just dive in [reed bishop spin-off] ✔️

three

— t h r e e —

THE SWIMMING POOL THAT Woodway boasted was impressive, Olympic sized and split into eight separate lanes of clear blue water. It was designed to hold school competitions and so there were seats build around the pool, row after row forming stands up to the high skylights built into the ceiling. There was even a set of diving boards of varying heights. Oliver had his swimming trunks on under his clothes, but didn't bother changing out yet considering he was early for the first practice of the year. The only other person here was Mr Jeffries, the swimming coach, and he was too busy sorting out equipment to notice Oliver.

His first week back at Woodway had passed relatively uneventfully. He had more and more assignments piled on him from each lesson, but by the second day, people had gotten bored of questions and forgotten about him. He still got the odd look now and then but it wasn't unbearable. Lunch was the trickiest time. Reed had apparently gone for the pretend-he-doesn't-exist tactic and whenever he happened to pass Oliver, he completely blanked him. The ice in his eyes whenever they skipped over Oliver, as if he wasn't even there, hurt more than any insult or glare.

Oliver would have been happy to sneak off for lunch and pretend the cold shoulder didn't bother him somewhere else, but Claire was insistent he sit with them at lunch. He didn't know why she cared so much but arguing with her wasn't worth it. Reed never sat with them — it didn't take a genius to figure out who was keeping him away — but he had to suffer through the hour with Adam, who wasn't openly hateful but certainly didn't seem pleased. He was still waiting for a reason why Oliver suddenly disappeared without a word and Oliver was trying to work up the courage to get him alone with Reed. If he was giving an explanation, it might as well be to both of them.

Students began filing out for practice not long later and Oliver was unsurprised to see Reed among them — his place on the swimming team was the only reason he'd been allowed to attend Woodway in the first place. It was painfully ironic that Reed had only wanted that scholarship so he could go to the same high school as Oliver, and now he wouldn't so much as glance in his direction. Being ignored by him wasn't any easier to stomach even after a week and the painful ache reminded him how much he missed Reed's friendship. Oliver pushed those thoughts aside and tried to focus on the practice ahead of him.

Sports was more important at Woodway than other English high schools, and it's reputation for swimming was the reason it was so selective about those it allowed to represent them in competitions. Anyone could come to practice, but these first practice of the year would act as a tryouts of sorts to determine who would swim at upcoming meets in the next few weeks. Oliver remembered different year groups practiced on different days, so today it was only year twelve and thirteen students, and everyone had to be timed for their lengths.

Oliver had no intentions of trying to talk to Reed, because he was still a bit of a pussy and he didn't want to have his head bitten off, but he realised with a start he recognised the girl standing with him. It became apparent when she saw him that she remembered him too.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, coming to a stop. Reed had little choice but to stop too and made sure to glare at Oliver, to make it clear this was the last place he wanted to be. "I remember you!"

"Cashier girl," Oliver said, and grimaced when he realised how that sounded. "Sorry, I don't know your name."

"Bailey," she supplied.

Reed couldn't stay quiet for any longer. "How do you know him?" he asked, somehow still managing to ignore Oliver.

"Oh, I don't, not really," she replied, seemingly oblivious to the tension between the two of them. "He came to Juniper's the other day during my shift and I remember his little sister. She's really cute, by the way."