In Hot Water

As sunlight beamed down onto the community pool, the water sparkled like tiny diamonds. Children laughed and played among one another while parents watched close by, either chatting in groups, or lounging on the poolside chairs. The concrete along the edge of the pool was littered with wet paw and hoof prints, evidence of people moving back and forth from swimming and relaxing. On the far corner of the pool area, there were several rickety-looking tables and chairs, along with a vending machine and soda machine where people could buy various sugary drinks and snacks.

The diving boards on the end on the pool had a short line up to them. If it was not so close to sunset and closing time, the line would have been nearly to the locker room doors. One lifeguard post was on either side of the pool, as well as one in the middle. The lifeguards' metal whistles hung around their necks, and both lifeguards who were on duty were wearing their trademark red swimwear.

Towards the left-most diving board, one such lifeguard sat with sunglasses over his eyes. He had a bored but content look across his face as he scanned over the pool area, a forty-inch rescue tube across his lap. The strap that was connected to the ends of the rescue device were looped over his shoulder, and he could feel the strap against his back. His light brown skin glistened with water, and the light black hair on his chest, and short, faux-hawked hair shined in the sun.

His muscles flexed as he stretched in his seat, and he smacked his lips lazily before reaching for the bottle of water to his side. Looking towards the clock that was near the locker room entrance, he noticed it was going on 8:00 pm. Giving a sigh of relief, he looked up at the sky and pulled his sunglasses off to rub his eyes. The auburn eyes scanned the sky to see the white, puffy clouds washed out by the orange and red of the sunset. It was a blissful atmosphere, and he found a deep peace wash over him before he heard the sound of running near him.

Grabbing his whistle and sticking it up to his lips, the lifeguard blew hard into it until the loud shrill pierced the calm. The perpetrator was a young child with eyes as blue as the ocean and an attitude that seemed to radiate happiness outward. He gave a coy look up to lifeguard, and the lifeguard just gave a stern gaze back.

"No running," the lifeguard said. Although the hurt look across the kid's face did make him feel a little sympathy, he had no trouble keeping the stern look on his face. His job as a high school teacher helped with keeping his voice and features from cracking due to emotions. The kid looked as if he got his hand smacked and walked towards the diving board line, grumbling something under his breath. The man on his high post was pleased with himself and leaned back against his post.

Heavy footfalls were heard to his right, and upon turning his head to see who the owner of those footfalls was, he smiled, seeing his fellow lifeguard. His coworker was an absolutely massive male who dwarfed him by at least a full foot, if not more, and his physique was the very definition of herculean. The beautiful sheen of his skin was nice and bright due to the sun beaming down on his muscles and the muscular stud looked up at him, barely even having to raise his head, given his height, and his hazel eyes locked onto his fellow lifeguard on his high post with a friendly glimmer in them.

"Looking a bit bored over here, Will," the man chuckled. "If you wanna take a break, you can. I can watch the pool for a minute, if you want to go get a granola bar, or something. The right side of the pool isn't super popular right now, anyway, since it's late enough that parents have started taking the youngest ones home for the night," he shrugged.

Giving a warm smile down at Ryan, Will folded his sunglasses before sliding one of its arms into his red speedo to hang on his leg. Although many of the other male lifeguards wore swim trunks, Will was vain when it came to his body. With the many laps he swam in the pool before work, combined with working out at the local gym, he nearly rivaled the younger lifeguard in strength, and Will enjoyed showing off every curve and ridge in his physique.

"The only thing I need is protein to fuel these guns," Will said with a joking smirk as he flexed his biceps. "Just kidding. A break would be nice." Taking the rescue tube off and wrapping it around the lifeguard post before maneuvering his way down from his perch, Will's rump swayed back and forth as he climbed down from the tower. "If we get too slow, the boss may let us go early. Never know with him, though."

"I know, right? I swear, that guy's either halfway up our asses about safety, or he's so laid back that he wouldn't even care if we closed the pool early," the coworker smiled. "And I'm sure I don't need to remind you that state law requires you have a permit for those guns, Mr. Shepard-erm, Will, I mean." The big guy blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Sorry about that. Old habits die hard, as they say, right?"

