Inferno Part 2

~191~ Long Week

Taylor's POV

Nolan stays in his room and works on sentences for hours. When he finally gets them done, he comes out and finds me. He silently hands me the pages.

I look them over and nod. "These look good, buddy."

He just gives me a sad smile.

The rest of the day, we have him do chores. He never once complains.

The next day he's sitting, carefully, at the table eating breakfast. I come down in swim trunks and a white t shirt.

"Go upstairs and get your swimsuit on."

"What?"

"We're going swimming," I say.

"I'm grounded"

I look at him hard. "You don't have to tell me that. I'm the one coming up with all the punishments. Get yourself upstairs and get dressed. Now."

He silently does what I've said.

When he comes back downstairs, he gives me a confused look. "I don't understand why I get to do this if I'm grounded. I was under the impression that this month is going to suck."

I sigh and grab my keys and kiss Ellie goodbye. "It is going to suck. Let's go."

We get in the car, and start driving to the public pool.

We get there, and the girl at the desk let's us in. I have an "in" with the place. We have been there multiple times before, as a firefighter, and the owner and I are buddies. He's letting me go in before the pool opens to the public.

We get to the pool and Nolan looks around. "I don't understand. The pool isn't even opened yet."

I smirk. "I know, Nolan. You're going to learn how to swim. You're not doing one more summer not knowing. So, every day that I'm not on shift this summer, we're coming here."

"Every single day for the whole summer? I'll never get to sleep in?"

"Did I say that?" I ask with an attitude.

He's still confused.

"We're going before the pool opens while you learn the basics. After that, we will come when they're open."

He sighs, but nods.

"Let's go!" I say, squeezing his shoulder and walking towards the pool.

We get in, and the cold water takes my breath away for a minute. You don't realize how much the sun really helps warm the water. This morning's water is chilly.

"Planning on giving me hypothermia as my next punishment?" Nolan jokes.

I laugh. "It will just be a perk, kid. Alright. The first thing you need to learn is how to float. If you can learn how to float, then you can keep yourself alive until someone can get to you. Flip on your back."

He nods and does, immediately sinking down.

I help him get back up to the top. "See how quickly you can drown?"

Nolan nods.

"K. This time take a deep breath, and put your arms out. When the kids were little, I told them to be a starfish. If that's too uncool now that you're a fancy 12 year old, then just make a 'T'with your body."

He takes a big breath, goes on his back, and sticks his arms out.

"Good. Now stick your stomach out....Relax Nolan....if you're tense, you will sink. You have to be relaxed to float.....good....relax a little more.....there you go......Kid, you're already floating."