The Lifeguard Hates You (Completed)

June Chapter 20

Does it count as a pool fouling if a full cup of coffee fell in the pool?

Texting Jay is never fun, because he never answers. But it's always fun when Rory does it. Mainly because her texts are so outlandish that he either has to respond or he'll show up, practically running to her rescue. I am not exaggerating.

Today's text message didn't get a response but we heard the muffled shout from the pavilion and then Jay is barreling down on us. He says nothing to both Rory and I as he looks down to the cloud of brown that has only now started dissipating in the deep end, despite Rory accidentally dropping in at least five minutes ago.

"What the hell was in that coffee?" he asks Rory.

Rory shrugs. "Uhm, caramel sauce, about three spoonfuls of sugar, and a lot of cream," she lists off.

"What, no actual coffee?" I ask her while Jay shakes his head.

"Get everyone out and then pour some liquid chlorine in," Jay orders, Rory nods sharply at the order. He takes a good long look at us, realizes which one of those tasks will go to which person and immediately Jay has changed his mind. "You know what, I'm off right now I'll do the liquid chlorine part."

"Oh! Come on! I need to learn! Can't I help?" Rory asks.

Jay barks out a no that doesn't deter Rory at all. She skips after him leaving me to clear the families out of the shallow end and deep end. I assume that things are okay with Jay and Rory now as they're acting like they usually do and I'm surprised they managed to come to any sort of resolution once Bryce got involved. I make a note to ask Rory about it but once I'm done with my lifeguard duties. But I'm finished before she is.

The procedure, unspoken between the lifeguards on rotation, was that in the event of any closure they go to their designated break area to meet for some social bonding time. The pavilion got the staff room the outdoor pool got the First Aid Shack. So when I'm the first one in the shack, I realize that Rory is probably still annoying Jay and instead of going off to join them, I sit down and figured I'll let her and Jay have their time alone.

They're actually not away for long. They do have to pour the chlorine in the pool and when Jay comes back with two buckets to mix the chemicals in, she's with him and I can kinda see them but I can definitely hear them. They're standing shoulder to shoulder joking and laughing to each other as he mixed up the chlorine with pool water to throw it in. I'm sitting in our nice little loveseat playing a game on my phone when Rory finally decides to come in.

"Uh... how long have you been sitting there?" she asks me.

"I unno, ten minutes maybe," I tell her. "Why?"

"Well is it still damp?" she asks and that's when I become aware of the seeping cold that is creeping down my legs. I bolt up and feel at my backside and sure enough it's damp. I turn to Rory with a dry glare on my face and she takes a hesitant step back. "Nope, not me. Jay did it. All Jay," she says with her hands up.

I storm out of the First Aid Shack, slamming the door as I go. I hear the teetering of the first-aid kit over the door and don't pause to hear if this time it's fallen over. It never does so I figure we're safe a nd Rory knows not to tempt fate by standing near the door and that badly-placed shelf. I stomp into the pavilion and find Jay guarding by the deep-end chair. Luckily, he's standing because this is going to make this easy. "You! You got the love seat wet and now my butt is damp!" I cry, he half turns as I continue. "Prepare to be revenged!"

I launch myself at him, using all my power and weight to try and shove him over the edge and into the pool but Jay has dug his heels into the tiles and isn't moving at all. I must spend a good couple of minutes trying to shove him but I pathetically can't make him move.

I realize that Rory has followed me to the pavilion when she appears beside me. "Uh, revenged isn't used in that way," she tells me and I huff at her, bouncing my shoulder again Jay's back. He kind of coughs, which means I might have winded him but he doesn't actually move.

"Instead of giving me a grammar lecture help me get him into the pool," I snarl as I wind up to give him another shove. He once again doesn't move. Stupid bloody mountain of a man.

Rory shrugs, kind of sighs at me and then walks away. She takes a running jump at him, throwing her shoulder into his back and this time he grunts in what I imagine is pain because he had back problems, but he still is as unmovable as before. Rory, however has bounced off of him and landed in a heap on the floor.

Jay turns to us. "If either of you try that again, I'll throw you in the pool myself," he warns. Rory groans from where she is on the floor and Jay's scowl deepens. "Oh, you're fine, stop being so over dramatic."

Rory sits up almost immediately as she glares at him. "Would it kill you to let us get you in the water just once?" she asks.

"Yes," he snaps and Rory flops down on the floor muttering something like: "Insufferable," under her breath.

I can tell by the way Jay's shoulders stiffen that he's ready to turn around and yell at Rory. It could be for either the way she's muttering under her breath or because she's still on the floor, it's a tossup and I can't wait to see what happens. Except Shawn, who is supposed to be off until the afternoon, comes skittering onto the deck.

"Oh, get ready for some shit to go down," he says. Now I'm smiling for a whole different reason.

It takes only two seconds for me to see what has Shawn agitated. It's Bryce, with an acoustic guitar slung over one shoulder smiling at Rory like she's his world. He strums a chord and begins singing. It's a cover of a Taylor Swift song and it sounds perfect. The entire pool has gone silent to listen to him, Rory has bolted up and is now standing in front of him trying to hide her smile behind her hands. The only person who doesn't look happy is Jay.

While this is all well and good for everyone, I can't help but turn a dry glare to Shawn. "How come you never serenade me?" I hiss.

Shawn huffs out an exasperated sigh. "I can't sing and you know it."

I turn to my other side and find that Jay is now beside me, he's not even looking at the pool. He's just glaring at Rory and Bryce. I crack a smirk and ask: "Seriously. Not even going to watch the pool? Isn't this just buddy guarding or looking away from the pool or something?" I ask him.

He doesn't take his eyes off of the two and says: "Shawn can't sing and you know it."

Bryce finishes his song and smiles at Rory while everyone in the pavilion claps their hands. "So, can I take you for lunch?" Bryce asks.

Rory turns to Shawn, who doesn't start until late on this afternoon. We did just have a pool fouling but we'll be good to open again in an hour and Rory's no doubt angling for him to start early. She doesn't even have to ask him thought, Shawn just rolls his eyes but says: "Yeah, I'll cover you," and Rory runs up and gives him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

She puts her hand out to Bryce, who takes the hand she offers and lets her pull him away. "Come on, I just need to get changed."

"Wait, you're taking him to our cabin?" Jay cries.

"Well yeah! I'm not going to leave him here with you guys!" she says and she and Bryce vanish. Jay shakes his head and goes back to the lifeguard stand.

I turn back to Shawn with a cocked eyebrow, surprised that he agreed to work when he didn't have to so Rory could go off with our sworn enemy. He glares back at me having seemingly not understood the stare I am giving him. "I can't sing. Don't ask me to sing," he orders. I just laugh at him.