Swimming with the devil

Chapter 9

I woke up in my bed with no recollection of how I got there. All I remembered was falling asleep on the couch and then waking up and seeing Scarlett.

I sat up quickly in my bed, maybe Scarlett was still here.

Not that I cared or anything, I just didn't want to walk  out in my pajamas. That would be embarrassing and I had a reputation to uphold. No use in giving Scarlett the chance to tease me.

I hopped out of bed and threw on some army green pants with a plain white tee and my black beanie. I then ran my fingers through the ends of my hair to give it a tousled look. Satisfied that I looked like a hot mess, I packed up my stuff for school and swim and then headed out into the kitchen to make coffee.

"Morning ker." Michael said and I just yawned in response. He held up a cup of coffee and I didn't even have to say anything because he saw the relief in my eyes.

"Hey, I've got the set list for today. I'll leave it on the counter." Scarlett came into the kitchen with a set of papers, "I'm going job hunting today so I have to hurry out of here."

"You're an angel." Michael smiled, taking the papers from her.

"Yeah, yeah." Scarlett tried to brush it off, but she was very bad at accepting compliments.

It was kind of cute.

Wait, no, it wasn't. She was not cute, she was annoying.

I had to get out of here before anymore thoughts like that came into my head, "see ya, Mike." I grabbed my keys.

I walked quickly outside and went to put the keys in the ignition, but as I turned them, the car wouldn't start.

"This is just what I need today." I murmured to myself sarcastically. I turned the key a few more times, but the engine only sputtered and then stopped.

Suddenly there was a knock on my car window, I unrolled "Hey, is everything okay?" Scarlett asked as she leaned on my window.

"Uh, y-yeah." I stammered trying not to focus on how good she looked. "My-uh-my car won't start. It's probably nothing."

"Well, it's definitely something if you can't get to school. Come on, let's check it out. Pop your hood open."

I'm not sure if it was the bonding that happened between us last night, or my exhaustion, but something had shifted between me and Scarlett. I couldn't quite place my finger on it, but I felt different. I did what she asked and then I stepped outside to join her.

"Man, it looks like you have a problem with your starter. It's totally normal. Over time motor starters can start to wear out and malfunction. You'll have to take it into a shop." Scarlett informed me.

"Okay, so what do I do right now? How am I going to get to school? This is my life we're talking about!!!" I exclaimed and threw my hands up dramatically. Then, realizing how dumb I sounded, I started to laugh. Scarlett looked at me and started to smirk.

"Don't worry, I'll let Michael know and he can take you to school. I've got an interview set up in thirty minutes or else I would take you." She placed her hands on mine and it sent shivers through my body.

"Yeah, cool, okay." I tried to play it off, but I could feel my cheeks getting red. She left and I found myself gripping the sides of my car just to not look at her leave.

Five minutes later, Scarlett came back, "It seems like Mike already left..." she pursed her lips in concentration.

"Great. I don't have time to find a new ride now." I slid my hands into my pockets and clenched my fists, "thanks for helping me out though, I think I'll just walk."

"Wait, is the actual Kiera thanking me? I can't believe this!" She mocked.

"Hey, don't you get used to this." I poked her playfully in the shoulder and smiled.

"You didn't give me time to actually finish my sentence, woman." Scarlett glared at me, "what I was saying was...Michael left, but I called and asked if you could hang with me until after my interview and I could drop you off at school a little late. He said he'd talk to the school office about it, but it should be fine. If you wanted to, of course."

Scarlett looked a bit sheepish, but maybe that was just me.

"Really? That would definitely be better for me. Less school equals happy girl." Gosh, when did I become so corny?

"If you keep saying things like that, you're not allowed in my car." Scarlett laughed and I saw she had a dimple on her left cheek. I held my hands up in surrender.

We headed to her car and I felt my heart racing. Alone time with Scarlett, in her car?? I had to control my thoughts. I especially had to control my hands.
———————-
I watched Scarlett walk inside the building to her interview. I nervously grabbed my phone but I had no messages and I wasn't sure what to do with myself. My thoughts kept drifting off and I found myself fantasizing about kissing Scarlett and even though I loved sex, just the thought of feeling her lips on mine was enough to keep me satisfied.

I knew she didn't feel the same and probably would never feel this way about me, but a girl could dream, right?

Scarlett walked out of the building and as I was staring at her, she met my gaze and smiled.

Fuck.

I quickly looked away and stared at the window as if the tree to my left was more interesting and I had never seen one before.

"You ready to go to school?" Scarlett smirked as she closed the car door and stared at me.

"I mean, I don't really have a choice, so fuck it and let's go." I rolled my eyes and tried to avoid eye contact with her. "Also, how did the interview go?"

"It went really well, actually. I hope they like me enough to hire me. There were a lot of people in there and I'm not as qualified for this job as I thought." Scarlett laughed but I could tell she was trying to play it off like she wasn't worried.

"I'm sure you're more than qualified." I stated. I was still staring out the window because if she looked in my eyes she would know what I was thinking about.

If she gets this job she might not be able to coach anymore and then I wouldn't be able to see her as often as I do now.

Almost as if she was reading my thoughts, she said, "I mean, I would love this opportunity but I also love coaching and being around all you guys. You're why I even get up in the morning. You inspire me."

The mood in the car got too serious, her words echoed through my head but I stayed silent. I wish I could've told her that she was already inspiring me to be a better person, but I was such a pussy sometimes.

Scarlett dropped me off and I left without saying a word. As I entered the office building to retrieve my pass I turned around.

"Thank you." I mouthed and she smiled and all I could think was...

Fuck me.