It was almost certainly bad luck when the best rower on the team, James Baxter, broke his arm on a rock during practice one day. Lynn had to call the ambulance, and together they all watched as the poor, crying kid was lifted in there and carried away.

Every single person in the team had sent their condolences. Deandra, some flowers and a heart shaped box of chocolates. (She had the biggest crush on him, but then again she had a crush on every boy.) Otto, a good book. Kimberly, a gift card to Game Barn. Michelle, a card she had made wishing him the best. And Polly, of course, a pair of roller skates. (although it was doubtful that he'd use those things after breaking his damn arm.)

And Lynn came to visit him personally. She remembered first walking in and seeing the look of utter hatred on his face and knowing that he wasn't rejoining them any time soon. As far as he was concerned, his rowing career was over, and no amount of gift cards or chocolates could change that.

They never did see him again after that, and Lynn knew damn well that they were fucked. Without their best oarsman they were gonna have a harder time keeping up with the other teams.

What the hell were they gonna do? It wasn't until several weeks later that word came up that a new kid was joining. Oh boy, Lynn remembered thinking, he'd better be damn good then, or it's like that spot's never been filled at all.

He arrived shortly after, and the team buzzed with talk of the new kid. He's one of the best rowers on this side of Michigan; friendly, agreeable guy; he's super cute!

Of course, Lynn would judge that for herself. See if he'd be of worth to the team or not. She watched from the top of the picnic table as the kid threw his stuff on the grass.

"Yo, new kid!" Lynn shouted. "Get over here. I wanna get a closer look at you."

The new kid obliged, walking up to her with his hands in his pockets. He had his cap on sideways, about to fall off from his head, and a slight smug smile, like he owned the place. Oh boy... Lynn thought, I hope he's not one of THOSE guys. They always caused trouble for the team. James, while easy to get along with most of the time, could let his expertise get to his head.

When the new kid stood in front of her Lynn looked at him up and down. A bit taller than she was. Light brown skin. Tousled black hair. Dark eyebrows...black, piercing eyes….

"Um, okay," said Lynn, realizing that she had been staring at him for a bit too long. "Right. So what's your name, new kid?"

"Francisco Ortega." He had a mild voice.

"Okay, Ortega," she said, leaning in towards him, "here's a few things you gotta know about being on this team." Lynn cleared her throat and began.

"Absolutely no being late. Three strike rule-late the first time, you're running a mile. Second, you're scrubbing the toilets with a toothbrush; your toothbrush. Third and you're kicked out. Got it?"

Francisco nodded, looking quite unfazed. Huh, thought Lynn. Usually that scares the new blood.

"Secondly, no complaining. My team, my rules, you're either with us or you're not. If I ever hear a whisper outta ya then you're outta this team quicker than you can say, 'Go to hell!' I don't tolerate whiners. Got that?"

"Got it."

"I'll make an exception though: if somebody's bothering ya then you come to me and we'll sort it out. We can't afford to have any infighting," said Lynn.

Francisco smiled. "Believe me," he said, "I don't start fights. But yeah, I got all that."

Lynn's stern demeanor faltered a little and she smiled a bit. "I'll believe ya, Ortega," she said. "You better not."

He winked at her. "Takes a lot to get me mad."

Blushing a little, Lynn dismissed him. "Just keep those rules in mind, Ortega, and you'll be fine."

Francisco nodded, before turning around and running to join the others. Lynn stared after him.

He seems pretty easy to deal with, she thought, if a bit...um...cheeky.

"He's cute, isn't he?" said a sudden voice, causing Lynn to jump in shock. She turned around and saw Deandra, her glasses gleaming mischievously. God, she and Lucy were both good at this schtick. "Way better than James. If he was the coxswain I'd be rowing so-"

"Well, you're gonna have to settle with me, Deandra," she said, "and he's a teammate, just like you and me."

"Still." Deandra licked her lips. "He's pretty cute."

