At 2:35 the next day, Nick entered the pool room. He saw that Sky was sitting on a lounge chair, furiously writing in a spiral notebook. Nick made his was over to her. He was wearing black shorts (which were his bathing suit) that had a white line around the edging of them. He also had on a white t-shirt.

"Hey," Nick said.

Sky looked up, "Oh, hi! I'm so glad you got here! We have to run some tests."

"Tests?" Nick looked at her warily.

"Yes, tests. We're going to see exactly what the limit of our connection is. I'll stand on one side of the room, you stand on the other. Then, I'll pinch myself, and we'll see if you feel it. We'll just keep getting farther, and farther back, until they stop working."

"Must we?" Nick asked.

"Don't you want to find out about this?" Sky snapped.

"Yeah, I guess so." Nick sighed. "Okay, so where do I go?"

"Stand over there." Sky pointed to the far side of the room.

"Okay," Nick said. He made his way over, and stood by the door.

Sky then pinched her arm. Nick felt it. "Ow!" he said.

"Okay, so that worked!" Sky yelled across the room. Nick was glad that no one else was in there, other wise he would have been very embarrassed.

"Now," Sky made her way toward him, "go outside, and call me and tell me if it works."

"Call you?" Nick asked.

"I saw you had a cell phone last night, did you bring it today?"

"Yeah," Nick said.

"Okay, good. I have mine. So I'm going back on that side of the room, and you just go right outside the door."

"Wait, what's your number?"

"Oh yeah!" Sky gave him her number.

"Okay," Nick went outside.

He felt the pinch, then he called and told her. "Okay, now go about three feet farther away." Sky instructed over the phone. "Did you feel that?" she asked a few seconds later.

"Yeah! Ow, I think by the time we're done with these tests, my arm is gonna be black and blue." Nick complained.

They continued with the tests for about 10 more minutes when Nick said "Sky, please, PLEASE can we give it a rest? I was recording all day, I really just wanted to go for a swim, but then we did this and, my arm's gonna be black and blue, and I really--"

"Fine, fine! Come back and do whatever you want!" Sky sighed.

"Thanks! See ya in a minute, bye." Nick hung up.

He raced back to the pool. When he got there, he threw off his shirt, and dived in.

"Ahhh, in the water at last." Nick sighed happily.

Sky walked over to the edge of the pool and stuck her feet in. "Enjoy it while you can, 'cause tomorrow we're doing more tests." She told him.

"Aww Sky! Do we have to?" Nick whined.

"Yeah, we have to!"

"Isn't there any other way besides being pinched?"

"If you think of one, let me know." Sky replied.

"Are you coming in or what?" Nick asked, changing the subject.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to."

"I want you too."

"Oh well."

"Please Sky!"

"No."

"You know, you need a nick name." Nick said.

"Okay, where did that come from?" Sky asked.

"I dunno, I was just thinking that...Sky is hard to make a nick name out of! What do your friends call you?" Nick asked.

"Sky." She said simply.

"Oh...how 'bout moon? You know the moon in the sky? Or...sun? Or how about cloud?"

"Or how about, your a dork."

"Aw, ya know ya love me." Nick said.

"Yeah, right..." Sky had to smile though.

"Um, how 'bout..."Nick saw that Sky was looking away, and took the opportunity to grab her foot, and pool her in the pool.

"Ahhhh! You jerk!" Sky spit out water. "I still have my clothes on!"

"So, they're gonna be a little wet, no biggie." Nick shrugged.

"Ugh! I can't believe you did that! You're gonna pay for that Nick!"

"Yeah, right. Like YOU could do anything to ME." Nick said.

"You'd be surprised." Sky said, peeling off her light blue t-shirt, and jean shorts, reveling her midnight blue one piece bathing suit.

"You like blue, don't you?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Well, first of all, last night you had on a blue dress, and today you're wearing all blue again."

"Yeah. I love blue, I wear it all the time."

"Hey! That could be your nickname, blue!" Nick said enthusiastically.

"Um, no, I don't think so. Maybe you should just give up on trying to give me a nick name." Sky suggested.

"Never!" Nick declared. He started swimming laps. When he had done two, he looked back at her. "Come on!"

"I don't think so."

"You really have to lighten up!"

Sky didn't reply. Nick swam back over to her, and took her hand. Sky grabbed her hand away from him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I just want you to race me, that's all."

"I--"

"I know, I know, you don't wanna race me. You don't wanna do anything." Nick pouted.

"Actually, I was GOING to say, 'I'd love too'." Sky smirked.

"Oh."

"So, let's race from this end of the pool, to that end, then back again...If, of course, your up to it." She challenged him.

"Bring it on." Nick said, swimming over to the side of the pool.

"On your mark... get set...go!" Sky screamed.

Nick swam as fast as he could, and yet, Sky beat him by a long shot. "That's no fair! You didn't tell me you swam like a fish!" Nick complained.

"You never asked. And, by the way, I swim this way because I took lessons for two years, and was on the swimming team for three years."

"God, you little cheater!" Nick splashed water in her face.

"What the heck!? You are so gonna get it boy!" Sky splashed him back.

They continued there water fight for a while until Nick exclaimed, "Shit! What time is it? I have to meet the guys at four!"

Sky got out of the pool and looked at her blue watch. "It's 4:05."

"Crap! It's been fun but I gotta run!" Nick said grabbing his shirt, and slipping on his black and white Nike sneakers.

"Bye!" Sky called.

He looked back at her and he said, "Bye," then ran out the door.

>>>>>

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