Making a Splash

Mackenzie walked into the aquatic center at 12:30, not really sure why she was there so early. Was she intentionally torturing herself knowing she’d be spending the next hour or so watching everyone else train when she was unable to?

She walked towards the pool, spotting an empty spot on the bleachers. She set her blue duffel bag that held a change of clothes and a towel next to her as she stared out at the water. She could immediately pick out the stronger swimmers in the pool and their coaches on the side of the pool, screaming out at them. She couldn’t help but smile, thinking of Jack. She really should call him, if not just to tell him she had gotten to Gainesville in one piece. But, then again, she was sure he was in contact with some of the people with US Swimming, and they probably had informed him of her arrival.

She suddenly felt drops of water on her arm, and she looked over to see Ryan standing next to her, dripping wet, as he reached behind her for his towel. He saw her staring at him, and he flashed her a smile. “Hey, Mack!”

Mackenzie shook her head when she saw the silver metal still on his teeth.

“What?” Ryan asked her. “You don’t like being called Mack? Sorry, I’ll stick with Mackenzie if it bugs you that much,” he said, reaching up and drying his hair with the towel in his hands.

“It’s not that,” she assured him. “In fact, my coach always called me that. Everyone at the pool used to make fun of us because we were Mack and Jack,” she said, laughing at the memory.

“Mack it is,” Ryan smiled. “And if it wasn’t the name, then what’s wrong? What earned me the head shake from you?” he questioned.

“I’m sorry,” Mackenzie began. “But, I can’t take any guy with metal on his teeth seriously.”

“You don’t like my grill?” Ryan asked, obviously disappointed by her statement.

“There’s girls that actually do like it?” she countered. “Really? Because I just don’t see it. Seriously, are those things removable?”

“You know, I’m going to get you to love it,” he promised, grabbing his jacket from behind her and throwing it on.

“And, how exactly do you plan on doing that?” Mackenzie inquired.

“Go out with me,” Ryan said suddenly. “Dinner tonight,” he added.

“Ryan, I don’t know,” Mackenzie hesitated, remembering her rule about not dating swimmers. But, then again, she was no longer a competitive swimmer. She bit the inside of her cheek, contemplating the offer. “Fine,” She finally said. “But, no grill.”

“But,” Ryan began.

“That’s the deal breaker,” she interjected.

“Fine. Dinner tonight with no grill,” he agreed. “I’ll get your address later on when I’ve actually got something to write with,” he told her, grabbing the rest of his things and walking towards his coach.

As Mackenzie watched Ryan walk off, she felt the bleachers shift as someone sat down next to her. “So, what’s going on with you and Ryan?” she heard Skye ask, and she turned around to look at her, laughing at the fact that Skye had used the same words Mackenzie had used the previous day at lunch on her.

“I think I just agreed to a date,” Mackenzie told her.

“Uh oh, alert the presses! Ryan Lochte is officially off the market!” Skye joked.

Mackenzie lightly hit her arm. “Shut up!” she told her as she noticed people staring at them. “It’s one date, not a relationship. And, I’m only doing it so he’ll take that stupid metal out of his mouth,” Mackenzie informed her.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Mackenzie, but Lochte’s not going to take his grill out for anyone or anything, even you,” Skye told her.

“I got him to agree to,” Mackenzie replied. “I told him I’d go to dinner with him if he took out his grill.”

“Damn!” Skye exclaimed. “He must really like you. I mean, like I said, he won’t take his grill out for anything. You must have done a number on him if he agreed to that, even if it is only for a couple of hours!”

Mackenzie simply shrugged her shoulders, not knowing how to reply.

***

Mackenzie sat in the conference room with Michael and Garrett, waiting on Ryan and Ricky so Skye could inform them all of how exactly the afternoon with the kids was going to work.

Two minutes later, the two boys walked into the room, laughing about something one of them had said. Mackenzie looked up, unable to turn her attention away from Ryan’s grill. “Seriously, do you ever take that piece of metal out of your mouth?” she asked as Ryan sat down at the table across from her. “Isn’t that bad for your teeth? I mean, leaving it in all the time? I’m pretty sure you’re going to rot your teeth and gums,” Mackenzie told him.

“What are you, a dentist now?” Ryan countered.

“No, but my mother’s a dentist,” she informed him, causing the other three men and Skye to start laughing. “Would you like me to call her up and ask her if you’re rotting your teeth?” Mackenzie questioned.

“You’re already going to tell your mom about me?” Ryan asked with a smirk. “Damn, you’re taking the next step in this relationship fast.”

“Wait a minute,” Garrett interrupted. “What relationship?”

“Mine and Mack’s,” Ryan replied.

