Christina woke up the next morning to the sound of Isabelle singing as she brushed her teeth, it wasn't pretty. She untangled herself from the sheets as Iz reached the chorus of Jollene.
"Jolene, Jolene, JOLENE, JOOO-LEE- oh, you're up. Did I wake you?" she had toothpaste dribbling down her chin.
Christina laughed "Only a bit, Miss Parton".
"Feeling better now?" Isabelle asked, wiping the toothpaste foam from her face as she came to sat at the end of Christina's bed.
Chrissie nodded.
"Good, you'll need it to face today".
"What do you mean?" asked Christina, confused by her room mates remark.
Isabelle got up from the bed and walked over to her dresser, "You were 'saved' from Aaron Abbot by Tyler Simms both members of Spenser social royalty, the gossips are going to have a field day".
"But nothing happened, Tyler was just looking out for me, I'm sure he would have done the same for any girl" Christina explained, not quite grasping why last night would be a cause for concern/ excitement.
Izzy shook her head, "Wrong. Last semester Aaron pretty much raped a girl right next to the pool table Tyler and the others were playing at, Tyler only stepped in after Caleb initiated it. That's why it's a big deal, he never starts the confrontations, just gets involved, but he started it for you. That's new so that's worth talking about".
She didn't want to admit it but Iz was right - she knew it too by the smug little smile that appeared on her face. Tyler was never on the front lines of the Abbot- Sons confrontations, just back up but yesterday he was right there, before anyone else, protecting her. But it didn't mean anything did it? Just him growing up and taking control when he had to. He was the closest when it kicked off after all. Yes, that must be the explanation; he didn't hold her in special favour, he was just acting as he thought necessary.
Clearly, however, the rest of the school were on Isabelle's side. As Christina walked to homeroom that morning, all eyes were on her. At first she thought she was imagining it but by the time school finished she was ready to hide in a hole. In first period she'd heard her name whispered twice behind her but both times she'd turned round to find everyone studiously focused on their textbooks and refusing to make eye-contact with her. During Biology she noticed a note being passed around but when it got to their bench James read it first and then screwed it into a ball, shooting daggers at the rest of the class.
"What was that about?" she'd asked as he threw the ball into the waste paper basket.
"Nothing" he'd replied, going back to his work, "Just people being immature".
At lunch she was sure the entire cafeteria had been staring at her as she got her food and sat down with her friends.
"It'll all blow over in a couple of days when the pack have something new and shiny to focus on" Lucy smiled, patting Christina's back after two freshman girls whispered to each other and giggled as they walked past. She wasn't so sure.
The rest of the day went pretty much the same way with stares and whispers and even some pointing. At least in the pool she could block it all out. In the water all she saw was the white tiles below and in front of her and all she could hear was the rush of the water and the sound of her body slicing through it.
As she pulled herself out, she noticed the boys team prepping for their session and there she spotted the spark that had ignited the flames around her: Tyler Simms, golden and shining as he limbered up for his evening session, oblivious to her but all she could see. Before the rumours could spread further she rushed to the changing rooms. Yes, she was working straight after her training session and therefore she was working whilst Tyler trained but that did not mean she would slack at her duties. After preparing herself she walked back onto poolside with all the confidence and calmness she could, took her position, and focused on ignoring the stares from the bleachers.
It was hard to not stare at Tyler as she normally would have done, but she managed it, and by the time she was relieved she couldn't help but smile as she walked back to the changing rooms to get her things and head back to her room for a date with her laptop and copy of Macbeth. That was until she heard a voice call her name.
She turned to see Tyler pulling off his goggles and swim cap, resting his arms on the side of the pool. So gorgeous.
"Hey" he smiled, flashing his perfect white teeth, "How are you feeling?"
Two streams of thought filled her mind at that moment. The first told her to answer, to smile and talk. It told her this could be the start of her realising the fantasies that had filled her thoughts every time she'd seen this boy for as long as she'd been at Spenser. She imagined chatting with him and walking with him and even going on dates with him, all blooming from this first little question. The second simply said walk away, this could be more trouble than it's worth. Look at all the rumours already and that was for something much less significant than a full blown conversation. But she pushed these thoughts away and tried chasing her fantasy for a while.
She turned to him and replied, "I'm good, thanks for asking"
"Good, glad to hear it"
They both smiled for a second and Christina somehow got the feeling this could be the end of their first conversation. She was turning back to the doors when he spoke again.
"So, are you ready for the Gloucester meet?"
He wanted to start a conversation! This had to be a dream. She smiled to herself before turning back and sitting by the edge of the pool, legs dangling in the water.
"I suppose, more than you anyway" she joked, surprised at her own confidence.
He looked a bit taken aback by her comment and for a second she regretted making fun so quickly but then he smiled and she relaxed.
"What's that supposed to mean, Miss Criticism?" he retorted, splashing her leg playfully.
She smiled, "You need to lift your arms more in your freestyle and work on not tilting your head so much when you breathe".
"Duly noted, coach" he nodded, acting as though he took her comments seriously but she wasn't so sure, he was more of a star athlete than her after all.
"Maybe we should go for a swim some time and you can impart your wisdom upon me"
Christina tried to hide her shock. Had he just asked her on a date? Tyler Simms?
He obviously noticed how taken aback she was, "I mean, if you'd rather not that's OK-".
"No, no" she cut in, "That sounds good, you can help me with my technique too"
He shone his dazzling smile at her nearly taking her breath away, like it was a smile just for her and not one he flashed at every girl on a daily basis.
"Cool, how about Thursday? 7pm?"
She nodded "It's a date then"
He flashed that smile again and she felt her cheeks heat up as she realised what she'd just said.
"I mean" she back-tracked, "it's not a date, just two people hanging out...you know what I mean"
"It's a date" he grinned, obviously amused by her complete lack of social skills, she'd never felt more embarrassed.