Putting this out there tonight before I get completely Jossed in the second half of the season. Enjoy!
**Pool Boy**
The first time he met her they were 16, and truth be told, he made a total ass of himself. It was two weeks before Thanksgiving and they were at the annual Choate Day event where the two schools, Choate Rosemary Hall and Deerfield Academy competed for the Boyden-St. John Cup. His school, Deerfield Academy, had held the cup for three years so the fervor of student loyalty was in full display. It was 11 AM on Saturday and several competitions were going on at once. He had just finished the men's championship water polo game, which the Deerfield team won handily by 3 points.
He'd like to think that he played impressively, but his own team's defense men were so good that he'd only needed to actually defend the goal twice, a feat for which a senior from Choate was currently mocking them. "Your goalie might be twice the size of ours, but he can hardly swim." the jerk was saying. He had to fight to keep his fists at his sides. He was already on probation. On top of that, when he was chewing him out for the infraction, Dean Peabody had kindly informed him that his father had indicated that if Aaron was going to be expelled, he'd like to be notified in advance so he could withdraw first and be admitted to Farragut(SP) without the stain on his record. There was no way in hell he was going to wear a stupid uniform and yes Sir everyone all day, not to mention spend the rest of high school in New Jersey, so he just shrugged and let his teammates engage the jerk.
Besides, the girls diving teams were beginning to emerge from the locker rooms which was a much more interesting prospect. "Dude, you look creepy standing there staring down the locker room door. Come get changed and then we'll sit in the stands like fans." There was a sharp crack as his buddy Preston snapped a towel in his direction. "Then we can use our school spirit as an excuse for scoping out tonight's prospects at the athletes' ball." They showered and changed back into their gameday uniforms of khaki pants, white polos and because it was fall, letterman jackets.
He had just finished combing gel into his hair when the blare of the fire alarm went off. Several Choate guys barreled out of the showers. "That happen often?" The jerk who had hassled him earlier called out as he passed, buck naked, and showing why he was a boastful jerk.
"Nope. I don't know if it's a drill or what." Everyone was throwing on clothes and rushing out to the pool deck. Aaron shoved his feet into his all weather mocs, curling his nose at the feel of his bare and damp toes collecting bits of grit. "If we're quick, maybe we can catch some damsels in distress!" He grinned over his shoulder at Preston as he pushed open the locker room stepped out into the cacophony of the hallway.
"Oooff." There was a grunt as someone crashed into him. "Sorry, sorry. Don't know where I'm going." He caught her by the forearms and steadied her. He had the quick impression of a tiny form, freckled cheeks, a cloud of dark hair and the faintest hint of a fruity flower scent. He didn't know what it was, but it reminded him of his little sister's dorm room. Those red lips and full lashes did anything but remind him of his sister however.
"Uh, no, I'm sorry. I was distracted by the alarm." As if on cue, the alarm stopped, although his ears still echoed with the sound in its absence.
The look of relief on her face was mutual. "Is this the way to the pool?" She asked. It was only then that he realized she was wearing a navy blue suit with CHOATE printed in bold rosemary blue across the chest.
"Yeah. Yeah right this way." He turned and waved toward the pool deck.
"Thanks." She padded away in front of him and he couldn't resist checking out her ass. Damn those divers were always so high and tight.
Preston caught his eye and nodded toward the stands and they found some seats with a few other guys from the team. There was a rowdy banter about their own game and the other games they would go to, especially the the football game later that afternoon, but Aaron found himself tuning out and watching for the tiny diver. He wondered what her name was, and what year she was. He doubted she was a senior because then she would have been here before. He watched her warming up with her team. He didn't know much about diving, but he could tell she was good. Being so tiny, the board hardly moved under her as she took her position for each dive. He watched as she positioned her feet with a neat rotation to secure her footing at precisely the pivot point of the board. She took her measured steps toward the end and bounced before she leapt into the air. And then he gasped when she whipped back into a reverse layout with a twist.
Preston punched his elbow. "Worried she'll hit that pretty head before you have a chance to turn on the charm?"
She made a perfect clean entry to the water and the Choate girls erupted in cheers. "Nah, no point in asking her out. She goes to school three hours away." But still, he couldn't help but wonder if she'd be at the ball. Only the varsity athletes attended so it would be mostly juniors and seniors.
