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Post by Felicity Skye on Dec 30, 2010 11:10:07 GMT 10
Felicity peeked into the pool room, before entering it completely, the stinging smell of chlorine instantly invading her nose. She began to stroll innocently around it, staring nonchalantly at the beautiful blue water, her brown eyes wide with awe.
She'd never learned how to swim, after all, she'd always feared water, and if she was never going to go into it, what would be the point of learning to maneuver it.
Although she couldn't swim, she still loved the look of water, how peaceful and calm and blue it was. It didn't look like it would hurt you, the most lethal of things never did. She took a deep breath, continue to turn things over in her mind.
In fact, she was so lost in thought, that she didn't see the wet patch, if she had, she would have carefully maneuvered it and carried on. However, she wasn't paying attention and there for stepped right into it, slipping and falling with a scream into the deepest end of the pool, no clue how to swim.
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Post by Darren Williams on Dec 30, 2010 14:56:35 GMT 10
Darren was just walking out of the locker rooms when he heard a woman’s scream. Dropping his towel, he took off in a light footed run, around to the deep end of the pool where he saw dark haired girl in obvious danger, looking like she was having trouble swimming. It only took a second for him to dive into the water and surface next to the worried girl. He clamped his arm around her waist, and used his other arm to propel them the short distance to the edge of the pool, where he pushed her onto the side. Darren pulled himself up out of the pool before helping the mystery girl even further away from the water.
“You okay there?” He said, holding onto her shoulder, gently.
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Post by Felicity Skye on Dec 30, 2010 15:20:32 GMT 10
Felicity was out of breath and crying but managed to look at the mysterious boy who had saved her. Without thinking she hugged him, shaking from cold and fear. She sobbed loudly, her confidence momentarily shaken.
"I'm alright. Thank you." She said, looking up at her hero, feeling pathetic, and little. She pulled away from him, sniffling and extending her arm. "I'm Felicity." She said, trying to regain her confidence. "And I can't swim," she added, trying to joke.
"What's your name?" She used her hand that wasn't extended toward him to flip her wet hair lightly over her shoulder.
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Post by Darren Williams on Dec 31, 2010 0:00:49 GMT 10
Darren froze up when the soaked girl hugged him. He didn’t mind the water, as much, but she was sobbing, loudly, obviously shaken from the experience. She thanked him and pulled away, though Darren himself was still a little surprised at her reaction. From swimming all his life, he never thought helping a fellow swimmer out of the pool was a big deal.
“No problem.” He replied, in his Australian accent, offering her a hand to help her up.
Felicity was the girl’s name, and she extended her arm as she asked for his name, which he held and lifted, to help her to her feet. She laughed, weakly, at her confession of not being able to swim. Darren looked at her with an incredulous smile and nodded.
“Yeah, I can see that.” He said, with a sympathetic laugh. “Where I come from, pretty much everyone swims. My name is Darren. I’m a swimmer, obviously.” He gestured to the pool, before raising an eyebrow. “Why did you get in the pool if you can’t swim?”
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Post by Felicity Skye on Dec 31, 2010 1:11:01 GMT 10
She felt smaller when she was standing at her full height of 5'1, she looked up at him, judging his reaction with her eyes. "I like that name." She said smiling at him as much as she could, it was hard to with her trembling lips.
"Yeah, you're Australian, right?" She said, "I can hear it in your voice." She added quickly, hoping she didn't sound like a stalker or something. She was so self conscious, and she was just beginning to realize she'd been wearing a white shirt. She really hoped he didn't notice that
She almost laughed when he asked why she'd been in the pool . She was actually snickering.
"Okay, here's the lamest thing ever; I didn't come here to swim, I came to look at the water." She said, sounding pathetic even to her own ears. She bit her lip slightly, trying to stop her runny mascara What an awful time to meet someone.
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Post by Darren Williams on Dec 31, 2010 23:46:44 GMT 10
“Thanks.” Darren nodded when Felicity complimented his name. He didn’t really think anything of it; after all he’d lived with it all his life.
