Part Eight
The boat hit the waves and water splashed up on all sides of the boat. The girls loved the way the wind hit them and the small splashes hit them too. JC and Lance sat in the front for awhile just trying to figure out where they wanted to go. Then Lance remembered that there was a small island about fifteen minutes from the dock. They decided that they would drive out there, circle around it, then come back to the main area and float around for a little bit.
Lance hit the gas and they took off. JC made his way to the back of the boat with the girls and told Missy that she could go up to the front with Lance if she wanted to. She slowly stood and made her way up there with him. She sat in the passenger's seat and ran her hands through her hair. Lance tried to talk to her but she could barely hear him.
JC and Cierra sat in the back with their arms around each other. They both really didn't try to say much. They just looked around at the beautiful scenery. After about ten minutes JC looked to the right and saw the island that Lance was talking about. There were small cones that went all the way around the island. They were acting as a marker point so that the driver of the boats knew that the water wasn't as deep beyond those cones and to slow down if you were going to pass them.
Lance debated stopping on the island just to take a rest and let the girls see it. Lance had been there a couple times and it really was a beautiful little place. He yelled for JC to come up to the front. JC got up and walked up there. "What do you want?"
"Do you want to stop at the island?" Lance said as he started to curve around it. He got close to the cones.
"Yeah, I think we should," JC said back. He looked over at the island and thought that it'd be kind of cool to stop there for a little while.
Cierra was still in the back. She turned around and looked over the back of the boat off into the distance. Just then Lance hit a huge wave. It rocked the boat. Lance yelled back to everyone to see if they were okay. Everyone was. Lance slowly started to curve around another cone when another large wave went up under the boat. Cierra was still leaning over the edge when they hit it. She lost her balance and it threw her out of the boat. She screamed as she went over and JC turned around quickly.
Cierra hit her head on the side of a cone and started to go under. JC ran to the back of the boat and dived in. Lance stopped the boat and him and Missy ran to the back. Cierra was not in sight. Missy started to scream and cry. Lance then jumped in. He told Missy to stay there. JC and Lance searched the water. JC went under and finally came back up holding Cierra.
"Cierra can you hear me?" He yelled. He gently slapped the side of her face and said her name again. "Lance she isn't responding to me. What do I do?"
"Is she breathing?"
JC put his face close to hers. His eyes started to water up. "No. Lance what do I do?" He yelled. Tears filled his eyes and then a single tear fell down his left cheek. He was so afraid that she was going to die right there in his arms.
Missy leaned over the edge of the boat. She was crying and yelling. She couldn't tell what was happening. "Is she ok?" She yelled that over and over. The fact that neither JC nor Lance answered her worried her.
Lance swam over to JC and grabbed Cierra. JC was in too much shock to help her. "Let me have her," Lance said as he grabbed Cierra. He held her neck up and pinched off her nose and then blew into her mouth.
Melissa could see them doing this from the boat. She fell to her knees and started to pray. JC told Lance that he had to help. He couldn't just stand there and watch. Lance plugged Cierra's nose again and told JC to give her a breath. They did this several times and then finally Cierra started to cough. A sigh of relief came over all of JC's body. He was for sure that he had lost her. She coughed up water and then opened her eyes to see JC's eyes full of tears.
"What happened?" she managed to ask.
"You fell out of the boat," Lance said back.
JC's only thought was to hold her. He reached for her and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He didn't want to let her go. He had flashbacks to when he got hit on the head at his place and he just lay there thinking about how he could have died. He held her close and Cierra then knew exactly how much he cared.
Lance yelled back to Missy that Cierra was ok. Missy was still crying. Lance got the boat and she helped him up. He grabbed her and gave her a long hug. "Don't worry Mis, she's ok," he said. "She's going to be just fine."
The both of them looked out into the water to see JC still holding Cierra. They stayed that way for almost five minutes. Finally they made their way back to the boat. Cierra felt fine. Not even a headache from hitting her head on the cone. Lance helped them both back into the boat. Missy grabbed Cierra and the two of them hugged.
"You scared the shit out of me Ci. I thought you were dead!" Missy yelled.
"I'm sorry Missy. I am okay though."
"What happened? How did you go over?" Lance asked.
"I dunno. I know that you hit a wave and asked if we were alright. I was then. Then I leaned back over the edge of the boat. I was looking to see if you could see fish. And then you hit another wave and I lost my balance. Then I don't remember what happened."
"I am so sorry Cierra!" Lance said. He felt like it was all his fault.
"It wasn't your fault Lance. You couldn't help but hit the wave. It wasn't something you could have avoided. Let's just forget about the whole thing. I am alright now. Can we just go over to the island so we can all recollect ourselves?"
"Sure. I think that's a good idea," Lance said back.
They started the boat again and headed for the island. Lance took it slow and JC didn't let go of Cierra the whole way there.
Lance stopped the boat as soon as the water got too shallow to go any further. Lance grabbed the cooler that had sodas and some food in it and he got out of the boat. Missy followed him, and then JC and Cierra followed her. They had to walk through the water for a couple feet before they made it to the shore.
When they reached they shore they all sat down. All of them needed some recuperation time after what just happened. Cierra was a little shook up, but other than that she was fine.