He was handsome, certainly, but that didn't really matter. What mattered was if he was any good or not. Ever since James left the team felt the loss like a big blow. We were second place three times in a row. Three! It was embarrassing and humiliating and Lynn wouldn't stand for it. Her and the team's hopes all rested on this new kid.

I just really hope he's worth a damn, thought the girl, getting up and blowing her whistle. "Alright, everyone, get your oars!"

xxx

As per usual, dinner wasn't exactly to Lynn's taste. She downed her peas, trying to sate her nonexistent appetite.

Rita was doing the usual supper ritual of asking all the siblings how their days went. "So, Lori, how was your day?" she began.

The oldest sister sighed and slumped in her chair. "Well, AP Psych's killing me, but I'll live."

"Leni?"

"So I wore the cutest outfit today, and this really cute boy complimented me, and I was like, 'oh my gosh, thank you!'"

"Luna?"

"Pretty good, Mom. Me and Sam are writing this new song and I'm pretty certain it's gonna turn out to be a banger."

And so on. Rita's eyes fell onto her then. "Lynn?"

"A new kid joined our team," said Lynn. "The rowing team, I mean."

"Ooh, really?" She raised an eyebrow in interest. "What's his name?"

"Where's he from?" Luan chimed in.

Lynn laughed and sat back. "His name's Francisco," she told them, "and-"

Lori gasped a long ooooooh and leaned forward excitedly, hands on chin. "Francisco? Ooh, Lynn, is he as good looking as his name?"

"Lori, he's in middle school," said Lincoln, frowning.

"He's a character in one of Lori's gross romance novels, I think," deadpanned Lucy, causing the oldest sister to shoot her a dirty look.

God, she should've known it was gonna come to this. Had he been a girl or maybe if his name was different then she wouldn't have to deal with this. "He's really chill. He's James' replacement; remember how I told you he broke his arm? Anyway, he's filling his spot-" She glared at Lori, who was still looking at her excitedly "-and yes, Lori, he's good looking. All the girls were giggling when he came in."

Lori folded her arms and sat back, satisfied. Lincoln rolled his eyes.

"Well, I hope he's one heckuva oarsman, Lynn Jr," said Lynn Sr, "because I don't think I've ever seen a team of yours lose that much!" Rita gave him a sharp kick under the table. "I mean, uh, that's wonderful sweetie."

"Moving on," Rita sighed, "how did your day go, Lincoln?"

xxx

School the next day was uneventful, as always. Lynn slung her backpack over her chair and sat down as Spanish class began. One more period to go, and then I'm outta here. Practice was today, and they really had to fix their rowing technique.

"Buenos dias, everyone!" said their Spanish teacher, Señorita Guzman, clapping her hands. "Today's a very, very important day, and I'd like to tell you all why. First, I've got a really fun project for you all-you're going to be writing a poem in Spanish. Isn't that fun?" The entire class groaned. "You're gonna be doing it whether you like it or not," she added dryly.

Lynn sighed and rested her hand against her cheek. Great...a project, just when she needed it the most.

"And secondly, we have a new student! Isn't that just wonderful?" The class remained quiet for the most part, already jaded by the earlier announcement. God, she's such a snooze, thought Lynn.

"Come on up, new student." There was the sound of a chair being pushed back and footsteps as the newcomer came up to the front of the class. Lynn almost forgot about the project completely when she saw who it was.

"This is Francisco Ortega, and he just moved in from California," said Señorita Guzman. The class broke out into murmurs as he nodded to the class in greeting. "Anything you'd like to say, Senor Ortega?"

Francisco shook his head. "I'm good."

Lynn felt both delighted and surprised. With this kid in her class she could get to know him a lot more better than the rest of her teammates, and most especiallyshe wouldn't have to endure this borefest alone anymore. She watched as Francisco walked past her, giving her an acknowledging smile as he did. Lynn returned the favor happily.

