Making Waves

by Nicole Leigh Shepherd

  Wait. What? “Uh … That’s it?” That doesn’t sound like anything super scandalous. Maybe he’s just afraid to tell me the real reason. I decide to lay my cards on the table. “What about Lexi?”

  “Lexi? What about her?” He looks up at me. His emerald eyes turn forest green in the dark.

  “Didn’t you guys …” Wait. I’m not pathetic. “Never mind.” I’m totally confused at this point. I thought he was forced to withdraw. Or at least that he came home because of some secret romantic tryst.

  “So tell me about swimming. How’s it going?” He hands me a plastic container.

  I decide to let my suspicions go for the time being. “Great. Actually that’s the easy part of lifeguarding, the swimming and conditioning. It’s more the working two jobs and feeling like a total—” I stop myself. What am I doing opening up to him again? “What’s this?” I ask, staring at the container he just handed me.

  “Last time I checked, it’s food,” he says, smiling.

  I place the container on my lap and pop it open. “How did you know I love chicken Caesar salad?”

  “And raspberry iced tea.” He hands me a Snapple bottle.

  I eye him sheepishly.

  “Remember, you told me?” Brody says, popping open his own container.

  “Look, Brody, I really appreciate the dinner and everything….”

  He continues to rummage through the picnic basket, pulling out napkins and another Snapple for himself.

  “But do you really think this is a good idea? I mean, what about the club’s rules?” Silently, I think, And what about what my family would do if they knew I was on this boat right now?

  Brody shoves the basket on the boat floor, leaving an empty spot next to him on the leather seat. “What about them?”

  I don’t know whether the gesture was meant as an invitation, but I ignore it regardless. “I really need my job. And I’m not sure that …”

  He holds up his sandwich in a sort of “cheers” motion and starts to chomp down steadily.

  I forget what I was about to say and we’re silent for a few seconds.

  “Anyway,” I say, staring at my salad. My stomach rumbles. I’m absolutely famished after working for so many hours and the dressing smells good.

  “It’s not poisoned,” he says between bites.

  “Isn’t that what they all say?”

  “They?” Brody shrugs.

  “The bad guys who lure helpless girls out to their boats and—”

  “Abby, let me stop you right there. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this about yourself, but you’re not exactly what I’d call ‘helpless.’”

  I grin despite myself. I like that Brody’s noticed that I’m no damsel in distress.

  “Look, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that night at the swim meet,” he says, washing down his sandwich with a swig of iced tea.

  I stab my salad with my fork.

  “When I met you that night, you were …” He pauses. “Different.”

  Different? Is that supposed to be a good thing? Different from who? Lexi?

  “You actually listened to what I had to say. We like the same things. It was insane meeting you like that.” He swallows. “Except the timing was horrible and then I couldn’t shake you. Everywhere I went all I saw was you.”

  Wait. That’s exactly how I felt.

  “And then everything changed, and I …”

  Hold on. I need to focus. My brothers warned me about guys like this. Guys who are too smooth to be real. This is the kind of thing Nick used to do—shower me with sweet talk just to try to get something from me. I used to fall for his lines all the time. But now, I—

  “I really think you have a huge chance of winning that scholarship and I’d love to—”

  Scholarship? Huh?

  Brody is interrupted by a boat tearing across the water. It rocks our small motorboat, causing me to dump the contents of my salad onto the deck.

  “Oh my God, I’m so sorry ….” I try to shovel the salad back into the container with my fork.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Brody kneels down and begins wiping the floor with napkins. “It’s no big deal. I’ll just spray the deck down when we get back.”

  But it is a big deal. What if Lexi was on that boat that just went by? Or worse, Denise? What if someone else sees us out here and reports us back to them?

  “Brody, we have to head back,” I say, completely serious.

  “Wait. What?” Brody stops wiping and looks up at me. “It’s just some lettuce. No reason to—”

  “Brody, I want to go.”

