The Insiders (The Insiders Trilogy #1) - Tijan Page 0,62

had a one-second glimpse of a pale/red streak running back behind the gate that surrounded the pool. I could hear Cyclone yelling, laughing so hard he could barely get the words out. “I got her, you guys. Bailey’s soaked.” And then, “Banzai!”

“Cyclone!”

“No, Cyclone!”

“Ahh!”

A slap was heard all the way out here, before being drowned out by a massive amount of splashing. Chairs were shoved back. Feet were heard running. Kash and I looked at each other before we both took off sprinting, but when we got to the open gate, Cyclone’s head was above the water and he was laughing. The tips of his ears were red, matching his swimsuit. He pointed at all of us standing on the edge, looking at him. “I got you all good.”

“You just belly flopped hard.” Seraphina was glaring at him, her little hands in fists at her side.

He lifted his little shoulders up, floating to his back. “It’s all good. I can handle the pain.” He looked at Kash. “Right, Kash? What’s a little pain here and there?”

Everyone winced at the redness already showing on his tummy.

Kash drawled out, “Not stupid pain. A belly flop is stupid pain unless it was an accident.”

“It wasn’t an accident.” Marie was gritting her teeth. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her cheeks reddening to be almost as bright as Cyclone’s shorts. “You get in here, little boy. Enough running around for you. You hear me?”

He looked ready to argue, then began dog-paddling to the ladder. Just as he got there, another woosh sound was heard behind us as someone yelled out, “Cannonball!”

Quinn was standing on the opposite side of the pool, a couple standing with her. All three of them scrambled out of the way just as Matt came in, his clothes still on. He jumped high, tucked his knees to his chest, and splashed everyone.

Most of the water hit the couple next to Quinn.

The woman screamed, but she was laughing. “Matthew!”

The man schooled his features tight, disapproving. They were dressed in regular clothes, as was Quinn—not for a pool party. The woman was still laughing as she stepped away from the pool.

Quinn moved forward, her face sharpening. “Foresight, Matthew. The Bonhams and I are not dressed to get wet. Notice, next time, please.”

Wait. What? That was them?

He only smirked, holding the woman’s gaze a second longer before looking to Quinn. Kicking back, he said, “I did.” Then he tucked back into a somersault, his feet kicking up and splashing Cyclone.

Quinn’s mouth was pressed tight. She looked ready for battle. But Cyclone jumped from the ladder on top of Matt when his head came back up, and it was on after that. Matt was searching, and he lunged forward, grabbed Seraphina’s hand, and toppled her into the water. She screamed, making a mad grab for Marie, who reached for the person next to her, who was Theresa.

All three of them fell into the pool.

During this, Quinn and the couple moved inside. The woman glanced back, a look on her face that I couldn’t quite place as she watched them all in the pool.

“Okay. That’s enough. No more Mr. Nice Marie. You, Matthew, are going down,” Marie growled.

Theresa had come back to the surface as well.

Marie looked at her, both on the same page, and together they pounced. “Matt’s going down! Anyone can help.”

“Yeeeah!”

Cyclone had crawled up the ladder, but at that war cry he jumped in the water, trying to cannonball his brother. After that, chaos. Complete and total chaos, and I loved it. I was grinning ear to ear. I had to be. I couldn’t stop myself.

This. Right here. Fun with siblings—this is why I was here. I didn’t care for the real reasons, but if I were one to believe in a higher power, I did in that moment. Gratitude bloomed in my chest, filling me up, and I was a step away from blinking back tears. Good tears.

I was an only child growing up. Me. Chrissy.

I had family near Brookley, but Chrissy was prideful and stubborn. Hella stubborn. No family member was taken up on their offer. Anyone who watched me had to be someone who came into Chrissy’s life on her terms, not through family. And while I loved going to school with my cousins, my mom’s way put distance between me and them. We didn’t know at the time, but we felt it. It felt wrong to yearn to eat supper at my aunt’s house when my mom was working