Oh yeah" she replied, letting go of my hand, and in one movement, taking off her flip-flops, she grabbed the hem of her dress, pulling it over her head, in the process knocking her hat to the ground and almost her glasses, which she fortunately caught in time. With the dress on the ground, Diane revealed the same yellow swimsuit I remembered perfectly from when we went to the public pool.
The impact was immediate. I had already seen her naked a bunch of times. And yet, the bikini hit differently, I don't know if it was the extra mystery, the sunlight from the lake reflecting off her pale skin, or how nervous she looked, surely from having to go into the lake, but either way, my brain immediately filed the image in the "indelible memory" folder.
Apparently, I had been silent staring at Diane for much longer than I had realized. "What?" she asked me.
Smiling softly. "Nothing" I replied, taking her hand again.
Guiding Diane into the lake, without taking my eyes off hers, we stopped when her feet entered the water.
Moving her feet in the water, pressing her lips in surprise. "You're right, it's really warm" Diane murmured.
"I told you" I said, continuing further into the lake.
When the water reached Diane's abdomen, I was already crouching, almost completely wet except for my head.
Letting go of her hand, I held her by the waist. "Come on" I said, pulling her closer, while quickening my steps.
"Don't let go of me" Diane murmured nervously.
Smiling. "Of course not" I assured her calmly.
With Diane clinging to my neck, I floated deeper into the lake, pushing off the bottom from time to time.
Almost completely horizontal on my back, Diane rested on my collarbone, breathing deeply, tickling my skin with each exhale. The lake was definitely much more intimidating for Diane than the public pool, and I didn't blame her.
Without any effort, I kept Diane's head out of the water, kicking to stabilize my body and therefore hers, waiting for her nerves to calm enough.
When her breathing returned to normal. "You're all right?" I asked.
Lifting her head from my collarbone, Diane nodded. "It's not that bad, you're comfortable" she murmured.
Snorting in amusement. "I hope so, after all I don't train practically daily to be an uncomfortable floating body" I said jokingly, with sarcasm.
Smiling with her lips pressed together. "Well, you're doing a good work" Diane joked.
Raising an eyebrow. "'Good'?" I asked incredulously, "oh please tell me, how can I do a job better than 'good'?"
"You're comfortable, but I feel like if I move a little to the sides I'm going to fall" she admitted, pointing with her head to one side of my body.
Changing my posture, still holding Diane, I put us as vertical as I could. "All right, your wish is my command" I said, floating, "better?"
"Much better" Diane replied, leaning in to kiss me.
A moment later. "If that's the payment, and you need anything else, please, just say so" I said, smiling widely.
Laughing quietly, Diane shook her head, once again leaning in to start another kiss, this time much longer.
The days passed without much else, the lake house, once new and exciting, fell into a small routine: we had all our meals together, and in between each did whatever they wanted, except after dinner, when we would gather to play some board game or do an activity in town.
During those days, Diane's efforts did not waver, always trying to get closer to Meredith and actually managing some progress by getting the younger teenager to respond much more often, but despite this, there was still a clear barrier set by Meredith.
Almost at the end of the second week of our vacation at the lake, we visited the town again, going to a local restaurant that was recommended by one of Bob's clients, where they served basically the same food as Red Lobster, but a bit more expensive.
"And I told my coach, 'coach let me in the game, there's a ram mascot that I need to impress–'" Bob narrated, smiling widely.
Before Bob could continue. "I was the mascot" Mom exclaimed excitedly. "Rammy the Whammy, the South High spirit, the crowd loved me."
"You were a school mascot?" I asked, incredulous.
Smiling widely. "Oh yeah" Mom replied, "I even had this special move, my famous 'Wammy Wiggle,' you should have heard how the crowd went wild" she added, seemingly getting lost in her memories.
With Mom mentally traveling to the past, fortunately she didn't see how Gabe, Teddy, and even Meredith seemed to enjoy the funny idea of a school mascot.
"What's a school mascot?" Diane asked, interested, suddenly drawing Mom's attention, who turned her neck so fast that I was genuinely worried about any damage to her cervical vertebrae.
"What's a school mascot?" Mom repeated incredulously, "it's only the most important part of any sporting event" she added, causing Bob and me to share a silent look.
Diane nodded, moving her head slowly, even though I was sure she hadn't fully understood.
"It's the soul and spirit of any school, it connects the spectator to the moment" Mom continued speaking, and if it hadn't been for Bob putting a hand on her shoulder, she surely would have stood up while giving her speech.
"It's the one who entertains the crowd during game breaks" I explained to Diane quietly.
"Oh" she whispered, nodding.
"Yeah, your mother was the best Rammy the Whammy in South High" Bob said, looking at Mom tenderly. "But when I got into the game–" he tried to continue, but Teddy, letting out a small muffled cry, surprised everyone at the table.
Following his line of sight, from the restaurant entrance, the same guy Ryan McSomething walked in along with two adults, a man and a woman, clearly his parents. As always when I saw him, Ryan had an unfriendly posture, looking around the restaurant with a hint of disdain.
I really didn't like him.
Again, as if he could feel someone staring at him, Ryan surprisingly met my gaze, apparently recognizing me, as he snorted.
The staring contest didn't last long this time, as who I assumed was his father placed a hand on his son's shoulder.
