~Cassidy~

The sunny light streaming through my window was the first thing that disturbed me.

I groaned, rolling over and pulling my pillow over my face. If Matt was here right now, he’d probably scold me for being so lazy, but I wouldn’t have given a shit. Speaking of Matt, where the hell was he anyways?

“Fuck!” I screamed, snapping my eyes open and sitting bolt upright, throwing the covers away from my body. I hurriedly looked over at my alarm clock. It was nine in the morning.

“Shit, fuck, shit!” I cursed, and I scrambled up from the bed, rushing over to my dresser and pulling out clothes at random, not forgetting my bathing suit. That was definitely important. It was my whole life.

I quickly pulled on the simple one-piece and shrugged on a plain white t-shirt and a pair of cut-off jean shorts. I reached for an elastic band on my dresser and pulled my brown wavy hair into a messy ponytail, blowing away a few strands. I didn’t bother with makeup. It would only wash off anyways.

“Shit, shit, shit,” I mumbled, running downstairs and skipping the steps two at a time. I reached the kitchen, and quickly put on a pot of coffee, tapping my foot impatiently whilst waiting for it.

Finally, after a few minutes, it was ready, and I poured it into a thermos, grabbing my swim bag and running back down the hall, careful not to drop anything. Fuck, this day was already going to be horrible.

I pulled out my cell and dialled Matt’s number. He picked up after a single ring.

“Kane!” he barked, using my last name, and I cringed. He only used my last name when he was pissed, “Where the hell are you?”

“I know Matt, I know!” I practically shrieked, “I slept in, I’m sorry. I’ll be there in, like, five minutes.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, and I couldn’t help but to smirk; Matt could never stay mad at me, “But hurry your ass up,” he added, and I laughed, hanging up.

I was just slipping my white flip flops on when I remembered something. I groaned, but I couldn’t skip this. I’d been doing it since I was ten.

I quickly kicked off my shoes and ran back upstairs, into my bedroom. There, I ran over to my nightstand, picking up the picture frame. The frame was gold, embodied with a single word: Family. I glanced at the photo.

It was a random family, nothing special. But I’d cut out an old photo of me, when I was about ten, and stuck my face onto the body of the little girl in the picture, in between the parents. I’d scratched out the faces of the parents, leaving them anonymous. This photo was the only thing I’d kept from the orphanage, whereas everything else was new, things I’d bought when I’d met Matt and moved out of the orphanage, beginning to pursue my career in swimming.

“Bye mom,” I said, kissing the faceless woman, “Bye dad,” I kissed the faceless man, and set the frame back down. Usually, I would’ve stood there for a bit, daydreaming about who my parents were, but I was in a rush, so I simply turned around swiftly and ran out the door, back downstairs.

Once again sliding on my shoes, I took a sip of my coffee and opened the door, running out. My flip flops hit the steps, making smacking sounds, and I stared up at the sky, smelling the rain, even though it had been sunny only a few minutes ago. The sky was now gray, and I wrinkled my nose; I hated storms, but living in Florida, in the middle of July, we were prone to hurricanes. I usually spent those nights huddled with Matt, squealing every time thunder rumbled.

The second thing I noticed was the giant moving truck parked beside my house. Oh, fuck new neighbors. I’d completely forgotten.

Shaking my head, I began walking along the sidewalk, my destination being the community center only a few blocks away. No doubt Matt was waiting for me, probably very agitated.

Dammit, I never overslept. What had happened this time?

I was so lost in thought, and then next thing I knew, hot liquid was running down the front of my shirt. I blinked, staring down at my shirt in surprise, my mouth popped open. My thermos clattered to the ground.

Black coffee was staining my shirt, and I made a strangled sound, fuck, it was hot.

“What the fuck?” I said, my voice rising on the last word. I looked up, my eyes angry, only to find a man standing in front of me.

He was about six feet, wearing skinny jeans and a plaid shirt with rolled up sleeves, but it was slightly unbuttoned, so that I could see a silver chain hanging from his neck, falling down to meet a bit of ink exposed. I let my gaze travel up a bit, so that it rested on his face. He had dark, brown hair that was styled in a wavy quiff, pushed off of his forehead. His lips were pink and shaped like Cupid’s bow, and his eyes were a light green. I stared into them for a moment before staring down at my t-shirt, which was now ruined, and I could feel it seeping into my bathing suit.

“Oh my God,” the guy said, setting down a box, and I think I detected a bit of a British accent, “I’m so sorry.”

Yep, definitely British.

“Whatever,” I grumbled, trying to push past him, my swim bag still slung across my torso. He blocked my way, “Let me get you a napkin.”

Without another word, he turned running back into the house that he was moving into. So he was my new neighbor? Fuck.

I stood there, dumbfounded for a moment, before sighing and continuing to walk. But then, a moment later, he reappeared, running after me, “Wait!” I stopped, and he stopped in front of me, handing me a napkin. I crumpled it into a ball and threw it onto the ground.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said, rolling my eyes, and trying to push past him, needing to get to Matt. He blocked my way yet again, and I gritted my teeth, becoming annoyed.

“At least let me pay for your dry-cleaning,” he offered, and I rolled my eyes once more.

“Seriously,” I said, “It’s fine. But I need to go, so…”

Without another word, I finally was able to swerve around him, smelling spearmint as I did, and began walking hurriedly down the street, groaning as I went. I shook my head in annoyance, just wishing that the whole world could dig up a giant hole and die.

