a change of pace {jamie!}

[CLEO EVERETT]

Cleo couldn’t remember the last time she and Jacob had gotten into a fight. Okay, she could. She couldn’t remember the last time they’d gotten into a fight this big. She hardly remembered what had been said or who the blame had been put on or what had happened. All Cleo remembered was screaming and Jacob storming off. It had been mortifying to say the least, especially since Jamie had been there. Jamie. Had it been that Jamie was there? The fight had been a few days ago and yet she hadn’t put much thought into it. She kept expecting Jacob to call or text her, or for herself to call or text him. Neither was happening. It was probably for the better. Cleo needed to spend more time with other people, anyway. Which was exactly why she’d invited Jamie out for swimming today.

Barrie had a pool, yes. But it wasn’t a very good pool. It wasn’t the ocean and so she kind of automatically disliked it. It was a pool, however, and it was close to her dorm. So, it was nice because she could go straight from swimming to baking in her dorm or doing homework or watching a movie. Unlike swimming at Rockefeller or the Docks which took time and money to get to. Wearing her favorite bikini and a white sundress over that, Cleo made her way to the pool, flip flops slapping against her heels. That sound always annoyed her, actually. Cleo wasn’t quite sure if she was late or early. She’d been doing laundry before this and that had taken longer than she thought it had. Cleo sometimes missed attending public school just so she could live at home and have her mom do her laundry for her. Three square meals a day sounded really nice right about now.

Barrie’s pool was indoors which she didn’t mind, though she quite would have liked to tan during this time. They could always lay out on the patio later. Pushing the door open, Cleo looked around. Empty enough. Catching sight of Jamie on the other side by a table, Cleo made her way around the pool towards him. “Jaaamiiiee~!”” she called, dropping her stuff on a chair and throwing her arms around him. “Hello!” It felt like it’d been forever since she’d last hugged someone. Oh well.

notes; my god-moding was accidental l:

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

Jamie loved swimming. It was like being and astronaut without having to, you know, almost die. He loved the weightlessness. He could never do a backflip in real life but in poolland he was a superstar gymnist. Jamie sat and waited for Cleo shirtless and hot. This place was steamy and reeked of chlroine, which wasn’t a bad thing but it didn’t help keep Jamie from jumping right in. He had to constantly remind himself to wait for Cleo. He hummed the Jeopardy waiting song and messed with his hair. It was pretty bad today but he figured it really didn’t matter because they were getting in the pool. He stared at the tattoos on his hands until his eyes started to tear up. Where was Cleo? Could she have stood him up? She wouldn’t do that; Cleo loved the pool too much. And then he saw her. Dear God, she’s hot. Jamie had forgotten how gorgeous Cleo was. Well, not really, but it was easier to not think about it when he didn’t have it walking right up to him in a bikini. Okay, calm down.
“Jaaamiiiee~!”

Cleo wrapped her arms around Jamie and Jamie couldn’t help but return the favor. The direct contact made the usual electric shock he got from being around her quadruple. He picked her up a bit and spun he around. It was one of those things he was known for: great hugs. He set her down and forced himself to make eye contact with her innocent eyes. “Hi,” he said his voice a bit deeper than usual. “You want to jump in now? I’m burning up.” Just what he needed: cold water.

Notes: jamie and cleo sittin’ in a tree :3

[CLEO EVERETT]

Cleo wondered briefly how long he’d been waiting. Had she been really late? Like, super late? Cleo nibbled on her lower lip but before she could worry any further, Jamie was spinning her around. Cleo laughed and held on tighter. Jamie gave the best hugs. How could she have forgotten these? It would’ve been nice to know earlier that he gave such fantastic hugs. She probably wouldn’t have been late, anyway. Once he’d let her down, Cleo wobbled a little on her feet, giggling quietly. “I’m sorry if I’m late,” she said, unable to help herself. Plus, it was hot in here. It normally wasn’t, or she normally didn’t think it was, but today it was. It was a little strange seeing Jamie shirtless. She’d seen him as such before; it was just different now because they weren’t in a relationship and he’d changed and – yeah. Cleo pulled her sundress up over her head and tossed it on top of her bag. She considered tying her hair up before deciding against it. She was in the mermaid hair mood.