Looking at the two adults who accompanied the teenager, it wasn't hard to guess where his attitude came from.
The man was the definition of a pretentious person, by the posture in which he walked and the way he clearly wanted to show his money, wearing an open white shirt that almost completely revealed his chest, a gold chain and what seemed to be a tattoo on his left pectoral, white shorts as well, sunglasses on top of his head, and a huge watch on his wrist.
The woman was wearing a one-piece dress, carrying a small purse, and unlike her husband, she still had her sunglasses on.
Ignoring the family, which for some reason I found unpleasant, I turned again to see Teddy hiding her face while Mom teased her, Bob and I once again shared a silent look, this time with a completely different meaning.
Apparently, I hadn't been the only one who noticed what had surprised Teddy.
Dinner continued, and even though the menu was very similar to The Red Lobster's, the taste of the dishes was astronomically different.
At least that somewhat justified the prices.
Laughing after finally hearing the end of Bob's story, where after joining the game, he managed to score twenty points in the last quarter, accomplishing his goal of impressing Mom, but unfortunately, despite that, they still lost.
"So the whole school was sad while the visitors were celebrating," Mom said excitedly, "guess who brightened the moment," she added.
Smiling. "I don't know, maybe Rammy the Whammy?" I asked, amused as I saw Mom point at me with both her index fingers.
"Rammy the Whammy," Mom exclaimed, bringing her fingers to the sides of her forehead while imitating ram noises.
Teddy, who until that moment hadn't said a word, sat stiff at the table, clearly hiding from the McSomething. "Mom!" she complained, opening her eyes wide at Mom. A moment later, she checked behind her before snapping her head back to the front.
Looking behind her, I saw Ryan, smiling broadly, walking toward the table.
Great.
"Teddy Duncan, out of school," he said, exaggerating surprise.
His voice sounded as irritating as I could have imagined.
Standing up. "Hey Ryan," my sister replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Yeah… no, definitely not.
Looking at the table, and for a second I could swear, looking at me specifically. "Ah, I'm sorry, I'm Ryan McCarthy," he said, introducing himself to my parents, smiling falsely.
"Ryan, I've heard a lot about you," Mom said cheerfully.
Apparently, Mom hadn't noticed the fake smile.
"Mom!" Teddy complained, snapping her head around like a spring.
"I'm sorry, I'm just joking," Mom excused herself, laughing softly.
"There's no need to apologize, Mrs. Duncan, I've also heard a lot about you," declared Ryan McStupid, keeping his smile, "and I can see it's true, all of Teddy's beauty definitely comes from you, I could swear you're sisters."
I just need one chance, one chance to wipe that smile off his face.
"Ah, you liar," Mom murmured, blushing, "do you really think so?" she asked a moment later, genuinely interested, "I've always said so, but people-" she tried to continue, but Bob interrupted her.
Fortunately, I wasn't the only one aware of what bad news Ryan McStupid was. "Tell me, Ryan McCarthy, what do you do for a living?" Bob asked, arms crossed.
Maybe I would have gone with something more like, 'stay away from my daughter,' but I guess that worked too.
Caught off guard by the sudden question. "I'm a student," he replied, puzzled.
"Dad, stop it," Teddy said through her teeth.
Unfortunately, before Bob could say anything else, maybe a direct threat to McStupid, from behind him, his parents appeared, walking up to the table completely imitating their son's fake smile.
Patting his son's shoulders. "Ryan, what's going on here?" the man asked, smiling at everyone at the table.
"Dad, these are the Duncans," Ryan replied, pointing to the table, "and this is Teddy Duncan," he added, pointing to my sister.
Looking at my sister with a smile on his face. "Oh, this must be the beautiful girl you're always mentioning," the man said, patting his son's shoulders harder.
I was pretty sure that was a lie, which did nothing to prevent my immediate dislike.
"The one and only," Shitface replied, winking at Teddy.
He's dead.
"Well, she is definitely a beautiful girl," Shitface Sr. said, smiling at my parents as if what he had just said wasn't the least bit unpleasant.
Mom didn't seem to mind, standing up and approaching Mrs. Shitface.
Bob's knuckles were completely white.
Like his wife, approaching Bob and offering his hand. "Dave McCarthy, at your service," he said, introducing himself.
Slowly standing up, being maybe a head and a half taller than the man, Bob took his hand in a firm shake. "Bob Duncan."
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The next chapter will be the last of this little lake vacation mini-arc, as you may have noticed it's a filler arc, and mostly I did it to get a bit of time and organize my ideas on how to continue the main plot.
As I've said, I feel like a dozen times already, the end of the first volume is quite close, and I need to wrap up a couple of things before that.
All these chapters (the lake vacation OVAs) were meant to be only two of the regular weekly chapters, but they ended up being more than four, which I suppose is a direct result of posting more chapters per week.
That's all, thanks for reading, see you next time.
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Author Thoughts:
As always, I'm not American, not a doctor, not a fighter, not Magnus Carlsen, not Michael Phelps, not Arsene Lupin, not McLovin, not Elliot, not Capone.
Another chapter has passed, so new thanks are in order. I would like to especially thank:
11332223
RandomPasserby96
Victor_Venegas
I think that's all. As always, if you find any errors, please let me know, and I'll correct them immediately.
Thank you for reading! :D
PS: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW.