Sing Out Loud
Will kissed Emma goodbye as he made his way down the halls. She was heading home to relax and think about baby names, promising her husband she would not to fret about her red hands or the dark line that suddenly appeared on her protruding stomach—both of which the doctor assured her were a result of the hormones and perfectly normal.
The Spanish teacher, in the meantime, was headed to the music room with some exciting news for his team.
"Guess what guys?" He announced, causing the multiple conversations to quiet and the kids to look up at him. "I've got great news: we're going to be performing at the Pep Rally this Thursday!"
"Us?" Michelle repeated. "Why?"
Earlier…
"Will; the Guten Polka Dancers have canceled their performance due to the group coming down with measles, and we need the Glee Club to fill their spot for the upcoming Backpack Safety Awareness Month Rally this Thursday."
"So we're going to need to put something together by the end of the week," the teacher finished. "This means we'll need to work hard to get it ready by then." He looked around at the kids' eyes wide in shock. "Come on guys—this will be fun!"
"I'm sorry," Stassi finally answered. "When did we vote on drinking the Kool Aid?"
"Come on guys! This is our opportunity to show the school what we've got, and that no matter what they throw at us, we're going to stay strong. In fact, while we're getting ready, I'm going to be giving you guys this week's assignment," he told them, turning to scribble on the whiteboard behind him. "Confidence," he read, underlining his own work. "Some of you act like you have it in spades, but now it's time to share the wealth. I want you to think up a song that will not only boost your determination when you're up on stage, but inspire it in your fellow teammates as well. So what do you say?"
"I'm doomed," Dalton murmured under his breath, drawing Roxie's gaze.
"Chelle, where are we going?" Caroline asked her friend as the girl dragged her past the locker rooms into the gymnasium. She glanced down at her vintage tea party dress. "I still need to change, and don't you have class?"
"All gym classes are either on the track or playing soccer, so the gym is completely empty today," the youngest Cheerio giggled, practically skipping as she led the other freshman into the empty room. "So we decided to have an impromptu get-together."
"We?" Caroline asked, looking around to note Stassi, Nina, and Annie turning from their various stretches to watch the two freshmen come in. "Won't we get in trouble for cutting?"
"Coach gives us all emergency passes for extra practices," Annie replied, slowly pulling her foot to her forehead.
"And we're not missing anything important," Nina placated the girl, placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Study Hall,"
"Substitute in English," Annie commented, now slowly sliding into a split.
"Health," Michelle added.
"Chemistry," Stassi replied, transitioning from a back walkover to a backward roll into a handstand, shoes wiggling as she took a few paces forward on her hands. "No big."
"I don't know…" Caroline said reluctantly, tugging at her navy tulle halter sleeves and biting her lip as she glanced at the doors. She wasn't a Cheerio, and didn't want to get in trouble.
"Come on," Annie encouraged her. "We made up a routine for Schue's assignment, and we could use an outsider's perspective."
"I guess," the brunette shrugged, dropping her backpack next to the others and taking a seat on the bleachers.
She couldn't help but grin when the music began.
Stassi strutted forward, When I walk on by, girls be looking like damn she fly
I pimp to the beat, walking down the street in my new lafreak, yeah
Annie threw Nina in the air, and the petite junior belted as she landed, This is how I roll, animal print, pants out control,
Annie flanked her friend, then continued the verse, It's RedFoo with the big afro
They like Bruce Lee rock at the club
All of the Cheerios stood and sang together, hip hop choreography flawless Girl look at that body
Girl look at that body
Girl look at that body
Caroline laughed as Michelle popped forward, flexing and winking, I work out
The Cheerios pulled her back and continued, Girl look at that body
Girl look at that body
Girl look at that body
Michelle jumped forward in a salto, landing on one knee as she again flexed, I work out
Stassi began a complicated routine as she took back the lead When I walk in the spot, this is what I see
Everybody stops and they staring at me
I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it—show it—show it—
The four girls froze for a split second, I'm sexy and I know it
Then began ad-libbing ridiculous moves in between phrases, I'm sexy and I know it
Suddenly they turned sideways and their Cheerio skirts went crazy.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle yeah sang Annie as she threw her leg out and back before pumping in eighth-beat counts
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle yeah, came Nina as she threw out some insane crunking moves
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle yeah, added Michelle, with a corkscrew flip and a grin
Stassi finished it with a single hip vertical figure eight. Do the wiggle yeah
Girl look at that body, they all began again, dancing in a complex set of cheer choreography
Girl look at that body
Girl look at that body
The girls threw Michelle in a basket toss, allowing her to strike a pose in the air as she winked and sang, I work out
Girl look at that body
Girl look at that body
Girl look at that body, they all did forward handsprings, with Michelle doing a second as she stepped out of formation to flex,
I work out
They all stood together, sliding into a split as they finished, I'M SEXY AND I KNOW IT...
The Cheerios froze for a moment as Caroline stood and applauded proudly, to which Michelle leapt to her feet and ran to her new friend.
"You liked it? I swear, it's such a rush out there!" the tiny girl exclaimed. Caroline remembered the rush she got when she did her routines.
"It was great," the non-Cheerio told her. "It looked really solid—was that your first time performing it together?"
Nina's chuckled. "If only." Then her face fell into a frown. "Did it look like a first-time performance?" she asked
"No; I mean, there was just some little things," Caroline replied, waving her hand to brush them aside. "Nothing worth worrying about."
"Like what?" Michelle asked.
"Just a couple round-offs were a little out of sync, and your back tuck set needed a little work, but really—they looked fine for a practice."
"What would you know about any of it?" demanded Annie crossly; honestly, she'd been wondering since they'd become friends if Caroline even had any cheer skills.
Caroline sighed, then stepped out on the gym, blue velvet swishing slightly with her determination. She took a deep breath, and then sprang out, executing a perfect standing handspring back tuck.
All four girls' eyes widened in surprise.
"Holy cow, that's awesome!" Michelle squealed, running up to her friend and hugging her, while Nina and Stassi gave each other significant looks.
"Where did that come from?" Annie asked, and Caroline shrugged.
"I did gymnastics for a while—I was decent, and some things stuck, I guess."
"Decent—you should totally join Cheerios! You'd be so great, and we'd all get to hang out together and be super-popular and—"
"Harrison," Stassi interjected. "Your mouths's leaking—call a plumber and take care of it."
Caroline smiled at the other freshman. "I don't really want to be a cheerleader anyways Chelle," she told(lying a bit) the other girl. "I can't really stand being compared to Quinn as it is; I can't imagine what it would be like if I started Cheerios. Plus if I'm going into fashion design, I need to be able to wear more than a McKinley High uniform, you know?"
Michelle stared in disbelief, mouth agape until Nina bumped her shoulder. "It's cool," the junior replied. "A little bizarre for this school, but cool."
The girls segued into talking about technique and routine, pulling Caroline into the conversation for more input now that her secret was out. They spent the rest of the period happily chattering about choreography and what their uniforms would look like if they were allowed to design their own.
Roxie sat alone, munching on some cold pesto pasta left over from her shift at BreadstiX. Taking home leftover food was one of the perks of her new job: it saved them money in their grocery budget. Picking through the pine nuts with her left hand also helped the tiny girl forget about the dull ache in the joints of her right, so she remained absorbed in her solitude, focusing on the tiny seeds in her lunch.
"Hey stranger," someone spoke jovially behind her, startling the girl from her stupor as Dalton sat down across from her. "Is this seat taken?" he asked, to which she shook her head, blushing slightly.
He unpacked his lunch—a small anti-pasta platter, kefir, individually sealed parts to a turkey club sandwich, and mixed nuts, with a Naked Juice smoothie to drink. Roxie glanced from his banquet to her meager meal and blushed even deeper.
"So, BreadstiX, huh?" he asked, and nodded toward her pasta. "I've been there a few times—do you like it?"
Not especially, but who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? Roxie thought to herself, shrugging.
