AllFreeNovel
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When the whistle announces the start of the race, Harrison hits the throttle hard, and I fall back with so much force I nearly slide off the back of the ski. Thankfully, I catch Harrison around the waist at the last second.
Spray from the water beats into my face like thousands of tiny pinpricks. I duck behind Harrison’s back to shield it somewhat. The faster the ski moves, the wetter I get.
Harrison looks over at the other ski.
“Fuck, I can’t let that little punk win. Hold on, Tori,” he shouts. I squeeze tighter, realizing Brady was right about this being dangerous.
“You can’t take it any faster, Harrison – I can barely hold on,” I yell back. It’s obvious he can’t hear me over the sound of the engine and the ski against the water. Or maybe he’s choosing to ignore me.
We’re approaching the turn and reach the point when I expect Harrison to slow down so he can make it cleanly, but he doesn’t. “You have to slow down. You’re going to kill us!” I scream.
“I got this, Tori.”
But he doesn’t have this. I’ve skied on these waters my entire life, and with two people on this ski, there’s no way to make the turn without slowing down. I squeeze my eyes closed, hold on for dear life, and pray.
The second Harrison turns the ski, centrifugal force starts pulling me from him. Gravity wraps around my body like giant ropes and rips me from the ski. My arms slip from Harrison’s side and I try to dig my fingers into his life vest, but it’s wet and slick, and they won’t grip. I’m hurtling through the air at least five feet above the water. The life vest is ripped from my body and flies through the wind in the opposite direction. My skin stings on impact when I slap into the water. I’m instantly sucked under and struggle to the surface, gulping in air when I reach it.
Right about now, I wish I hadn’t unlatched my life vest. As I struggle to turn over on my back, a giant swell pounds into the side of my head, forcing me to inhale more water. My lungs are on fire, and I can’t suck in a full breath. With no lights in sight, I start to panic. This is not good. I have to stay calm. If I don’t, then I am going to drown. I keep choking, which only makes me inhale more water, exacerbating the torment.
When I hear the whine of an engine getting close, I relax slightly. I turn on my back and begin screaming loudly between
coughing and swallowing water so whoever it is will find me.
“Tori!” Brady’s frantic voice pierces my ears before the splash hits me when he jumps into the water after me.
Brady
As I swim toward her, the only thing I care about is making sure she’s okay. I can’t believe Harrison kept riding after she fell off. When he reached the shore alone, I wanted to kill him, but the need to save her stopped me.
I grab onto her wrist, and pull her through the water to me, holding her close against my chest. Getting the two of us back to the ski is difficult, as Tori keeps clawing at me, trying to stay above water. When we finally reach the ski, I help her climb up and hold on to the bumper until she stops coughing and I’m sure she’s okay. It’s freezing. Once the sun goes down, it takes the warmth out of the water with it. Having jumped on the ski without a wetsuit, I can barely feel my toes and fingers.
Once Tori’s ready, I climb on the ski and drive us back to shore. When we hit the beach, Jesse is there with a blanket and wraps Tori in it.
Harrison approaches her and slides one arm around her waist. “God, Tori. Are you all right? I’m so sorry.”
That’s it – I can’t take it anymore. “Get your fucking hands off her,” I growl.
“Fuck you,” he spits bravely and then looks at Tori, his hand still resting on her waist. “I’m sorry – I should have stopped, but I had the guy beat.”
She drops the blanket and her palms slam forcefully into his chest. I can’t help smiling.
“Are you crazy?” she shouts.
Harrison looks stunned. “I knew Brady would save you. I heard you guys talking. You’re with him.”
Tori looks at him with obvious aversion, and she pokes her finger into his chest. “So you left me out there because you were pissed?”
Harrison glares over at me. “No, but I knew you’d be fine until he got there.”
Tori shoves him again, and I laugh. Here I thought I would need to defend her and then justify it. Much to my delight, I can see I was wrong. She can definitely take care of herself.
“You’re a fucking asshole, Harrison!”
“I’m sorry, Tori. You’re right. I shouldn’t have left you out there.”
She shakes her head, and he touches her face. She slaps his hand away.
“He’s going to break your heart.”
