Watergirl

by Juliann Whicker

  “Weren’t you going to thank me?”

  I stopped, shocked as I turned to stare up at him. “Thank you?”

  “You’re welcome,” he said with an odious grin as he turned, sauntering back to his locker.

  “Thank you?” I hissed at his back, following him. “You talked to my dad. He was worried out of his mind because you had to tell him that I fell into the pool and then I came home late. He’s irrationally overprotective enough as it is that I don’t need you to make him even more worried about me. You should have kept your shirt if you couldn’t handle it being out of your sight for five minutes.”

  “I drove to your house because I was going to give you a ride,” he said, pulling books out of his locker, frowning at the cover of his physics book. “I didn’t see your bike on the way, but I thought maybe you took a longer way home, although why you’d take a scenic byway in wet jeans, I have no idea.”

  “You didn’t have to talk to my dad.”

  He glanced at me, but this time there was no amusement, only the ice cold that made me stop, think, realizing that I’d been yelling at the captain, and he was not the type to sit back and take it.

  “You’re irresponsible. Whatever you were doing was stupid, wasn’t it?” I blinked and took a step back, but he shut his locker then filled the space between us, leaving me no room. “Your dad worries about you and I worry about my shirt. Luckily neither one was hurt.” He stepped around me and left me standing there, feeling like…I didn’t even know what I felt like. Dizzy, but not the dizzy I felt around Cole. Angry, but more than that: guilty. How dare he make me feel guilty, like my dad didn’t fulfill the role of guilt doler? It was none of his business what I did. I should have ‘accidentally’ stained his shirt with mud or something.

  “Don’t you have a class to go to, Watergirl?” he called over his shoulder, his voice cutting through the noise, making everyone stare at me, someone who’d been addressed by The Captain, even if he hadn’t been looking at me at the time.

  Chapter 7

  “So,” Flop said when I made it back to my locker. It took me until I was pulling out my books to realize that I didn’t do my writing assignment for my first period class. I pulled out a paper and started scribbling about an epiphany I’d had during the summer. I had two sentences on bike tire pressure written before I said hey to Flop, shoving my backpack in before slamming the locker shut and continued about the tire thing. I’d had an unnaturally vast amount of bike tire problems over the summer. Yes, I had my license, and yes, I lived over two miles from school, but being friends with Junie required a little more investment in the environment than carpooling.

  “I’m sorry about yesterday. I had no idea Junie was playing matchmaker. How weird is that? Kind of makes sense though, I mean, you’re not going to go out of your way to find a guy.”

  I rolled my eyes as we started walking, putting away my lame assignment. “I have to stop listening to Junie. She’s going to get me killed one of these days.”

  “Your dad called last night. I thought you were going straight home.” I didn’t say anything, only frowned at my paper and noticed that I’d forgotten a comma. “Did you go to the lake?”

  I’d accidentally told her once that I went there when I couldn’t cope. She didn’t usually mention it, only looked at me sympathetically.

  “Yeah. My dad worries too much.”

  “I guess.”

  “He’s threatening to trade my computer in for a phone.” I bit my lip. “I didn’t mean to make him worry. Maybe I should get rid of the computer. It’s a lousy program anyway. I think maybe they’re going to put new computers into the school budget. I keep hearing about that.”

  “That’s only Miss Winter’s wishful thinking,” Flop said with a shrug. “So, what did you think of him?”

  “Who?”

  “The guy with the sexy accent. Do you like him? He’s really cute.”

  I stared at her wondering where she had been for the last four years. I didn’t like guys. I liked guy. “I haven’t actually seen him, but I liked his accent.”

  Flop sighed.

  “He tried to save you. I think that said a lot,” Junie said coming up to me while she adjusted her crochet flower blouse. It looked like something my granny had over the back of her couch, all orange and yellow acrylic.

  “That is the ugliest shirt I’ve ever seen,” I said, then clenched my teeth because I didn’t say things like that. I didn’t notice things like that. “So how’s the relationship thing going, Junie?”

