Swimming Pool

Chapter 2

"What are they?"

James was holding onto a piece of orange plastic with a nozzle, an identical one lying at his feet.

"They're floaties."

Dubiously, James held them up to the light.

"What do they do?"

"Well," Lily (as he now knew she was called) waded through the water towards him and grabbed one from his outstretched arm, "firstly, they go on like this."

Opening it up to a hollow, circle-like thing (James hadn't known you could do that or he would have experimented), she reached for his arm.

"Hey hey hey! What do you want with my arm?!"

Sighing, Lily reached for his arm again.

"They go on your arm."

"Why would I want a piece or orange crap on my arm?"

Smirking, Lily replied, "It will help you float."

James looked down at the water which came up to mid thigh.

"Why would I need to float?"

"Because, we are heading down there."

Lily pointed to the darker water.

"What's down there?"

"Why don't you put on your goggles-"

"Goggles?"

"The things you claimed would make you look like you had fly eyes."

Ah, right. Grabbing the 'goggles' he sat down, his head disappearing under the water. James tried to open his eyes but water hit them. He tried to yell, but all that came out was bubbles. He shot back up to the surface.

"I can't see!"

"That's because the goggles are meant to go on your face."

Quirking an eyebrow at her he held up the 'goggles'.

"And how, exactly am I supposed to do that?"

Lily smiled at him and reached for the 'goggles'.

"Like this."

She brought herself against him and reached up towards his face. James closed his eyes, slightly nervously, in preparation for inevitable. Then he felt hands on his head and a tightening sensation. Something slapped around his eyes. With a yell he jerked backwards, landing on his bum underwater.

James blinked. And blinked again. He was underwater and he could see...

James downed another shot.

Sirius let out a high pitched cackle at his friend's misfortunes.

"Mate, I have to say, you are officially pathetic."

James groaned, "You seem to think I don't realize that."

Remus chuckled, "Go on, we're dying to know what else you did to make yourself look like an idiot."

"Thanks for the moral support. It's painful enough that I have to recite it for you, going through it once was enough."

Peter smirked. "It couldn't get that worse could it?"

"Just you wait..."

James waded down to the deep end, or as he knew it, the dark end, wearing the now inflated floaties on each arm and his 'goggles'.

"So now what?"

"We need to get to a depth that you can't stand at."

Lily was floating along beside him it her terribly tight swimming costume. Unfortunately it wasn't a bikini.

"But I want to be able to stand!"

"But you won't learn to swim if you stand."

James looked mournfully at her, silently begging her to let off with this torture.

"Fine, we'll learn here if you really want to."

"This is so humiliating"

"She taught me doggy paddle. It was so humiliating."

"It couldn't have been that bad..."

"You didn't see her face. She said that if I didn't try, I would have to stay until I learn everything. And then there was that bastard..."

Sirius looked at Remus. "That bastard?"

"A guy 2 lanes over showing off and winking at Lily... and he could swim..."

"Did you ask who he was?"

"Her ex."

"Ouch..."

"So I take it that's why your getting drunk?"

James nodded. Oh yes, he was going to get smashed and forget about everything that happened. Drunk indeed.