"They have this lasagna there, totally blows me away—it's like they add something to it that totally changes everything, but in a good way—"the brunette smirked as she fiddled with her glasses, and the boy noticed. "What?"
"Eggplant," she said quietly. When he continued to look puzzled, she continued, "The lasagna you ordered is the one off of the third page of the menu?" She continued as he nodded, "It's vegetarian lasagna—they use eggplant instead of meat."
Dalton scrunched up his nose for a moment, and then let it drop back into neutral as he reconsidered. "Huh," he finally said. "Eggplant—no joke?"
Roxie nodded, laughing quietly as the sophomore wrapped his mind around his mistake before finally joining in with her.
"So Rox," he said as they settled down and he finally began putting together his sandwich. "What other kinds of thoughts are rolling up in that mind of yours?"
She turned quiet for a moment, then finally spoke up. "Are you worried about the Pep Rally?" she asked.
Dalton looked surprised. "What do you mean?" he deflected.
"I heard what you said in rehearsal yesterday," she told him. "Are you embarrassed of us?" Of me? She prodded silently. She didn't have a lot of friends at school—scratch that: she had zero friends at school, and it had felt kind of nice to have someone to sit with at lunch.
The taller boy ducked his head in chagrin, glancing around the cafeteria as he leaned forward. "It's not that," he told her. "I literally can't go out there. It's just…I don't think you'd get it."
"You don't want to jeopardize your popularity," Roxie deadpanned, hating to hear the boy think so little of their group. "Glee's not cool; you want to maintain your status. Is that about it?"
Dalton tried to defend himself against her accusatory tone. "You don't get it: I'm a dead man if I go up there. Certain expectations fall on me—"
"Wasn't the point that you wanted to do both?" she asked. "Be popular and a performer. Glee Club needs you; you can't just abandon us."
"Okay, okay!" he replied, throwing his hands up in defeat. "I'll do what I can, okay?"
"Which is perform," Roxie insisted, and he nodded reluctantly, taking a bite from his sandwich. She leaned back; satisfied that he'd be there.
They steered back to more cheerful topics, discussing songs for the assignment and classes that Roxie was taking now that Dalton had had last year.
Suddenly a voice called out, "Hey Mr. Moneybags!"
Dalton looked over to see two Jocks, Crash Sybil and Coby Pally, walking up to him.
The sophomore high-fived his friends, and the two boys sat at the table, each reaching over to grab from the boy's meal.
"Dude," the dark-skinned athlete said with a mouth bursting with food. "What the heck am I eating?"
"Yeah, what is this?" the husky brunette asked, holding up a piece of meat with a chunk bitten off.
"Savory nuts and an anti-pasta plate, gentleman," the blonde responded. "My mom's gone on a health craze. So it's salmon and pita with hummus, and almonds and macadamias in garlic-ginger-soy sauce." He laughed as the boys chewed thoughtfully, then shrugged, reaching for another piece. "Have at it."
"Hey, what's that?" Coby mumbled, reaching for the kefir.
"Back off, Chubs," Dalton told the larger boy, smacking his arm away. "That's actually good."
The boys roughed around for a bit, eventually spilling the half the kefir onto the table and Coby's grungy tee as they tried to get it away from Dalton, and Roxie watched in awe. She wondered if this was how all teenage boys ate lunch.
"So, aren't you going to introduce us?" Coby finally asked after they'd finished fighting, gesturing to the tiny girl.
"Oh yeah," the sophomore replied, grinning. "Rox, these are Crash and Coby, they're both on the varsity team—receiver and tight end. Guys—this is Roxanne Lovely."
"Well hello Roxanne," Coby told her, waving his arm as he bowed emphatically. "So Lovely to meet you!" To which Crash burst out laughing.
Roxie nodded slowly in acknowledgement to both of the newcomers.
Dalton leaned over, his messy hair tumbling forward with him as he whispered, "They're good guys, but can't take a single thing seriously—all bark, though, I promise."
