21. The Change Factor.

[Emily]

I had the greatest scare of my life as I drowned inside the pool, with a blurry vision, I could still see the people standing outside the pool and laughing at me.

Just as the oxygen was caught off, I struggled to get back to the surface but I didn't know how to propel my body up and I just kept sinking down.

I opened my mouth to breathe and I just swallowed a mouth full and more of pool water, my vision began to darken and I felt life seeping out of my body.

"So this is the end." I was surprised that my mind still worked as the water-filled my lungs and crashed my system like the water sank the great titanic ship.

***

I heard noises around me and I tried to open my eyes but I couldn't, my chest felt too heavy and my tongue felt like paper.

I felt something warm on my lips and then the warmth spread through my chest and my chest felt a bit unclogged.

The warmth came again and again till my cold body started getting warm and the water started projecting up from my lungs.

*Retch*

My eyes opened and my mouth opened at the same time, I coughed loudly as I emptied my lungs of the water that had filled it inside the pool.

I felt someone's arms around me as my sense of smell and sight came back to me.

It was Ace, his body felt wet and when I looked into his eyes, I realized that he was the one who pulled me out.

Jenny rushed to me and hugged me too, her breath smelled of alcohol but I knew that the incident must have sobered her up.

Warm tears began to pour down my face and I sobbed as Jenny hugged me. If Ace had been a few seconds later, I would have drowned and everyone would have watched me die.

"Let's go home." I gripped Jenny tighter and she nodded.

I looked around and I saw Ace and Dave kneeling beside me, Olivia was in pretty bad shape alongside her minions and I did not need to guess the reason behind that.

"I've got you." Ace said immediately and picked me up.

"No." I refused and he frowned at me. "Dave will take me home," I added.

"I'll take her," Dave said and moved to take me into his arms.

"What did I tell you about your arms?" Ace glared at him.

"She wants me to take her home, Ace, she made her choice, stop being difficult and just let her go already, she's been through enough already," Dave said and Ace's features softened.

"You want him to take you home?" He looked at me and asked. "Why? I can take you."

"Because you have a bike and he has a car." I bit my lip to hide my smile from forming.

"So that's the reason." He sighed and shook his head. "I can get a car." He offered.

"Ace, please." I looked into his eyes and he nodded slowly.

"But I don't want him to touch you so I'm carrying you to his car." He whispered into my ear and I chuckled softly.

All eyes were on us as he carried me out of the house.

Olivia was wailing and calling Jenny names and swearing her innocence as we left but no one paid any attention to her.

"Stay with her in the back seat." Ace said to Jenny and draped his dry jacket on my shoulders as he helped me into Dave's car.

"You, you better get them home safe." He glared at Dave who gave him a stiff nod and got into the car.

"Text me when you get home." He yelled and waved as the car sped away.

Luckily for us, it was just one o'clock when Dave's car pulled up in front of Jenny's house.

My eyes felt heavy and I struggled to keep them open as Jenny helped me out of the car.

"I'm very sorry for what happened at the party today, If I hadn't led you to the back then maybe none of this would have—"

"It's fine, Dave," I said weakly. "Thanks for dropping us at home."

Despite our state, Jenny and I sneaked back into her room through the window.

"You should take a hot shower," Jenny said as we entered the room, my clothes were no longer dripping but they were still cold and I was already starting to shiver.

"Yes, thanks."

As the water hit my skin, I started to feel warmer, I held my throat as I remembered the experience I just had and fresh tears burst out of my eyes.

Olivia had always bullied me but I never thought she would even try to kill me before junior year.

She only made mean comments and maybe she would shove me or push me out of her way but she had never gone as far as she had today.

And it was all because of Ace. She hated me so much because he was paying me attention, what would she do if she heard that he said he liked me or if we actually started dating.

For some perverse reason, I started to laugh menacingly in the shower, something had changed in me because of this incident and I'd be damned if I let Olivia go scot-free for what she'd done.

"Are you okay?" Jenny asked me when I came out of the bathroom. "I heard some noises."

"Yes dear, I'm fine now, just very tired," I told her and she nodded.

"Why didn't you let Ace drop you off?" She asked as she settled into bed beside me.

"Because I wanted Olivia to think she had won, that now I was scared of her and that I would stay away from Ace," I replied.

"You sound weird." Jenny grinned.

"Yes, Emily has gone to bed, it's time for Emilia to wake up." I grinned back at her.

Don't be confused darlings, y'all must have heard of alter egos right.

*Wink*

.

.

[Ace]

"Ace my darling, please you have to believe me, I didn't push her into the pool intentionally, she attacked me, see how her friend attacked me too." Olivia grabbed me by the arm when I walked back into the party after saying goodbye to Emily.

"If you don't let go of me this instant, I won't be responsible for what will happen to you next." I seethed angrily.

"Believe me, Mandy, Brittany, say something, defend me." She cried harder as I stepped away from her.

Fucking bitch.

Looking at her made me want to pull her with her hair till blood poured from her scalp and cover her whole face.

If she were a guy, she would be needing a wheelchair to walk and a straw to eat from right now but I was semi satisfied with what Jenny had done.

She'd taught the bitch a lesson, her face was decorated with scratch marks and she had a black eye.

Her clothes had been torn a second ago and her hair a bird's nest but she'd rectified all those, in fact, the scratches on her face and the bruise on her eye were barely visible now.

"Don't make me lose my temper." I glared at the two girls who were about to say something and they kept quiet immediately.

This was what I got for fucking a junior more than once, now the bitch did not know her place and she wasn't terrified of me like the others were anymore.

My phone rang in my pocket and I took it out, it was soaking wet but it still worked because it was waterproof.

"Ace, you have to get home immediately." Caleb barked from the other side of the phone and I frowned.

"What's going on man?" I asked.

"It is father, he's gone crazy and he's hitting mom." Caleb cried into the phone and I rushed upstairs to pick my shit and then back down and onto my bike.

My father was a fucking bastard but he'd never touched my mother before.

***

"Get your fucking hands off her," I yelled and I rushed to block his blows on my mom.

She was crying and pleading with him on the floor, Caleb was also on the floor crying and pleading and they were both in bad shape.

"Don't fucking take that tone with me." His eyes flashed with anger as he turned to me.

"Why the fuck are you hitting them?" I asked angrily, shoving him a good distance away from them.

"You should ask this slut you call your mother?" He asked and my anger increased.

"Don't fucking call her that."

"Oh, you're going to be calling her that in a second." He said as he picked up a vase and threw it to the wall.

"Mom, what is going on?" I picked her up from the floor and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

"I just found out that your mother cheated on me " He announced and I stood in shock.

"What?" Caleb got up from the floor immediately and stared at mom who was shaking and crying uncontrollably.

"That's not all, I also found out that one of you is not mine."