Cleo nodded, “yes! Definitely!” Except would he even? … Wait, what kind of question was that? She watched him for a moment, wondering why she was expecting him to act like Jacob. Just because Jacob didn’t swim didn’t mean everybody else didn’t. Cleo, realizing this suddenly, couldn’t help the grin from lighting up her face. Somebody who would actually swim with her! It had definitely been too long. Cleo took hold of Jamie’s wrist and tugged him towards the pool. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” Cleo had become much too excited in the span of a minute (maybe). Teetering on the edge of the pool, Cleo peered down. It was clear enough to see the bottom of the pool. “One… two…” She glanced to him, a childish smirk on her lips. “Three!” Cleo let go of his wrist and jumped, curling up into a ball. The cool water on her skin felt more refreshing than anything in the world.

notes;ADIHSFIDHESDIFGJ

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

Jamie was tempted to close his eyes and hum Disney songs. He was also tempted to do other things but that’s the reason for his closing his eyes and humming. What he didn’t understand is how in the world did he ever let Cleo go? She and him were like made for each other. He was really starting to hate his former self. Seriously, if Peter was standing right in front of him with his stoner face, Jamie would-

“I’m sorry if I’m late,” a voice broke through his internal rage. He brought himself back and shook his head.

“No, it’s fine. I’m just, like glad to see you,” he said, mumbling the last statement. She was letting him back in her life and he was already being kind of clingy. Jamie ran his hands through his hair and told his thoughts to be quiet. He was totally getting a headache.

Cleo looked ready to swim and hot… like literally. “yes! Definitely!”

Jamie cheered and took off his flip-flops. Before he could even remind himself, AGAIN, that Cleo was just being nice, she was pulling him by the wrist to the edge of the pool.

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!”

Jamie laughed and said, “I almost forgot how much you like love to swim. It’s a good thing I’m not like hydrophobic or something. I kinda feel bad for those peeps you know?” Jamie had no idea why he was ranting. There was a pool below him! He closed his eyes and jumped. “COWABUNGA!” he screamed. A huge splash filled the pool and he couldn’t help but laugh as soon as he came back up. The cold water gave him a chill but definitely helped. “Cleo! You want to race?” he asked, swimming towards the edge of the pool.

notes: THEY'RESOCUTEI'MGONNADIE!

[CLEO EVERETT]

It’s a good thing I’m not like hydrophobic.

Why was this comment bothering her? Maybe it was that it related so closely to Jacob. Cleo had invited Jamie out swimming to get her mind off of Jacob. And, yet, here she was, sinking to the bottom of the pool, over-thinking one little sentence. Cleo blinked a few times, trying to clear the confusion. It would probably be a good idea to return to the surface now. Jamie had already jumped and swam to the other side of the pool. Cleo broke through the water, shaking her head, and inhaling deeply. “Sorry,” she said again, looking around for him. “I couldn’t imagine being hydrophobic.” Cleo said off-handedly as she joined him at the other end. “That would be awful.” She stopped there, wanting rather to drop the subject. She pulled her hair over one shoulder and tugged on it gently, grinning at him. “A race? That’s hardly fair, considering I’d be done before you even made it a quarter of the way.” Nobody ever beat Cleo in swimming races.

She readied herself against the pool wall, intending to use it as a boost. Kicking off of it was totally allowed. Cleo looked at Jamie, smirking. “Are you ready?” Cleo was determined to win this. For the second time in five minutes, Cleo counted down from three. This time, she added ‘go!’ to the countdown. It was as if she could fly through the water. She’d probably been a fish in a past life or something. Why else would she love swimming so much, and how would she be so good at it? Okay, so what if she’d grown up in Los Angeles and spent her days at the beach? Just because one went swimming everyday didn’t mean they had to love it so much. Why wasn’t she on a swimming team anyway? She could so make it to the Olympics if she wanted. But why would sh—Cleo stopped thinking quite suddenly, and rubbed her head. “Oww.” The exclamation came out strange and muffled. Cleo realized she was still underwater and that she’d just hit her head on the wall.