"So what were you two up to before we so rudely interrupted?" Coby asked, causing his friend to break out sniggering again as he slammed his hand on the table, causing the contents to shake.
"Uh, music, actually," Dalton told them. "Rox here's got a hell of a set of pipes on her."
"Awesome," the boy replied, tossing his head back to ruffle his already messy locks. "What are you into Roxanne?"
Roxie just shrugged, suddenly feeling very put on the spot as the boys stared at her expectantly. Realizing she should say something, she opened her mouth, but couldn't push any air past her vocal chords.
Crash scratched his head. "Is this like a riddle?" he asked, looking to Dalton.
The boy threw an apologetic smile at his shy friend. "Nah; she just doesn't waste her breath on a couple of meatheads," he replied to the junior.
"Then what's she doing talking to you ScroogeMcDuck?" Coby laughed, putting on a dead-accurate Scottish accent.
Just then the bell rang, and Crash looked up enthusiastically, pushing on Coby's arm and nodding behind him.
"Well hello," the brunette said with a grin, and stood up quickly, Crash jumping over the table to join him. "Sorry Dalt—we got something pressing to take care of at the moment."
Roxie and Dalton followed their expressions to see a cluster of Cheerio skirts exiting the cafeteria.
"Why do you encourage him?"he asked the burly guy. "It's not like any of them would go for you anyways, you Bizarro-Homophile,"
"Because Crash Cock-Blocking is an Olympic-worthy sport that never goes out of season," Coby replied with a laugh, causing his dark-skinned friend to flip them both off.
Dalton and the football jock grinned, punching fists as other two made their way after the girls and into the hallway.
Everett wandered from drama class, where he'd been holed up rehearsing all through lunch. His face was still buried in his notes as he wandered through the corridors, practicing his cues in his head as he mumbled the lines.
"…Thank God this moment's not the last," he murmured, trying to remember his blocking without drawing attention to himself. "There's only us; there's only this. Forget regret, or life is yours to miss—"
And the cafeteria door flew open, sending Everett sprawling and his papers flying as a flock of Cheerios stepped past him, not even glancing down to acknowledge the damage they'd caused.
Everett sat up and leaned over, collecting the scattered sheets. Of course, two jocks raced through the doors at the same time, kicking up the drafts yet again.
The curly-haired boy huffed, not noticing the other person next to him until they both reached for the same paper. The junior started a little as he realized that Coby Pally was kneeling next to him on the floor, helping picking up the papers strewn everywhere.
"Sorry about that," the larger boy apologized. "You know how it is—pretty thing walks by, and you kind of lose sight of everything."
Everett nodded mutely, amazed the football jock was talking to was a complete anomaly at McKinley—a happy, gay jock that got along with just about everybody by managing to avoid just about every gay stereotype there ever was.
"So, RENT, huh?" the boy continued conversationally. "That's a great show—very cool. Who's your character?"
Everett finally shook himself out of his stupor, "Roger—"he started to say, when a voice called Coby's name down the hall.
The jock glanced back at his friend waiting for him, gesturing impatiently, and flashed the smaller boy a grin. "Sorry; the thrill of the chase, right? See you around."
And then he vanished down the halls, leaving poor Everett still sitting on the ground, wondering what the hell had just happened.
Liam, Andrew, and Teddy sat together in Multimedia class, hovering over a DVD player showing a lecture on Walter Benjamin. They all groaned when the bell rang, and reluctantly cleaned up their materials.
"That's what I'm talking about," Liam told them as they walked down the halls. "We need to revolutionize—really bring these halls to life."
"God, can you imagine?" Andrew opined. "The life of a locker at WMHS: not only containing books and the constant face, but enduring body slams and slushie abuse throughout the year."
They paused at Teddy's locker, where they waited patiently for the straw-haired boy to peruse his binder for his notes and homework, then recheck all of his books as he stacked them neatly in his locker. "It'd be a heck of a thing," he agreed, carefully shutting and locking the door.
"Guys," Liam said, gesturing to a bulletin board down the hall. The three wandered to the flier-filled wall, and together they stared at a glossy paper in the corner.
