Smile (Free! Iwatobi Swim Club fanfic, RinxOC)

Chapter 5: Results

Chapter 5: Results 

As I slowly became used to the idea of being the manager of a large group of talented male swimmers, my life began to form a comforting routine. I cook breakfast, go to school, go to Samezuka, and hurry home, getting home just a mere ten minutes before my Dad. Luckily I have perfected the art of illusion, making it look like I have been cooking dinner for much longer than I actually have. Sadly as a result I have been having to do my homework much later at night, and having to do so by lamplight so my father doesn't know that I have not completed my homework sooner.

Fridays are always joyous. They signal the end of a long school week, and the beginning of the weekend, two days of freedom. At the end of swim practice, since it is the end of the month, Rin announces the results of everyone's practicing. Clipboard in hand, he struggles to hush the loud crowd as he prepares to announce the results. Once the crowd hushes, he gazes at the clipboard, and his eyes grow wide as he reads the results for the first time. "T-T-This is..." he stammers, handing to the clipboard to me, unable to express his feelings in words. 

I gaze at the chart. For most of the month the team has only been improving slowly, at a snail's pace. But starting at one date, their improvement grew much larger, and at a faster pace. Heck, the pace is triple what it was at the beginning of the month. I stare at the date, and try to think of what happened that could have inspired all the swimmers... 

"Everyone started to TRULY improve when Ami-chan arrived. So you improved to impress a girl huh? You should improve for a better reason than that!" Rin scolds, unable to stop himself from chuckling at the end. Rin snatches the clipboard out of my hands, and gazes at the chart again before chuckling once more. "You'll have to do a lot better than this if you want to impress Ami-chan. Heck, at this rate, you'll NEVER get her to date you." A bunch of the guys both chuckle and mutter. 

"What about you Rin?" Momo asks, a gleam of curiosity present in his golden eyes.  

"I.." Rin responds, running one of his hands through his silky hair, "I cut my swim times in half," a hush envelops the crowd. Clearly no one was expecting that.  

"How are we supposed to compete with that?" one of the swimmers mutter, accompanied by other mutters of annoyance. "It's no fair... He just wants to keep Ami-chan to himself." Rin chuckles, flashing all of us one of his mischievous grins. The bantering goes on for a good twenty minutes, causing the time of my leaving to be later than usual. My heart drops when I see what time it is. 

MY

 

FATHER

WILL

ALREADY

BE

HOME. 

He will be livid for me being late, specifically being late due to my involvement in something that he doesn't know about. With a shaky sigh, I slip my phone back into my pocket. Should I tell him that I am the manager of a swim team? Should I tell him the truth? What if he bans me from being involved? Although it has only been a month, I have grown close to many of the swim team members, and would not like to have to distance myself from them. They are friends, in fact some of them seem like brothers.