Penfield's Greatest Swimmer

🌊~12

"Gentlemen, on your marks!"

I bent down again. This time, noticing my heart wasn't thumping like it was before. I took pride in that, assuring myself that this race was mine for the taking.

"Get set!"

I steadied my breathing.

Pii!

In the next second, I dived down into the water then emerged at the surface, stretching out my arms to form a 'Y'. Cupping my hands, I caught the water and shove it to the side whilst keeping my legs together. They pushed me forward by moving in a wave-like motion. I kept the steady rhythm, swimming to the tune of my muscles. Reaching the end of the pool, I touched the tile and somersaulted backwards, thrusting myself forward with that same wave-like motion.

I soon realised that I was at par with the guy who had won the first race, and in the next second, I quickened the movement of my hands, shoving water out of my way. Giving myself one last push, I touched the tile, bringing the race to an end.

Drawing in deep bouts of air, I kept my head up as I moved to the ladder and pulled myself onto the side of the pool. I yanked my goggles off, blinking furiously.

"Holy shit! You did it." Ethan tumbled into my arms, nearly knocking us down. "You freaking did it, Akwasi! You got first place with 1 minute, 35 seconds!" My friend wrapped me in a tight hug.

His outburst had attracted a number of heads, but Ethan didn't seem to mind as he swayed me sideways. "This is great!" He said, bringing us to a standstill. "Keep this up and you'll definitely be making the team."

His words brought me a sense of accomplishment, but my subconscious chose that exact moment to remind me that the tryouts weren't over. There was still one more race. The freestyle race. A light smirk touched my lips. Freestyle was one of the easiest swim styles ever. It also happened to be my strongest technique. I'd been swimming freestyle for decades and I highly doubted if there was anyone here who could beat me at it.

Taking the bottle of water Ethan had brought over, I unscrewed the cap and chugged everything down. When I pulled the bottle out of my mouth, my eyes suddenly landed on a girl who was definitely watching me with keen interest. Embarrassed that she had been caught staring, she threw me a shy smile and a wave.

I waved back, feeling a bit flushed.

"Ok guys!" The coach yelled one more time. "It's time for the final race. Let's go!"

I handed the empty bottle over to Ethan, who was still brimming with excitement. "Go knock 'em dead!"

Chuckling, I moved over to my block, climbing it for the third and last time today.

"So, you're friends with the team captain." The guy who won the first race, Daniel, stood on his block, stretching his arms.

"Yeah," I turned to him. "Is that a problem?"

"No. Not at all." He brought his arms down. "I guess that explains why he placed his bet on you."

My eyebrows narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"He didn't tell you?" Daniel blinked back, amusement gleaming in his eyes.

It made me even more curious. "Tell me what?"

"He and the rest of the team are betting on us, the two of us," he said, but before he could add more, the coach shouted.

"Gentlemen, get ready. On your marks!"

Quickly pulling the goggles over my eyes, I stooped low and pretended not to hear the raging thoughts in my head. Ethan is betting on me? Why is he betting on me?