Giving a small laugh, Will stepped up next to his co-worker and crossed his arms. "Please, don't call me Mr. Shepard again, or you'll make me feel even older," the older man said with a smile. "I remember when I was making you run laps in my P.E. class. Crazy how quickly time flies, you being a senior in college now, and everything. From what you told me about your studies, it seemed my coaching disciplined you just fine, Ryan."

Giving a sly wink, Will gave a playful smile before adjusting the waistband of his speedo smoothly. Although the swimwear showed off the best of his body while still keeping some amount of modesty, it did have a tendency to ride up in places that made getting up from a sitting position a bit uncomfortable.

"Oh, please, you're what, like thirty? You're the youngest teacher at that high school by at least a decade or two, and it's not like you're even old. You're only seven years older than me!" Ryan chuckled. "And besides, the workout regimen you made me and the rest of the wrestling team go through helped me get this big, and clearly you're still following it, too, because you're looking great, if you don't mind me saying." He looked his ex-teacher up and down, taking in each hard muscle, each valley and peak of that perfect musculature.

"I AM thirty," Will said with a laugh. "And that's awfully nice of you to say. You don't look too bad yourself, string bean." Giving a low chuckle and a sly wink, Will looked over his previous pupil, his eyes concentrating on the ex-wrestlers broad shoulders and confident stature. "You are really starting to fill out. You always did have the right body for wrestling. Just had to kick all that fast food you were eating and supplement it with fruit and nuts. Fruit to catch all the nutrients you need, and nuts for prote-..."

Shaking his head before giving a distinct blush and cutting himself off, Will gave a chuckle. "Sorry, I'm lecturing you again. I'll stop treating you like a student, but...I have a habit of treating everyone like a student, at times."

"Well, my momma always said that we never really stop learning new things, so it's only natural you want to try to keep teaching people new things, right?" the massive stud smiled, resting a heavy hand on the teacher's shoulder. "Nothing to be ashamed of. Heck, when I was a pup, I tried to teach every one of my relatives how to use multiplication. No idea why I did it, but apparently I thought it was fun, at the time! Anyway, don't let me keep you from your break, Will. I'll be here."

Giving a smile at Ryan's upbeat attitude and enthusiasm, Will nodded and felt the strange desire to ruffle his former student's blond hair. He held himself back, though, watching the man's ears twitch slightly when a cool breeze blew over them. Will had expected and encouraged a sense of camaraderie during the on and off season, and he believed a connection between the players, as well as the Coach, was critical for success. The touch on his shoulder had felt natural from his ex-student, rather than awkward.

"Alright. Just don't work yourself too hard. I'll be back in like fifteen minutes or so. If you end up drinking from my bottle of water, just don't slobber all over it," Will said with a teasing smirk. Will walked backwards before turning around to make his way towards the vending machines. Although his first target was the locker room to grab his wallet, he at least wanted to scope out what the machines had.

When Will made it to the machines, he leaned in to inspect its contents. Most of it was way too high in carbs for his diet, but the sunflower seeds looked promising. They were also only one dollar, which didn't seem too pricy, compared to the candy bars. Deciding on his purchase, he made his way around the pool until he came to the door of the male locker rooms. Opening up the door, the first thing Will noticed was the steam filling the area and the wave of heat that hit him right when he opened the door.

As Will walked down the tiled floor, the hiss of showers could be heard on his left and right, as well as the sound of wet feet and sandels hitting the floor. The environment felt like home to Will as he made his way towards the lockers, and he was not fazed by the male nudity around him, as well as the sights and sounds. To Will, it was just a part of the swimming experience, just like how wrestling required more revealing attire like singlets.

When Will made it to the locker area, rows upon rows of dark blue lockers were there to greet him. Walking down to the second row on the left, he turned into the aisle to come face to face with a naked patron of the pool, his dong flopping casually between his legs and the muscular man clearly built from swimming laps. Neither seemed fazed, and Will managed to utter a half-hearted apology as he stepped past him and to his personal locker.

The number 128 was written in dull white across the top, and a simple padlock kept him from accessing the contents. Reaching forward, Will fiddled with the lock and input the appropriate combination before pulling upward on the opening mechanism with enough force to hear the satisfying click.

