Monsterhearts:Poolside

Wednesday August 13th, 1:20 PM
Wildomar Elsinore High School
**A few minutes after swim class started, each student was given a blue and dark grey speedo jammer if they didn't bring their own swimming attire. After an awkward phase of getting undressed and into their swimming outfits in the boy's locker room, the students are wandering out to stand around one of the two Olympic-sized pools. Despite it being near the start of fall, the desert sun hangs in the sky with only partial cloudiness, bright and warm, making it about 90 degrees out with only a soft breeze.**

**Chris**: **He's been taking Swim since middle school, and was on the Swim Team at his old high school, so he's nonchalant about changing around other guys in the locker room. He has an athletic build, not overly muscular, but fit enough to be a swimmer. While he walks out to the pool, he bites the inside of his lower lip with anticipation and looks around the poolyard, expecting the teacher for this class to be another psychopath hellbent on failing his students. He stands a few feet from the pool's edge and quietly waits for the rest of the students to line up.**

**Liam**: **He awkwardly walks out of the locker room with his arms crossed over his chest. He's keeping his head down, like he doesn't want to be made fun of or make any eye contact with any of the other students. He doesn't know what the was thinking when he decided to sign up for swim class, having never been a particularly good swimmer, or an athlete of any kind in general. While walking towards the poolside he sees Chris, standing there confidently beside the pool while Liam and a lot of other kids seem really awkward. Even if Chris turned out to be attracted to other guys, Liam doesn't even think he's in the same league as a guy that looks like him. He sulks while walking up next to Chris, about six feet away, standing there with his arms folded over his chest still, looking down into the pool water, feeling like he didn't really think this through.**

**Shane**: **After a moment someone walks up between Chris and Liam, he's about Chris's height, with buzzed cut strawberry blonde hair. Though he has a youthful face, he's got a bit of a beard that makes him look slightly older than he actually is. His body is slim and well-muscled, but not overly toned, which makes him look taller than he actually is. Unlike most of the other students he's wearing his own square-cut briefs that have stylized bright blue and black designs. Much like Chris, he doesn't seem worried about appearing in barely more than what would amount to his underwear in front of thirty or more other people. He looks over at Liam, having spotted Liam trying to sneak a peak at him while he was undressing in the locker room, Shane has 1 String on Liam because of this.** I didn't know you were a swimmer Liam. **He doesn't say it in a particularly mean way, but says it knowing full well that Liam isn't a swimmer. Shane used to be on the football team, and was one of Blake's friends, after being accused by Ricky, who was a quarterback that was kicked off the team a few years back, of being gay, Shane seems to have steadily distanced himself from Blake and his group in general. Overall he was also the nicest member of Blake's group, though he never went out of his way to be particularly nice to Liam.**

**Liam**: I uhh... **He just keeps looking down, trying not to become embarrassed by a hot guy that caught him looking at him earlier.** I'm not but I thought I'd try it out this year since I needed a PE credit still.

**Shane**: You could've done it the first two years. Freshmen PE is really easy. **He stretches his arms shoulders while he talks.**

**Liam**: So I've been told. **He sneaks a few glances at Shane as he's stretching before looking back down. He doesn't know how he's supposed to survive this class without embarrassment.**

**Shane**: And you're that new kid I saw challenging Blake to a fight after school aren't ya? **He finishes stretching, shaking out his arms a bit as he looks at Chris.**

**Chris**: Yeah. **He rolls his eyes slightly.** This the part where you tell me I'm dead meat?

**Shane**: You're dead meat. **He looks away from Chris and stretches out his back. Shane seems to take swimming pretty seriously.** I once saw Blake lift a 300lb. defensive lineman and use him to crush another guy, because he saw them both eye'n his girlfriend in the stands during the game.

**Liam**: **He remembers being at that game when it happened.** People said they both had to go to the hospital...

**Chris**: **He sighs slowly.** Well whatever happens, happens. This school is shit so far, so being in the hospital a few days won't be that bad.

**Liam**: You're really brave Chris. **He says it kind of quietly, almost like he didn't mean to say it out loud.**

**Chris**: **He looks passed Shane to Liam for a moment, before looking back out at the pool.** I'm just fed up. Hardly brave.

**After a moment the talking among the other students quiets down. Chris and Liam see why, as a woman walks out of the office at the side of the pool perpendicular to them. She's wearing a tight one-piece swimsuit that doesn't leave much of anything to the imagination. Her body is lean, nubile, curvy, but also toned. On top of that she's got quite a pair of breasts that fill out the top of her swimsuit. She's clearly younger than most of the teachers here, likely in her mid-to-late 20's. Her lightly bronzed skin and long, shining, brown hair that's pulled into a curling pony-tail, and off-orange sunglasses, only add to her obvious assets. She walks with swaying hips that one might see played in slow motion during a film. She's the quintessential "hot female lifeguard" archetype. As she reaches the corner of the pool she stops and looks down the line of boys. Shane seems to be the only one that isn't gawking at her, in fact he seems completely indifferent to her, continuing with his stretching instead of staring slack-jawed like most of the other boys.**