Cleo took hold of the concrete and pulled herself up. Sitting on the edge of the pool, her legs dangling in the water, Cleo smiled at Jamie. She winced a little for her head still hurt. Over-thinking was a terrible thing to do while swimming. “I told you I’d win.”


notes; this is the worst post in the history of worst posts and i'm sorry for it being so terrible and for my god-moding but cleo never loses at swimming races and please forgive me ;~;

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

“A race? That’s hardly fair, considering I’d be done before you even made it a quarter of the way.”

“Are you sure about that? I’m a pretty fast swimmer! I could totally beat you.” Jamie grinned evilly. He let his competitive side take over and backed up against the wall. When he thought about it, he’d never really swam with Cleo before so he had no idea what he was up against. This would be interesting. Jamie put his feet up against the concrete wall of the pool and positioned himself accordingly.

Jamie looked over at Cleo smirking. “Are you ready?”

“I was born ready,” he replied trying to hold back a laugh. Jamie kicked off the wall and began swimming like mad. Within a ten seconds, his arms were already hurting. He was so out of shape. Eating candy really didn’t help him when it came to moving fast. Not that he really needed to get anywhere fast except for like now. He got to the middle of the pool and saw that Cleo was almost there. How did she move so fast? She ate about as much candy as he did. Jamie abandoned finishing the race and decided to try something different. He hid under the water planning to grab Cleo’s leg when she came up for air but the painful sound of skull against hard concrete filled made his plan poof.

“Oh jeez, Cleo. Are you okay?” Jamie asked. He tried not to get to freaked out but it looked like it hurt. Couldn’t people get, you know, concussions from doing that?

“I told you I’d win.” Jamie rolled his eyes and pulled himself out of the pool to sit next to Cleo.

“You swim fast! Did you turn into a fish or something? You should remember to kill the motor before you turn back though. Humans are a bit bigger than little speedy fish.” Jamie blabbered not really knowing what he was saying. He was too distracted by the bump on Cleo’s head. It showed up fast! He should totally get her some ice or something but first… Jamie put his hand under Cleo’s chin and let a frown rest on his face. “How many fingers am I holding up?” he asked holding up three fingers about three feet from Cleo’s face.

notes: it's okay this sucks more

[CLEO EVERETT]

Cleo was trying to laugh off the pain, but it wasn’t really working. “Pretty fast swimmer, huh? I finished way before you did.” Then again, it was hardly fair. She went swimming every day and had been doing so all her life. She would be surprised if there was somebody who could beat her. Well, professionals could probably beat her. But that didn’t count. They were professionals. Cleo laughed. “I’m half-fish, don’t you know? I was a mermaid in a past life.” Cleo winked at him, as if she were completely serious. Sometimes she wished she could say such a thing and mean it. It wasn’t like she knew what she was in a past life, though, or even if she’d had any past lives. That was an interesting thought.

“I’m fine,” she answered, waving a dismissive hand. Unfortunately, this somehow made her head pound all the more. She groaned and held her head in her hands, trying to shake it off. Great. They’d just started swimming and she was being a wimp because she’d hit her head because she hadn’t been paying attention. “I’m sorry,” she said, for the third time that day. Before she could say anything else, Jamie had tilted her head back up. Cleo was distracted for a second by his eyes and how everything else seemed blurry. “Uhm.” She focused on his fingers (why was his hand so far away? that didn’t help). “Th… three?” she asked, squinting. That didn’t help. Squinting plus her already blurry vision made it look like four. “Yeah. Uh. Three.” She nodded a little (ow), satisfied with the answer.

notes; short ): and i loved your post!

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

“Well, you would have. You know, if I’d finished,” he admitted with a guilty smile. He ran his hands through his wet hair and tried to hide his worried expression with a smile. Cleo’s bump on her head was getting bigger and red. That definitely wasn’t good.
“I’m half-fish, don’t you know? I was a mermaid in a past life.”

“No way!” Jamie said half paying attention, half formulating a plan of action. “That’s explains why you’re so beautiful.” Jamie’s whole world stopped for a second and he mentally hit himself in the head. Why did he say that? Friends don’t say that to friends! He so wished he could take those words and put them right back in his mouth. He inwardly chuckled at the thought but stopped himself from smiling. What was doing being all stupid? Cleo was in pain.