“I’m Harry, by the way!” Someone called out from behind me, but I just made an exasperated sound, flipped him the bird, and kept on walking.

~*~

“You look like hell,” Matt noted as soon as I walked into the change rooms. I rolled my eyes, setting down my swim bag and pulling off my coffee-stained top, “Thanks asshole.”

He chuckled, “Seriously, what happened?” I bunched my shirt up and threw it into my locker, proceeding to open up my swim bag and take out goggles. I didn’t bother feeling self-conscious around Matt. He was like my brother, we’d left the orphanage together—he being a few years older than me, two to be exact—and he’d quickly become my agent, trying his hardest to get me into the Olympics. So far, we were doing great.

“My new fucking neighbor,” I cussed, gritting my teeth, unbuttoning my shorts and pulling them down my legs, now standing in front of him in my red bathing suit and white flip flops, my goggles hanging around my neck.

“Ah,” he nodded knowingly, fighting a smile. I slapped his arm, “Don’t laugh at me!”

“I’m not!” he held up his hands, laughing. I put my hands on my hips, “Yes you fucking are!”

That was another thing; I cussed with Matt…a lot. He wouldn’t judge me, because he knew me well enough to know that I wasn’t rude just because I swore like a drug dealer fighting over territory.

“Whatever,” I grumbled, and then made my way out of the changeroom, calling out over my shoulder, “So…am I in yet?”

I was referring to the Olympics. Matt had been working his ass off trying to prove to people that I had what it took, and I loved him for that…but things were hard.

“That’s the thing, Cass,” he said, sighing and raking a hand through his dark hair. I strutted out onto the pool deck, kicking my flip flops to the side, and waited for him to emerge from the changeroom. He did, and I finally took in what he was wearing. A fitting black t-shirt and white shorts, along with his own black sandals. Not very business-like, I know, but Matt was as serious about this shit as you could get.

“What?” I asked, crossing my arms. He looked nervous. Even though Matt was older, I still intimidated him sometimes.

“Well,” he said, “You have all of the skills, all of the qualifications,” he paused, “But one.”

“And what would that be?” I asked quizzically. He scoffed, “They want someone who can teach, Cassidy, someone that can be a leader, and well…lead.”

“I can do that,” I scoffed, imitating him. He rolled his eyes, “I know you can Cass, but what about them? They don’t know that. They won’t take my word for it, they need more proof.”

“So…?” I trailed off, waiting for him to elaborate.

He ruffled the back of his hair sheepishly, “So…you need to take in someone. A pupil, as they put it.”

It took me a moment to process it. A pupil? What the fuck?

Finally, my eyes widened as I realised what the board and Matt were asking me. “No,” I said, shaking my head vigorously, “No, no, no. Matt, I’ve been training to become a fucking Olympic medalist, not to teach water aerobics to a bunch of old ladies!”

“Cass!” he said loudly, cutting me off, and he rolled his eyes, “Firstly, you will not be teaching water aerobics. I have a friend who’s recently moved into town, and he’s quite the swimmer. I just want you to help him improve a bit. Come on, is that too much to ask?”

“Hell yeah,” I frowned, turning on my heel and walking away, careful not to slip on the pool deck.

“Cass!” he yelled out, getting annoyed and chasing after me. Finally, he grabbed for my ponytail and used it as leverage to pull me back. I shrieked and gripped at my hair; fuck that hurt.

“Come on, Cass,” he pleaded, “Do this for yourself. Not for the board, not for me, but for yourself. It’s only for a little while, I promise, and then we’re home-free. Then you get to win a bunch of gold-ass medals.” He smirked as he said the last part, and even though I was disagreeing with him, I smiled faintly at the thought.

I thought about it. It was only for a little bit. It was Matt’s friend, so he couldn’t be that bad, right? Plus, in the end, I would be the winner…literally. I glared at Matt, who had a hopeful glint in his eyes, and I rolled my eyes, stomping my foot childishly, “Fine,” I said, making an exasperated sound.

He smiled widely at me, and nodded, “Great. You’re first class is next week. I’ll be sure to introduce you.”

I waved his offers away, “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just let me swim.”

He chuckled, and stepped aside, leaving me with a clear view of the pool, “Go ahead.”

I flipped him the finger before pulling up my goggles and jogging up to the side of the pool, where I did a clean shallow dive into the glistening water. On Saturdays Matt and I always had the pool reserved for a few hours, just so that I could practice.

I came up from the surface, taking a deep gulp of air before beginning my first lap of breaststroke. The whole time, my mind was reeling. I was going to be teaching someone how to swim. Well, helping them to improve at least. I wasn’t so sure of myself now. I wasn’t exactly the easiest person to get along with, so what would I do when I was faced with this pupil? Did I have the proper leadership qualities, and would they give me a good review? If not, my whole career was shot to hell.

Be nice, Cass, just be nice.

Notes

And the first chapter is up!

Hello, wonderful readers! I hope you enjoyed it! This is just a little something to let you get a glimpse of Cassidy's attitude, personality, and her life in general. Oh, and Matt too, of course.

COMMENT, please let me know what you think! I'd really love feedback on this story.
VOTE, that also falls in the feedback department ;)
SUBSCRIBE, so that I know that there are people reading this.

Random fact: Honey does not spoil.

~Thanks guys, it means so much to me~