**Ms. Lara**: Good afternoon everyone! For anyone that hasn't taken my swim class before, I'm Ms. Lara, your swim instructor. This class is divided into two parts. The first part, since someone decided to have swim right after lunch, is stretches. The second part is, well, swimming. Here's how this class is going to go. **She walks along the edge of the pool as she speaks.** You stretch and work out for the first fifteen minutes, you spend time swimming the next twenty-five minutes, then you hit the showers and change the last eight. Tomorrow and Friday are practice periods. I suspect that many of you have never actually been in a swim class before, so you're going to get in some free-style swimming to get comfortable with being in the water. Starting Monday you will be doing timed laps. Passing my class is easy. Your goal is to have a better average time during the last week of the semester than you did the first week. That's it. As long as you can do that, you're golden.

**She seems to notice Shane, like she knows him from a previous semester, and a few of the other boys, making it obvious that some of the students have been on the swim team before. Most of them are the athletic looking ones.**

**Ms. Lara**: If you're going to sign up for the swim team, which includes timed laps and water polo, speak to me during class, I'll be holding try-outs during tomorrow and Friday's classes, everyone is welcomed to try out, and trying out gets you extra credit. Here's my rules. Rule 1, no pushing, running, or horseplay, if i catch you screwing around out here, then you're spending a week in detention and getting a fail for that week. Rule 2, you wear your swimsuit or you get marked absent. Period. Rule 3, you spend at least 25 minutes each period in the pool or you get a fail for the day. With all that said and done, today is a free period. Talk, swim, do whatever you want, today's only requirement is being in your suit. If you have any questions I'll be in the lifeguard's seat. **She turns and heads towards the lifeguard's chair, grabbing the attendance chart and climbing up into it and taking a seat.**

**Liam**: She seems nice. **He looks a lot more hopeful after hearing how easy this class is going to be as he watches Ms. Lara climb up into the lifeguard chair.**

**Chris**: Surprisingly so... **He seems almost confused, like he suspects that this class can't possibly be as easy as she made it sound. He looks from the attractive teacher to Shane.** Are you on the swim team?

**Shane**: Was last year and half the year before that, gonna try out this year. **He looks at Chris.** You gonna try out?

**Chris**: Yeah I think so, as long as I'm not too beat up tomorrow. Had 28.3 in a 50 yard freestyle. Was one of the team captains back home. **He's not bragging, but it's obvious that he's proud of his time.**

**Liam**: **He quietly sighs and just sits down at the end of the pool, he doesn't even know what a 28.3, 50 yard freestyle is.**

**Shane**: **He looks genuinely impressed.** Damn, 28? That's pretty fast, you'd have no trouble making the team here. That your best time or average?

**Chris**: Average. Fastest I've gotten was 24. **He smirks.**

**Shane**: Fastest I've gotten in 23, but my average last year was 29.5 so it's not much to brag about. **He shrugs.** Gonna take it a lot more seriously this year though, trying for a scholarship, ya know?

**Chris**: Yeah. Cool. **He looks out at the water, unsure if he should warm up and swim or just relax. With teacher being nice, and Shane being a decent human being he can hold a conversation with, has relieved much of his tension that built up this morning.**

**Shane**: So you hang with Liam? **He looks to the left down at Liam.**

**Liam**: We met in the office this morning, and we have a few classes together. **He seems kinda nervous, like he's expecting Shane to tell Chris not to hang out with him.**

**Shane**: **He smirks.** Aren't you usually a loner Liam?

**Liam**: Yeah-yeah... **He brings his knees up against his chest and wraps his arms around them, setting his chin between his knees as he looks out at the other students in the pool.**

**Chris**: Liam's the first guy I talked to here. Don't see why everyone gives him such a hard time. **He sits down on the edge of the pool, putting his feet in the water.**

**Liam**: **His expression perks up and he looks over at Chris when he hears what he says.**

**Shane**: People are assholes. Blake's group has a lot of social pull here, if they don't like someone, everyone else tries to fit in by not liking them too. **He bends forwards, touching his toes as he starts stretching again.**

**Chris**: Sounds like someone needs to take Blake down a few notches.

**Liam**: **He takes a few quick looks at Shane's butt as he bends over and then looks down and away, acting like he was trying to look for a clock.**

**Shane**: There were these Twins and a football jock, used to go here, they put Blake in his place a lot last year and part of the year before. Rumor was they lit his car on fire and got him held back for cheating on assignments. **He stands up straight and stretches his neck a little.** The three of them were assholes too, really. **He remembers back when Ricky, the jock, called Shane a faggot in front of everyone during lunch. He'd be more angry about it if he didn't end up happier swimming than playing football.** But with them gone, Blake's king of the castle again.

**Chris**: Well I don't think I'll be the guy to push him off his throne. You said Twins right? Odie said something about some twins at lunch.

