Mending the Broken {T. Bolton}

~Chapter 18~

I checked the time on my phone. It's 8:34 p.m. Troy was supposed to be here at 7:30.

I stood by the pool, putting dirty towels in a basket that I would later take to the laundry room to be washed.

"Sorry I'm late. Give me two more minutes.", Troy ran up to me, out of breath from running.

"Nice tie.", I said referring to the one around his neck.

He nodded before I continued, "But your shoes don't match."

Troy frantically looked down while I laughed, "Just kidding." At that, Troy ran off to change and I turned back to the basket of dirty towels.

Taylor had walked up by then and handed me another towel before saying, "Honey, two minutes is being late, but an hour, is approaching a felony. Just because Troy is a nice guy, doesn't mean he's immune to boy disease."

I shook my head and questioned, "Boy disease?"

"Yeah, forgetting things you shouldn't forget.", she specified.

"Oh, so now you're a boy expert?", I asked.

"My older sister has ten rules about boy behavior, and nine of them involve things boys should never forget. Like diner dates."

"Well, it wasn't an official date kind of thing.", I said, trying to defend Troy. I mean, it technically wasn't ever a real date.

"Mmm, rule number three, all dates are official. Whether the boy knows it or not.", Taylor said, shaking her finger in my face.

I laughed and took the towel from her, placing it with all the rest. Taylor walked back out of the gate surrounding the pool.

While I waited on Troy, I took off the shirt I had on over my swimsuit, leaving me in my floral shorts and red lifeguard one piece.

I climbed up on top of one of the large rocks behind the mini waterfall that fell into the pool. Sitting with one leg over the other, I waited for Troy to come back from the locker room.

"Hey, lifeguard!", I heard Troy yell before cannonballing into the pool. I laughed and shook my head and him from underwater.

"You're crazy.", I said once his head poked out of the water.

"I'm so late, but I brought food, a few candles, I'm good for a full side picnic. What do you say?", he asked.

"But first, I dare you to jump in.", he dared me.

"You know we're not supposed to be in the pool. Club rules.", I reminded him.

He went underwater before coming back up and flailing his arms around. "Cramp! I need a lifeguard!", he dramatically yelled while coming in and out of the water.

After watching the show for a few seconds I finally decided to get in. I dove off of the rock I was sitting on and swam up to him. 

We swam around the pool, just the two of us, for a minute. Just enjoying each others company. Neither of us have gotten to spend much time together this summer and it's been really sad.

Troy held me in his arms and spun around while I laughed. He quickly pecked my lips before letting go and swimming to the side of the pool.

I followed him, out faces centimeters apart. Right before our lips met, the sound of footsteps filled our ears. Mr. Fulton stood at the edge of the pool.

"I see the water bugs are back.", his all to familiar smug smile was slapped across his face.

"Look Mr. Fulton, it was my idea, she had nothing to do with it.", Troy defended me.

"I generously overlooked your break time violation, then came the golf course incident, now this. Two strikes.", he wrote something down in his little notebook as he scolded us.

"Don't get a third. Out of the pool!", he yelled at us. Troy and I jumped out of the pool, trying to avoid any more trouble.

And just like that, a night spent with fun in a pool, turned into a third strike and an awkward ride home.