  A hush falls over our boat. “Are you sure?” he asks, slowly pulling up the anchor. His disappointment reads clear on his face.

  “Positive.”

  The boat’s engine roars to life and we head back to shore as quickly as we came.

  We reach the dock and Brody wraps the rope around the pylon.

  “Thanks for dinner. I’ll see you later,” I say in a rush. I climb out from between the seats and am about to step off the boat and onto the pier when Brody grabs my arm.

  He looks deep into my eyes. “Abby, I’m not sure what happened out there, but I don’t want to leave it like this.”

  “There’s nothing to ‘leave.’ We had a nice night last month and I got caught up in the moment just now. But that’s it,” I stammer. “I really gotta go …” I step out onto the pier.

  Brody follows after me. “Look,” he says, his hand dropping from my arm. “Forget about us for a second. You need to go after that scholarship. You have a huge shot of winning.”

  “Uh … okay.” I feel my cheeks heat up. This is the second time Brody’s mentioned the competition. “Thanks for the advice. I’m flattered. Really. But—”

  “Let me train you.”

  “What?” I nearly stumble into the gap between the boat and the pier.

  “I won last year. I know how this place works. Let me help you.”

  “You want to train me? Seriously?” I cross my arms.

  “Yeah, I do. I want you to be happy, to go after what’s yours. And if you let me train you, that scholarship is yours for the taking.”

  The thought is tantalizing, but I force logic to win out. “No, it’s not. Not if people start to think that there’s something between us. I’ll get kicked off the team.”

  “Abs, there is something between us.” He does that thing again where he widens his eyes and peers into my soul.

  “See what I mean? There you go again, with your lines and your—”

  “It’s not a line. But how about if I promise that absolutely nothing will happen. I’ll keep everything strictly professional.” He takes two steps away from me.

  As if the distance will keep things totally PG. Please.

  “I appreciate the offer and everything, but I gotta go.”

  “Abs, wait!” Brody shouts.

  I’m already off and running toward the tennis courts. As exhausted as I am after working for hours today, every fiber of my being knows that I have to get away from Brody to clear my head. When I reach the courts, I lean against the fence and slide to a sit. I breathe a sigh of relief. I’m finally in the clear.

  But then I catch a whiff of familiar cologne. I hear a hushed voice. It’s earnest but firm. “I thought you’d do anything to win.”

  And with that, I know that my decision has already been made for me.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Eighteen.

  I tuck my body into an underwater somersault. Then I roll and push off the concrete wall. As the water rushes around me, I turn and begin my dolphin kick.

  Only two more.

  Denise called a mandatory conditioning practice after a rumor took flight that two unnamed lifeguards were spotted hanging out late last night. The guys are in the gym and the girls are in the club’s indoor lap pool. I, meanwhile, am in total misery—there’s still no word on whether the rumor in question actually involves me.

  “Let’s go!” D
enise yells. Her voice echoes across the vast pool room. “It’s the first week and I’ve already had to field questions about our guards! Already!”

  I kick harder, gliding through the water, but my freestyle is sloppier than normal. All I can think about is how angry people are going to be when they find out it was me who caused the extra practice, let alone that I accepted Brody’s offer to train me. I’m so consumed by these thoughts, in fact, that for the first time in a long time, I suck in water instead of air. The chlorine overpowers me and I flail around, gasping for breath. It takes a few seconds to regain my composure and I begin my stroke again.

  I glance over at Lexi as I’m about to flip into another turn. She somersaults seconds before me.

  Oh no you don’t.

  I tuck and turn for the nineteenth time and push hard off the side, streaming through the water. I pull my arms, gliding as far as I can. Underwater I see Lexi’s toned frame inches ahead of me.

  I come up for air, stretch, and begin my freestyle. The rhythm of my stroke pulls me into my zone.

  I kick harder and faster. No need to fight the water, I hear my rec coach’s words echo in my head. Relax and move with the flow.

  “Tight finish here for first!” Denise’s voice booms through the pool house.

