Lifeguard

2. The tryouts

Sydney woke up the next day feeling excited and very nervous at the same time. She was a professional swimmer, the best in her country and one of the best on the continent, so she didn't doubt her skills. She knew she could swim fast, clocking in less seconds than the requirements. She wasn't sure what the rest of the try-outs would consist of, and that made her anxious.

The unknown worried her.

Georgia entered her room quietly and sat down on the bed, ''good morning, Syd. How are you feeling?''

''Good morning, Gia,'' Sydney noticed the motherly smile her cousin was giving her, and returned it, ''I'm good, a little nervous for the try-outs.''

''Oh, so you haven't given up?'' Georgia's eyebrows rose.

''Of course not, you know me... once I accept a challenge, I don't stop until I complete it.'' Sydney grinned, playing with the pink blanket on her torso.

''That's my Sydney!'' Georgia exclaimed, tightly wrapping her arms around Sydney. They made their way to the kitchen, preparing sandwiches and tea. Sydney's parents were also awake, quietly conversing with Steven.

Sydney had breakfast and did her morning routine before she helped Georgia with snacks for the beach. They wrapped everything and woke the little munchkins up. Sydney loved spending time with them as they took her mind off things and always showed her a more interesting, alas childish, view on life.

They put all bags in the car, put summer music on, and made their way towards the beach. The plan was to drop Sydney's parents, Steven, and the children off before Georgia accompanied her to the try-outs. Sydney constantly tapped her fingers against the steering wheel, which was a genuine sign of her nervousness.

''You seriously need to calm down, otherwise they will be saving you from drowning.'' Georgia told her off despite trying to be nice. Sydney knew her cousin wished her well, but that didn't ease her anxiety.

One thought she hadn't considered until now popped up in her mind. What if the lifeguard from the previous day was at the try-outs? She wanted to stop in her tracks, turn around and run for the beach where her family was.

But she did none of that. Instead, she took a few deep breaths and strode more confidently next to her cousin. She wouldn't lose anything if she wasn't accepted – she knew that perfectly well – but she also knew she adored winning.

''Good luck, Syd! Give your all like you did in the pool all those years, all right?'' Georgia put her hands on Sydney's shoulders, locking her brown eyes with Sydney's.

Sydney nodded, smiling, ''thank you. I promise you'll be proud of me, Gia.'' Sydney hugged her cousin so tightly that Gia's air supply could stop. Georgia was 6 years older than Sydney, but they shared everything from insignificant details to the deepest secrets one couldn't ever share with anyone else.

They were sisters from other misters.

Sydney waved at Georgia with a big smile before she entered Garden Beach, noticing few people already warming up for the try-outs. She greeted everyone and dropped her backpack on the sand, starting her own warm-up. One of her favourite songs refused to get out of her mind, so she used it as a distraction from the built-up tension.

She had just finished with her warm-up when three older lifeguards entered the try-outs area. The two men and one woman had serious expressions on, their eyes instantly evaluating all candidates. Sydney was one of the most observant people on the planet, so she didn't fail to notice how their lips pursed when they disliked someone.

''Welcome, candidates,'' The oldest man began, his head slowly going from left to right, ''today will be held the last lifeguard try-out for this season. The job requires a lot of patience, teamwork, observation and, of course, plenty of great swimming skills.''