**Liam**: Yuri and Lucas. They were bullies too, they just weren't popular. Once they got Ricky to hang out with them they even had the muscle to back them up.

**Shane**: **He says quietly, almost in a whisper.** Defiantly had that muscle... **He looks at Liam.** They used to steal your lunch didn't they?

**Liam**: Freshman year they did, but I started eating in the library... **He grumbles quietly.**

**Chris**: Sound like jackasses. **He kicks his feet in the water.**

**Shane**: They really weren't that bad I guess. At least Lucas wasn't. I mean, I guess he was... **He shrugs, unsure of the point he's trying to make.** He would just stand there and wouldn't object to his brother's antics. They were tough as nails though, despite the fact that neither probably weighed more than a buck thirty. Once saw Lucas get his with a bat in the back of the knees, showed up the next day, walkin around like nothin happened.

**Chris**: They fight Blake too? **He looks up at Shane.**

**Shane**: Nah, they weren't that stupid. **He smirks playfully, obviously teasing Chris as he looks at him.** Ricky did a few times. **He shakes his head.** Never seen a guy with a meaner right hook than Ricky... **He seems to remember Ricky with a lot of fondness, despite having called him a bully and an asshole.** Anyway... **He looks at Liam.** So how about you Liam, you gonna try out for the swim team?

**Liam**: **He tenses up.** Uhh... Maybe... I mean, I want to, but, I don't think I'd get in.

**Shane**: Well if you're willing to put in the effort, I could help coach you during class or after school. **He climbs down over the edge of the pool and gets into the water.**

**Shane's clearly too hot for Liam to handle, you gotta roll for Liam to** ***Hold Steady*** **before you can respond.**

**Illiadius**: **(Rolling to** ***Hold Steady*** **3 + 2 - 1** **Cold** **is 4**.

**That's a failure, Liam gains the condition "Panicked".**

**Liam**: **He freezes up and doesn't respond. Unsure of what to say, he begins to turn red with embarrassment and panics, shoving his head down into his knees and wrapping his arms around his head to hide his whole face. He shakes slightly.**

**Shane**: **He looks at Chris and raises and eyebrow. After a moment he shakes his head.** Or not? **He looks like he almost feels bad, but turns and pushes off against the wall and into the water, swimming quickly to the other side of the pool.**

**Chris**: **He watches Shane swim away before looking back at Liam.** ...You alright? **He looks confused by Liam tensing up suddenly, not sure why he did it.** ...Liam?

**Liam**: I'm fine! **His voice cracks as he responds, and he quickly gets up and runs to the bathroom.**

**Chris**: **He looks away from Liam with a very confused expression, clueless as to what the hell just happened. He looks to the bathrooms for a moment. After some hesitation he stands up and walks to the bathrooms.**

**Liam**: **As Chris walks into the bathroom he can hear Liam's voice murmuring quietly, it almost sounds like he's going to start crying.** You said you'd make things better! **He's looking into one of the bathroom mirrors, his eyes are watering and his face is red with anger, embarrassment, and anguish.**

**Counting this as Liam using his** **Dark** **Stat.** **Liam Marks Experience.**

**Avarada**: **The reflection is distorted, in it is Liam, however his head is wreathed in complete darkness, like a black stringy smoke, from which peer out two golden pin-points of light. The smoke trembles, and the mirror blurs with vibrations as a calm, monotone voice responds to Liam. Despite it being an almost soothing tone, there's a dark quality to it that stops Chris cold and fills him with a bleak sensation, like something he would feel after seeing a dark figure outside of his window watching him in the middle of the night.** Everything is in your hands Liam. You need only ask...

**Chris needs to roll to** ***Hold Steady*** **. Avarada is at an advantage here, reducing your resulting roll by 1.**

**Taylor**: **(Rolling to** ***Hold Steady*** **3 + 2 + 2** **Cold** **is 7.** **Marking experience.)**

**Avarada's advantage reduces that roll to 6. Chris gains the condition "Unnerved" and the demon gains a String on him. Chris runs out of the bathroom in a dazed dread, unsure of what he heard.**

**Liam**: I want to be able to impress Shane! I want him to teach me how to swim! I want him! And I want him to want me! **His tone goes quiet again, and he wipes his eyes with his bare arm.** I don't want to be alone again this year...

**Avarada**: **There's a long quiet sigh. The sigh has an unearthly quality to it, the lights flicker, the mirrors tremble, and the doors to the stalls creak loudly as they all open on their own. As the sigh continues Liam can almost feel it moving through the air around him, and his skin begins to crawl with goosebumps rising over his arms and chest. The monotone voice fills the air with its stomach sickening quality.** It is done. He now desires you above all others Liam.

**Liam**: **Despite making deals with some unknown entity, Liam begins to feel better about himself, and he smiles a little.**

**Avarada**: All the power is in your hands Liam. Everything you could ever want, I can give you. I will always be here to ensure you get what's coming to you... **The mirror stops trembling and Liam sees only his own reflection in the glass.**