“I’m sorry,”

“Why are you apologizing? It’s the pool’s fault,” Jamie joked. The finger test went okay but she was squinting and stuff. Not good. Jamie brushed Cleo’s hair out the way and looked at the bump. It definitely needed ice. He remember a little bit of his first aid training from forever ago. Something about dililated pupils. That sounded like she was on drugs or something. Oh, Jamie had no idea what he was doing! He let go of her face and jumped up.
Where was the lifeguard? Did they even have one? He looked around and noticed a sign on the wall. In big red letters it said, “NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY. SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK.” Funny, he’d never noticed that before. He looked down at Cleo and wondered what to do next. “Cleo, can you see me clearly? Be honest.”

notes: so short >.<

[CLEO EVERETT]

All she’d done was bumped her head on the wall of the pool. Why did it hurt so much? This was exactly why she hated pools. They had walls. The ocean didn’t have walls. This wouldn’t have happened in California. In fact, she’d rather have been stung by a jellyfish than to have done this. Jellyfish stings weren’t that bad, especially after it’d happened to you so many times. She nodded blearily at his comment, thinking it’d be best to keep quiet. If she talked, then something confused and jumbled might make its way out and then he’d be worried and… and she didn’t want that. Cleo watched him curiously after the compliment, a small smile gracing her lips. “Thank you.” He seemed to regret but she certainly didn’t mind. Maybe she should tell people more often that she was a mermaid in the past.

He moved suddenly and Cleo swayed a little, covering her eyes with her hands. “Don’t move so fast…” she moaned, sounding pitiful and whiny. She slowly eased herself down until she was laying on the concrete, an arm over her eyes. This helped a little, though she was tired and she didn’t want to be tired. “I’ll be fine,” she said, breaking the silence. It was just a little bump. It wasn’t a big deal. Cleo moved her arm and peered up at him, squinting again. Why were the lights so bright? She could see him clearly enough, but everything else… “I can. Cross my heart.” Cleo struggled to sit up and once she’d done that, she took hold of one of Jamie’s hands and carefully pulled herself up. “Let’s go sit in the shade.” Cleo tugged gently, gesturing towards a table with an umbrella.

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

Jamie bit his lip as their plans of a fun dip in the pool shattered. Thoughts of taking Cleo to the hospital made his heart race a little. She was all right. Right? He couldn’t decide. She seemed to take his compliment well but that might have just been the bump talking. He turned away and heard her moan something. When he looked her again, she was lying on the sidewalk. “Whoa Cleo, maybe we should—,” he paused trying to think of a plan. Gosh, think! Where were those people that just randomly appear with good advice when someone’’s hurt? Should he call 911?

“I’ll be fine.” he heard her say weakly. He sighed. She didn’t pass out.

“You don’t sound very fine,” Jamie mumbled trying to cover up his worried thoughts. He wasn’t sure whether he should trust Cleo. People who hit their head get all dellusional don’t they? She could be totally out of it. No, she didn’t black out or anything. Jamie was pretty sure you had to black out to get a brain injury. He helped her up and nodded his head. After they found an umbrella, Jamie took a deep breath and smiled. “We totally should have gone to the beach. At least if you had gotten hurt there they’d have a lifeguard or something. And it’d be like a shark attack and you’d be on the news. The headlines would be, ‘MERMAID KICKS SHARKTAIL’,” Jamie babbled trying lighten the mood. He sat down in a chair after a few minutes.

“You know, maybe I should take you home. You probably have a nasty headache.” Jamie really wanted to take those words back but he couldn’t be selfish or anything. She sound probably rest and put ice on her head.