The moan of resistance from the locker made his ears twitch when he opened it, and on the inside of the door, there was a simple mirror, as well as several newspaper clippings from his coaching milestones. One was a picture of Ryan with his arms wrapped around several teammates and grinning broadly. Each of them were in uniform, and the then student was holding up the state wrestling trophy with a prideful look on his face. Will stood to the side with his arms crossed, smiling proudly at the camera. The picture made the Coach give a small smile of his own as pleasant memories began to fill his thoughts.

"Man, it's been a long time..." Will mumbled as he looked at the date in the bottom corner. The year was 2010, Ryan's sophomore year of high school. Looking at another picture, Will saw the track team posing in uniform in the same way with a female Coach beaming proudly this time. The year on the photo was much more recent: 2014. From the female's confident stance, down to the posture, Will instantly recognized the track Coach as Lauren, his girlfriend and fellow Coach.

"I really need to update these. We've already won state again since then," Will thought humorously before rummaging through his locker. His duffel bag had the school's insignia on it, a gift for when he first signed up to take over coaching wrestling and teaching physical education eight years ago. The bag showed its age, and the color looked dull, but he had a hard time trying to part with it.

Unzipping one of the side pockets and pulling out his wallet, Will noticed the main screen of his phone had lit up with three text messages. Curiosity got the best of him, and he picked up the phone to see that the sender was his girlfriend. Giving a sigh, he wondered what the subject of the texts could be about this time. The last bunch he had received were about how he forgot to turn out the lights in her flat. It turned into a bit of a heated argument over texts that ended when Will came to her flat, and they ended up having angry sex. Overall, it was a strange night.

Placing his phone back into the pouch before zipping the bag up and closing his locker, Will made his way back to the vending machine. Slipping a dollar into the machine and inputting the number for the spicy sunflower seeds, Will was pleased when he reached his hand into the vending machine, grabbed the snack, and walked towards a table to take a seat on the bench attached to it.

Much of the pool was clear by now, and the beautiful oranges and reds of the sunset started to become darker as the moon became more pronounced. There were only a handful of people lined up at the diving boards, and the sound of splashing and laughter was turned into parents trying to shuffle their kids out of the pool to go change. Ripping open the bag of sunflower seeds and popping one into his mouth, Will felt the kick of the spices on the shell tingle his tastebuds as he used his teeth to pop the seed out of the shell before leaning towards the small trashcan next to him and spitting the shell into it.

Sitting back in his seat casually, Will looked out over the sky. The lights from the small town of Columbia filled the skyline and reflected off the puffy clouds. Giving a small yawn, Will rubbed his eyes before looking at the clock. The time was 8:20pm, and he figured his boss would be coming out of his office soon to help close up. About two minutes later, and Will noticed a stern looking older man walking out of the men's locker room. He was dressed casually with tan board shorts and a light blue polo, and he looked almost like a golfer, rather than a swimmer.

When his boss noticed the Will sitting casually, he gave a wave before walking over. For being an older-looking gentleman, Will had to admit that he still had a kick in his step. When his boss got to the table, he placed his hand on the end before looking over the lifeguard.

"Will," he said simply. The greeting came out as more of a grunt, the rumbly voice vibrating in the his eardrums.

"Roger," Will replied, mimicking his boss's bored-sounding voice. "Are you ready to close?"

"Meh, give it a moment. There are still some kids in the deep end."

Looking out over the pool, Will did not spy any movement. The only thing he did notice was the gentle ripples of the water as a cool summer breeze blew through. "Roger, I don't see anyone."

"That's because you don't have my senses, boyo," Roger said with a smile.

"I think you just don't want to clean yet," Will said with a chuckle before getting up off the bench and adjusting his tight swimwear to prevent another potential wedgie from forming. "I hear that hesitation in my students whenever they don't want to do pushups."

"Relax a little bit," Roger said with a chuckle. "I don't know what's got your tail all tied up, but you get paid, either way."

Giving a shrug, Will said, "Whatever you say, boss."