  “I’ve decided who to have one with, so that’s good,” Junie said as we walked along acting like I hadn’t insulted her clothes. Maybe she hadn’t heard me. If yesterday’s giggling was any indication I had a suspicion that she’d decided on someone I never wanted to see again. They would be perfect for each other.

  “Um, is it Jim, the male cheerleader?” Flop asked sweetly. “He is kind of cute.”

  “Ha!” Junie said then swept her hair out of her eyes. I noticed that she left it down flowing over half her face in a way that made her look mysterious and girly, not pulled back in her regular aggressively functional pony tail. Down two days in a row—something was up.

  “Did I hear you say that Junie thinks Jim is cute?” Tuba said scooting in beside Flop. There was something weird about him, well, besides the obvious tuba case that he had on one shoulder. He seemed taller and almost, hmm, dare I say it, muscular.

  “Hey Tubes,” Junie said with a smile.

  I shuddered. At least Junie didn’t call me Tubes.

  Junie continued. “I didn’t see you yesterday. You must not have been back from your summer trip yet. You’ll have to tell me all about it. No, Flop,” she said turning back to Flop. “It’s Sean. He’s the ideal candidate for my foray into a relationship.”

  Tuba kind of blanched, which made his freckles stand out in spite of the tan he’d managed to get over the summer.

  “And Watergirl is getting over her fear of water and she’s going to date this total water god,” Flop said, filling him in without going into my big splash.

  “And you,” Junie reminded her, “Will wear a pair of winter boots when it snows before you catch another pneumonia.”

  “What about me,” Tuba asked shifting his tuba to his other shoulder.

  “You?” Junie asked looking surprised. “You’re fine the way you are.”

  “And we’re not?” I asked, but she didn’t seem to hear me.

  That day I had to rush to work after my choir rehearsal, which was fine because otherwise I would have had to argue for a very long time with Junie who wanted me to come with her to another swim thing. By the pool. With water. Yeah. She apparently was serious about Sean. When Tuba suggested that she join the swim team she actually thought about it for a minute. Maybe Junie was abducted by aliens who made her an evil, popularity craving human, or something.

  Chapter 8

  The next morning I felt a little sniffly, maybe allergies, maybe a cold, when Flop started talking the second she saw me. The exchange student, who’s name was Oliver, or Olivier, she couldn't remember, had asked about me. I sort of pretended to be excited about the guy I’d never actually seen, but really, I wanted a guy to like me when I wasn’t falling into pools, the way Cole used to like me back when he liked me. Maybe Oliver wanted details for when he shared with all of his cool foreign friends online how hilarious and idiotic the local Americans were.

  I wanted to forget about it, but Tuba, who hadn’t heard the story yet, had to be told in gory, graphic Flop detail full of dramatic pauses. That morning in the lull when the football players walked by, Flop gripped my arm tightly looking over them to see the new guy. For the first time in I don’t know how long, I didn’t see Cole. I didn’t have the emotional space to feel a jerk of misery while I was busy feeling humiliation as I looked for the foreigner.

  My first clear shot wasn’t bad. He wore normal jeans and t-shirt but somehow he looked better than most of the guys around him. M
aybe it was the way he stood so straight, or maybe it was the way he grinned over at The Captain who didn’t look like he’d ever heard a joke in his life, much less made one, but Oliver, or Olivier was laughing like he had. He had nice white teeth and his black hair was a little bit curly, messy looking. His eyes, green and glistening were hard to look away from.

  I stared the way I usually stared at Cole when he looked back at me, right into my eyes. I dropped my gaze to the floor and hoped he didn't realize I’d been staring at him, although why I wouldn’t stare when Flop kept pointing at him, I didn’t know. I waited long enough for them to have walked away before I looked up, and there he stood, not three feet in front of me.

  “Hi. We didn’t get a chance to be introduced yesterday. I’m Oliver,” he said stretching out his hand to me.

  “Did you say Oliver, or Olivier,” I asked stupidly putting my hand gingerly in his to shake it. He kissed the back of my hand, like a prince in a fairytale. I immediately felt my hands get clammy.

