Regret

6

That following week, we had swimming unit. It was a Thursday, and we had a substitute teacher. I love swimming, a lot. But I also had asthma, so swimming underwater and accidentally swallowing it was a very bad thing for me.

Our class was playing this water polo game where you have two teams, sort of like water football. If you had the ball, someone, or more than one person, could tackle you to retrieve the ball. But, as soon as you let go of the ball, they could no longer touch you. Well, I had the ball for about two seconds, then I threw it to my friend Sarah.

Suddenly Blake, this chubby junior who faked asthma attacks to get out of things, tackled me in the water. He pushed down on my head, and my mouth filled with disgusting chlorine water. I pushed my way back up, but before I could protest, he pushed me back under once more.

When I came back up, I was coughing and sputtering out water, trying to scream, but the sound barely came out. He pushed me under once more, but this time it was short and someone from above grabbed me from under my arms.

It all was happening so fast.

With my eyes still closed, burning when I opened them a sliver, I was moved away. I opened my eyes when I heard his voice, my gym buddy!

"Chase?" I coughed out.

"Hey Brooke, you're okay now."

I climbed on his bare back and he swam us over to the pool's brown gutter. I sat on the ledge with him in between my legs. The water was shallow, so his feet touched the ground.

"Who has your inhaler?" He asked, and I replied that Katie did.

Katie's been my friend since Kindergarten, she stands on the other side of me during attendance. She was sitting out during the unit because she can't swim.

Chase calls Katie over, and I got my inhaler. After taking a few puffs, she takes it back and sits down.

"Better?" He asks, looking into my eyes. I looked over his shoulder, after being able to breathe normally.

I saw a small fight happening in the water. Chase's friend Adam and another boy on the baseball team with them, Kyle, were pushing Blake under the water and pushing him around. I figured that Adam is the one who pulled him off me. Everyone else in the water playing the game as if nothing was happening behind them.

Suddenly, someone sharply jabbed my left shoulder, making both me and Chase look up. It was the sub, looking at us angrily.

"Why are you two not playing? This is not the time to make out," he barked.

'Making out? Oh! Chase is standing in between my legs.' Chase must have realized that too because he helped me down so we were both standing in the water, but still stayed close.

"Sir, if you haven't noticed, the boy behind us, currently being pushed around," Chase said, pointing behind before looking back to the sub, "shoved her under the water over and over until we pulled him off. I took her over here because she has asthma and couldn't breathe."

The sub looked at me like he was ashamed for not noticing. Well good! If he was paying attention, this wouldn't have happened.

The sub yelled for Blake to get out of the water immediately, then walked away. Chase and I watched the rest of the hour until the sub blew the whistle for us to go change.

In a way, Chase became my personal hero that day. He also moved closer to me every time Blake was around.