I Know Lucy (A Fugitive #1)(9)

Chapter 5





ZACH


March 2014





I always left for school early on Wednesdays. I liked to fit in a morning swim before school. I found it relaxing and a much more enjoyable form of exercise than running. It gave me time to think and it was basically the only time I was ever alone. I love my family and friends more than anything, but they all talked… a lot. The beauty of silence was lost on all of them except Elliot. He knew how to sit and just not say anything.

I grinned as I thought of my deadpan friend. The guy hardly ever smiled, came across as gruff and aggressive, but I could count on Elliot Strickland for anything. He was gold, just the kind you needed to excavate and it had taken me three years of middle school to do that. Now that I’d won him over, he’d be loyal to me for life. That’s just the kind of guy he was.

Flicking on the indicator, I turned towards school, noticing a runner as I did. Her strides were long and steady. She had a really nice style. I couldn’t help admiring her as I slowly drove past. Her short, blonde ponytail swung like a pendulum. She maintained a quick pace too. She’d leave me in the dust for sure.

I glanced in the rearview mirror as I passed her and nearly swerved into the other lane.

Dani?

Wow. She just kept on surprising me. What was she doing running to school?

Where did she live?

I really wanted to stop and pick her up, but she was dressed for running and I guessed she didn’t want to have it cut short by me. The little backpack strapped tightly to her back told me she was heading to school and would no doubt shower up there and head to class.

I tried not to think about her showering up as I pulled into the parking lot.

I was determined to prove my friends wrong. This wasn’t about love and attraction. It was about intrigue. My mission was to work out Danielle Harrison, not score a new girlfriend.

I shook off images of her sleek muscles working in a steady rhythm as she ran to school, and headed for the swimming pool locker room. Ten minutes later I adjusted my goggles and dove into the pool. The cold shock hit me, but eased quickly as my legs and arms fell into an easy tempo. I wasn’t after speed today. My goal was 75 lengths. I had been upping it by four lengths every week this year. It wasn’t an Olympic sized pool. I think it was 20 meters and I wanted to be able to swim 100 lengths by the time I graduated. I knew I was running out of weeks, but I’d speed up in May if I had to. I still had a couple of months to go.

With each stroke, my muscles warmed up and I made it past the initial pain barrier and was soon slapping the wall and counting forty. Over halfway there. As my feet pushed off the wall, I noticed another body moving above the water. I couldn’t see who it was or even if it was a guy or a girl. I just saw them stride past the pool. I thought it was strange. I usually had it to myself. I had even checked with Coach Atkins that it was okay and he told me I’d probably be the only student dumb enough to come in that early. Wednesday was not a swim team practice day, so I saved up my longer swims for then. I was always the only one here.

I was about halfway back through the pool, feeling fatigue for the first time, when the water rippled beside me. The temptation to stop and see who had just dived into the pool was strong and by the end of my next length, I could no longer resist. I put my elbows on the edge of the pool and caught my breath, waiting for my companion to reach me and hopefully bob out of the water to say hello.

Much to my delight, she did.

And much to my even greater delight, it was Dani.

“Hey.” She didn’t exactly grin, but her eyes were soft with a smile. Droplets of water fell from her chin as she dangled from the wall in the lane beside me.

“I thought I was the only one dumb enough to swim before school.”

Her lips rose and I caught a flash of those teeth again. I noticed they weren’t as straight as I thought. The tooth left of her front teeth stuck out just a little. It was cute.

“Mr. Atkins told me that too, but a girl’s gotta exercise.”

“Didn’t you just run to school?”

She tipped her head and shrugged before dropping back into the water and pushing off the wall.

I grinned before following suit, catching up with her a few moments later. I kept my speed the same as hers although I could have gone a touch faster.

We popped up on the other side of the pool. Dani brushed the droplets from her face. “How many laps today?”

“I’ve lost count, but I was hoping to make 75. I think I’ve got about thirty more to go.”

Her eyes twinkled. “Wow, that’s pretty good.” She pursed her lips then nodded. “I think I can try for thirty. I’ll race ya.”

I chuckled, dropping into the water and pushing off before she could even say go. I sensed her beside me, carving through the water with a speed that could easily match mine. I kept a steady pace until I only had two more lengths to go and then I took it up a notch, pushing us both. At the turn she was only just behind me. I decided not to slow and let her win. It was good for me to push myself and I figured she could handle it.

She popped up just after me, out of breath, but looking alive and vibrant.

“Nice swimming.” She puffed.

I shrugged, trying not to glow too much over her compliment. “I do it three times a week. It’s a good form of exercise.”