  “Whichever one you like better,” he said in that accent that made me want him to recite the Alphabet for me. And then the Constitution.

  “Ah,” I said, needing to wipe my hand on my pants before he felt the sweat.

  “I will see you later, Genevieve,” he murmured before he turned to catch up to The Captain who hadn’t bothered to notice me at all.

  “Mmm,” I said when he’d moved out of earshot then shut my locker door into my forehead. “Ouch.”

  “I take it that’s the water god,” Tuba said looking about as shocked as I felt. “He’s shorter than I thought he’d be.”

  “He didn’t seem short to me,” I said still dazed from the hand kissing, the fact that he hadn’t once mentioned anything water related, or maybe just my locker door where my head throbbed. He’d even called me by my name, the one my mother had given me. I didn’t think anyone at school even knew my name.

  In my classes, I listened to my teachers, but every once in a while I’d glance down at my normal, tan hand and remember the press of the foreigner’s lips. At lunch I sat down across from Flop, opened my lunchbox then froze over my hummus artichoke sandwich when the captain and Oliver showed up, at least Oliver smiling and sitting down like no one could possibly object to his magnificent presence.

  “Sit down,” Junie said, beaming at The Captain where he stood behind Oliver’s shoulder, his face expressionless. “I was just telling Watergirl about what an amazing season you guys are going to have this year. We’re all excited to see the new member of the swim team compete.”

  “Why do you call her Watergirl?” Oliver asked, leaning across the table to look at me, not at Junie. I felt like a rare exhibit on display.

  “Didn’t I tell you that she can’t swim and has an addiction to near death experiences?” The Captain said, pulling out the seat between Junie and Oliver then thumped his fingers lightly on the table. It probably meant something, secret man code for, ‘do we have to be here’, but Oliver ignored him while he stared at me.

  “You really can’t swim?” Oliver asked, staring into my eyes until I felt like the only person in the world, caught in his magical green gaze. The moment shattered when Junie gave a strangled giggle. I looked up at her.

  “You should teach her how to swim.”

  Flop gasped beside me while I stared, feeling like this was one of the dreams where the room was about to fill up with water and no one would notice until it was too late. Tuba muttered something under his breath.

  “Hey, I need lessons for English, and you need lessons for swimming. I think it would be a good trade,” Oliver said then put a hand on my shoulder, giving me the full attention of those mystical green eyes.

  I shook my head and forced myself to take a bite. I took my time chewing and swallowing. “If you need help with English I guess I could help you, but I’m okay with my current non swim status. We can’t all be half fish.”

  “She’s right, she’s fine without your lessons,” Sean said before he shoved back from the table. “Why would someone who’s constantly almost drowning want to know how to swim? It would take all of the excitement out of it. It’s best if she stays away from water and the half fish.”

  I stared at him then looked away when I caught the full weight of his glare.

  Note to self: Do not ever do anything to really piss off The Captain. Not swimming was bad enough.

  Chapter 9

  The rest of the week fell into an unusual pattern for me, starting with the morning when my brain fought over which guy to stare at, or in The Captain’s case, avoid completely. Every time I saw his frown I felt guilty, like he knew that while I still saw Cole and the world stopped, I’d been having notes floating through my brain that I had to scribble down, notes that matched Oliver and his green eyes. The Captain’s look seemed to warn me against being an idiot about Oliver the way I still was for Cole. Or maybe it was my overactive imagination.

  I closed my eyes and leaned my head on the locker, blocking out any and all guys while Flop clutched my arm, unable to look away from so much hotness. When her grip loosened, I put my books in my locker and shut the door.

  Lunches settled back to normal, only I didn’t usually see anything because of the notes, the ones that wrapped around me and carried me away that I had to record, to write in my notebook, scratching them out and starting over again and again while Flop commented on movies or guys and Junie pined for her Sean. Tuba watched Junie with a weird expression on his face, amused, but kind of disgusted too. Not that there was anything disgusting about The Captain. I glanced from Tuba’s face to the swimmer’s table and saw him, sitting like a king while his subjects amused and entertained him.

