thought to himself.
"How exactly did the fight start, anyway?" Collin questioned, trying to squeeze as much information out of Ian as he could without sounding really pathetic.
"What's it matter?"
"Just wonderin'."
Ian grunted. "I…really don't remember all that well. I'd just like to say-in my defense-Nick started it."
How could I tell you were going to say something like that? "Yeah, but what did he do that got you all heated?"
"He was just being an idiot like always. He's not even worth a fight, anyway."
"You really hate him that much?"
Ian sighed. "Let me put it this way: if this whole place blew up, I wouldn't be sad if Nick got trapped in here and died."
"That's a pretty harsh thing to say, Ian."
"Aw, quit talking like a goody-two shoes, Catholic-School boy. Maybe your monk teachers didn't teach you this, but there are bad, bad people in this world. And you know what I say happens to all of them? We crush'em."
Collin had no idea what to say, so he just started talking with whatever came to mind. "Well, you obviously don't have a clue what a Catholic school is like, and you know, karma's gonna get you back for saying that about Nick."
"Pfft. Man Law doesn't let me believe in something like karma. That's just something to get people to think the jerks in this world will eventually get what they deserve even though they know they won't."
"Wow. You're pretty negative, aren't you?"
"Negative? Naw. I'm realistic . Now back to what I was saying: you gonna take over my position as lifeguard just for the day tomorrow, or not?"
With an exasperated groan, Collin reluctantly replied, "Yeah, sure."
"Awesome, man! Thanks a ton!"
"No prob."
"Hey, Man Law says you gotta watch out for your fellow guys, right?"
Um…actually, I don't think it does.
"All right, Collin. All you gotta do is go to that little building right at the front and get into your lifeguarding gear, all right? Then you sit on this chair, blow a whistle whenever something's wrong, and…"
"And don't let the babes catch me staring at'em. Don't worry. I got it the first time."
Ian smiled. "Thanks, man. Always knew I could count on you."
Collin only nodded as he walked away from the lake and back to where he was working before. On the way back, he noticed that Nick was still trying to cut up the tree branches that he was on the way over to the lake. Only this time, Jess was with him. She looked like she was helping to push a lot of the branches out of the way, but unlike Nick, she wasn't using her pocket knife to cut up anything.
"Hey, ya still working on those?" Collin rhetorically asked.
"What does it look like, Einstein?" Nick sharply replied without even looking at his colleague.
"Sor-ry," replied Collin sarcastically.
"If you're sorry, get over here and help me out with this!"
An annoyed groan emitted from Collin's mouth, but he really wasn't in the mood for getting into more of an argument with Nick, so he decided it would be better just to try and go help out.
Collin went over to a pile of four branches piled on top of one another and he pulled the closest one to him off. In one swift motion, he pulled out his pocket knife, unleashed the blade, and started sawing away at one of the smaller branches. He assumed the reason for using a knife was so that hands wouldn't get blistered after just twisting a few off.
After slicing off a few branches, Collin looked up and saw that Jess was somewhat meekly pulling some of the branches off, as opposed to using her knife like he and Nick were.
"Hey, how come you're not using your pocket knife?"
"Wha?" Jess asked, obviously not expecting that question. "Oh. I, uh, kinda lost it."
"You lost it?" Collin again rhetorically asked. He didn't think his next question would get him anywhere, but he decided to ask it, anyway. "When'd you lose it?"
"Uh…last summer."
" Last summer ?!"
Nick and Jess looked at him as if he had just walked into work wearing a "Hello Kitty" t-shirt. Collin knew that he
"How exactly did the fight start, anyway?" Collin questioned, trying to squeeze as much information out of Ian as he could without sounding really pathetic.
"What's it matter?"
"Just wonderin'."
Ian grunted. "I…really don't remember all that well. I'd just like to say-in my defense-Nick started it."
How could I tell you were going to say something like that? "Yeah, but what did he do that got you all heated?"
"He was just being an idiot like always. He's not even worth a fight, anyway."
"You really hate him that much?"
Ian sighed. "Let me put it this way: if this whole place blew up, I wouldn't be sad if Nick got trapped in here and died."
"That's a pretty harsh thing to say, Ian."
"Aw, quit talking like a goody-two shoes, Catholic-School boy. Maybe your monk teachers didn't teach you this, but there are bad, bad people in this world. And you know what I say happens to all of them? We crush'em."
Collin had no idea what to say, so he just started talking with whatever came to mind. "Well, you obviously don't have a clue what a Catholic school is like, and you know, karma's gonna get you back for saying that about Nick."
"Pfft. Man Law doesn't let me believe in something like karma. That's just something to get people to think the jerks in this world will eventually get what they deserve even though they know they won't."
"Wow. You're pretty negative, aren't you?"
"Negative? Naw. I'm realistic . Now back to what I was saying: you gonna take over my position as lifeguard just for the day tomorrow, or not?"
With an exasperated groan, Collin reluctantly replied, "Yeah, sure."
"Awesome, man! Thanks a ton!"
"No prob."
"Hey, Man Law says you gotta watch out for your fellow guys, right?"
Um…actually, I don't think it does.
"All right, Collin. All you gotta do is go to that little building right at the front and get into your lifeguarding gear, all right? Then you sit on this chair, blow a whistle whenever something's wrong, and…"
"And don't let the babes catch me staring at'em. Don't worry. I got it the first time."
Ian smiled. "Thanks, man. Always knew I could count on you."
Collin only nodded as he walked away from the lake and back to where he was working before. On the way back, he noticed that Nick was still trying to cut up the tree branches that he was on the way over to the lake. Only this time, Jess was with him. She looked like she was helping to push a lot of the branches out of the way, but unlike Nick, she wasn't using her pocket knife to cut up anything.
"Hey, ya still working on those?" Collin rhetorically asked.
"What does it look like, Einstein?" Nick sharply replied without even looking at his colleague.
"Sor-ry," replied Collin sarcastically.
"If you're sorry, get over here and help me out with this!"
An annoyed groan emitted from Collin's mouth, but he really wasn't in the mood for getting into more of an argument with Nick, so he decided it would be better just to try and go help out.
Collin went over to a pile of four branches piled on top of one another and he pulled the closest one to him off. In one swift motion, he pulled out his pocket knife, unleashed the blade, and started sawing away at one of the smaller branches. He assumed the reason for using a knife was so that hands wouldn't get blistered after just twisting a few off.
After slicing off a few branches, Collin looked up and saw that Jess was somewhat meekly pulling some of the branches off, as opposed to using her knife like he and Nick were.
"Hey, how come you're not using your pocket knife?"
"Wha?" Jess asked, obviously not expecting that question. "Oh. I, uh, kinda lost it."
"You lost it?" Collin again rhetorically asked. He didn't think his next question would get him anywhere, but he decided to ask it, anyway. "When'd you lose it?"
"Uh…last summer."
" Last summer ?!"
Nick and Jess looked at him as if he had just walked into work wearing a "Hello Kitty" t-shirt. Collin knew that he
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