Something weird was going on, Lydia thought. I can't get my fingers to work right. She started to feel dizzy and the hot steam rising up from the cool floor was not helping. Shutting off the flow of water Lydia carefully stumbled out of the shower stall.
Lydia made her way to the bench beside her locker. Her towel was there and she started drying herself. The suit was just too slippery from the water she reasoned. My fingers were cold and I can't get them around the suit. I'll be fine when I get into the warm sun.
Dry now except for her suit, Lydia removed her swim-cap and shook out her long hair. Feeling a little more stable she opened her locker to find her brush and mirror. As she brushed her brown locks she idly wondered if she were the target of a practical joke. It would not be the first time that competitive swimmers had tried to sabotage another. Superglue on the swimsuit was one thing or chili powder in the towel. But there was something in the way that her suit had seemed a part of her that was not right. It seemed to stick to her body as close as skin.
Lydia felt a tickle around her throat. It was wet and clingy. It was the edge of her suit riding up her neck. She hated when it did that it always made her feel like it was about to choke her which is why she always chose the suits with the lowest neck lines. It would never show the cleavage that she really did not have.
So why was she wearing a suit with a high neckline?
Lydia felt around her neck with her fingers. There she found the rounded edge of her suit starting to form a short turtleneck line. Try as she might she just could not feel any space between the suit and her skin. Where one ended the other started; there was only a thin seem that defined the edge of the fabric. Reaching around to the back of her neck Lydia searched for the zipper that must be there. Or the snap that would release her from the suit. To her horror her questing fingers found only continuous smooth spandex material.
Her hair kept getting in her way so Lydia grabbed a scrunchy from her bag and tied a quick pony tail. In the mirror her hair, once chestnut-brown seemed lighter and more red. It must be something in the new swim-cap rubbing off on my hair, she told herself. She liked the slight red but it was just one more strange thing that would have to wait.
Her suit was dry enough now to put clothes over. Lydia was going to have to deal with the stuck suit at home where it would be more private. If this was some elaborate prank then she was not going to allow the other girls the satisfaction of a reaction. She tossed on a fluffy light green sweater that now was suddenly tighter across her chest. The collar of the sweater was low and the shiny, royal-blue of her tight swim-suit could be easily seen. Pulling up her short denim skirt, Lydia tied the belt off tight to keep it from sliding down her slick spandex belly. Last she jumped into the trendy sandals that showed off her nicely painted toes, aqua-green like the sea.
Feeling warm and moderately safe and normal appearing for the moment Lydia locked her stuff up and tossed her bag over a shoulder as she left the change room for the warm sun.
Upon reaching fresh air, however, storm clouds had blown in while she was inside and now there was a threat of rain. "This seems ridiculously contrived," she muttered to herself.
"I hope you have a ride, Lydia. It's going to rain," one of the bitchy swimmer called to her as she jumped into a waiting car.
Lydia did not like her chances of getting home before she got wet again, but she could not find her cell phone in her bag. She must have left it at home. As the wind picked up Lydia started to jog home as fast as she could in sandals on tired legs from the long practice.