Popularity Rules

Chapter IV

     Back to being cold in an instant, I had been expecting it after all. “Are you bipolar?”

      A small smile flickered across her face. “Are you going to waste your training time talking to me?”

      I couldn’t help the responding smile I gave at her words. I nodded at her and headed in the direction of the changing rooms, I was making improvement.

       I took a gulp of air and tore the goggles from my face. I felt a mixture of serenity and tiredness, Avery came up for air a few moments after and climbed to the side of the pool, making me follow suit. The droplets from my hair fell into my eyes but I ignored it and instead focused on the sudden thirst for air.

     We had spent about twenty minutes doing laps across the length of the pool and I felt the need to exert myself more than I already was to match Avery’s speed, durability and consistence.

     “You should join the team,” I blurted out before my mind could think better of it.

     I may have disturbed the quiet calmness that encompassed us the entire time we were in the water because Avery looked surprised. “No thanks, I’m trying not to get noticed and you’re making that hard enough already.”

     I sighed and moved my feet slowly in the water. If she felt suffocated by all the attention I received, imagine how I felt. “Wouldn’t you prefer to be sleeping now?” I asked, turning the conversation in a different direction. “Normal girls wouldn’t be here.”

      Avery shrugged. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m not necessarily normal. A normal girl would be impressed by your muscles.”

     “And you’re not?” I challenged. I noticed she referred to my appearance with obvious disdain. It was almost as if she resented me because of how I looked.

     “No,” she replied, meeting my eyes levelly. “I’m more into the thin geeky nerd who wears glasses.”

     I stared at her for a moment trying to decode whatever message she was hiding in her words.

      “Jason,” she said, startling me with the incredibly taciturn effect of her voice. “Stop pitying me. I can see it in your eyes.”

      My mouth opened and closed a few times, I was not expecting her to say that. “I wasn’t-“

      “You were,” she said, silencing me, “I’ve seen that look on numerous occasions.”

       A chilled silence surrounded us and I kept my eyes on the still water in the pool. Maybe even just a little bit, Avery was right; I pitied her. It was just that when someone seemed so unfixable - broken you had to feel sad for them.

      Avery stood suddenly and faced away from me. “Your team will be here soon. We don’t want them to be getting any ideas, do we?”

      I stood as well. “I don’t care.”

       “Well, I do. I wouldn’t want your reputation to be ruined - after all I’m the crazy new girl.”

      I snorted. “No one thinks that.”

       She gave me a flat look. “Goodbye Jason.” I watched as she walked purposefully, head held high, she was almost at the changing rooms when she slipped and almost feel. I stifled a laugh at how embarrassed her walk became. So much for a dramatic exit, Avery.

      “Mr. Forbes, can you stop staring out the window and actually take some notes?” my Physics teacher called to me.

      I blinked and looked over at him. I ran a hand over my face, muttering a sorry. My mind felt especially muddled today, I couldn’t focus on my teacher going on about the seventh time with momentum. I ignored the girl waggling her fingertips at me and checked my watch. We had much too much time left. I couldn’t just sit there and expect to focus on that nonsense.