CHAPTER 15: A BRO SHALT NOT TELL NON-BROS THE RULES OF THE BRO CODE.-3

She looked at me. "That's why I'm being weird today, and I get that it looks dramatic. But that's what I think of when people say bros before hoes. Some totally generic dude at a party, supported by his loyal bros, who left his girlfriend feeling powerless. And stole an experience from her that she'll never get back." The more she said, the colder the warm pool water felt. Blood rushed in my ears like hearing a bomb before it detonates, as if I were still waiting for the explosion. She was scared of me. She thought I might push her too far. That I might ridicule her to save face. That my masculinity mattered more to me than her safety. "Not all guys are like that, though," I said. Right? "You mean predators?" I paled. She was on a roll. "The point is," she said, "Bros before hoes perpetuates a world where shit like that happens." The chill washing through me boiled into a heat that filled my cheeks. "How is your friend doing now?" I asked. Eliza shrugged. "We didn't really keep in touch." "Does Carter know?" She nodded. And that was why Carter had been dead set on being extra nice to girls since Eliza had come back from Australia, after he'd heard that story. "I'll stop saying it," I said. The water around her hands went still. "What?" "Bros before hoes," I said. "I didn't mean for it to offend anyone. I don't know about this stuff as much as you do." "Thanks," she said, and then came the bomb. "It's hard to know who to trust." "I'm really sorry. Whatever you need." "Um," she started like she was going to tell me something else, but I had to keep ingratiating myself. I should have let her talk. I couldn't help it. "Thanks for telling me," I said, feeling frantic. "Promise you'll keep telling me about this stuff?" "The stuff that makes me uncomfortable?" "Yeah. Like when I'm being an asshole." "—that's okay, Nick. I know you're a good guy." "Not sure I believe that," I said. But I'd like to be a good guy. The water waved through the pool as I continued treading. "Are you coming in?" She looked down at her hands, whatever she was going to say was gone. Then, finally, she said, "Not if there's a shark in the water." "Fish are friends, not food," I said solemnly. The water glided underneath me as I swam over and lightly splashed her shins. "Better watch out, Eliza, it looks like there's a storm coming." "What are you doing?" I splashed her knees a little bit harder than I had before. "Uh-oh, it looks like a big one . . ." "Nick, no. Don't do it." She jumped up. I was a lot faster and held her wrists tightly, securing her near me. "Can I still pull you in the pool?" I asked. "Or does that count as not okay?" "I'll allow it this one time." In she went, half laughing and half shrieking. Eliza stayed under water for about five seconds. "That was a big splash," I said when she surfaced. "You could totally beat Austin." Water rained over me as she kicked it in my face. She flipped her braid over her shoulder and started floating on her back. I lay on the surface with her. "Did you know that otters hold hands when they're sleeping?" I asked. "What?" "So they don't drift apart." "That's adorable." So are you, I wanted to say. Instead I reached out to touch her fingers. "Wonder what the chemistry term for that is." "There's that smooth Nick Maguire we all know." We stayed like that for a few peaceful minutes. Her volleyball jersey clung to her, lifting enough to reveal the fading tan on her stomach. Things finally felt right enough for me to say, "I'm sorry. I'll stop saying stupid things I don't mean, I never wanted to make you uncomfortable." "I know." She stood. I hadn't realized we'd drifted to the shallow end. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable either," she said. "I like when you surprise me and kiss me without asking." Our bodies were dangerously close together, and she placed her fingers on my naked chest, one by one. We'd been this close before, but now it was skin against skin. I kissed her nose, then dove underneath her, surfacing with her legs around my shoulders. I grabbed her ankles, water streaming down my cheeks as she shook my hair. Her laughs echoed across the pool. My cheeks hurt from grinning like an idiot. The eerily fluorescent lights shone down on us. It was the least romantic backdrop ever, but also perfect. All of that I knew. And if I'd taken the time to look around me, instead of being completely distracted by the pressure of Eliza on my shoulders, I would have seen the person standing at the pool's entrance, looking through its glass windows. Watching us.