Eleven O'Clock Number

MUSICAL #26: FUNNY GIRL

26: IT'S OKAY NOT TO BE ABLE TO SWIM, IT'S JUST A LIFE SAVING SKILL

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"I STILL HAVE no idea why you two like watching swim practice so much," Allison has just climbed out of the pool to be greeted by the sight of both Laura and Toby sat at the side, each with a load of homework in their laps.

"Well, I know why Toby wants to watch y -" Laura begins with a smirk, but is cut off by a sharp glare from Toby's direction. Allison tries not to do something stupid like blush, and ends up sort of running a hand through her (wet) hair, which for some reason only widens Laura's smirk and makes Toby look at her like she's Jesus Christ incarnate.

"Well, I hope you enjoyed me swimming around for over an hour and a half," Allison says wryly, just managing to ignore the way Toby's gaze is making her gut lurch and how exposed she feels dressed in nothing but a wet piece of lycra.

"I did," Laura says seriously, then slipping into a stage whisper, she adds: "So did Toby."

At this, Toby pulls his eyes away from Allison to glare again at Laura. "Shut up," he says.

Laura smiles, but doesn't respond. Instead, she turns to Allison and says: "Go change, before Toby collapses or something. We'll head for Starbucks now and meet you there, okay?"

"Okay," Allison chooses to ignore her other statement about Toby collapsing and its possible connotations, instead making a beeline for the changing room.

Eventually, Toby had explained to Laura about their English project, thus providing method to the madness that she'd been observing on Allison's part for the past few weeks.

"Trust Toby to rope you into this," was all she'd said, rolling her eyes. Now, they're going to Starbucks, because Allison needs coffee after swimming (this and when she has it with Daniel are the only times she'll ever drink the stuff) and because Toby and Laura want to come with her.

Allison hasn't really talked to Lydia for a while apart from a few lukewarm texts here and there, and it's not really sitting well with her. She can tell Lydia's distancing herself a little, and isn't sure why. She feels like they've had a fight when they haven't. Not really, anyway. Lydia's a specialist in Cold War-esque arguments. Occasionally, it's so bad that Allison doesn't even know where they stand.

She thinks about it now as she emerges from the shower and dresses swiftly. It's been like this ever since Lydia slapped Toby in the middle of the hallway, something that, several days later, is still being talked about. It isn't often that Lydia loses her cool in public, and Allison's got a feeling that the entire ordeal is going to end up being the stuff of Hunter High School legend.

It's still stuck in her head, Lydia's face when she was threatening Toby. Threatening him, Allison thinks, stuffing her things into her kit bag and walking out of the changing room, heading to the gates. Lydia was threatening him. And she meant it.

Allison has no doubt of Lydia's ability to raise hell when it suits her. She'd probably find a dozen different ways to make Toby's life practically torturous, in high school or out. She just never thought that she would be a suitable reason to do so. Not really, anyway.

But Lydia looked deadly serious. Allison can't begin to explain, even to herself, the look that had been in her eyes. Like...scary. Terrifying. If Allison had been on the end of that look, she'd probably have pissed herself right where she stood. And the way it just suddenly went away, in a split second. How flustered she looked afterwards. Allison doesn't get it, and she doesn't get why she doesn't get it, because she always gets Lydia. She could, like, teach the art of getting Lydia. Lydia Huntington 101. She should know what's up.