  His eyes flicked to me for a second, icy blue eyes making me feel guilty, like he knew what I was writing, knew what I was thinking. I stared at my paper, taking a few minutes for my focus to come back before I could remember the strain I’d been trying to capture.

  I wondered if Oliver and The Captain sitting at our table been a hazing tradition for the new team member—but The Captain wouldn’t have time for that kind of nonsense. I didn’t mind. I preferred to study Oliver from a distance, dissecting his voice, his hand gestures instead of trying to talk to him and sound rational. I wished I could transfer all of my obsession from Cole to Oliver, but my heart still went crazy when I was anywhere close to Cole, and that Thursday he’d bumped into me and I hadn’t been able to think for the rest of the day while my arm throbbed.

  On the positive side, I made it all the way to Friday without having to change my clothes from water accidents. After school, I felt like celebrating and wondered if Flop wanted to go get a smoothie with me. Coming through the hall towards me was The Captain and his fans, Junie trailing along behind them. They passed by me except that Oliver stopped, standing in front of me until I looked directly at him.

  “Hey Genevieve. I haven’t seen you around very often. Such a tragedy.”

  “Did you go selectively blind? I’ve been around every single day.”

  I blinked then frowned down the hall where Flop would be coming.

  “I have seen you, of course, but trying to get ready for the swim meet, trying to understand all my assignments, I suppose it’s left me too distracted from the things I would really enjoy.”

  I felt my heart pound while I looked up at him, trying to gauge how much of what he said was sincere. “You said you needed English lessons. If you were serious, I could help. Although, honestly, Flop is better at English than I am.”

  He smiled, a smile that showed his perfect white teeth against his tan skin. “There will be a party tonight at Ceramic Lake. You should come with me.”

  My mouth opened then shut. “Excuse me?” I asked staring at him where he leaned against the locker beside mine, looking relaxed. “I’m not invited.”

  I felt my skin prickle at the thought of going to the party where Sharky and Cole would be reigning queen and king, while The Captain and his troops would show up, march around, th
en leave. My freshman year I’d gone, watched through the bushes, staring at Cole, the way he relaxed, laughed, looked as warm and beautiful as sunshine, then watched as Sharky hit on him until I had to leave before I got sick. Oliver had no idea what he had just asked me to. He would be fine there: athlete, hot guy, maybe give Cole and Sean some competition. Maybe he meant that maybe he’d see me there, you know, like you saw people at the grocery store.

  “It’s supposed to be a nice lake with a good beach. Do you know it?”

  “Um,” I tried to think of a non-humiliating way to bring up my unpopularity. “We have a movie party at Flop’s house. It’s going to be beachy.” I exhaled, relieved that I’d managed to avoid the whole I’m a loser thing.

  “We’d love to go,” Junie said coming from nowhere with Flop at her heels.

  I stared at her feeling hugely embarrassed. Junie was out of her mind if she thought I was going to crash a popular party. All week she had been acting weird, but was she suicidal?

  “What about movie night?” Flop asked giving Junie a hurt look.

  “We have movie night every Friday night. Come on.”

  Just then Cole and his friends came down the hall throwing their ball around. A guy got knocked into his locker but no one stopped to help him out. I stared at Cole and kind of missed the rest of the conversation. That was unfortunate because when I tuned in Oliver was raising his black eyebrows at me and smiling slyly.

  “What?” I asked.

  Oliver just waved with a, “See you at nine,” over his shoulder.

  “What just happened?” I demanded feeling slightly hysterical.

  “He offered to pick you up, and when you were all, Coling out, Junie said no problem, you’d drive and meet him there and that would be better so you’re all fixed up. Seriously Watergirl, could you pick a worse time to be obsessing?” Flop said with a sigh.

  I closed my eyes and hit my locker with the back of my head. It didn’t help. “So he wanted to take me? Like a date? Why?”