Hydrophobia 101: D
"Colt," a harsh male voice seemed to spit out, "Buddy, what are you doing here? I am so glad to see you"
He turned around slowly and grimaced, barely holding back the urge to shudder, "Hi, Duncan."
Duncan gave him a cocky malicious grin. Behind him, Pete and Alan, Duncan's best friends, laughed at Colt’s frightened expression. “You know, Colt, I don’t rememberinviting you to my party," Duncan said with false friendliness.
Colt gulped audibly, “Stephanie invited me. I’m her date.”
“Really now?” chuckled Duncan, “You and Stephanie? That’s downright stunning if I do say so myself, and I do.” Pete and Alan laughed dumbly.
“Yeah,” Colt mumbled, nodding in agreement, “I could hardly believe it myself.”
“So if you’re here with Stephanie, Colt, why are you here in the kitchen by yourself?”
“I was, um, I was just getting a drink.”
“What are you having? Beer? Mike’s? Scotch on the Rocks?”
Colt swallowed nervously, dreading whatever was going to come soon, “I was planning on getting a soda. I’m pretty thirsty and I don't much like alcohol.”
“Well that’s too bad,” Duncan sneered patronizingly, “It seems like we’re all out of sodas. How about some... water?” Pete and Alan grinned and Colt’s eyes grew wide with fear.
“You know, that’s alright,” Colt said hurriedly, “I’ll just go without. I’d better go find Stephanie.” He bolted for the exit, but they grabbed him. All three of them hoisted him into the air and carried him through the house like ancient hunters returning from their hunt with a kill. “Guys, put me down!” Colt yelled, squirming and fighting them for all he was worth, “Seriously, let me go! This isn’t funny!”
“I think it’s hilarious,” Duncan replied as they went out the back doors. Colt stopped breathing when he saw the large in-ground pool. He looked back to the house and there was Stephanie, standing just inside the sliding glass doors that lead to the back porch. She watched with sympathy in her eyes, but made no move to help him as they swung him back and forth.
He felt himself fly through the air and for a second he felt good... then he smacked against the surface of the water and he felt it envelope him. He fought against the water that surrounded him and saturated his clothing and his hair, but nothing helped. He couldn’t get away couldn’t get away couldn’t get away.
His hand grabbed the edge of the pool and he made to get himself out of it, but Duncan’s foot made contact with his head and pushed him back under water. He struggled and gasped for air when he could. Pete grabbed his hair and dunked him, up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down. Everything thing he saw was getting fuzzy and blurry and dark. He wanted to throw up but his stomach had dropped down into his knees and he couldn’t move. His muscles had frozen.
“Duncan, what the hell are you doing?!” he heard a voice he didn’t recognize shout and felt Pete release the grip he had on his hair. Someone grabbed his shirt and hoisted him up out of the water in one pull. Colt coughed and spat out water while the person yelled at Duncan.
“You could’ve killed the kid, you asshole! What the hell were you thinking?”
“God, Jay, we were only messing with the kid. Don’t pop a vessel or anything. Why do you care anyways?”
That’s when they noticed Colt, sitting on the concrete ground rubbing and scratching at his skin, trying to get the water off. He was muttering gibberish frantically. No one knew what to make of it.
“Holy crap, Dunk, the kid is freaking out. What did you do to him?”
“He’s got some weird psychotic fear of water,” some kid to the side said, “That’s why he got out of swimming in gym class and stuff. He goes nuts.” At that moment, Colt passed out on the ground.
Jaysin glared at Duncan and picked up Colt, hoisting him onto his shoulder.
“I’ll take care of him so you don’t get in trouble. Stop being such and idiot all of the time Duncan. What’s the kid’s name anyway?”
“Colt,” Duncan replied, “His name’s Colt.”
“What kinda crap name is that?” Jaysin grumbled as he carried the small boy away from the party and up to his room.
X
“Mama!” Colt yelled and jumped into his mother’s arms. Spending the night at Kevin’s for his friends birthday had been fun, but he’d missed his mother.
“Colt, you’re choking me,” she laughed, balancing him on her hip while Molly, Kevin’s mom, got Colt’s things ready for him to leave.
“What does that mean, Mama?” Colt asked curiously.
“It means you were holding my neck too tight and I couldn’t breathe.”
Colt frowned, “What happens when you can’t breathe?”
Sighing, Colt’s mother replied, “Then you die and you go to Heaven because everything needs to breathe to live.” She always believed in being honest with her son and she knew sometimes she was too honest, but she believed it was for the best.
“But Heaven is a wonderful place. Wouldn’t you want to go there?”
“Yes, but I want to stay here with you for now. I have you to live for so I want to stay here. When my time to go to Heaven comes, it will be because it is my time to go, not because I just want to go Heaven. That would be selfish.”
“Here are his things, Shannon,” Molly said, handing her friend his dinosaur backpack.”
“Alright. Say thank you for having me over Ms. McCain, Colt.”
“Thank you for having me over, Mrs. Kevin’s Mom.”
Colt’s mother laughed and thanked her and Colt waved good-bye to Kevin as they walked out to the car.
X
Slowly, Colt opened his eyes. He was lying in the softest, warmest bed he’d ever been in. He wore clothes he’d never seen before and his hair was slightly damp. He sat up in bed. There was a plasma screen television, a big one, attached to the wall across from him. He could see two open doors, one leading to a bathroom and the other leading to a walk-in closet. Colt guessed that the door on the opposite wall of the others lead to the outside. There was a desk with a fancy laptop hooked up to several other expensive-looking hardware items on it and a dresser with stacks of new-looking expensive clothes on top. Colt frowned and wondered where on earth he was.
The door leading outside opened and a tall, thin boy with deep blood red hair walked in. He carried a can of Pepsi and a hot bowl of soup. He stared at Colt who looked up at him.
“You’re awake,” said the tall boy.
“Who are you?” Colt replied.
“Jaysin...” The boy replied and handed the bowl of soup to Colt. Colt stared at it. “The only thing I could find was this weird Italian Wedding stuff. Hope you don’t mind.” He pulled a spoon out of his pocket and handed it to Colt.
“Thanks..... Where am I?”
“You’re still at Duncan’s house.”
Colt blanched, “Why am I here? Is this his room? He’ll kill me!”
“It’s my room,” Jaysin said calmly, “I brought you up here and fixed you up after him and his friends threw you in the pool and you had a spaz attack or something.”
Colt shivered in memory, “You live here?”
Jaysin nodded.
“Why do you live in Duncan’s house?” Colt sipped the soup. It was actually really good.
“He’s my cousin,” Jaysin sighed, “He’s a major asshole, but these are pretty nice digs, so I can’t really complain much.”
“Digs?” Colt asked, confused, “Oh, you mean the room. Yes, it’s very nice.”
“Way beyond nice compared to what I’m used to,” Jaysin opened the Pepsi and stretched out next to Colt on the bed. “Hand me the remote.”
Colt handed the remote to Jaysin, who then turned to Cartoon Network. Some anime Colt had never seen, but they sat and watched it without speaking to each other.
“I should probably get going. My fosters are probably wondering where I am,” Colt muttered. He flat-out refused to call them his parents.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Jaysin replied, “Stephanie called and told them what happened now enjoy the cartoon or go to sleep. I’ll get you home somehow in the morning.”
Jaysin drank his soda and Colt ate his soup. They watched cartoons and wasted away the early morning hours. Eventually, Jaysin turned off the TV and they both sat still in the quiet darkness. They then quickly fell asleep.