Moving In With The Enemy

Chapter 17 ~ "We've Got Her"

I really don't like being home alone with Walker. The apartment is so quiet and its so awkward all the time, we both have practically been living in our bedrooms since Mark and Dustin had left yesterday.

I wasn't sure why we couldn't get along better, I thought we'd agreed to try at the very least but I figured he was still tense from Thursday. He seemed so uncomfortable around me and it made me feel awful. I knew we were capable of having normal chats and talking, but I didn't want to force anything.

I had to go to work for the day, I had swim lessons to teach and then a guard shift for a few hours. I also needed to swim my physical today before my shift started so I needed to leave early.

It was raining and I sighed, pulling on my raincoat and then walking into the kitchen to fill my water bottle.

Walker emerged from down the hall and I kept my head down and waited for the water to reach the top.

"Leaving?" Walker asks and I nod.

"Yeah, I'll be back at around seven." I shrug, screwing on the cap of my bottle and turning off the sink. "I'll see you later."

I pass him and put on my shoes and then I slide my bottle into my bag's outer pocket.

"I-I could take you if you want."

"No." I mumble, zipping up my coat.

"Why not?"

"Walker, this is exhausting." I insist. "I'm sick of you doing these weird things, you don't even understand how hard it is to keep up with you."

"Annie, I'm just trying to do-"

"Stop it." I warn, pulling my hood up and I hear the thunder rumble outside. Chills roll down my spine and I groan, I'm an idiot. "Stop trying to do the right thing, you haven't even looked at me since Saturday night after you told me we were going to try to be friends."

"You haven't looked at me either." He shrugs, leaning back on the counter.

"I'm late for work and this is a pointless discussion." I tell him, unlocking the bolt and opening the door. "I have to go, I'll see you later."

I step out into the rain and sigh, wishing I'd taken him up on the ride. But I wouldn't give in, I'd be stubborn until the day I died.

The walk to work is damp and cold. It was the middle of October and it was definitely cooling down. Then, once I got there I hopped in the pool which didn't bother me because I was already wet, and swam my distance swim. 

Our goal was to do it in ten minutes, it was doable but difficult and it pushed you to swim faster than you were comfortable with. I check the swimmer's clock and I shrug, I was under ten. Then I hop out and hurry back to the office to get my plans together for my class. I had tots, then a group of swimmer-threes, then I was supposed to guard. 

The tots were precious, all we were working on were our starfishes and getting them to put their faces in the water. They were my favourite to teach, it could be stressful because they weren't fabulous swimmers yet, but they were so freaking cute.

After them my swimmer-threes were all working on diving into the deep end. I had them practice with sitting dives and then kneeling dives. It was all mind over matter with them, it was all in their own heads that it was scary.

Then I was onto guarding, I just pulled my pinnie over my swimsuit, grabbed my tube and my rescue pack and watched the water for my few hours. The morning was all swim lessons, at around two, we switched to family swims and free swims.

They were popular, fairly cheap for parents or young kids looking for something to do. We drew back the lane lines, opened the diving boards, put toys in the shallow end and had all hands on deck. There was five of us altogether and Michelea in the office. Even that didn't feel like enough though, family swims were scary and way too busy. Too many things could go wrong and I always approached them with a lot of caution.