When the semi-final was over, a man in a t-shirt (Speedo) and shorts walked up to the girls as they were gathering up their stuff to leave.

“Are you Juliet?” He asked Ava, who shook her head and pointed to her friend; he handed Juliet a note, nodded, and walked off again.

“What the hell?” Ava said, watching him go.

Ella shrugged and turned to watch as Juliet unfolded the note; she read a few lines and then stuffed it in her pocket.

“I’ll see you guys later,” she said, smiling and walking past them.

They attempted to holler after her, but she was gone within seconds, leaving two completely confused friends behind.

*

Aaron’s hair was damp (more from the shower AFTER the race, than from the pool…but it was rarely ever dry anyway) when Juliet saw him walk over to her, where she was sitting in their predestined meeting place. Which happened to be the same bench on which they’d sat when they had first met.

“Hey.” He was smiling as he approached her and dropped down onto the bench in a heap. “I see you got my note. I wasn’t sure how reliable Evan was.”

“Evan?” Juliet repeated, half laughing.

Aaron ran a hand through his hair and nodded. “Yeah, I paid him to come and find you. He was hesitant until I said you were hot.”

Juliet’s cheeks flushed, but Aaron didn’t seem to notice. “Well, I’m glad that…ah…roped him in.”

“Me too,” Aaron confessed, chuckling. “I was worried you either wouldn’t get it, he’d give it to some other girl, or you’d decide not to come.”

“Why would I not meet you? You’ve just advanced into the finals.”

Aaron looked perplexed. “I’ve always wanted to date a gold medallist,” Juliet explained, trying to keep her face looking serious.

“You should go hit on Michael Phelps.”

Juliet tossed her head back and laughed. “Yeah, he’s got, like, what…twenty now?”

“About,” Aaron smirked. “So, do you want to get something to eat? Or maybe just go work off some excess energy somewhere?”

Juliet cocked an eyebrow. “Like where, a gym?”

Aaron laughed and pointed across the street. “No, like a club.”

She nodded and stood up. “Okay, but you are so not getting me drunk.”

“Why not?” He inquired slyly, slipping a loose arm around her waist as they started across the street.

“I think the answer is quite obvious.”

“Not really. I have some ideas, though.”

Juliet motioned for him to continue; with a laugh, he obliged. “Either you don’t want to do something you’ll regret in the morning…” He looked at her, then, and saw she was whistling (badly) and looking the other way, “…or you can’t hold your alcohol and you think you might pass out after one glass. Which would ruin the mood.”

“What mood?” Juliet asked as he let his arm drop to open the door for her.

Aaron flashed her a cheeky grin before gently pushing her inside and letting the door fall closed behind him.

*

Ava was kicking a pebble along the dirt road as she swayed back and forth in an attempt to cure her boredom.

“Ava, that’s the sixth time you’ve knocked into my arm. That time, I nearly fell into a big pile of manure.”

Ava started giggling helplessly, as Ella watched with a sour expression on her face. “Are you done yet?” She asked, once the giggles had died down.

“Yes,” Ava replied smartly. “But I have noticed that I am slowly losing my mind due to the fact that I am…DYING. OF. BOREDOM!”

Ella sighed. “We could sing songs.”

“You always have the best ideas.”

This was not exactly what Ella wanted to hear, but she would do pretty much anything to stop her friend from knocking her into a pile of cow poo. “What song?”

“Hmmmm.” Ava tapped her chin in thought. “How about…Foo Fighters.”

Ella stopped walking and turned to her. “Do you even know who they are?”

“Yes,” Ava did not sound entirely convincing.

“Okay,” Ella said, putting her hands on her hips, “Name your favorite.”

Several moments passed in which the only noise was that of the Village beyond the last hill and cars passing up the road ahead. “Brandon Boyd.”

A snort. “He’s from Incubus.”

“Steven Jenkins?”

“Third Eye Blind.”

An exasperated sigh. “Kurt Cobain.”

“Nirvana…and also…dead.”

“Dammit, Ella.”

“Ava, I am not singing a Foo Fighters song just so you can make fun of me. You have to EARN a Foo Fighters song.”

“Who says? Why are you the Foo Queen?”

Ella started laughing hysterically. “Foo Queen?” She managed to gasp out, holding onto a stitch in her side. “Have you been drinking?”

“Just sing a Foo Fighters song, please,” Ava begged, ignoring the fact that Ella was enjoying her boredom and lack of rock music knowledge far too much. (Ava came from a family who called rock music ’of the devil’ and who enjoyed country, and a little jazz.)

In annoyance, Ella decided to just get it over with. “I can’t believe you don’t even know Dave Grohl,” she said, attempting to get Ava to forget about the singing.

“Dave Grohl!” Ava yelled, snapping her fingers. “Of course! I was thinking Dave Nivaro!”

“Jane’s Addiction. Formally Red Hot Chili Peppers.”

Ava rolled her eyes, but this was not seen due to the pitch black darkness surrounding them.

“Okay,” Ella said eventually, walking again, and then broke into a rousing rendition of “Learn to Fly.”

Ava stopped her after the chorus. “Els, that’s the song from Ed.”

“It’s by the Foo Fighters.”

“God, how do you know all this crap?”

Ella shrugged. “I learned it all from Jules. All those times you were at camp? She was teaching me Rock Music Hall of Fame. Really cures boredom in the summer.”

Meanwhile, Juliet was showing Aaron her vast knowledge of useless rock music facts. And, also, singing. Very badly. And very off-key.

There had been a bit of alcohol consumed (by both of them) and Juliet, who couldn’t drink a glass of wine and still remain sober, was swaying in time to the music (something very 80’s) and telling Aaron about the time she met Radiohead.

Aaron was quite enthralled with this story. “So, you met them at a mall? What were they doing at a mall? Thom York. Near a JC Penny’s? I can’t picture it.”

“Well, see,” Juliet giggled slightly, “It wasn’t Thom York. Turns out, it was just some guy who looked like him. The dude was really nice about it, but…seemed a little put out at the same time.”

He nodded in knowing. “I can see why. Thom York is not the most attractive human being on the earth.”

“Not at all,” Juliet agreed stoutly. “But a genius, musically.”

“Of course.” Aaron was laughing quite a lot, but had it mostly under control; the same could not be said for Juliet.

As soon as her laughter came out as snorting, she said, “I think I’m drunk.”

“I do too,” Aaron replied, smirking. “You’ve only had a beer.”

She shrugged tipsily. “I’m a lightweight.”

Aaron shook his head and hauled her to her feet; he wrapped a tight arm around her waist and guided her out of the bar.

They were both singing as they headed out into the night.