After a small pause, Roger stood up straight and stretched his body. Even though he was nearing fifty, the swimmer's build beneath his clothes was more than evident, and Will could not help but admire his boss's musculature. "Well, you convinced me otherwise." Walking towards the pool, his boss shouted, "Closing time! You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!"

Will was not surprised that there was no frantic splashing to get out of the pool and get to the locker room. On some nights, when it was time to close, the stream of people was almost like a stampede to get out, as if there was a shark in the pool. Tonight, it was eerily quiet, and Roger walked back towards Will. "Go with Ryan and pick up the pool cleaning stuff and the brooms in the locker room. I'll count the registers. You're free to go, once you are done cleaning. I know I plan on taking off the second I'm done counting," Roger chuckled. "Oh, and don't worry about checking out. I can handle that for you two."

"Copy that," Will said with a smile at Roger as he walked past his somewhat cheerful boss and back towards the tower he had been stationed at. Looking up at Ryan sitting at his post, Will noticed how proud Ryan looked up on the high chair. The trunks the lifeguard wore complimented Ryan's leg work, and the metal whistle around the canine's neck looked strangely natural, like it belonged there on him.

"Hey, did you hear Roger? We're closing up shop. He wants us to grab the cleaning stuff out of the locker room and just make a quick sweep. We are free to go after that, so let's get to it!" Will said with a bit too much enthusiasm than the task really needed. Ever since he became the wrestling Coach, he had to make mundane tasks seem more exciting for the wrestlers, and the habit had bled over into his lifeguard duties.

Ryan whined slightly as he hopped down off of the lifeguard tower. "Great, my least favorite part of this job," he sighed, rolling his shoulders and tossing his rescue tube next to the tower. "Let's get this over with."

Nodding in agreement, Will guided Ryan into the men's locker room. Walking past the showers and lockers, the two made it to the end where a small room was on the far left. The light was on, and the sound of Roger's whistling echoed throughout the locker room along with the sound of coins on a desk being counted. On the right wall, there was a metal door.

Walking up to the door, Will gave the knob a twist and opened it. The smell of bleach filled Will's nose and made it twitch slightly. A small light bulb hung from the ceiling with a cord trailing down from the top. Reaching forward, Will pulled on the cord to light up the dusty closet. Cleaning materials were all over the cabinets, and some looked older than the cabinets they were sitting on. The cobwebs littering the corners of the ceiling didn't help them look any newer either.

Grabbing one of the pool skimmers and handing it to Ryan before grabbing one for himself, Will said, "God I hate this room. Gives me the shivers every time I have to dig through this crap." Leaning forward to pick up a broom, Will felt the cool metal of the whistle touch his chin, and he jumped instinctively.

Ryan laughed when he saw his ex-teacher jump. "And here I always took you for the fearless type, Will. Guess all those muscles are just for show, huh?" he joked, prodding his coworker in the back with the pole end of his pool skimmer.

Jumping once again instinctively, Will leaned his pool skimmer against the wall before grabbing a second broom, turning around abruptly. "Hey, knock it off, or I'll pin you down, like I used to! You're not so tough either, big guy!" Poking Ryan with the handle of the broom playfully, Will stuck out his tongue.

"Pff, bring it, old-timer!" Ryan smirked cockily. "I've only gotten stronger since high school, and I'm bigger than you now, so I like my chances." Ryan winked and snatched the broom from Will, grabbing his pool skimmer and backing out of the small storage closet. "Besides, I wouldn't want you to break your hip, old man."

Watching Ryan's eyebrow raise upward as if challenging him, Will had to take a deep breath to keep himself from tackling the young student to the floor and having him eat his words. "You are still just as cocky and rebellious as you were in high school," Will said with a chuckle before grabbing his own broom and pool skimmer. "I hate to say it, but it was actually one of your most annoying, yet refreshing, qualities. It actually made you a really good captain. The things I would give to lay you out right here, though..." Although the sentiment felt a bit random, Will was feeling oddly nostalgic.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ryan smirked in reply. "Only person you should be 'laying out', though, is your girlfriend," he chuckled, leading Will from the locker room and back out to the pool. "How are things with her, by the way? Seemed a bit rough, last you talked to me about her."