We arrived at the pool completely soaked and paid immediately to go in without waiting for the other two. I loved the smell of chlorine that hit you straight away, even if many people didn't like it, it had a calming effect on me. Luckily for us, there wasn't much going on, only a few older ladies and gentlemen came towards us on the dark blue corridors. "Are we going to share a locker?" Juline asked, then disappeared into one of the cubicles after I nodded to her. I did the same and after we had changed we met again in front of the lockers and stuffed everything into one. "You okay?" she asked into the silence as we walked through the doors to the pool hall, only the sound of our feet on the tiles. "Yes," I replied softly. I just wanted to relax now and block it all out. I entered the hall before her and looked around first. In contrast to other places, there was really nothing going on, which was probably due to the fact that many had gone on vacation. The room seemed darker than usual as the storm was still raging outside and little light came through the huge windows on the sides. The outdoor area was also closed because of this, so we only had the one pool inside here, in which only two older women swam their lengths apart from us. We ran to a ridge on the edge and placed our towels there before jumping into the large pool. The water was pleasantly warm and immediately every single muscle in my body relaxed. A wonderful feeling of freedom spread through me. The thoughts in my head still drifted just like me and after swimming aimlessly for a while I put my arms on the edge of the pool and tilted my head to relax completely. I closed my eyes, feeling the water on my body and listening to the soft trickle before loud laughter unconsciously announced the arrival of Micah and Cody. I turned around curiously and watched the two splash Juline wet and they all just looked happy together. Micah was really damn good looking and it seemed to me that he was gaining muscle every year. Cody was on the smaller side against him, but I quickly looked away from them both and turned back to the edge to look out the large window at the storm in front of me. "Well," I heard Cody next to me after a while, and then when I let my head fall to the side, I realized that he was doing the same. His arms were on the edge, his curly brown head on them and his face was turned to me. "Hey," I gave him a fleeting smile and he immediately beamed, which I questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Micah said you really wanted me there, didn't you?" he asked and immediately I raised my head again and looked at Micah and Juline who on the other side were still busy splashing each other wet. "Well, I thought it would be nice to have you with me," I answered him and immediately he laughed heartily. "Nice then, that hurt, Mia," he grinned and immediately splashed me with water too. "Hey!" I laughed, trying to defend myself, but before I knew it, he had grabbed my waist and thrown me into deep water. As soon as I emerged, I really had to laugh from my heart for the first time since the debacle at home. It was just impossible not to be infected by his good mood. "I didn't mean the nice like it came across," I tried to explain, but he just grinned and dived, causing me to swim in the other direction, quickly laughing. Just before I could reach the other side, I felt his hand on my ankle and was pulled directly under the water by him. It was just magical. Not Cody himself, but this light, fun atmosphere that this place and he brought with him. I didn't even have to think about home for the next few hours, during which the four of us messed around here and relaxed, until unfortunately I arrived at our locker together with Juline after swimming. "You Mia," she started chewing on her bottom lip nervously, looking at me pityingly. That's exactly what I didn't want, those looks, but I guess I had to accept it. "My parents are coming back tonight and I don't think you can stay at my place again without them calling your mother." She swallowed hard and stopped moving while I took my clothes out of the locker and gave her a reassuring look. "Don't worry. I'm going home and I don't think those two are still around," I replied, putting my hand on her shoulder. The last thing I wanted was for her to worry unnecessarily. I would just go home and talk to my mom. I still hadn't given up hope that things could get back to normal, even without my father, although I still got stomachaches thinking about last night. "Okay, but if something should happen, call me right away," she smiled and then disappeared into one of the changing rooms with her things. I also locked myself in one of the locker rooms, stripped off the wet bikini, and then grabbed my yellow sweater, underwear, and sweatpants to quickly change into. Then, looking at my backpack, as I opened the cabin and ran out, I accidentally slammed into Micah's bare chest. I looked up at him apologetically. His brown hair fell slightly in his face, dripping from the water and his green eyes fixed on me while his hands rested on my hips. "Sorry," I whispered, tearing away from his eyes to take a step back. "Always a pleasure," he winked and then continued down the aisle to his locker. I looked after him confused for a moment until Cody tore me out of my stare. "But there's a tension in the air, maybe not without danger with so much water," he grinned at me while rubbing his hair dry. "Shut up," I whispered, rolling my eyes, and pushed past him to head for the exit. I desperately needed fresh air and when I got outside, I listened to the thunderstorm, lost in thought, and took several deep breaths in and out. It all just got on my nerves.