She commented on his accent, and he laughed a little. “Yeah, I’m an Aussie. My accent is kinda obvious in a school full of Americans. It seems like every second person I meet is American. Not that that’s a bad thing.”
When he asked why she was in the pool if she couldn’t swim, Felicity began to snicker, before answering.
“That’s a strange reason to come to an indoor pool. I’m pretty sure there’s a lake on the grounds somewhere. Or else there is the beach down the road. I go there a lot in the summer for practice, but in the winter I gotta come here. It’s a bummer sometimes, but swimming in the rain isn’t really my thing, ya’ know?” Darren said, standing around, awkwardly. “If you want to stop from drowning next time, I could teach you to swim. I’m here for swimming, after all.” He smiled, hoping that Felicity wouldn’t think of him as a creep for offering such a thing. It was just that he hated seeing people dangle their legs in the water, but even worse than that was seeing people doing “doggy-paddle”.
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Post by Felicity Skye on Jan 1, 2011 1:33:35 GMT 10
Felicity almost laughed at how awkward the bigger boy looked standing around. He was like a mermaid, when he was on land he was like a fish out of water. When he first made his comment on the American ratio, she thought she was making fun of her. But then he added that it wasn't a bad thing, the smile returned to her face.
"I guess I wouldn't mind learning to swim..." She said, quietly, staring at the seemingly calm azure waters. "I'm terrified of water, though, unlike you. I think you might have been born in it." She teased. She looked up at him again.
"You're sort of a quiet person." She added, deciding to use that word over awkward, which was what she was really thinking.
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Post by Darren Williams on Jan 1, 2011 23:33:15 GMT 10
When Felicity accepted his proposal of teaching her to swim, he smiled, and when she lightly teased him about being born into water, he snickered.
“Hey, and I thought you were too busy drowning to be able to admire my excellent swimming.” He replied, crossing his arms across his bare chest in an attempt to stop it being so obvious he was in his swimsuit, but when she commented that he was quiet, he raised an eyebrow. “You really think so? I’ll show you quiet.”
Darren turned from the girl and took a three step run-up to the pool before jumping and curling into a tight ball. After a second he landed in the pool, creating a loud splashing sound from the water. He surfaced with a little grin on his face. “How’s that for quiet?”
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Post by Felicity Skye on Jan 2, 2011 5:35:31 GMT 10
"Shut up!" She cried in mock rage at his comment about her drowning. "Let's pretend I didn't look like a retarded seal." She added, with a smile, but her eyes were desperate. She was new here and didn't want to have her reputation ruined by a pretty swimmer. She laughed.
"Yeah, I really think so." She said, watching as he ran in long stride over to the pool and dove in, the splash radiating off the walls and echoing back to her. She flinched away from the droplets of water that targeted her. Screeching as the cool water made contact with her pale skin.
"That was mean!" She said, stomping her foot, and trying to look angry, but it was obvious she was fighting a smile. She walked over to the pool and dipped her feet in, grinning back at him. Maybe she would be friends with the big, awkward boy. He seemed sweet. But what an odd circumstance to make friends under.
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Post by Darren Williams on Jan 2, 2011 16:29:39 GMT 10
Darren laughed at Felicity’s mock-offense to his comment about her drowning. “You didn’t look like a retarded seal; you looked like you were being attacked by one. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Plus, it’s not the first time I’ve had to get people out of the pool.” He commented, scratching the back of his head, absent-mindedly.
When he surfaced from his jump in the pool, he could tell Felicity had been splashed, and didn’t like it. He smiled and lurked with his eyes and nose just above the water, watching her walk towards him and dip her feet in. He frowned a little. He hated seeing people with their legs or feet in the pool, and he couldn’t help but say something.
“Get in in the shallow end and I’ll teach you how to swim. Your feet will touch the floor so you don’t have to worry about drowning. You’ll be fine.” He raised his head and smiled. “Come on, you can trust me.”