"The Ohio Independent is hosting a film festival, with high school entries in its own class!" Andrew read excitedly. "First prize takes five thousand dollars!"
"This could be our chance," the gangly blonde added eagerly. "Something to really make a name for ourselves."
"It's fate," the tall sophomore agreed. "I mean, we've already started the footage, and this school was created for this kind of film. The three of us are destined for that prize."
"So we're in this," Teddy asked, looking from one friend to the other. The three grinned and they all pounded knuckles, grabbing the flier and talking animatedly about format and content.
French was finally over for the day, and Caroline and Katie stood in the hallway as the blonde rifled through her locker. The two were rambling in a completely random conversation, giggling like crazy when Caroline noticed a flash of red clothing out of the corner of her eye.
She looked over to see Nikki and The Jenns gathered at the lockers about thirty feet away, likely gossiping up a storm. When the Captain finally looked up to see the freshman looking at her, Caroline waggled her fingers in a wave and flashed a huge grin, causing the older girl to glare daggers and duck her head toward the younger girls, jumping deep in conversation.
Katie glanced from one end of the hall to the other, shaking her head in distaste. "Why do you insist on goading Medusa?" she asked. "You're only going to piss her off."
Caroline laughed as she met her friend's eyes mischievously. "But that's the fun part Kit-Kat!" she reminded her friend.
The other freshman shut her locker, rolling her eyes as she pulled her bag back onto her shoulder and watched the junior and evil clones stride away. "I'd just be careful if I were you. One of the main perks of being both a Cheerio and the HBIC is having all but unlimited resources and no morals."
The brunette rolled her eyes at her friend's warning. She'd come across girl's like Nikki all of the time in boarding school—she'd never been a doormat to anyone, and she wasn't going to start now.
She took a step away from the lockers—and abruptly bumped into Teddy Abrams, paying just as little attention in his huddle with Liam and Andrew as she had been with Katie.
"Oh! Caroline," he yelped, hurriedly backing away, hands in the air as his face turned red. "I'm so sorry—are you alright?"
"No, no—I mean, yes, I'm fine; so don't worry about it," the brunette sputtered, biting her lip as she tried to put her thoughts in order before she spoke. "What are you up to? I mean, you guys?"
Andrew spoke up, "We're entering a documentary for an Indie film festival," he told her.
The freshman pulled her eyes away from the junior to address the smaller boy. "Wow, that's so cool," she told them. "Good luck," she added, smiling at Teddy as the boys waved and continued down the hall.
"I saw that," Katie whispered behind her, and Caroline looked back in surprise.
"Saw what?" she muttered, trying to hide her embarrassment as she hiked her bag further up her shoulder and turned back down the hallway.
"Oh come on—you were giving him the full Care Bear Stare," the blonde insisted with a grin. "You totally like him: admit it."
"I do not!" she denied, then reluctantly admitted under her friend's knowing gaze. "Okay; maybe I like him a little." She glanced back at the disappearing trio: in truth, she'd spent a lot of time noticing Teddy Abrams ever since she saw his audition for Glee. However, with him being an AV geek and a junior, there wasn't a lot of common ground for her to insert herself into his life with.
Katie laughed. "Well, he is cute," she agreed, following her gaze as Teddy stopped for a moment.
La lalalala Caroline sang dreamily.
La lalanana Katie joined her.