  Lexi and I are matched stroke for stroke. I shut my eyes, concentrate, and dig deep. Then, right before I stretch my body and pull my lead arm toward the finish line, Lexi splashes water into my face.

  I breathe it in by accident and begin to choke.

  Ahek … Hack …

  “Lexi by a touch!” Denise says, clapping her hands. “Way to go, ladies.” She’s totally oblivious to Lexi’s tricks.

  My chest burns as I slide my goggles on top of my swim cap.

  Lexi hangs on the side of the pool, her arms outstretched like she owns the place. When Denise walks away, she glares at me. “Hate to break it to you, ma barista, but you’ll never beat me in the water.” She doesn’t show the least bit of shame about splashing water in my face.

  I wipe my face and breathe deep, clearing my nose and throat. “The only way you’ll beat me is by cheating like you just did. But believe me it won’t happen again,” I say, hoisting myself out of the pool. “Consider that a gift.”

  My feet leave wet footprints as I walk toward the pool locker room. While I wait for the others to finish, I tear off my goggles and launch them against a locker. I grab my phone from my bag and begin to text Brody. I mean, if Lexi is just going to cheat, then I might as well get a jump-start on our training sessions.

  I stop myself as I’m about to hit send. Who am I kidding? I can’t train with Brody. I’m probably already about to be reprimanded, and what if Denise finds out that I’m meeting Brody for some one-on-one sessions? I wrap a soft towel around my waist, sit on a bench, and bury my head in my hands.

  My thoughts begin to race: What if Denise saw me and Brody together after all? What if she was the one on the boat?

  I should have just ignored Brody. One night with him and I’m already dogging it at practice. I lost to Lexi. And I never lose. Why did I ever agree to go on that boat? Why didn’t I listen to Katie? This is just ridiculous—I’ve worked my whole life to be a lifeguard and suddenly a boy comes along and I agree to do things his way. After Nick, I should know better.

  I wipe my face with the towel and let out a deep breath. Then I snatch up my bag and walk back to the pool.

  Out of nowhere, Zoe appears in front of me. “Where were you last night?”

  “What are you talking about?” My stomach drops to the damp floor. “Did Denise—”

  “Babysitting! You told me you would help me out.” She violently grabs a towel off the shelf and wraps it around her waist.

  Oh God. I hadn’t thought about that since I arrived at my first lifeguarding shift.

  “I’m so sorry, Zo. I totally forgot. Brody showed up to help me while I was cleaning up the pool area and asked me to go on this boat with him and I …”

  “Brody?” She re-ties her towel, more gently this time. “You could have texted, you know.” My answer seems to have satisfied her.

  “I know. I really just forgot. I’ve been such a—”

  Zoe holds her hand over her mouth. “Ohmigod. Do you think this punishment conditioning is because of you and Brody?” Her earlier sternness is replaced with deep concern.

  My stomach lurches. “Maybe …”

  “Well, you better hope it’s not.” Zoe nibbles on her nail. A pool of water begins to form underneath her. “Denise will fire you.”

  “Thanks for pointing out the obvious.” I inhale deeply as if I’m about to hold my breath underwater. I let it out in a rush. “I just don’t get it. Why is she so hung up on this stupid rule?”

  “I don’t know, but are you ready to face the music?”

  “I guess.” I shrug.

  Zoe and I step out of the locker room to discover that the pool area is completely deserted. We scurry toward the other side of the room, passing some posters for the Last Blast Competition and Luau along the way.

  Maybe the other guards are already in the gym?

  But no. As soon as we make our way into the hallway, we’re met with screams. They seem to be coming from Denise’s office. We back away.

  Through the glass window, we can make out Brooke and Denise sitting on either side of Denise’s desk. Anyone else would be cowering, but Brooke sits tall, calm. She seems to be taking Denise’s reprobation in stride.

  “You think you’re going to show up to a conditioning practice you caused and just phone it in?”

