Hurricane - {~k.v.}

• the calm •

Kendall Vertes

You know those moments in life that make you wonder how on earth you ended up where you are now?

Never in a million years would I believe the brunette slumped over the steps of Bayward Regional High School, crinkling the once perfect depiction of a dream prom dress with each tear sliding down her face, was me, Kendall Vertes.

With each sob that racked through my body, I wondered. "What happened?"

Before the year had begun, everything was perfectly unbalanced and normal.

What changed?

10 months ago I would have stared at the girl with pity.

But something changed in those 10 months.

And I wouldn't know what hit me until the storm tore me down.

☂

My eyes burst open within a millisecond. My gaze trailed across the water as I used every ounce of energy I had inside my small swimmer's body, to push myself across the soft waters. I turned over and kicked off the wall so I was sent speeding towards the other direction.

I hit the first wall only seconds later as my head burst from the water. I looked up at my coach, my vision blurry from the lack of my contacts. "What was the time?"

She smiled softly at me before turning around and chuckling. I frowned, pulling my body from the water, onto the tile that lined the pool.

"What was the time?" I repeated, reaching for my towel. I dried myself off quickly before slipping some Nike shorts over my damp swimsuit and let my hair out of my swim cap.

"Oh Kendall, sweetheart, I gave up on timing you 20 minutes ago. You're just as agile as you've always been." She smiled as my heart sank.

Just as agile?

She sensed my disappointment and corrected herself. "If not better, that is."

"Now gather your stuff and scram." She handed me the keys to lock up the pool as I nodded and turned towards my bag. I would've asked for one more lap, but I'd already used 30 minutes of her time after practice, just to make certain my timing record was solid.

I pulled a sweatshirt over my head, slightly cold from the pool's chill. After slinging my bag over my shoulder and locking the gym up, (tossing the keys to my coach when I passed her in the parking lot) I trotted over to my best friend's secure parking spot.

He stuck his head out the window with a glare, he was still blurry to me, as I realized I'd forgotten to put my contacts back in. He scoffed, "Took you long enough,"

"Shut up." I rolled my eyes as I pulled myself into his truck. I added quickly, "If you cared so much you would've came in and got me."

"Even if I went in there and demanded you leave, you would still ask for another round of laps."

This is true.

"Plus, that coach hates me." he whined, sitting back into his seat as he started the engine.

I rolled my eyes once again, "That coach has a name and I'm sure you remember it quite clearly."

"I try not to." He groaned.

Coach Haley hated my best friend, no matter what. He'd gotten on her bad side last year when he vocalized his anger about how late practice was running and how it could harm our carpool schedule. It was a dumb decision, but with him, those decisions were my favorite to watch unfold.