6 ~ Watch out !?!

[When we arrived at the swimming pool...  ]  

Linda was more excited than the rest of us.  All the girls went to the changing room. I waited for them patiently, sitting on the sun lounger, a wooden chair placed outside the pool. It was comfortable and gave a sense of peace while relaxing on it.

"Hey Grace, join us," said Prince, who was already inside the pool and swimming along with Dan.

Matt was not there.

"Hi, actually I don't want to swim at this hour, but I'll watch you guys, "I denied their offer gently.

Soon... The girls arrived.

I couldn't believe what I saw. Flare was dressed in a floral patterned swimdress (clearly becoming the centre of attraction). Betty opted for a bold orange sporty swimsuit. Linda was wearing a fully-sleeved black wet suit. They looked spectacular.

They saw me having a conversation with Prince.

Linda was fond of him and so she started fast walking towards the lounger where I sat.

There was a metal steel rod for coming out of the pool on the side I was sitting. Hence the area was a bit slippery and anyone could trip.

As Linda hovered this side.

Prince saw the wet area and alerted her, "Linda, watch out!".

"What !?! " Linda shrieked (tripping into the pool).

I immediately stood up. Betty and Flare rushed over this side. We waited for Linda to swim out from the pool. Little did we know that she didn't know how to swim. No one came out.

"Prince save her! " I shouted.

Prince dived in and caught Linda by her waist and brought her back to the surface.

"Are you okay ?", Prince asked her quickly. He patted her back as she spurted out the excess water from her mouth.

"I'm fine; thank you! " Linda said smiling.

Linda was now sneezing and coughing all around the place. Flare brought over two towels for the two of them to get soaked up.

"If you didn't know how to swim, then why did you want to rush over here? " Betty raised a question to Linda. She was speechless.

I guess I knew the answer. Even if Linda was the introverted type, she grew fond of people easily and would let down her guard whenever she wanted to. So I stepped into the conversation to prevent the awkward looks.

"Let me take you to the dorm and make you some honey water so you can be back on your feet by tomorrow, " I said. Linda got up and began limping. I guessed she sprained her right leg badly.

Within a minute, Prince came over and carried Linda in his arms and said, "Grace lead the way to your dorm ".

"Yes sure, " I said startled by his move. You could say something was going on between them.

Even if Prince was a bit showy, he was good at caring for people around him. Now that's a rare trait you find these days.

Betty and Flare stayed there swimming while we three left. The girl's dorm was in the right block and the boy's dorm was in the left block. To avoid any misconceptions (by other people) I told Prince to put Linda down near the right block entrance itself. I held Linda's one arm and helped her in. I noticed Linda and Prince sharing a smile and waving each other goodbye (they looked cute ).

[Inside the dorm room...]

I made her some honey water, which my grandma made for me when I had a cold and cough; and then applied some ointment on her right ankle which she had sprained.

She lied down on her bed and took a quick nap.

I slowly grabbed my earphones and went out for an evening walk.

The atmosphere outside was soothing and not many students were roaming this hour. I took a long stroll towards the auditorium, vibing with Shawn Mendes songs and singing to my heart's content.

Matt being the student-body head was around the corner guiding a few freshmen about how it works here. He saw me. He handed over his files to one of the students and said "That's all for today ! ". I could see that the students were happier to leave than listen to an introductory lesson. Then he came running to my side. I plugged out my earphones and stuffed them in my sling bag.

"Hey, what are you doing here ?" he asked frankly.

" Umm just taking a stroll outside, " I said.

"Ohh, do you mind if I join? " he asked politely.

"Sure, why not? " I said walking ahead. He paced up to my speed.

"So how was your first day ? " he began the conversation. 

"Till now exciting, " I answered.

I was about to ask him something about the events when a boy on a skateboard came swiftly and dashed me. I was falling.  My eyes were closed, before the free fall - I could imagine the pain which was going to be mine in a few seconds. But I felt someone's hand over my waist, pulling me upwards. As I opened my eyes I saw that Matt had saved me from the free fall. I felt relieved. We were only a few centimetres apart - he held me firmly by my waist. For a moment our eyes locked. Soon I realized this was getting a bit awkward so I stood erect rather quickly, letting go of his hand.

"Thanks, " I said hesitantly (trying to avoid eye contact).

"Ohh yes no problem, " he answered looking straight into my eyes.

"Your eyes! They are full of mystery, " he said (wondering).

" I guess this mystery will be mine to solve, "  I said. My smart watch buzzed as it was time to go.

"I need to go now, bye, " I spoke to him nervously and walked towards the auditorium.

 "Your dorm is on the opposite side Grace, " he said (trying hard not to laugh at my stupidity).

What was I thinking, I felt so ridiculous. I shared a weak smile with Matt and then walked in the right direction.  "See you around, " he said as he waved goodbye to me. His smile was contagious.  It made me want to stay a little longer.

I had dinner with the girls in the canteen and then we headed back to our dormitory. As we climbed up on our bunker bed, each of us was in deep thought. I could feel that the first day had been memorable to us in one way or the other.  I recollected how my day was spent until I fell asleep.