Meanwhile Señorita Guzman began to lay out the project details in her usual grating manner. "...the poem's due in three weeks! This is a one man project, but you're free to partner up with someone if you wish."

"Joke's on her, I'll ace that thing like nobody's business." Lynn heard Francisco's voice and realized that he was sitting behind her.

"Ortega," she said happily. "I didn't even notice ya till she introduced you."

"I'm good at blending in," he answered.

"Why are you even taking this class, anyway?"

"Gotta fulfill my language requirements," said Francisco, "so I chose this one. I felt it'd be easy."

Lynn laughed. "Can't say I blame ya. Got anything in mind for the poem?"

Francisco bit his lip in thought. "Not too sure yet. But I'll figure it out."

Señorita Guzman clapped for silence. "Now, now, mis chicos, let's get straight to work today. Today we're reviewing conjugation! Ohh, how I love conjugation!" A collective sigh rose from the class. "Learn to love it," she deadpanned.

The hour and a half of class felt like a millennium as the students toiled over their worksheets. Lynn and Francisco didn't talk much during that time, except when she heard the final scratch of a pencil and the sound of his chair creaking as he sat back.

"What? You're done already?" she gasped in disbelief.

Francisco smiled, hands behind his head. "Like I said. Easy class."

Lynn rolled her eyes and went back to work. She chewed her pencil fitfully as she struggled to recall what the hell the nosotros form of besar was. Ugh, I'm not good at this crap, she thought.

"Need some help?" he heard him ask. Lynn shook her head.

"I'm good," she said. "I can do this."

"Gotta get in your favor somehow, coach."

"When you show me how good your stroke is then I'll think about it," said Lynn. "Now hush."

Francisco chuckled softly. Lynn smiled a bit as she wrote down the answer, besas. "Yeah…" she whispered, "yeah, that sounds about right."

Around the time Lynn filled in the last answer of the worksheet the bell sang its tune. As quick as rockets the class sprang to their feet, but Señorita Guzman wasn't done with them. "Now, now, everyone, don't you leave just yet. Vive mucho…"

"...y ríe," said the class, and they were out.

Well, at least I finished something this time, Lynn thought, shoving her worksheet into her binder. Usually she didn't even bother most of the time, but for some reason she did today.

She caught up to Francisco as they left class. She had to get to know the new teammate better. "I'm really glad I have a friend in here now," she told him. "Having nobody to talk to and listening to Mrs. Guzman blather on really drives ya crazy after a while."

"I bet. Lady just don't stop," Francisco chuckled.

"So...yeah." They came to a somewhat awkward silence. "Um…so, Ortega, how d'you like it here so far?" She remembered then that they weren't at practice. "I mean, Francisco."

"Not bad. I still miss Cali a bit though," he admitted.

"Who wouldn't?" Lynn replied. "Maybe I'll get a good scholarship with-oh, I don't know, UCLA or something, and I could go there!" She smiled giddily. "It's like, one of my top places to visit!"

"California's bomb. I used to live around LA, actually. Still got some relatives over there."

Lynn raised her eyebrows in interest. "That's so cool! What's it like over there?"

"Ehh, kinda like here. Except more hot." Lynn giggled. "And they got some good beaches."

Lynn nodded. While the beaches here were pretty okay, they couldn't possibly compare to the ones in California. Big, surfable waves...cool Pacific water...way better than the boring lakes they had around here. "I really wish I could go there. You can do anything over there, y'know? Surf and ski in the same day!"

"You seem pretty damn excited," said Francisco mischievously. "How about I smuggle you there with me next time I visit?"

Lynn laughed and gave him a good natured punch to the shoulder. "That sounds like such a great idea."

"Hey, whatever makes you happy." The bell rang again, signalling that the last class of the day was about to start. "Well, I'd better go, Lynn. I'll see ya at practice."

"Yup. See ya!" As she ran to her next class, Lynn couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She had a feeling that this boy was going to be no trouble at all..