“Not a relationship, a date,” Mackenzie corrected. “A date I only agreed to so he’ll take out that stupid grill,” she pointed out.

“Please!” Ryan exclaimed. “The grill pulled you in.” Mackenzie rolled her eyes at him.

“Wait, so you agreed to take out your grill if she went out with you?” Michael asked, and both Ryan and Mackenzie nodded in reply. “Damn! What’s your secret?” he asked, turning to look at Mackenzie. “He won’t take that thing out for anything. Unless he loses it,” he added with a laugh, referring back to the Beijing Olympic when Ryan had lost his grill one night while out celebrating.

“Hey, we do not need to bring that up right now!” Ryan argued. “And, what does it matter if I’m taking it out because of her. At least I didn’t leave my hometown to come to Florida because my girlfriend asked me to,” Ryan pointed out.

“Boys!” Skye interjected. “Can we stop for five minutes so I can tell you what’s on the agenda for today?” she asked, and both men stopped talking, while everyone turned their attention to Skye. “Thank you,” she said with a smile, grabbing her ever-handy binder from behind her and opening it up. “For these first two weeks, the kids will be split up into two groups, based on their ages. The five of you will also be split up into two groups. Michael, Ricky, and Mackenzie, you’ll be working with mainly the older kids to start out with. And, Lochte and Garrett will be working with the younger kids,” Skye stated. “And then tomorrow you’ll switch groups.”

“Okay,” everyone mumbled, nodding their heads to let Skye know they understood. She continued giving them all the details of the day and then dismissed them to go get ready and out to the pool.

***

Mackenzie stood in the shallow end of the pool, watching as a small, brunette girl attempted to do her backstroke at the other end of the pool with Ryan and Garrett. She could tell that the girl was having trouble, and Mackenzie was tempted to go over there herself to assist the girl since Michael and Ricky had everything under control with their group.

But, just as she was about to start moving, Ryan was at the girl’s side, aiding the girl, teaching her how to do the stroke correctly. Mackenzie couldn’t help but melt a little, watching as Ryan patiently helped the girl. “Stop staring,” she heard Michael say behind her.

Mackenzie spun around to see an amused smile on his face. “Shut up!” she told him. “I wasn’t staring. I was…staring,” she sighed, knowing she had been caught. “It’s just, look at him!” She heard Michael laughing, and she turned around, hitting him lightly on the arm.

“Hey, no violence in front of the kids!” Michael joked.

Mackenzie couldn’t help but laugh at him. “Whatever!” she told him, swimming back over to the kids in her group.

Fifty minutes later, all of the children had been picked up by their parents, and everyone was getting out of the pool. As Mackenzie was grabbing her towel out of her bag, she heard Ryan calling her name. She spun around to see him walking towards her, his towels wrapped around his waist. “So, I hear you were watching me today,” he smirked.

“Oh really?” Mackenzie questioned, using her towel to dry her hair. “And, where did you hear this rumor from?”

“Don’t try to deny it.”

“I’m not denying it,” she said with a smile. “I admit I was watching you when you were helping that little girl with her breaststroke. But, I mean, come on, who wouldn’t? That little girl was absolutely adorable!” Mackenzie exclaimed.

“The little girl?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, why else would I be looking down there?” Mackenzie asked, wrapping her towel around her torso. “You didn’t think it was because of you, did you?” she asked with a small laugh.

“That’s cold, Mack. Just plain cold,” Ryan said, and Mackenzie shrugged her shoulders. “I still need your number and address,” Ryan reminded her.

“Do you have some paper and a pen on you?” Mackenzie asked, knowing he didn’t since he had just gotten out of the pool.

“Hey Skye,” he called out, and she turned around, staring at him. “Do you have a pen and a piece of paper I can use?” he yelled to her.

She walked down to where he and Mackenzie stood. “Why?” she asked, opening her binder and snatched out a piece of scrap paper and handed it to him along with the pen in her hand.

“Thanks,” he told her, grabbing the items. “I need to write down Mack’s number and address,” he answered.

Mackenzie grabbed the paper and pen from Ryan, writing down her address and number. She then rummaged through her duffle bag, finding her cell phone, asking Ryan to put his number in it.

“So, I’ll pick you up at seven,” Ryan told her, walking towards the locker room.

“Without the grill!” Mackenzie called after him. He turned around, laughing, but nodded his head at the same time.

“I expect every detail,” Skye told her.

“I doubt there’s going to be much to tell. I mean, it’s just dinner.”

“With Lochte,” Skye added.

“What about we have lunch together tomorrow,” Mackenzie suggested. “I can tell you all the boring details then.”

“Deal,” Skye said with a smile on her face.