The rulebreaker ✔

Chapter 12: No deep water

Within a week Ryan was expelled and sentenced to five years in prison. There was a great uproar that made me the center of attention for a couple of days with news channels asking for interviews. However, our principal, (whose name I discovered was Donald Vance Davis who everyone called Donald duck or DVD player) flatly refused them.

"The child has had a lot on her head, please leave her alone,"

This greatly increased my respect for him. Austin had been returned his captainship of the swim team and was given a job to select another player to replace Ryan.

Donald duck had also gotten into his head that I was constantly getting into trouble and had to be kept a close watch on. So, he assigned Austin the additional task of keeping me under check which I was greatly irritated by.

Mom had called me up and after my repeated insistence that I was alright and safe, she had spoken to Austin and apologized to him about her earlier impression of him.

And best of all; Austin and I were friends again.

Chris, Lexi, Aaron, and Abbey had also come to meet me, and Lexi had brought me another box of donuts. Lexi and Abbey had patched up and we all sat and munched on them.

The mood was a little grim because Ryan had been close friends with them all, but they had made it very clear that they were on my side which made me very grateful.

It was a Saturday, and we were all chilling out in my room sitting on my bed and listening to music except Austin. He was holding tryouts for the swim team and had been very busy.

After an hour of talking, laughing, and watching Aaron and Lexi flirt, I excused myself and decided to go for a walk and meet Austin. I changed my clothes into a white crop top and black ripped shorts then headed downstairs.

We hadn't really talked much after what happened. I figured he expected me to tell him about Aiden, but I couldn't bring myself to. So, we stayed quiet whenever we hung out.

After walking a fair distance, I reached the pool. I swung the door open and walked in. The pool was empty except for Austin who was cutting across the water in smooth strokes. His muscles glistened in the sun as he took a perfect dive and covered the distance without coming up for air even once.

As I continued staring, I didn't notice Austin stepping out and wiping his hair. Then he walked over towards me.

"Hey Brown, you come here for a swim?"

I waved hello and shook my head.

"Come on, it'll be fun,"

I shake my head and look away.

"Brown you owe me for a lot of things, if you let me teach you how to swim, we'll be even," he shrugs.

The offer is tempting. I hate being indebted to him but I'm petrified of water. The fear of drowning is too intense.

"No thanks," I tell him.

"Nothing will happen to you I promise." he grinned looking at my expression, "Have I ever let anything happen to you?"

I frowned at him, "Alright,"

Austin's face brightened up and he smiled at me, "Go get changed,"

That's when I realized that I didn't have a swimsuit. I turned around to face him and saw him holding up a shopping bag.

I took it out and pulled a black and white striped swimsuit. It was exactly my size, I never realized that Austin might have looked at my body and the thought made me turn red.

"I saw your clothes size," he said as though reading my mind.

I changed in the girl's locker room and came out. Austin was sitting on the edge of the pool.

He turned around and looked at me, "Braid your hair it's too long,"

"I don't know how to," I admitted. It was always Ashley who did it for me. I let my hair loose or I made a bun.

"C'mere," he said standing up. He stood behind me and deftly tied my hair into a plait, then tied it with the band around my wrist and swung it forward. It felt weird standing so close to him when he wasn't even wearing his shirt.

"How did you know that?" I asked him in surprise.

"I used to do it for my girlfriend," he said.

"Abbey?"

He shook his head then dived in without explaining.

I sat on the edge of the pool, my legs pressing into the cool tiles as I gingerly dipped my feet into the cool water and kicked my legs back and forth splashing around.

Even the shallow end was ten feet deep, but Austin insisted we start from the deep end.

"Come in Brown," he said impatiently.

I was so scared. I hadn't swum since fourth grade, and that was when I used to ride on Aiden's back. The thought choked me, and I inhaled a deep breath and looked pleadingly at Austin.

He swam over to me. "I'll hold you, jump in."

Hold me? No thank you.

"Heather come on or else I'll pull you in."

"You're such a meanie," I told him.

I took a deep breath and jumped in.

I flapped my arms and rose then coughed for breath as I gasped.

"You're ok Brown," I felt two arms wrap around my stomach and Austin's wet hair, brush against my face as I continued to thrash my legs, "hey hey hey calm down I'm right here,"

My face flushed and I felt warmth in my stomach as the butterflies swirled around. How was he completely at ease every time he touched me, while my legs turned to jelly, and I was a nervous wreck?

"Let me go, don't put your hands there," I said punching his arm lightly.

He released me and my head ducked under the surface as I swallowed a mouthful of water and came back to the surface coughing and spluttering.

I reached my hand out for Austin and grabbed his shoulder hard.

"Here just wear this," he said, handing me a yellow plastic tube with ducks on it. I slipped it around my waist and was finally floating at ease.

"You're really cute when you're scared you know," Austin smirked behind me, and I turned red again.

"Shut up," I told him and turned around.

"We'll practice floating first," he said.

I lay flat on the water surface and spread my hands and legs out and floated peacefully. After a minute, I felt Austin's hand around my waist, and he slipped off the tube. Startled by his touch, I ducked and swallowed a huge mouthful of water.

"You don't have to be so nervous without the tube, you were doing great," he said encouragingly.

I opened my mouth to protest but then laid back again, this time without the tube.

By the end of the hour, I could make it across from one end of the pool. "You already knew how to swim," Austin told me, "You were just scared."

I changed my clothes in the locker room and patted my hair dry. By the time I went out, Austin was already changed, and his hair was half dry.

"Thank you," I smiled at him and he smiled back. The pool didn't look half as frightening as before.

That's when I realized what an idiot I was. By offering to learn swimming from him I hadn't done him a favor or cleared my debt; he had done me yet another favor and helped me banish another fear of mine.

Sighing I turned around and walked off before he could stop me, thinking how the hell would I ever repay him.