My Brothers In Blue

Chapter 6

A/N I just wanted to say thank you so much for almost 300 reads already!! 

Hollie's POV: 

This was it, my first day at Bondi. It's safe to say I definitely had first day jitters. I quickly shut off my alarm, hoping I didn't wake Becca. I didn't really need to deal with that at 5:30 in the morning. Hoppo had rostered me on for the 7am shift so I had about half an hour before I needed to leave if I wanted to get there early enough if I wanted to collect my kit. 

I rushed into the bathroom and splashed cold water onto my face in an attempt to wake up, before brushing my teeth. It didn't really work, I am definitely not a morning person and the mild jetlag I was still feeling wasn't helping! Hastily, I ran a brush through my hair and started the tedious task of plaiting it into two french braids. Having long hair was both a blessing and a curse. 

Glancing at the clock, I realised I had to leave and quickly grabbed my bag and keys and made my way down to the entrance of the dorms to hail a taxi to Bondi. I really needed to get a car, but the university has no where for students to park so there's no point. 

After a nerve-racking half an hour, I finally make it to the beach. The flags are already up so some of the lifeguards must have come in earlier for set up. Instead of going into the tower, I made my way up to Hoppo's office, because he said that he needed to give me my uniform and radio. 

I knocked on his office door and waited. "Come in" He called from his desk. Taking a deep breath and plastering on a smile, I turned the handle and opened the door. Hoppo was sat behind his desk, writing in a notepad and Deano was beside him, smiling welcomingly at me. 

"Hey Hollie!" Deano said, rising from his seat to shake my hand. 

"Hi!" I replied, returning the handshake that both of the senior lifeguards offered. 

"Looking forward to your first day?" Hoppo asked, putting the lid back on his pen and closing his notebook, indicating that he was giving me his full attention. 

"I'm really excited, but also kind of nervous." I say with a small chuckle. They laugh as well before reassuring me that everyone feels that way on their first day. 

"We better get you kitted up and introduce you to the guys then!" Deano says, once again getting out of his seat and beckoning me to follow him towards the changing rooms.

"The locker with the new uniforms is in the men's changing room, but at the moment, it's shut to the public and all the lifeguards are out on the beach, so there shouldn't be anyone in there." He said. 

"Okay, for a minute, I thought you were going to say that there wasn't a women's changing room!" I say, causing us to both laugh. After a couple of minutes sorting through packets of blue shirts, Deano sighs and looks at me apologetically. 

"I'm sorry Hollie, but the smallest size we have is a men's medium. That should be fine, right?" He says, offering me the iconic blue shirt. 

"Yeah, that should be fine. It will be easier to take off for a rescue." 

Deano hands me a dark blue sports bikini and a one-piece, along with a pair of board shorts and a utility belt, which has a radio attached with my name written on it in white writing, before guiding me out of the men's changing room and towards the women's for me to get changed. I quickly throw on the bikini, board shorts and blue shirt. The shirt was a little bit on the large side, since I'm only 5 foot 3, but nothing a spare hair band couldn't quickly fix. 

I shove my bag and change of clothes into a locker and walk out of the changing rooms to see Deano and Hoppo waiting outside the door. 

"You look great! Lets go meet the boys on duty." He says leading me towards the tower. As we walk in, Deano whistles, grabbing everyone's attention and their conversations stop and their heads turn our way.