[CLEO EVERETT]

This was annoying. She was Cleo! Cleo Rhea Everett and since when had she ever let a little bump on the head slow her down?! Never! So what if she let colds keep her in bed all day? That was different. Everything hurt when you had a cold. This was just a tiny little bump on the head and it could’ve been worse, right? Right! So, there was no way she should be whining and moping around. They were supposed to be having a lovely time at the pool, swimming and enjoying the water and then maybe having some watermelon because that would remind her of going to the beach and she missed the beach oh so much and why was she going on about this for so long, it would probably be good to stop thinking right about now or maybe soon anyway be—

“I’m fine!” she said, a bit more sternly than she’d meant to but she wanted Jamie to know that she was okay. Really. Or, at least she would be. She just needed some rest and maybe something cold for her head and perhaps they could still have watermelon; she was sure they had some in the fridge at her dorm. Settling down in a seat in the shade was already helping except for the glare from the water but she couldn’t do much about that. It bothered her to see the pool right there and she was stuck sitting under an umbrella with a massive headache. She really didn’t need to be complaining because at least she was still spending time with Jamie and she definitely wasn’t thi—but she had to stop there because then she would be and that wasn’t what she wanted.

Cleo gave him a curious look. “Would you really have gone all the way to a beach?” That was definitely a first. She’d never suggested it to any of her friends and none of them to her. Cleo wondered briefly why she’d never thought of a trip to the nearest beach with all of her closest friends. It had to happen someday before she moved back to California. Cleo laughed, “I’d teach that shark not to mess with anybody ever again.” Cleo leaned back, gently touching where she’d hit her head. It didn’t hurt that bad. She looked at Jamie, lowering her hand, and then she glanced to the pool. For a long while, she stared it at rather forlornly for a few moments. “I suppose that would be best…”

notes; so, this is post-fight, pre-fountain thread. just clearing that up.

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

“I’m fine!”

“Okay, okay. I believe you,” Jamie laughed. Cleo was looking better. She was less pale so he decided to rule out the ambulance. The bump on her head was still pretty swollen looking though. The most likely couldn’t get back in the pool. Bummer. He tried to stay positive and keep Cleo from being bummed too. After all she was a fishgirl. She had to be twice as sad as Jamie was about having to get out. Poor Cleo. Oh, wait! Stay happy. Jamie began to think of the times he had been to the beach. Those were so long ago really. Far enough back that he wasn’t scared to think about the memories.

“Would you really have gone all the way to a beach?”

“Of course! I haven’t been since I was little. It’s only like fourty-five minutes to Sandy Hook. The waves are awesome if I remember correctly,” Jamie blabbered. The beach sounded amazing right now. It was hot enough to enough the cool water and maybe even surf. How long had it been since he’d done any of that? Way too long.

“I’d teach that shark not to mess with anybody ever again.”

Jamie laughed at the image of Cleo punching a shark in the face. It was really almost too comical but he doubted Cleo wouldn’t try it.

“I suppose that would be best…”

“Yea,” Jamie frowned. He didn’t want Cleo to leave but he didn’t want her to be in pain either. He got up and held out his hand to help Cleo up. “You know Cleo we should totally go to the beach for real. We could invite a bunch of people and have a hug picnic with ham sandwiches and chips and watermelon because supposedly that keeps people from being thirsty. Maybe we could build huge sandcastles and have a surfing contest. I don’t know it how many people would go for it but it’ll definitely be like so much funner than the pool,” he babbled on trying to keep Cleo from being to sad as they walked back to her dorm.

[CLEO EVERETT]

For a moment, she felt bad for snapping. Jamie laughed, though, so the guilt disappeared as quickly as it’d come. That was reassuring. She didn’t want to be mean, after all! Maybe she was just being snarky because she couldn’t swim anymore. Well… she could but it would probably be best not to. They would have to get a rain check for another swimming day. There was no way she was going to let this be the last time she went swimming with Jamie. It was ending on such a lame note. Cleo looked to Jamie, giving him an apologetic grin. “I’m sorry… This was supposed to be a great time and—” This was no time to sound whiny.

Only forty-five minutes!? “Really?” Cleo sat up a little. “That’s it?” There was a beach only forty-five minutes away and she’d never been? Oh, that was so frustrating! Now she really did have to plan a beach trip for her and her friends. Even as she thought of this, Jamie went on to say the exact same thing. Cleo stood up so suddenly she was quite sure she’d fall over from the headrush but she ignored it and focused on Jamie. “You’d be up for that?! Because I was just thinking of how much fun it would be!” Cleo waved a dismissive hand, “you bring watermelon for the sake of watermelon, silly.” What was that nonsense about it keeping you hydrated? Big deal!

