Brandy Klark x Reader ('The To do List')

Chapter Two - New Lifeguards

Y/N's POV:
I can already hear the chanting of the local children as I dismount my bike half a block away from the pool - it was a nice bike, and I wasn't risking it being stolen or 'borrowed' by leaving it any closer to the chaos of my work place.

"Let us swim! Let us swim!" The kids continue to yell, inching closer to me before they were full on swarming around my legs. "Get off-" I try to fight back, opening the gate and slamming it behind me as an attempt to escape the grabbing hands at my waist.

I make my way to the pool office to find Willy and Brandy already there. A taller guy stood awkwardly behind them, who I learnt from the paperwork to be Cameron - according to his files he and Brandy went to high school together.

"They get here at dawn, don't leave until September." Willy explains the commotion outside  through one of the pool's old megaphones to the two new bewildered lifeguards. "We're cheap daycare for the neighbourhood rats."

"I'm sure it's not that bad-" Brandy retorts, a wave of false confidence and hope flushing over her. This girl has no idea what she's got herself into...

"Just you wait, newbie." I grin through gritted teeth as I swing one of the whistles hanging on the wall over my head, throwing the others for Brandy and Cameron to catch.

After a prolonged coffee break, I make my way out the office to where Brandy and Cameron were already struggling to adjust to the endless pranks of the neighbourhood kids. Cameron was smart to the tricks, and soon the kids were forced to lose interest in him as a target - which practically drew a larger target sign onto Brandy's back.

"Hey Brandy... can I have a word?" I pull her aside from the tumult of the pool. "This is a stressful job, I get it. But-"

"I can handle it." Brandy cuts through me, the false confidence taking over again.

"Look... what I'm saying is..." I look to Brandy's eyes - which were fixed on every movement Rusty Waters seemed to make, before they flicked back to me after my prolonged pause.

"If you need a friend or just help getting used to this shithole, you can come to me, alright?"

"Yeah, thanks." Brandy say, barely interested.

"Okay. Good." I say awkwardly, following her gaze back to Rusty as he chats to some of the older girls at the pool. "Don't fall for everything that guy says. He'll do anything to get in a girl's pants." I remark, trying to bring sense into Brandy before she became another one of the lost causes - another girl too absorbed in Rusty Water's hazel eyes to realise when it was already too late. Okay, that might be a bit dramatic, but still. The point still stands.

"Interesting..." Brandy bites her lip, showing she clearly didn't take any of my advice in. That's another friend opportunity gone in this place.

"Okay!" I clasp my hands together, a false hint of enthusiasm in my speech. "Let's get back to work!"

"Yes." Brandy gives me a slight nod, strolling towards the pool again - almost strutting - as she swings the whistle I handed her earlier over her fingers. "Hey guys... get off the-" She purred, not noticing the two giggling children right behind her.

Splash.

I try not to laugh. This always happened to the new lifeguards. Hell, it was several weeks until they stopped playing me like that when I first started - but Brandy's fake demeanour was just making it worse for her.

"Tried to warn ya, newbie." Willy chanted through the megaphone, watching Brandy as she climbed out of the water and stood before us. I only had to look at Willy to know he had the same idea as me, smirking, I watched him push Brandy back in with one hand.
"What the truck, Willy?"
I raise an eyebrow. Truck?
"Welcome to the thunder-dome, bitch."

I grin again, this was beginning to be fun.

"You know what? That's enough. Settle down, you two - give her a chance to catch her breath. Hey come here... you alright?" Rusty slides out of his lifeguard chair, bending down to offer the soaked lifeguard a hand.

"Now you okay?" Brandy's eyes go wide, his signature grin painted across his face.
"I am now..." Brandy's eyes light up, a sweet smile taking over as she flirted back.

God this was insufferable.

I headed back inside the office to grab a mop for the changing rooms, but judging by the loud splash following Brandy's interaction with Rusty - I'm guessing she got hazed... again.

Poor girl.

The rest of the morning went by fairly quickly, I kept my distance from the rats of the neighbourhood as much as possible - only going outside when I was needed to take over one of the lifeguard chairs.

"Poop! Poop! Poop! Poop!"

My eyes snap up from my book, watching everyone gathered around the side of the pool, as they observed this thing floating around in the water.

"Newbie. Poop patrol." Willy hands Brandy a plastic net, taking a few steps back so he's in line with me and Rusty.

"Very funny, you guys." Brandy laughs at us as she enters the water. "How very caddyshack of you."

"What did she mean by caddyshack?" I whispered, my eyes widening as we watched Brandy put the net down.

"What is it, you guys? Baby Ruth? Snickers? It's very convincing, Willy. I'm impressed."

Brandy's hand reaches for the lump in the water, grabbing and lifting it towards her mouth.
"Fuck me..." I mutter under my breath.
"Oh, no. She's not gonna..."
"Dude, she's gonna-"

"Get out of my way!!" Brandy rushes past us, hands clasped over her mouth as she dashes into the girl's bathroom.

"I fucking like this girl." Willy grins, watching the kids erupt into an applause of both laughter and horror.
"I'll go check on her." I place my book down completely, walking cautiously to the bathrooms in fear on what I was about to see. Cameron was hovering by the toilet's entrance, pacing as he waited for a response from the shit-eating lifeguard.

"Brandy?" I knock on the cubicle at the end of the row, listening to the sobs coming from the other side of the door. "You okay in there?" I knock again. "Brandy, come on. Let me in."

No response.

"Come on. I'm trying to help you." I shout over the door, my patience quickly wearing thin. "Okay. I'm coming over." I say as I walked into the cubicle next door - stepping onto the toilet seat lid to look over the wall separating us.

Brandy looks up - her cheeks were wet and tear stained. I couldn't help but feel bad for her.

"It's okay, newbie." I say, trying to comfort the crying girl. "You know, it took weeks for them to stop using me as a target."

Brandy sobs even harder.

"Okay. That didn't sound as comforting as I wanted it to be." I pause. "What I mean is... I've been through it all before - I can look out for you. The truth is, there hasn't been another lifeguard who's a girl in ages - and it's nice to have other female company, you know? The boys find a way to get to you after a while."

The other girl nods, a small smile on her lips.
"There's a lost and found box in the office. It's mainly swimming  stuff, but I can try and find you a change of clothes if you want? So everything's not so... shit stained.." I say, still leaning over the cubicle wall.

"That would be nice. Thank you." Brandy smiles up at me.

"No problem." I grin as I jump down from the toilet seat, heading towards the office to try and find something in Brandy's size.