  “I didn’t,” Brooke counters, still cool as a cucumber.

  “You didn’t what? Come in last place at the practice just now because you weren’t even trying? Or hang out on the beach after hours with another lifeguard?”

  “How do you know I wasn’t trying?”

  “How do I know you weren’t trying …” Denise mutters under her breath, facing the back wall. She turns abruptly back to Brooke, slamming her fist against the desk. Zoe and I jump. “I think you’re missing the point, Miss Lauder. I specifically laid out the rules and you decided to disregard them the first week you’re here. What do you have to say for yourself?” Denise’s hands are on her hips.

  Brooke doesn’t even attempt to save herself from Denise’s fury. “Maybe you’re the one who needs to be hanging out with someone from the wrong side of the lap pool.” She winks.

  Denise goes completely red. “Turn in your uniform to me tomorrow morning. You’re done!” She turns and storms out of her office.

  It doesn’t seem like she plans to take Brooke’s advice.

  Slowly, some of the other lifeguards start to come out of their hiding spots. Zoe and I weren’t the only ones eavesdropping, apparently. I nod at Katie who seems baffled for the first time since I met her. Lexi and Allison ignore me.

  Brooke emerges from the office.

  “What the heck did you do?” Lexi asks.

  “Nothing. I just hung out with Greg on the beach for a bit. We talked. It was harmless.”

  I wonder if Brooke and Greg were the couple I saw timing each other.

  “Yeah right,” Lexi says, rolling her eyes.

  “Lexi!” Katie shouts. “She said she wasn’t doing anything.”

  “Butt out of it, Katie. I think I know Brooke a little better than you.” If Lexi were a cartoon character, she’d be flaring her nostrils.

  Allison gathers strength from Katie’s chastisement. “Lexi, seriously? You’re the last one who should be saying anything.” She wraps her arm around Brooke defensively.

  Brooke shakes her off. It’s clear that she doesn’t want anyone’s pity. She turns to Lexi. “At least Greg is a …”

  Lexi shoots her a look that could smother fifty-foot waves.

  “Never mind,” Brooke mutters. She pulls her towel tighter around her body and storms back into the pool area, presumably to head to the locker room one last time. The rest of us are left sta
ring at Lexi.

  I salivate with curiosity, desperate for someone to finish where Brooke left off. At least Greg is a what? A friend? A boyfriend? A nice guy? And what does that make the other person she was referring to? A Brody?

  Assuming that I’m not about to be booted from the team, I really can’t handle any more bombshells about Brody …. You know, now that I’ve agreed to train with him.

  “Whatever.” Lexi rolls her eyes at the ceiling. “She’s always been such a drama queen.” She hightails it toward the gym.

  Talk about the pot calling the kettle …

  Allison’s eyes shift, flipping back and forth between the pool area—where Brooke is packing in the attached locker room—and the gym—where we’re supposed to begin the next stage of conditioning. Finally, she trails behind Lexi. But her usual gusto isn’t there.

  “What was that all about?” I ask Katie.

  “Is Lexi hooking up with another lifeguard?” Zoe’s eyes widen.

  Please don’t be Brody. Please don’t be Brody. It has to be Brody.

  “I don’t know.” Katie shrugs.

  “It sounds scandalous,” Zoe whispers, secretly loving the drama.

  “In the gym. Now!” Denise’s voice booms through the hallway.

  Katie, Zoe, and I sprint to the door, the two of them visibly shaking as if they’re the ones in trouble.

  But they don’t know what trouble is. They’re not the new girl—the non-member—who’s about to begin secretly training with one Brody Wilson.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Clang.

  My mother’s long blonde hair tickles my shoulder as she sets a dish down in front of me. The aroma of fresh-from-the-oven turkey breast and double-baked potato rises from the steamy plate.

  I’ve spent the last few weeks guarding the beach with Katie, listening to Jason’s grumblings as I fill orders at the snack bar, and training with Brody nearly every night after work. At this point, I’m famished.