The back of Lauren's legs and arms ran smoothly across the tiled flooring. She could feel her muscles flex while slowly moving her ligaments through the heavy chlorine water as she laid at the bottom of the pool. A soft expression sat on her face as she stared through the thick body of water nine feet above her, watching the ceiling of the campus' pool gymnasium through the wavy vision due to the motioning clear-blue water.
She turned over softly, sitting herself up and bending her knees preparing to push herself to the top. Once her face hit the warm air of the gymnasium, she lightly breathed, unsure of how long she was down there for.
She ran her hand over her loose, wet curls back up into a bun before starting her laps. Reaching the end of the Olympic sized pool, she did her 270-degree flip, pushing her feet against the wall of the pool. She then planted her arms to her sides, waving her body through the water quickly under the surface.
She did four more laps in an American-crawl stroke, never wanting to stop. Before she decided to swim to the very bottom, she placed her hands on the ledge, immediately looking up from the boots in front of her.
"You're weird, you know that?" Trey asked, squatting against his knees while lending out his hand. She smiled, grabbing his hand and allowing him to help her out. He watched her tall body jump out with his help, the water running down her body perfectly, yet all too fast. This was the closest he was going to get to seeing her naked, for now he thought, and it only teased him. The one-piece black bathing suit stuck to her wet skin, causing his eyes to bounce back to the water running down the side of her bare, butt's skin that wasn't covered.
"How so?" She asked, taking her bun out and massaging her head as her curls fell to her back.
"Who stays under water that long? And likes to walk in the rain? And goes through almost fifteen water bottles a day?" He asked each question all at once. It's been a whole week since he last seen her and the water against her bare skin wasn't helping his hormones.
She immediately began laughing as he walked beside her. She sized him up after taking her towel and holding it to her mouth, patting her neck and face. He wore his gray polo shirt that read SEMINOLE UNIVERSITY FIRE ACADEMY in the circular trademark on his chest, over a long sleeve, black compression top and his black cargo pants for his training classes.
"I think I'm normal. Maybe the people who you deal with every day are weird and I'm the normal one."
"Hm, I see." He lightly said.
"What are you doing in here anyway?" She asked, realizing that she would've been alone if it wasn't for him, fortunately.
He then crossed his arms as he stopped walking and turned around in front of her, leaning against a wall. "Getting my equipment from the lockers, saw you earlier in here before you went missing under water for damn near thirty minutes."
"You're exaggerating." She downplayed.
"Ugh, no. You're just-" He stopped himself after she gave him the eye, causing him to choose his words wisely. "You?" He said in an unsure tone, having to avoid using the term 'weird'. She laughed, crossing her arms with her towel dangling. "I'm just not use to seeing people enjoy swimming like that where I'm from."
"And where are you from? I never knew you were from elsewhere."
"Maine, why you think they call me Maine other than my name."
".......Because that's your name." She answered idly.
"Ah, shut up, I had that one coming." He rolled his eyes, causing her to laugh. "Anyway, don't you have class tonight?" He asked.
"No. And why'd you move from Maine?" She asked, making sure he wouldn't change the subject.
"Then what are you doing when you're done being a mermaid?" He asked, but couldn't find it in himself to dodge her questions. "And me and my mother moved here because it was too cold up there."
"I'm going to my Dad's house. And why not Florida?" She answered, while still keeping two topics separate.
"You really like fucking with me, don't you?" He smirked, narrowing his eyes while quickly tugging on his bottom lip to wet it.
She sweetly smiled, making her cheeks even more swollen. He sighed while shaking his head at her. "When you're done seeing your parents, you should come out to Devahn's party. Sarai's going." He said.
"I didn't say parents, I said my Dad. And I'll see about that. Got a paper I need to finish." She replied, making sure she corrected him. He saw too much of himself in her, as she was just as difficult as he was.
"You don't want to see your mom?" He asked.
"No, it's not that." She then rolled her eyes up. "Wish I could even know who she is. But yeah, I'll see if I can make it out there. Aubrey is gonna be there, though. I'm sure." She reminded him.