Together they harmonized, stepping away from the lockers and projecting down the hall, La lalalala
Lalananana
Suddenly Teddy turned toward her, Liam and Andrew standing behind him as he began singing right at Caroline, Get a little closer to me girl
And you'll understand
'Cause if you want a guy that knows what you need
Well, then I'm your man
They strode forward, the junior's gorgeous eyes staring at her as his face turned upward in a sweet smirk, moves perfectly choreographed, and if I listen I can hear you through my radio
In that bright white noise
What I been missing in my life
What I been dreaming of
He grinned widely, pointing at Caroline as he closed the space between them and took her hand, You'll be that girl
You'll be that girl
You'll be
The brunette freshman beamed back at him, allowing him to twirl her into his arms before she began to shimmy around him, singing, Everything you want so let me get up there
I'm the baddest baby in the atmosphere
Tell me what you want so we can do just what you like
She took a step back, and was suddenly flanked by Katie and Michelle, with Nina, Annie, and Stassi behind her. Ooh, she sang, as they began a complex cheer routine together
Everything you know I'm flipping upside down
Take you 'round the world
You know I like it loud
Tell me what you want 'cause we can do just what you like
The boys took a step forward, You make me feel that
La lalalala, the girls sang almost tauntingly
You make me feel so, the boys tried again, throwing in a quick step
La lalalala, the girls repeated
The boys stood together, singing, You make me feel oh
La lalalala, the girls singing, forming a line
Then Liam and Andrew threw Teddy forward, You make me feel that
La lalalala sang the girls as they did the same to Caroline
Caroline couldn't help it: she grinned and allowed Teddy to pull her close, mixing it up in a series of jazz steps, Put your hands up
Put your hands up
Let the lights drop
Let the lights drop
Make my world stop
Make my world stop
Suddenly the hallway was empty except for the two of them. La lalalala, she sang as she stared, smiling up at him
La lananana
He leaned into her, whispering into her ear, You make me feel oh
La lalalala
You make me feel that
La lalalala
You make me feel so
La lalalala
You make me feel that
La lalalala
"Care?" Katie's voice echoed in her head, and Caroline blinked, realizing she'd spaced out. "Don't go too crazy over that crush, okay?" the girl smiled, glancing up as the bell rang. "I've got to go: I've got gym next." And with that, the blonde spun lightly in a jazz pirouette (one of her odd but endearing quirks), causing her full wool skirt to swish playfully around her as she made her way to class.
Katie made her way easily through the corridors of the school. She was still a freshman, but she knew the ins and outs of this place like the back of her hand; call it her investigative nature, she guessed. That was why she never worried about being late to classes, even now as the bell rang and she was still dressed in a striped blouse and tea-length skirt. She slipped into the locker room and changed into her gym outfit and tennies, then took the back stairs toward the soccer field.
The one thing that made her uneasy about this shortcut, however, was just past the locker rooms themselves: the Olympic-size swimming pool that glistened evilly as she skittered past it. She didn't know quite how, but somehow Katie had managed to go her entire life without taking swimming lessons. She didn't think she could doggy paddle if her life depended on it, but didn't dwell on it; just looked straight ahead and tried to get past as quickly as possible.
On the bleachers, Nikki and The Twins were taking their own "Emergency Practice" to discuss the trouble at hand.
"That girl is such a pain!" Nikki spat, still furious at the girl's blatant ridicule.
"Total Fabritch," one of the Jenns agreed, causing the other to grin and high five her sister.
The junior, however, barely noticed she'd spoken, "I swear I'm going to start busting some skulls soon."
"What should we do?" The other Jenn asked, both girls tilting their heads in unison.
"I don't know yet—but if Wannabe's looking to start a war, she'd going to learn the hard way what that means."
Suddenly, Nikki looked up to see a flurry of blonde hair moving quickly down the length of the pool. She grinned at Mini-Quinn's friend with a sudden epiphany. "Jenns," she said, turning to the girls with a malicious grin. "Grab my bag."
The Twins, puzzled but delighted at the sudden plan created against the enemy ignorantly striding toward them, made their way down the bleachers to retrieve Nikki's duffel. They reached the bottom just as Katie walked past.
To all three freshmen's surprise, Nikki suddenly pushed one of the dark-skinned girls from behind, causing a domino effect as she slammed into her sister, who crashed into Katie. Golden locks flew wildly as two pairs of dark-skinned legs tripped her up, sending the poor girl into the pool.
