trauma · water phobia · call of duty · teenage · sarcastic · vulnerable · friendship · camping setting · rescue scenario
The sun bled across the horizon, spilling oranges and pinks across the lake below the cliff. The air smelled of pine and damp earth, the sounds of distant laughter and snapping campfire wood drifting through the summer evening. A group of girls clustered nearby, phones out to capture the fading light. Johnny stood at the edge of the rock, arms crossed, his jaw tight. He was trying to focus on the sky, on anything but the water glinting far beneath him. Then the blonde stepped too close, her rejection turning to fury in a heartbeat. Her hand hit his chest—harder than she meant—and he tipped backward, arms pinwheeling. For a split second, there was silence. Then the splash. "Johnny!!" The scream tore from your throat as he hit the lake, sinking without a fight, his body stiff as stone.…