

Megan-------------------Joe
Part 1: Hard Rock CafeI stood on the start line, my legs bent, muscles tensed and ready. My eyes were trained on the finish line and at that moment, nothing else mattered.
"Ready..."
I repositioned myself on the line, making sure my toe was behind the strip of white paint.
"Set..."
I lowered my body, raising one arm behind me and the other in front.
"Go!"
I leapt forward, legs churning. A few other girls drew ahead of me, and I recognised Sandra's face as she drew level with me. Fury lent me strength and I powered forward, gradually overtaking the others until only Rhea was in front of me. The finish line was only a few metres away and I leapt forward with a sudden burst of speed, running past Rhea and over the line. I stood, stunned for a moment, as the others thundered past. Naomi, Joe's girlfriend, approached me.
"High five, Megan! You won!" she grinned. I slapped palms with her and laughed. As I got my breath back we wandered back towards the seating area.
"I never knew you could run like that, Megan!" she exclaimed as we walked. I laughed. "Thanks, me neither," I grinned. "Kinda came as a surprise."
As we sat down, Joe came over. "Congrats Megan!" he grinned. I thanked him and smiled... then disappeared in a group of friends who wanted to congratulate me. I sighed and smiled sadly. It seemed like I never got any time alone with Joe.
***
I looked at the table at which my mum and her friends, along with the younger children, sat. Full. Typical. But maybe that wasn't so bad.
Joe and I sat together at a smaller table and ordered our lunch. He sat across from me at a diagonal. We made small talk then I stole his iPhone. Browsing his apps, I saw Truth or Dare 18+. Selecting that, I typed in our names and shook the phone. Joe's name came up.
"Joe. Truth or dare?" I asked, looking up.
"What are you doing?" he asked mistrustfully.
"Truth or Dare. Duh. So, Truth or Dare?"
He moved round the table and sat next to me. "Truth."
We played for a while, then a couple of Joe's friends arrived and sat a few tables down from us. Outof the corner of my eye, I could see them waving Joe over. He looked between them and me, then shook his head. A small smile touched my lips as we continued to play.
Finally our lunch arrived. When we were finished, Joe and his family began to pack up. "See you tomorrow, Megan," smiled Joe. "See you," I replied.
Part 2: The Pool"Ah! Joe!" I squealed as he aimed the hose at me. I leapt out of its path but he turned and trained it on me again. I was laughing despite myself, enjoying my time with him immensely. The spray had got me several times and it was cold, my blue bikini absorbing the icy water, but it was a hot day and even Joe had stripped down to his grey camo trunks.
I cannonballed into Joe's pool, soaking him from head to toe. "Megan!" he yelled. "I'll get you for that!" Abandoning the hose, he ran and leapt into the pool. I turned away at the last second as a wave of water drenched my light brown hair, just missing my face. Joe swam beneath me and grabbed at my legs, pulling me off balance and causing me to fall. Water got in to my nose and mouth and I coughed as I surfaced. Joe swam over to me, concerned.
"Are you okay?"
A wall of water was his answer. His dark brown hair was plastered to his head and neck and he blinked at me in surprise. I had to laugh at his bewildered expression and soon he joined in.
"Joey! Megan!" called his mum, Linda. "Max and Emma are here!"
I grinned. "Hey, Max! Hey, Emma!" I called as the pair stepped through the gate. "Come swimmming!"
Both nipped inside to get changed but were soon out again, short, stocky Max in long black trunks and tall, slender Emma in a navy bikini. They slid into the water, Emma giving a gasp of surprise at the cold.
"Hey! Let's see how many of us will fit in that boat!" suggested Max. I laughed and climbed out of the pool, then pushed Joe's inflatable orange boat in. Emma climbed in, then I leapt in opposite her. Joe slithered in next to me and I was suddenly very aware of his leg resting lightly against mine. Max tried to climb in behind us and Joe turned to push him out, unsuccessfully. I poked him in the side and he fell out. Joe turned to me and I for a moment, just a moment, his deep brown eyes met my pale blue ones. Then Emma burst out laughing and the moment was gone.
I heard a
click as the gate opened and turned to see two of Joe's friends, Ryan and Akis, standing in the gateway. I heard a yawn beside me and felt a slight pressure round my shoulders. Turning back again, I saw Joe with his arm around me. It took a second for the penny to drop, and I sat for a moment, conflicting thoughts and emotions running through my head, before shoving him away. What would Naomi say?!? She was a year older than me, but she was still one of my closest friends and I didn't want to upset her.
"Geddoff! What the h*ll? Geddoff me!" I laughed.
"Okay! Okay! Sorry, jeez!" he replied, withdrawing his arm. He laughed for a second, then noticed his friends standing in the gateway.
"Oh sh*t, Ryan's here," he muttered before sliding out of the boat, gasping at the cool water. I glanced at Emma, both of us shocked, then we started to giggle simultaneously.
Part 3: MaguraI wiped the sweat from my forehead and let out my breath with a
puff. I could feel thirst building in my throat and I swallowed. We had been walking for four hours and my legs were starting to ache.
"Dad," I called, "could I have some of that water?"
"Sure, just give me a minute!" he called back. Joe glanced at me.
"You can have some of mine," he offered and turned so I could slip the bottle out of his backpack. "Thanks," I replied, then to Dad; "'S'okay Dad, Joe's given me some!"
He looked a little miffed, but turned and walked on. I finished my gulp and slipped it back in. "Thanks again."
We kept walking and eventually got back to the villa. I collapsed on the sofa with Emma and Joe went to get himself a drink from the kitchen. When he came back I called out "Go got me one, will you?" I didn't expect him to and I was already standing up when he replied. "Sure." He wandered in to the kitchen and came back with a bottle of Pepsi. I took it gratefully and smiled at him. "Thanks again, Joe."
"No problem."
***
Later I went in to the kitchen and got myself another Pepsi. As I marked it off on the sheet, I noticed Joe had written
1 2 Pepsis, WadsworthI frowned slightly. He'd put it under his own name, which was really sweet, but... why?