Cleo grabbed her bag and her sundress, slinging the strap across her chest and draping the dress over her arm. “Let’s go back to my dorm. We can have watermelon and we could watch Harry Potter.” Without another word, Cleo took off for the door, actually feeling worse; it wasn’t like she would say that, though.

[JAMIE SHOEMAKER]

Jamie pouted. Cleo was definitely more bummed than him. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to drop her off in this mood. It would bug him to leave her frowning. They were supposed have fun! Stupid concrete pool walls!
“I’m sorry… This was supposed to be a great time and—”

“You don’t have to apologize! We could totally reschedule!” Jamie said quickly. He put his arm around her and gave her a side hug as they were walking to their stuff. Hopefully that would help. Cleo loved hugs.

”Really? That’s it?”

“Yup,” Jamie replied with a smile. He was on to something here. The beach would be awesome really. They could collect seashells and walk or bike down the shore line. They could go to the boardwalk and ride all of the carnivals rides until they puked. Then there would be fireworks and a sunset on the beach and he’d k—

“You’d be up for that?! Because I was just thinking of how much fun it would be!”

Jamie blinked back into the present and managed to nod his head. He mentally cursed himself for even letting a daydream like that come into his head. He wasn’t like that. Cleo deserved better. Enough said… err… thought. Jamie laughed about the watermelon and pulled his arm back. That was better… less suspicious looking. He had to watch himself. He didn’t want to hurt anyone anymore.

“Let’s go back to my dorm. We can have watermelon and we could watch Harry Potter.”

For a second Jamie’s old mind whispered to him that what Cleo just said was an invitation for something else. A look of frustration came over his face and he pushed back the bad thought. It was just Harry Potter and watermelon. Both of which he loved! “That sounds awesome!” He followed Cleo and added that he needed to make sure Cleo was okay and didn’t have a concussion. He’d prove that this wasn’t anything. Just two friends hanging out. Yep. That’s it.

[CLEO EVERETT]

Cleo loved hugs, especially Jamie hugs, so if he’d given her that side hug in hopes that it would cheer her up, it had worked. Smiling a little more, Cleo looped arms with Jamie and led the way to her dorm. “Oh, we will reschedule. There’s no way I’m giving up on a day swimming with you.” She gave his hand a gentle pat before turning down one hall. Barrie confused her some times, even after four years attending. “I definitely think a beach trip is needed, though. That would be lots of fun.” Who could she invite? Kayden, of course, even though she was pregnant, and so Jared would have to join them. Jemma, without a doubt; she couldn’t leave behind her freshman. It hurt trying to think of all the people she wanted to invite so Cleo abandoned that task to handle later. After a few more minutes of walking, she got to her dorm.

Cleo unlocked the door and stepped in, pausing before letting out a relieved sigh. It was very quiet which meant her roomies weren’t home. She was pretty sure one of them had an off-campus class and Scottie was probably out looking for pieces to use in a sculpture. Shaking her head, Cleo continued in. “Take a look around,” she told Jamie. “I’m going to change. Whatever’s in the fridge is yours to have.” Cleo gave him a smile before shutting herself up in her room. She did her now ritual checking of making sure everything was in place, something she hated but had grown used to doing. Once that was done, she changed into a pair of soft cotton pj’s and loosely braided her wet hair. Cleo checked the bump on her head and winced; it was a bit worse than she’d thought it would be.

“There’s an ice pack in the freezer, right?” She asked, opening her bedroom door and stepping out. The first and second Harry Potter movies were in her hands. Cleo popped the first movie into the DVD player, clicking the TV on. For being college students, they were off pretty well (except that they never had any real food, honestly). Cleo joined Jamie in the kitchen, bumping hips with him playfully, before pulling a container of watermelon from the fridge. “Yum~!”

notes; i was wrong. this is post-fight, post-fountain. ;
sorry for the rambling-ness of it.
outfit; the pajamas