Raven.

Counting to ten.

I loved the feeling of being utterly weightless. Watching my hair float around me, reaching out into the depths. Time seemed to stop. I could forget my worries here, I would stay there forever, just floating in the abysses if I could. But like all good things in my life, it always ends too soon.

The burning in my lungs and the stinging in my eyes reminded me of reality, that I will always have to surface and face the world at some point.

The burning in my chest became too much to handle, pushing off the floor I made my way up to the surface, gasping for breath after finally breaking through the water.

"I was worried for a second, I thought I'd have to put my lifeguard training to use."
I smiled at the brunet, lightly swimming to the edge of the school pool, where a lanky girl stood. Emily was on the school swimming team with me. We talked during practise but never even glanced each others way at school. "I swear you are half fish, you can hold your breath for a rather long time."

"I think the word you're looking for Emily is mermaid." I chuckled whist getting out of the pool. My muscles screamed in protest, it had been a tough day at practise and my body hated me for it.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure you have to have a tail to be one of them." She mused. With a smile in her direction our short conversation drew to a close. I headed straight to my towel, well it was technically Tasha's, that I had threw near the benches earlier. Slinging it round my shoulders like a cape I smiled at the childish thought.
Instead of heading to the changing rooms I made my way over to Mrs Wilson, our school swimming teacher. Originally from America, she insisted that we all call her 'coach'.

"You asked to see me coach." I said casually. I really admired Mrs Wilson, I had been on the swimming team for so long I had began to see her as a role model.

"Ah Billy, yes. I noticed you seemed a bit distracted today. It's not like you. Is everything okay?" And that's why I admired her. She never let a student 'slip through the net', if there was even a slight change in one of her students character she was on it straight away.

"I'm fine coach." I tried convincing her, knowing that it fell on deaf ears. She wouldn't back off until she got some sort of answer.

"Are you sure? You look exhausted. Even after training you always seems so energetic but you just look tire with the world today." Her face showed nothing but concern.

As usual Mrs Wilson had hit the nail on the head. Now Monday, I hadn't had a good nights sleep since I had been at Tasha's. It wasn't Tasha's fault, I was just sick with worry. My mum was yet to contact me and as a consequence I couldn't sleep at night. Every time I closed my eyes I was greeted with my imagination creating every single scenario of what could have happened to her, and they sure weren't nice ones. I was so tired today that I almost fell asleep in class. What I never do, thankfully Tasha was with me in this class and she nudged me before I could face plant the hard desk.
"Just some stuff going of at home. Nothing to worry about." Was my vague reply. A small frown covered her face. She tucked a stray piece of brown hair behind her ear before replying,

"You know, if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm always available."

"I know. I'm fine, just having a off day. I'll be back to normal soon" In all honesty I was trying to convince myself of that more than her.

I wrapped my towel around me tighter, after being out of the pool for so long and not getting out of my swimming costume, I was beginning to get very cold. Noticing that I was shivering, Mrs Wilson let it drop, not before reassuring me that she was there for me.

Now in the shower I sighed in content as the hot water cascaded down me, realising any tight nots in my muscles. It was bliss. The thought of a warm shower after a hard evenings training was what kept me going when I got tired whilst swimming. I always got out of the pool last, so by the time I got out into he shower blocks I didn't have to wait for a cubicle as everyone was already finished. And I could spend as long as I liked in there without having to worry about a bunch of angry, impatient teenage girls banging on my cubicle door if I took too long. Seriously teenage girls are not pretty when they are waiting for the shower.