The Lifeguard Hates You (Completed)

June Chapter 7

Jay was sleeping when I left this morning so I left him some oatmeal. I knew I probably shouldn't be making meals for him because he'd never do it for me, but I also knew he wouldn't eat properly if I didn't leave him something. So at least I was helping, right?

I walked all the way to Fablehaven, as I usually do, enjoying the scenery and the small workout I was getting.

When I got there I went to the counsellor's cabin and found Maggie anxiously awaiting me. Maggie's full name is Margaret Dixon, but I like calling her by her nickname. Short and sweet like her hair would be if she's stop trying to put fluorescent colored streaks in it. This summer it's neon green that's already fading out. She's got a million piercings in her ears and her glasses have changed to purple box frames this year. It's my understanding that Maggie was made head counsellor this summer which is surprising because she freaks out under the slightest bit of pressure.

Kind of like right now.

"They're a particularly rowdy crew this month," she says to me as she pushes her glasses up her nose. Though she says that about the kids every year. "The Polished Elite guard got here an hour ago, he's been moving things in the arts and craft room and it's pissing me off."

"Alright, you go get the kids, bring them into the room and I'll lay down the law, just like last year and the year before," I tell her and let her scamper off. I wouldn't be surprised if this girl was giving herself an ulcer as we speak. I made my way to the arts and crafts cabin crossing through the lush green grass and waving to the kids who recognized me. I let myself into the arts and craft room, spotting a tall and lanky someone bending down behind a long table most likely picking something up.

It kind of looks like Milo and even though somewhere in the back of my mind I knew it was weird that Maggie had said "The Polished Elite guard" instead of Milo, I ignore my head and say: "Hey Milo, I thought we agreed moving stuff to purposely piss off Maggie was a bad idea?"

The person that stands up isn't Milo. Instead I'm looking at Bryce. Head Guard and the worst person on the Polished Elite team, the only guard on their team that I had never worked with before and coincidentally the guy who seemingly can't get enough of me all of a sudden. He's staring at me with a warm smile that makes me nervous. Bryce has never shown any interest in me before this summer. He has never attempted to talk to me or even given me a second glance, this new behaviour has me suspicious of his motives. If he expects me to swoon all over him he has another thing coming. My heart belongs to someone else so his baby blues aren't doing anything for my butterflies who apparently only go crazy for a particular pair of warm chestnut brown eyes.

"Not Milo," he says in a sickeningly coy voice. "You disappointed?"

"Greatly," I shoot back and I can see the surprise in his eyes. I cross my arms over my chest and stare him down, he's already fidgeting under my gaze. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, my step-dad wants me to learn every aspect of this job before I take over for him, which includes how the Fablehaven permit runs," he says taking a step towards me.

I stand my ground. I don't move back, nor do I move forward. I square my shoulders and tilt my head back so I can look up at him. My God he's tall. I scowl at him hoping to intimidate him so that smug grin will vanish off his face again but he's gotten used to my faces it seems and he doesn't waver this time.

"You're not going to like it," I tell him. And if he's anything like the other guards who work this, he won't. This permit involves a lot of work, granted I do most of the in water stuff but it's still hard work and a lot of paperwork for the guard who stays dry.

"Yeah, the others have told me," he says with a shrug, he's still moving closer to me, I've had to crane my neck to look up at him. He's taller than Jay... smells better than Jay too. "They've also told me you do most of the work."

"Yeah, well..." I start but Bryce isn't finished.

"I hear that you do all the work over at EAB too. That has to be rough."

I blink my eyes, it sort of sounds like he's being sincere and I don't know enough about him to know whether or not he's acting. I can't think of a reason why he'd be concerned or why he'd act like he was concerned, but I also have to remember what he did to Jay... so I know he's not trustworthy. If Jay is right Bryce doesn't do anything without having some ulterior motive, Jay's never steered me wrong before, but I've also been blindly in love with him since I met him... he's kind of always been on a pedestal to me. Maybe Jay is just holding a grudge. What happened between them was six years ago, maybe Bryce has changed. But I'm not stupid enough to believe that without seeing any proof.

I casually shrug so he can't tell that it sort of does bug me that my friends barely do anything and kind of piggy back on all my hard work. "I get more money and I have lots of seniority now so..."

"But you also don't get a breaks or any down time. I bet you wouldn't be reading books at your staff socials if you had more time off work," he says.

I can't help but agree. I don't really get a lot of time off and the doctor is always telling me that I get so sick so often because I'm over working myself. It would be nice to get time off, instead of constantly dealing with permits and other lessons all day.

"It's too bad," Bryce continues. "We wouldn't treat you like that over at Polished Elite. But you choose to slum it out over there, so what are you going to do?"

I want to argue. I want to tell him that I like being an EAB, that I don't mind working that much, that I like my lessons and my classes and my permits and that I like my friends even more. I want to tell him that I'm not slumming it, that Earth and Body is better than Polished Elite because we're wholesome good fun and we cater to everyone not just people with deep pockets. But I can't. I can't because a lot of what he's said has struck some chord in me. I've always thought it unfair that I did all the work, but I didn't think I could argue about it. Firstly these were my friends, good friends, sort of the only ones I had left, and I didn't want to alienate them from me like I had done to my other ones. Secondly, as the lowest full time staff I was expected to do all the hard stuff, the dirty stuff, the wet stuff, generally the stuff no one else wanted to do. But I wasn't the lowest anymore and I was still doing all of that.

The kids for the Fablehaven permit were all filed into the arts and crafts cabin, some beaming when they saw me, others groaning in dread. Maggie looks like she's on the verge of a panic attack even though everything has gone smoothly while the other female camp counsellors—and most of the gay ones—are all giving Bryce googly eyes and I put on my brightest smile and try to ignore them and the feelings that are now burning in my chest making it hard for me to breathe. I didn't want Bryce to realize that he had shaken me, but I could tell from that smug look he was giving me that he had.

I wondered if that was really what he had wanted all along.