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Post by Felicity Skye on Jan 2, 2011 16:41:42 GMT 10
Felicity noticed the boy frown slightly when he resurfaced from his jump, her eyes widened in slight fear when he requested to get in the shallow end where her feet would touch. He gave her a trustworthy smile and promised she could trust him. So, she shrugged, making her way to the shallowest end. She stared down at the water with wide eyes, she turned to the boy, looking just as petrified.
" Do you honestly think this is a good idea?" She asked, pulling her white T-Shirt over her head to expose a light pink bikini with a glittery white skull on the right breast. She looked at him again, deciding to trust him, and pulled off her small, jean short-shorts. She dipped her toe in.
"I'm kind of like a cat," she said sheepishly, as goosebumps erupted all over her body, she shivered lightly, and plugged her nose, dropping into water that came almost to her mid-stomach. She resisted the urge to flail and scream, and stood there, feeling rigid and awkward.
"Alright, I'm in. That's definitely an accomplishment. Now what?" She asked, looking over at the taller boy, and waiting for him to make his way over to her.
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Post by Darren Williams on Jan 3, 2011 12:37:58 GMT 10
Darren watched Felicity make her way into the pool, trying not to crack up at her attitude to the water. “This is a good idea, don’t worry. The sooner you learn the better. It means I won’t have to keep jumping in and saving you.” He laughed.
When Felicity stripped down to her bikini, Darren couldn’t help but look a little bit. Luckily he was so far away that she wouldn’t be able to tell. Her figure was nice; she looked pampered. It was better when she dropped into the water, as Darren began to make his way over, swimming strongly. He got to her in no time and stood, ready to teach.
“Okay, first you need to learn to tread water without thrashing about, okay? So just move a little bit this way and follow my lead.” Darren moved deeper into the pool, to where his legs couldn’t reach the floor by a little bit and began to gently kick his legs, kicking them enough to keep himself from sinking, moving his arms around to stop him from going off balance. “Come out to where you’re feet only just don’t reach the floor.”
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Post by Felicity Skye on Jan 3, 2011 12:54:05 GMT 10
"I'm not sure this is a good idea." She said, shaking from the mixture of fear and cold. She watched him move back and start doing something that strongly resembled the chicken dance. She giggled slightly, nervously. "You look like your dancing."
She moved forward cautiously, stopping where she could stand on tiptoe. She looked up at him, like a young child looking up at an older sibling. "You're watching me right? You've always got me, right? Don't let me die." She stayed on her tiptoes, quite a bit away from Darren.
"What's your last name?" She asked, suddenly, trying to think of anything but the next step forward. She bit her lip, trying fight down the wave of fright that was capturing her. She looked up at the swimmer she and lovingly nicknamed "pretty" her eyes wide. She bit her lip, he was farther away than she liked, but that made sense, he was a lot taller than she was.
She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, stepping forward, her arms already flailing in panicky motions.
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Post by Darren Williams on Jan 3, 2011 22:45:08 GMT 10
“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.” Darren said, attempting to reassure Felicity and get her to at least float for a bit. “And I’ve never known how to dance, but as long as it keeps me from sinking, I’m happy.” He grinned and watched her move forward.
“You’re fine, keep going, I’m right here.” Darren floated back into standing depth and walked along to where Felicity was standing on her tip-toes. “My surname is Williams. I’m Darren Williams and you’re clearly stalling, now take a little step. You’ll do fine. I’m here to grab you if you panic.”
Darren watched Felicity close her eyes and move forward. It took less than a second for her to start flailing, and less than a second after that for Darren to move closer and take hold of her arms, giving her a little support as well as stopping her thrashing. “Kick your legs gently back and forth. Do it calmly.”
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Post by Felicity Skye on Jan 4, 2011 7:34:45 GMT 10
"I so was not stalling." She said, as she began to kick her legs slightly, feeling safer with him holding onto her arms. She sighed, "I still say it looks like a dance, but as long as I don't drown, I'm happy, too." She said with a forced smile.
