So you're a swimmer?

white water

Stephen's pov

'I should just kill you now, goodbye Madmax.' 

And with that I sniped a 2mm bullet from my AG sniper right into the frail heart of my opponent. The game ends with a 17-15 victory and I'm glad that under another multiple shades of red colored evening sky, I got to play Voxine, my favorite e-game. 

But as I was about to shut down the window by exiting out, I noticed a user named 'redlotus57' and the image of Lotus, my classmate, came to my mind and the news lingered near my ears recalling that she took the day off because her mother is sick. Ah, I wonder how bad must be it. It is actually hard to stay positive sometimes, remembering the series I watch now and then on this quirky laptop of mine. 

My hand hovered over the blue screen of my phone for sometime in the thought if I should text her whether she is fine. I don't know, it felt awkward so I drove the thought away into pit. 

I got up from my revolving chair, grabbed my swimming assets bag and marched out of the house calling out to my mom once that I am leaving. She knows it's the time for me so I don't need to elaborate all through or bid a proper goodbye. 

I remember the first time my parents and I considered swimming. It was to increase my breathing capacity as I was selected for the national round in singing. The teachers were in awe about the competition and I loved those days where I went around bragging about it to everyone. It's not in my personality yet to feel embarrassed about something feeling nostalgic.

I put on my headmask and goggles, breathed big and heavy holding my breath tight, and dived into the clear blue water. The sound of my splashing echoed in the empty room, warmed a bit by my heat only. I popped my head out after the dive and slowed a bit resting my head on the white tile at the sides. Somehow thought of Lotus cannot seem to leave this tiny brain of mine. 

Because I remember losing my friend, being sick. This was the place we shared as our common escape from bitter reality. We talked about endless things, raced through this sweet water and laughed our lungs out even under the water. The image of his smile still flows like a soft memory over my eyes and mind, and sometimes I seem to feel him around my bones too. That's why even after finishing the competition, I could never move away from the rifts I created in these pools. The memories still hold me close and the water reminds me everyday why I should be grateful about all I have today or will have tomorrow. Maybe I should text her around. 

I got out of the pool, dripping wet after running enough laps to satisfy my soul. I pulled out my phone from under the bag while rubbing my hairs dry with a towel and taking a seat on the bench nearby. 

'Hi, are you okay? How's your mom? I just got to hear it in school.' The sent ticks on the message increase my heartbeat by 2 or 3 steps and I hide it in my pocket before it can overtake my whole rhythm. But the ping sends it flying across the sky. 

'Hey. She's fine now. Grateful for the concern.' Her message seemed plain and simple. She didn't reply to my first question. 

'Are you coming to school tomorrow?' I asked, my fingers shaking slightly, the flinch almost invisible. 

'Yes. I will. Don't worry about me, I am fine.' She ended it with a heart emoji. I had heard it from Hope that she uses lots of heart in her chatting process. Maybe she really likes showing how grateful she is or maybe a happiness measure. I liked it anyway.

An involuntary smile came on my face and I reacted to her message with a thumbs up sign. After sitting for a while more, I picked up my bag and left the compound. The cool breeze kissed my skin and I thought it was another day lovely to be alive. Lotuses maybe are actually serene to the soul.