Preston scoffed. "I'm not saying ask her out, just have a little fun. You never know, it could be the start of something." Aaron rolled his eyes. Preston started a lot of things he had no intention of following through on. "But, if you don't make a move, maybe I will. Hugh has a plan to secure the coat room for seven minutes of heaven tonight." The conversation among the boys degraded into speculation as to which Deerfield girls could be convinced to play along and which should be avoided. The divers went through their sixth round and then began tugging on sweats while they waited for the intermediate scores to be announce who would continue into the final six dives. Pretty soon the guys started leaving in groups of two or three to get ready to watch the football game. "You coming?" Preston asked.
Aaron glanced to the deck and saw the Choate girl with her nose in a book. It was hard to tell from across the pool, but it looked like Robert McNamara's new memoir. He grasped for a reason to stay. "No, I promised Andrea that I'd watch her dive. You know, she was a little miffed when she found out that Mom and Dad can't be expected to attend anything other than the alumni social tonight." He tried to keep his eyes from going to the Choate girl. His sister made a convenient excuse. While his parents were probably here on campus by now, schmoozing and being schmoozed without much thought to their kids, he was actually pretty close to Andrea.
Preston glanced over to where his freshman sister was sitting in the hottub and laughing it up with the other girls on the Deerfield team. "Oh yeah, she looks really upset." He snorted. "Alright, well suit yourself." Aaron sighed and leaned back against the bleacher seat. It was only half a fib. His sister had asked him to stay and watch her dive yesterday but he hadn't made any promises.
The announcer began reading the names and scores of the divers and his eyes darted to the Choate girl. She blushed when Emily Rhodes was announced in sixth place. So her name was Emily? It suited her. She had a classic look but he had a feeling she could be bold when the situation warranted. He smiled when they called his sister's name next. Fifth place wasn't too bad for a freshman who had only taken up diving two years ago.
Forty minutes later the final six divers were four dives into the final round. Andrea had just scored very highly on her flamboyant forward one and a half somersault, half twist in the pike position but Emily had executed a very elegant double forward somersault in the pike position to even them up. Aaron frowned when the judges announced the totals for the round as they had clearly made a math error. Andrea smiled and continued to chat away with her friends but Emily hauled herself out of the hottub immediately and marched over to her coach. The Choate coach, sighed as soon as she approached and dug a hand through his mop of messy white hair. Whatever the man said back to her made her scowl fiercely. She began to get more animated in her argument, punctuating her words by counting off points on her fingers and he could see she was eying the judges table around the coach. With her tiny frame and dripping wet ponytail, she looked like some kind of deranged pixie.
But he didn't get to see if she would have the gumption to go around her coach and approach the judges table herself because the fire alarm suddenly blared to life again. Most of the spectators stood immediately and began making their way toward the doors as had then been directed to before. Aaron stayed put. "Come on son. Don't you hear that fire alarm?" An elderly man, resplendent in a Deerfield Green wool suit tapped him with his cane, impatient to move outside.
He glanced at the deck. Most of the athletes were looking at each other, wondering what to do. A few were layering on sweats and towels. The officials and coaches seemed to be in discussion about whether to urge them outside. "Yeah, I hear it." He stood and headed for the stairs that led back up to the main hallway. As he waited to file out the narrow doorway, he turned to see what Emily was doing. She was bent over, briskly rubbing her legs with a towel. It was then that he noticed the old man struggling up the stairs. There was no handrail and the concrete steps were very steep. He stepped back down to join him and held out his elbow. "I love the atmosphere of this old place with the ancient tile and the stained glass windows, but I hear the alumni association is fund raising to build something that's a little more up to modern building codes."
The elderly man took his elbow with a grateful smile. "Indeed, young man, indeed. I'm John Reed Holcolmb, class of '52. And you are?"
Aaron did a double take. The name rang a bell. Holcolmb. Why did he know that name? "Ah, Aaron Shore, future to be class of '98. Justice Holcolmb? I'm sorry I didn't recognize…"
The man barked out a rough laugh. "Best part about my job, I have real influence without people treating me like a celebrity. I imagine there's only a handful of high school students that could name a member of the Supreme Court, never mind recognize one." Aaron noticed that talking left the man a bit breathless and he slowed even more.