Nikki laughed cruelly, calling into the water, "Tell your little friend: mess with the bull, it's going to track down everyone you know and bust them wide open before it guts you." She then whirled around and began walking out the door. Meanwhile, The Jenns were still taking a moment to recover themselves: one having been just barely able to keep the other from falling into the water as well; and both with sore legs from hitting the ground hard. They glanced back at the blonde's struggling figure, and then quickly hurried to catch up as the HBIC snapped impatiently behind her.
Katie thrashed about wildly as she tried to stay above the water. She began to flail about, losing track of which motion sent her up or down, and the terror made struggling for air even more difficult. At some point, she'd become completely submerged and realized her lungs were going to explode.
Suddenly, something grabbed her arm, jerking her forward. Another hand wrapped itself around her waist and she was abruptly propelled in a definite direction. By this time, however, Katie had all but blacked out from sheer panic.
The girl felt the absence of water around her, and solid ground beneath her; she felt a hard pressure just above her stomach, causing her to gag, and allowing her to sputter out the water in her system. She coughed until her throat was ragged, but recognized that she was still panting abnormally, and gasped out "My…inhaler…in…bag…" hoping her rescuer was somewhat adept at interpreting abbreviated sentences.
The plastic was placed forcefully in her hands, and as she brought it to her mouth and took a deep breath, she couldn't help but note in the back of her mind a strong hand rubbing soft circles along her back, mumbling supportive words.
Katie finally recovered enough to look back up and see into the face of Dylan Jamieson, a boy she had to admit she'd never much thought about in the nine years they'd been in school together. His dark eyes stared intently into hers, as if he didn't truly believe her chest moving steadily in and out; her face, though still wet and flash, gradually returning to its natural color.
"Thank you," she told him, tears threatening to overtake her in the emotional fallout of it all, and she couldn't help but cling tightly to him. She stopped trying to fight as everything that had just happened overwhelmed her. "Thank you," she repeated, allowing him to hug her tightly and rub circles on her back again as she began sobbing.
"It's alright; you'll be fine," he whispered, teasing softly as he attempted to lighten the mood. "Hey, come on. You freak out again, you'll have another attack; and if you run out of meds, I'm not giving you any of mine."
She pulled away from him a little, laughing quietly, though still crying. She hadn't known that Dylan had asthma—it explained how he understood her attack so well.
"What are you two doing in here?" Coach Roz's voice rang out as entered the gym, storming over to the two of them. "Why were you kids in my pool, and why are you swimming in your street clothes?"
Katie looked at Dylan, who shrugged as he wrung out his loose-fitting shirt, now sagging uncomfortably on his body. "She fell in, and I went in after her." He answered, slowly standing, extending a hand to the girl beside him. "At least I remembered to take off my shoes," he added, holding up the only dry articles of clothing he had, and Katie couldn't help but giggle as he gave a little half-smile.
Roz rolled her eyes. "I ain't got time for no Shenanigans in my pool," she told them. "You can't swim; you keep your white butt out of my pool. You can, you wear the proper gear in my water or I will use my Olympic Bronze medal to hang your sorry self from the high dive—got it?"
The two nodded, and made their way back toward the locker rooms.
"What happened over their anyways?" Dylan asked. "I mean; you always seemed pretty graceful—I mean, not graceful, graceful; just more coordinated. Like you wouldn't slip and fall into a pool. Not that I think you're a klutz or anything—"
"It's okay, I get it," Katie told him, smiling. "Let's just say I had a little unwanted help from Medusa and her lackies overcoming my incompetence as a swimmer."
Dylan's eyes widened. "Crap," he commented. "What did you do to get on their list?"
"It's a whole thing," she told him, and slowed as they reached the girl's entrance. "This is my stop."
"You sure you're okay? I could help—I mean, get help, if you needed it," Dylan stumbled.
"I've got it covered," she replied sweetly, and watched as he nodded, then turned and walked away. She returned to her locker and texted Caroline, who stole a bathroom pass and sprinted to the locker room to console her friend.
But really, the whole time she was changing into the spare clothes she kept for instances like these (well, sort of), she was thinking about pair of piercing brown eyes and the boy who'd saved her life.