Lance looked over at JC and Cierra and then stood up. "Hey Missy, do you want to go for a walk?" he asked and then kind of gave her a wink and tilted his head towards Cierra and JC.
"Sure," she said. "CiCi, we're gonna go look around. We'll be back."
"Alright. Have fun," Cierra said back.
.
JC pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. "Cierra I haven't been that afraid for someone in my whole life. I thought I lost you back there."
Cierra looked into JC's eyes and still saw fear in them. "JC," she said and she cupped his face with her hands, "I'm ok. I'm still here."
"I know that," he said and placed his hands on top of hers. "I care for you so much Cierra. I don't know what I would have done if..."
She stopped him, "JC. I'm here now. That's all that matters. Look at me. I am here with you right now. I'm sorry that I scared you."
"Don't you be sorry. It wasn't your fault. Weren't you afraid?"
"I don't remember anything from the time I fell until I woke up and saw you."
He leaned in and kissed her. A slow passionate kiss. It was a kiss that Cierra would remember for the rest of her life. It was a kiss that showed the way he felt for her and the fear that he had. He ran his fingers through her hair and then down the side of her cheek. He pulled back and saw a tear fall from her eye. JC took his thumb and whipped it away.
"Things are going to be fine JC, I promise," she said as she leaned in to kiss him again.
Lance and Missy had made their way to almost the complete other side of the island. There was a log and they both sat on it. Missy moved in close to him and he put his arms around her.
"I just thought that the two of them needed to be alone for a little while," Lance said. "JC nearly broke down out there. He really does care a lot for her."
"I think that you made the right choice by letting them have some time. Cierra is a strong girl and I am sure that she is okay right now. But JC was the one that held her first when she wasn't breathing. I can only imagine how hard that was for him. I thank you Lance for helping him through it. I dunno what I would have done if anything would have happened to Cierra. She's my best friend."
"No need to thank me sweetie. I did what I did because I knew that JC couldn't do it alone. I can tell that Cierra is a strong willed person, so I know that she's going to get through this alright."
"Hold me," she said.
"Always," he said as he pulled her closer. After watching what his best friend had just went through, he could only imagine what he would have been like if that would had been Missy that went under. When someone you care about is in danger, your mind goes blank.
The two of them sat together for about five minutes and then they got up and decided that they should walk back and find JC and Cierra. They wanted to eat before they headed back inland. Hand and hand they made it back to where they left JC and Cierra. They got there to find them laying on the ground kissing.
"Ahem," Lance cleared his throat to try to let JC know that they were there. JC and Cierra pulled away from each other and gave a small giggle. "I take it that you two are better," Lance said and smiled.
"I think that they are more than better," Missy laughed.
"Yes, we're doing just fine, thanks," Cierra replied back. Both her and JC sat up and looked at each other. They knew that things were going to be just fine for them. Though they had never said it… they knew that the love was there.
"Ok, so I'm hungry. What about you?" Lance asked.
"I am," JC said back.
"So am I," Cierra said.
"I agree," Missy said.
"I vote that we eat, and then head back to the marina," Lance said as he pulled out a soda and some meat for a sandwich.
Everyone agreed in unison. They all fixed them a little something to eat and then got ready to get back on the boat to go back inland.
"Are you gonna be alright?" JC asked Cierra.
"I'll be fine," she said.
JC took her word for it and they all got into the boat. Lance drove extra careful and took all the turns kind of slow. JC was still very protective over Cierra on the way back. He made sure that he didn't leave her alone. Missy sat up front with Lance, but constantly looked back to check on Cierra, even though she knew she was with JC and would be fine.
After about a thirty-minute ride, due to the slowness of Lance's driving, they reached the marina. Lance slid the boat into the dock and then leaned over the edges to tie it up. After Lance had done one corner JC got up to help him with the other. Cierra made her way up to Missy and they talked for a minute while the guys worked on securing the boat.
"So you feel ok?" Missy asked.
"Yes, I am fine. Though the headache is starting to set it."
"Well maybe that is a good thing," she said.
"Maybe so. I'll take a Tylenol and I'm sure I'll be just fine."
"Well other than the obvious, did you have fun?" Missy asked.
"Oh yes. JC and I had a real heart to heart conversation and..."
Missy cut in, "and then spent the remainder of your time making out!" she laughed
Cierra also laughed. "Yeah well, that didn't bother me at all!"
The guys heard them giggling so they went over to see what they were laughing about. Both guys wrapped their arms around the girls and asked them what was up.
"Oh nothing," they both said in unison.
"Sure!" JC said. "Well I say we go back home, pop in a movie and call it a day!"
"Sounds good to me," Cierra said.
Lance stuck out his bottom lip a little and said, "I kinda wanted to do something with you tonight Mis."
"Oh my," JC said as he brought he head back a little. "Lance has made plans? Must be something good. Missy, you better not pass up the offer!"
Melissa looked at Cierra and Cierra nodded at her. Lance tightened his grip around her a little and then asked her if it was ok to go ahead with his plans. She told him yes and begged him to tell her what they were. He kept his mouth shut and only said that they might be home a little late.