Aaron let the man's pace dictate his own as they slowly climbed the steep risers. "I have to admit Sir, I'm not that knowledgeable either. But we read your opinion on Kramer vs the SEC a few weeks ago in Civics class and I was very perplexed by it." He'd had to raise his voice over the clatter of the alarm but the Justice seemed to hear him just fine.
"Kramer was a tough case. Maybe the toughest of my career. I did not like the decision I had to make there. There was nothing that said what Kramer had done was not allowed. So we had to overrule the former restrictions. But ultimately, my job is to interpret the constitution, not to bend it to what I wish it said. It happens that every now and then a case comes along that prompts new legislation or challenges old."
"But you overturned a precedent that your own father set? Wasn't that hard?"
Justice Holcolmb paused in his shuffle toward the door. "Of course. But there comes a time when a man has to do the right thing, even if it supports the so called other side."
Aaron chewed on that for a minute. His own father tended toward statements about never forgetting that business was competition and always upholding his family legacy. He held the outer door open for the older man and then sighed when he saw that they'd have to go back down more concrete steps. "I can see I have given you something to think about young man. I'll add this and then go see my grand-daughter over there." He paused to wave at a Deerfield Junior that Aaron knew well given she sometimes dated Preston. Funny, she'd never mentioned that she was a legacy or that her grandfather was someone so important. "The truly important thing to remember my boy, is that the sides are all illusions. When it comes down to it, there are two types of people in this world. Those that believe it is every man for himself, and those that believe we're all in this together."
They reached the bottom step and the man patted his arm. "Thank you for your assistance young Mr. Shore. If you ever find yourself in Washington, do look me up."
Aaron felt his collar heat. "It was no problem sir. Enjoy your visit here."
At loose ends, he looked around for his sister, thinking he'd tell her who he'd just met, even though she wouldn't appreciate it. But she was deep in conversation with a group of younger divers and he'd feel awkward interrupting. He turned to go, thinking he'd take the small brick path that led back around to the front of the building where he could cut across the quad to his dorm. She'd tell him the final score later. He maneuvered his way through the crowd on the small patio, all the while wondering why Emily hadn't come out yet. Then he saw her near the steps to the path, in the one area that was out of the shadow of the building. "No shoes?" He didn't know why he asked that rather than say hi.
She grinned. "They wouldn't let me go back into the locker rooms to get them. Good thing I'm tough." She had a sweatshirt on, although the collar was damp from her hair, and a large towel was wrapped around her waist. But her bare feet were sticking out underneath and he could see her lips were blue.
On an impulse he stepped even closer. "I'd offer you my shoes but they are gross inside. But you can't stand out here barefoot. You can stand on my feet."
She blushed profusely. "I'm not that cold and the bricks should be warmer here."
"Yes, yes you are." He reached out and took her hands, giving a little tug to urge her closer. "I don't bite." Her hands were small and delicate and still damp from the pool. "You'd think they could let the divers wait near the door, but just inside or something. Sending you outside, all soaking wet is ridiculous when we all know it's a false alarm."
She was looking down at their hands and he could see she was contemplating her feet. "Mhum, well there are probably liability issues at stake if they don't follow the fire alarm policy to the letter. Insurance wouldn't pay out, that kind of thing." She shivered so violently that he felt it in her hands.
"Just stand on my feet so that you get your feet off the cold ground."
"Is this how you Deerfield boys woo the girls? You boss them around before they even learn your name?" She turned her face up to him and he noticed that her eyes were a gorgeous deep caramel color.
His heart flip flopped a little. That almost sounded like flirting. He offered her his best smile. The one his sister called his shameless secret weapon for getting whatever he wanted out of his parents. But when she smiled back, it changed. He couldn't quite describe the difference, but it felt different, warmer somehow. "It's Aaron, Aaron Shore. And If I was wooing you," He let go of her hands and shrugged out of his jacket, "You'd know it." He wrapped the forest green coat around her shoulders and pulled her closer so that she pretty much had to step onto his toes or fall over.
