Overflow (Part Three)

Madi grabbed her arm, pointing up. "Hey, Char, look at the sky!" Sunlight beamed down from the now clearing sky, and excitement began to well up in chest again.
"Okay. Let's go."
The water was shimmering and clear, just waiting to be jumped in. Madi cannonballed and she squealed as a tidal wave splashed towards her, showering her with freezing cold liquid. Eagerly she jumped in and felt the water engulf her, forcing chills up and down her bare arms and legs. For that instant, her life existed in slow-motion, feeling almost surreal. But before she knew it, her head popped up to the surface, and she was breathing in the clear oxygen, feeling laughter leave her lips. Madi smiled and splashed her, initiating a water fight.
Back to her perfect day.
---

He sighed, running his hands through his short black hair in frustration.
"I saw him once before we left, after getting off my bus."
We were sitting on the same bench as before, not looking at each other. The darkness enveloping us would make it hard to observe anything, anyways. He had pulled me here after reading the note, and was now explaining something that I figured only he and his family could understand.
"After...after the divorce, Mom was never...right. And this is just bringing up more issues. Dad insists on seeing us for some reason, and Mom thinks he wants to steal us away from her." He blew out his breath, shaking his head.
"What did he tell you?" I quietly asked. "You know, that day at the bus stop?"
"Nothing," he answered flatly. "He called my name once, but by that time I was halfway down the street. There's no point."
"In what?"
"In talking to him. He left us, and he lost his chance," he spat out bitterly. "Why should he get my attention now?"
"Well...he is your dad," I absently remarked, then immediately regretted it.
Braden barked out a short laugh. "Barely. He sends a check every month. Does your dad do that?"
I didn't respond, us both knowing the answer. My thoughts were drifting off to the day that Jeff...had died. It was becoming easier and easier to think about him, ever since his name was coming up so often lately. Before it had been intense, since I had refused to even acknowledge that he had existed, but now I was pretty much forced to deal with the idea. It seemed to be helping with closure, if painful.
A raindrop splattered onto my wrist, and I looked up, squinting at the dark sky. Vaguely I could make out large, darker clouds rolling steadily across it, and I inwardly groaned. From the looks of it, Braden had felt a drop too, and wordlessly we stood and started heading back to camp.
Halfway back, the rain sped up to a steady drizzle, and then to a relentless pour. My feet began to pick up the pace, and I let out a small scream as lighting flashed above us, illuminating the path in front of us. A loud crackle of thunder resounded from the sky, and I felt myself begin to trip over a protruding root. As I was about to topple over into the dirt, Braden caught my arm and jerked me up, clasping my hand. With his support I sprinted back, the storm intensifying unbelievably fast. My mind was whirling faster than I could catch up with, so when I glimpsed a figure ahead of us from a flash of lightning, I didn't fully comprehend who he was right away.
Braden abruptly halted, staring in the figure's direction as we were immersed in darkness from the lightning's absence. I tripped again, my knees digging into the quickly forming mud and sinking a little. Making a face, I gathered my wits and then carefully peeled myself away from the ground, shakily standing.
Crash! Another wave of lightning flashed by us, and once again we were illuminated in light. This time, my eyes instantly darted towards the figure, and I felt my spine stiffen. The hairs on the back of my neck rose up on end, and I grabbed Braden's arm, and yelled in his ear, "Isn't that your...father?"
---
The water was completely refreshing, and instantly Charlotte felt her nerves loosen, relieving the sudden tension from before.
A shrill whistle blew loudly, signaling rest period. She frowned, then pulled herself out of the water and headed to the towels with Madi. Her friend giggled as they passed one of the guys from their school, and Charlotte grinned, elbowing her.
"Charlotte!" Madi protested, giggling again.
Suddenly shouts sounded from the other end of the pool, and Charlotte spun around to catch what had happened.
---
Rain streamed down my forehead and I brushed my long bangs plastered on my face aside, along with the rest of my hair. The former pattering of the drops now thundered in my ears, and my vision was significantly blurred. Hence, my senses couldn't be relied on, and that's why I couldn't believe my ears when Braden shouted back, "I...I think so."
Shock flooded me, my mind reeling and senses exploding with surprise. My grip on his arm tightened until he grimaced, when I promptly released it. He shook his head, flinging raindrops into the air, and snatched my arm again. "Let's go," he muttered.
"What?" I yelled over a crackle of thunder.
"Let's GO!" he shouted, yanking my arm nearly out of its socket as he sprinted away from the site again. Confusion immersed me, and I stopped, pulling him back.
"Braden, there is nowhere to go. We need to get back," I screamed into his ear.
"Not with him there!" he shouted back, his lips forming a stubbornly thin line. I groaned in frustration and turned away from him. My eyes suddenly caught on a flash of color, and I noiselessly pointed. We made our way over to the pavilion and collapsed onto a picnic bench not far from the edge.
My cell phone was undamaged and I glimpsed the time glowing up from the screen, and then inwardly sighed. "Braden, it's two-thirty. We need to get back before our parents wake up and freak."
"I am not going back there."
"He's probably gone. Seriously, Braden, I'm exhausted, and I really need to get some sleep."
"Then go back by yourself."
"No."
"Your loss."
Moaning, I stretched out on my bench, trying to generate some warmth by rubbing my hands together. The hard wood made it impossible to even think of dozing off, and inwardly I cursed Braden and his foolishness.
"Why can't you remember?"
I swung my legs back over the edge and sat up again to look into his eyes. "Can't remember what?"
"Jeff's death."
Silence settled over us, until only the steady pattering of the rain consumed the thickening air. Braden ran his hand through his hair, a nervous habit, and then glanced away. "Forget it." The rain continued to fall. Another drop in the bucket, I reminded myself, although my bucket was soon filling up and I wondered just when it would begin to overflow. "Look, let's get back." He stood and reached out his hand to me, waiting for me to respond.
I took it into my own, hopping up from the bench and weakly smiling at him. "It only comes back in spurts. More than usual. And I'll let you know when I figure it out."
He cocked his head, forgetting what he had asked me.
"About Jeff's death."
Recognition lit up his eyes, and he slightly smiled, squeezing my hand. "Right. You do that."