"I don't like not being able to touch." She said, awkwardly, she stopped moving her legs and looked down toward the floor that was only inches out of her reach. She hung in his hands pathetically letting the water wash over her. She smiled up at him.
"I'm still afraid of the water." She said with a smile. Trying to keep the hysteria out of her voice, but it was virtually impossible.
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Post by Darren Williams on Jan 4, 2011 19:09:28 GMT 10
“Yeah, I think that’s the fear with a lot of people who can’t swim. Being afraid of not touching the floor is normal, but you get over it. I love the feeling. Like you’re floating in space or something.” Darren said, as Felicity stopped kicking her legs. “Hey, keep kicking or else I’m gonna let you go.”
He smiled, to show it was more of a threat to get her to kick her legs than to be mean. He loosened his grip on her arms ever-so-slightly to prove that he wasn’t joking.
“There’s no reason to be afraid of water. There is always something related. Like people afraid of sharks or crocs, or if you’re afraid of seaweed. People generalise it by saying they’re afraid of deep water, but it’s not the water they’re afraid of.” Darren paused and looked at Felicity. “What are you really afraid of? Drowning?”
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Post by Felicity Skye on Jan 9, 2011 2:45:13 GMT 10
"Yeah, floating in space, definitely on the top of my list." She murmured with playful sarcasm. She shrieked quietly, digging her nails into his shoulders, and beginning to kick her legs again. "Don't let me go, I'll die!" She exclaimed, her almond-shaped eyes widened. She bit her lip, keeping her eyes on him, trustfully.
"I think I'm afraid of not knowing what's going to happen to me." She confided, zoning out blankly on his face. "See, I'm this pampered girl that always knew what was going to happen next. I was never pushed out of my comfort zone, so things like this-" she gestured to the water around them. "-terrify me." She relaxed slightly, taking her fingernails out of his shoulders, but keeping her hands on him, just in case he let her go.
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Post by Darren Williams on Jan 9, 2011 23:08:15 GMT 10
“Arghh!” Darren cried out, a little hurt, but laughing, gently. “Oww, let go! Relax, you’re fine.”
He kept hold of Felicity’s shoulders, and made sure that she kept kicking her legs. He asked her why she was so frightened of water, to which she replied it pushed her out of her comfort zone. “Ah, well that’s not too bad. You spend enough time in the water and eventually it’ll be in your comfort zone and you won’t have to worry.”
Darren smiled at Felicity, to make sure she knew she could trust him. “You just have to relax. You’re doing quite well, actually.”
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Post by Felicity Skye on Jan 10, 2011 6:41:38 GMT 10
"Alright, alright, sorry." She said, soothingly apologetic. She smiled at him. Letting go slightly, but keeping her hands hovering above his broad shoulders.
She continued to kick her legs slowly, feeling safe as long as he was holding onto her. She relaxed slightly, closing her eyes and pretending she was anywhere but in a pool with a boy she'd met barely-she glanced at the clock-an hour ago. "I'm also afraid of drowning and dying before I finish living." She said, keeping her eyes closed.
She went limp from relaxation, continuing to mover her legs. "I'm relaxing. After this, are you going to teach me the part where I die?" She asked nervously, her eyebrows furrowing concernedly.
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Post by Darren Williams on Jan 10, 2011 21:06:16 GMT 10
Darren could feel the water swirling around his legs as Felicity kicked. “Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be? When you die is when you’ve finished living? I don’t think anyone’s really ready to go.” He shrugged, and smiled, closing the subject from further discussion. “Not like it matters anyway.”
When Felicity relaxed, Darren relaxed too. It was easier to hold her in the water without her tensing up. “I don’t teach drowning, I teach swimming. Are you ready to start kicking on your own? My arms are getting tired.” It was a blatant lie, but Darren figured that Felicity didn’t need to know. Perhaps making her feel a little guilty would help her to try to swim on her own.
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