"I'll hurt your feet!" She exclaimed in alarm but he noticed she relaxed and didn't resist his supporting hand in the middle of her back. For a moment his attention was captured by the feel of her freezing toes on top of the bare skin between the tongue of his shoe and bottom of his trousers. "But it is warmer." She was forced to put her arms around his waist for balance and he could smell the damp chlorine scent of the pool. The feel of her small hands through his cotton polo shirt was thrilling and he willed himself not to get too carried away by it. Really, this was ridiculous. She was just some girl who lived three hours away and maybe would make out with him in the coat closet later.
"Seriously? You must have bird bones Emily. You're hardly hurting my feet." He'd admit that his toes were a little pinched, but it was totally worth it to have her practically hugging him.
"How'd you...the announcer." She answered her own question. At her arched brow the shameless grin snuck out again. "I pay attention when I'm interested in something."
Her eyes went wide with alarm but she used an old time movie accent to reply. "I'm sure that I'm not your type."
Aaron snorted and winked down at her, playing along. "I'm 16. My type is rather broad."
She giggled "You know what I mean."
He was pretty sure he did know what she meant but he liked talking with her. She was witty and smart and didn't pretend to be dumb in some kind of misguided attempt to stroke his ego like some girls did so he ignored her comment. "Are you going to the banquet later?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, we have to go. But I'm packing a book in my purse and as soon as dinner is over, I plan to find a nice cozy spot in the coat closet for some quiet reading."
Aaron couldn't help it, he barked out a laugh. A few people turned to look at them, including a tall blond Choate girl who looked down at Emily with narrowed eyes like she was a stain on her newest pair of suede shoes.
"Uh oh." She nodded around his elbow. "It looks like your girlfriend is paying attention."
His what? He looked over his shoulder to see Andrea giving his back a questioning look. "Andrea? That's my little sister. She's harmless. Well, except in the pool. If you want to stay ahead of her, your last few dives better be killer, because her reverse one and a half twist, which is her number 10 dive, is flawless."
Emily smiled up at him and for a moment he was lost in her face. Her bright eyes sparkled with amusement. "That's nice of you, watching your sister dive. A lot of big brothers wouldn't bother."
"That's not why I stayed." He admitted.
"Oh, was it to chat up Justice Holcolmb?"
"You recognized him?"
She ducked her head a bit and a few drops of water dripped from her hair onto his forearm. "I'm a junkie for politics." She mumbled.
"Huh? I didn't actually recognize him, but he was nice enough to talk with me on the way out the door." She tilted her head with a half smirk as if to say tell me another one. "But anyway, politics is an unusual hobby for a 16 year old diver from Connecticut. Unless your father's a senator or something. Are those girls actually your secret service detail? Are they going to come shake me down after this? Because I can assure you, they already have a fat file on me."
Her eyes darted to the group of snooty girls and back to his again. "Ah, no secret service, my dad's a teacher."
Now it made sense why she wasn't hanging out with the other Choate girls. He could see she was waiting to see if that ruined his interest. Fat chance. "Leave your book in your room. After dinner I'll introduce you to a senator or two. Besides, we practically have to dance. I am terrible but you owe me a few crushed toes." She blushed, but when she moved to stand back on the bricks he tightened his grip. "I'm kidding, really. But I would like to dance with you."
"How do you know more than one sen...Shore, your father is Ambassador Shore, at the UN?" He was quickly realizing that she had the adorable habit of answering her own questions. Her brow furrowed and he figured she was trying to remember what his father had been in the news for lately. "He's been making waves with his statements on how trade deals affect international drug smuggling." She looked to him for confirmation and he nodded, for once in his life glad to have such a recognizable name. "So you come all the way from Mexico for school here? Aren't there any good schools a little closer?"
He liked the way she wrinkled up her nose when she was confused about something. "Officially we have a permanent residence in Mexico City but I have never really lived there. I really grew up in Westchester."
Her face felll into a deep frown. "Westchester, New York? Oh, I don't think..." She stepped back abruptly, surprising him. I ah..." He heard the door swing open behind them. "Oh look the pool is reopening. She practically threw his jacket into his arms as she stepped back off his feet. "I can go back in now. Thanks for your feet." She spun on her heel and slipped between two older girls in line for the door, leaving Aaron standing open mouthed on the patio.