Crush

Nine

It was so hot that being in the pool was a welcome relief. The coolness of the water also seemed to be taking the edge off the pain in Maddie's ankle. The swelling had gone down but the bruising had come out so it looked worse than it actually was. Plus, Jo had caught her hobbling around the house without her crutches, which was probably a stupid idea, but it was so hard to move around the furniture without bumping into things or knocking things over. Jo was this close to not letting Maddie go out, but in the end, she'd been invited to meet up with some of her family at the pub just up the road from the pool, so they came to a compromise. Since Jo and her family in Chesterfield didn't exactly get on the best, Maddie could stay at the pool for as long as Jo managed to stay at the pub.

"I can't believe your parents didn't take you to Europe with them," Maddie said.

"I wanted to stay," Tess said. 

"You willingly chose summer in Chesterfield over winter in Europe?" Maddie asked.

Tess shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with Chesterfield," she said.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Maddie said. She hadn't meant to offend Tess. "I just mean that I thought it would've been a no-brainer."

"You would've gone to Europe?" Tess asked.

"If my parents were paying? Sure," Maddie nodded.

"Yeah, well, it took mum and dad five years to save up and if I'd gone, they wouldn't have been able to go to all the places they're going to."

"So you gave up a white Christmas just so your parents could have one?"

"Sure. Why not? Anyway, I love summer. Don't you?"

Maddie drooped lower into the water and said, "I like the less extreme seasons a lot better. You don't feel like you're going to melt."

"That's why swimming was invented."

Maddie smiled. She brought her knees up to her chest and prodded at her graze. 

"I'm glad your knee's clearing up okay," Tess said, waving her hands under the  water causing little ripples on the surface. 

"That paw paw ointment worked a treat," Maddie replied.

"Told you," Tess said.

Maddie had been a bit dubious about the ointment but when Jo had agreed on its apparent magical graze-healing properties, Maddie figured it couldn't hurt to try it out. "Pity it doesn't work on sprained ankles," she said.

Tess laughed and replied, "There's only so much a paw paw can do."

Maddie splashed Tess, and Tess splashed her back.

"Hey, watch it," Will said, as he slipped into the water. Tess and Maddie both splashed him and he laughed. "All registered," he said. "They said they're starting in about ten minutes. And you're straight after me, Maddie. Lucky last."

"Wait a minute," Tess said. "You registered?"

"Uhuh," Maddie replied.

"How are you going to get up onto the diving board with your ankle?"

"I'll be fine," Maddie said. "But I might need someone to stand up there with me, just to steady me before I dive."

She smiled sweetly at Tess, who shook her head. "Not me. No way."

"Come on, Tess. Help an invalid out," Will said.

"Yeah, Tess, help an invalid out," Maddie said. "I'll share my ice cream with you when I win."