Collision

Luke, Anna, Eleanor, Louis, Cameron, a few other people, and I ride across town to the docks-- several floating docks scattered around the edges of the lake. There are already a few people here when we arrive, some I recognize, some completely new. I stay close to the group we came with as we approach one of the docks.

"Drink?" Someone offers me a sweet smelling liquid. It smells delicious but I politely decline and continue walking. Guilt floods my mind. I should have brought Harry, or at least tell him where I was going.

We walk to one of the larger docks where many of the people are. Lanterns are spread across the wood, lighting up people's faces as we walk by. I sit down on one of the benches near the water and let my feet dangle, inches from the black water.

"Hey," Cameron sits down beside me.

"Do you just come down here and drink?" I ask, poorly disguising the disgust in my voice. I go to tell him that I don't mean it like that but he doesn't look offended.

"Sometimes. But not tonight," he winks. I smile, even though I have no idea what that means. Instead of explaining, he takes my hand and leads me to a group of people who are huddled on the bank.

"What are we doing?" I ask, inching away from the water.

Cameron ignores me. "What time is it?" He calls to someone beside him.

"11:59." He replies, staring down at his watch. I grab Cameron's hand, forcing him to look at me.

"What are we doing?" I repeat.

"Every Halloween, at midnight, a bunch of people jump into the water." He explains and motions to the dark water swirling in front of us.

"Why?"
"It's a tradition for seniors. Why, I don't know." He smiles. Something tugs at the bottom of
my stomach, curiosity.

"Ten more seconds!" The boy from earlier announces. All around us people begin counting down. 10, 9, 8...

"What about my dress?" I rush the words.

"It shouldn't hurt it that much," he says.

6, 5, 4, 3...

I take a deep breath and follow the people into the dock, my toes dangling over the edge.

2, 1.

I ignore my thoughts and jump, plugging my nose as I hit the water. It's cold, incredibly cold, but I push through it. My feet touch the bottom of the lake, algae running between my toes. I begin swimming towards the surface after a few seconds have passed.

A few people are shouting when I resurface, pounding the water in cheers. I pull myself toward the bank and lay down on the soft mud, trying to catch my breath.

"Holy shit," Anna curses beside me as she lays down beside me. For some reason, I put my head in my hands and begin laughing. I would blame it on the alcohol, but I haven't been drinking.

Coldness sets in and Anna and I find ourselves crawling off of the bank in search of warmth. We huddle beside a lantern, putting our hands over the fire.

"That was stupid, incredibly stupid." I smile. We're soon joined by Eleanor and Luke, who look to be in the same boat we are. We sit in silence, trying to collect as much heat as we can. After a few minutes, I feel a towel being slipped over my shoulders.

"I brought an extra one," Cameron answers my confused expression and sits down beside me. Harry would kill him, or me, if he were here.

But Harry's not here, my subconscious mocks me.

"I should get home," I stand up. Although I told my told my parents I would be late tonight due to studying, I don't want to stay out all night.

"Do you want me to take you? You're other counter parts are too drunk," Cameron offers, following me into the parking lot.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," I stare at my feet.

"Come on," he steps in front of me, "I'm just taking you home." His sweet smile and my sleepy conscience agrees to his offer, following him to his car. It's just a simple, meaningless
ride to my house.

As Cameron drives me home, I turn on my phone and look through the messages. Harry hasn't texted or called me at all. He probably hasn't acknowledged that I'm not even there.
He might just think I got tired and went home.

I decide with that lie and text him as we stop in front of my house. To my surprise, Cameron gets out of the car when I do and follows me up the steps.

"Thank you," I start unlocking the door.

"I'll see you at school," Cameron steps forward and plants a kiss on my lips before leaving. I stand there, shocked, as I watch the headlights from his car disappear into the distance.

So much for meaningless.

Notes

Another update will follow this one either tomorrow or Monday. And btw, the next chapter is part of the reason that this story is rated R :)