"Don't remind me. Alexia is too but, the more sensible people there, the better." He smiled, leaving her to wonder how many butterflies were in her stomach now. She was way too grateful for him to treat her this way; she was aware how many people fought hard to be in her shoes, even his own girlfriend.
The front door closed behind her as she made her way through the house that had a warm, fresh scent flourishing the house. "Ren?!" The baritone voice called out from the kitchen. She lazily walked to the kitchen with her damp hair tossed in a messy, high bun as she wore her pull-over hoody and sweats.
"Yeah, who else would you expect walking in here like that?" She asked, walking up to her father's tall, six-foot-four figure. "Let me find out you got some broads up in here."
"Yeah, whatever." He shot back, bending down for her to kiss his cheek as he focused on the meat he was seasoning. "How's school?" He asked, as it was always his first question since it was the most expensive thing he paid for until she turned 21, when the trust fund her mother left for her was in her full control.
"Fine. My torts class is so long and dull. She barely even teaches us. All of our assignments are ahead of what she lectures." She complained, resting her tote down on the stool that sat alongside the long kitchen bar. She went for the fridge to ransack for any water bottles.
"That just means you have to do some tedious studying then, that way it isn't so confusing when she lectures. DUH." He commented, creating a smile on her.
"You're lucky I went for a swim today or else I'd be cranky."
"Yeah, save that attitude for them boys at your school." He said, causing her to pause in her tracks, wondering where that came from.
"Speaking to Aubrey?"
Her father hesitated and then turned around to the island of the kitchen to focus on the greens. "Well he called, yeah. He was just concerned."
She closed the fridge while holding the opened bottle she already twisted the cap off of. "What is it with him running to cry to you for? He needs to leave you out of it."
"He's just concerned, Renny. He means well and has good intentions." Her father said.
"Yeah with a chastity belt with his bullshit celibacy rules." She wanted to say, but it was inappropriate for her father to hear. It was frustrating for her to go from loving the art of sex to promising a celibacy due to her relationship with Aubrey, who fucked her once and went back to his celibate ways; leaving her hanging. He didn't mention God much, but he was strictly moral. She knew why she had a problem with his beliefs, but she always chose not to discuss that with anyone.
"He's just too protective, Dad." She said, sitting down at the kitchen bar. "I can never breathe when I'm with him. Everything he wants to do is just boring. He doesn't get along with any of my friends, and he always judges me by the things I do. I just want to end everything with him but I don't know why," she vented, placing her hand on half of her face. "I can't."
He father remained silent. He wanted to explain to her, badly, but just couldn't pull himself to do it. "Give you guys more time. Whoever this character is that you're seeing behind his back-"
"Whoa......whoa." She held up her hands. "I'm not seeing anyone else. See, that's why you don't need to be talking to him. He's just filling your head up. The guy is a friend, a casual friend that hangs out with the girls and I sometimes. Big deal. Brey makes it more than it is."
"Promise?" He asked, tilting his head down.
She mocked his expression and smiled. "I don't make promises!" She joked, making him burst into a laugh while shaking his head.
That night
She could see the flame in his eyes from where she sat. It was as if the people who crowded the decent-sized house didn't stop her from watching Trey in the kitchen across from where she sat in the living room, watching him lean on the island counter while debating about something sports related.
Ren occupied the lazy boy in the living room, holding her Solo cup that consisted of Hennessey and Red Bull. Her legs were crossed in her light-gray, thigh-high, flat boots, leaving her bare thighs to show beneath her tight, gray, long-sleeve Married to the Mob hooded dress.
She sipped out of her cup, listening in on Sophia and Sarai's conversation, as Sarai comfortably sat on Devahn's, Trey's best friend, lap flirtatiously.
"Come upstairs to the last bathroom." The pit of her stomach bottomed once she read Trey's text, noticing that he was now absent in the kitchen.
"Dev, where's the bathroom?" She asked while standing up, asking just so no one would come looking for her. Sarai quickly stretched her neck to the kitchen, in search for Trey as she then realized what Lauren was up to.