Shaping Our Fate

Chapter 1

"Swim faster!!! You can do it! Keep pushing!!"

Mr. Parker, my swim coach, was yelling for me to swim faster. He was standing at the end of my lane yelling and throwing his hands around in the air wildly. He always believed that I could do better but he also always believed that I had done well. It was a good balance and a rare one to find.

"Move those arms! Keep kicking! Come on Flor, you can go faster!!"

I was already going as fast as I could, but like always, I found it in me to go even faster. It's something only a swimmer would understand, how hard it really is to go so fast for so long while moving in the hardest way imaginable, but I loved it anyways. Swim was a part of me. I could go to the pool to think or to forget things.

I was constantly being told that swim wasn't a sport, but it was more of a sport than any other sport that I had ever seen or played. Plus, it was in the Olympics. How could you argue with that?

"Let's go! Pick up the pace!"

The race wasn't even half over yet. I had only just swam the first 50 in the 200 IM. That meant I had a 50 backstroke, 50 breaststroke and a 50 freestyle left.

In the next lap, my focus was to keep up with the other swimmers because backstroke wasn't my strongest stroke.

My arms moved like a windmill, never stopping, even with no wind to keep them going. My legs had never kicked as hard as they were kicking now.

Next stroke, breast stroke. My territory. I brought my legs together and scooped as much water as I could, as fast as I could. Another 50 done. My lungs burned and so did my arms and legs.

All I had to do now was sprint. If I sprinted that last 50 freestyle maybe just maybe I could beat my personal record and qualify for sectionals.

I kicked and kicked. My arms pulled me forward. Here comes the wall. Flip. Kick. Pull. Kick. Almost there now... just a few more feet. There was the wall.

I picked up my head and checked the time.

2:50.35

I had done it!!

My teammates were screaming and clapping. Mr. Parker was smiling at me. I couldn't stop smiling, either.

I had done it. I made sectionals in the 200 Im.

I was breathing so hard I couldn't tell the girls in the lanes next to me "Good job," and my friends Lilly and Amanda had to help me out of the pool. It was worth it though.

I glanced from my teammates to the crowd. It was small, like always, but I spotted two new faces. Jake and Zach, the clowns of the school who often used me as the butt of their jokes.

I groaned audibly and nodded in their direction causing Lilly and Amanda to look at the crowd too. They looked at me and rolled their eyes.

"They're probably here to check out how hot you look in your swimsuit," Lilly teased.

"Or to make comments about how I'm too weak to get out of the pool on my own," I countered, rolling my eyes.

"Look, diving is about to start. We should sit down" I pointed out.

"Oh! Right!" Amanda exclaimed and dragged Lilly and I to the bench by the pool.

The meet finished and we won. Mr. Parker was so happy, he was jumping up and down with excitement. He sent us to pick up the pool before we could go home.

Lilly and I were taking a touch pad off the wall when Jake and Zach sauntered over like they owned the place.

I tightened my grip on the touch pad and refused to look at them.

"It's a good thing you look good in that swimsuit Flor!"

"Yeah, what kind of swimmer are you? You can't even get out of the pool on your own!"

I gave Lilly a tight-lipped smile and hissed "Well look who it is, dumb and dumber."

Lilly laughed so loud Mr. Parker noticed what was going on and walked over.

"I thought I told you two to leave my swimmers alone."

"Sorry sir, we just couldn't help ourselves," Jake taunted sarcastically.

Mr. Parker crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Jake and Zach.

"Get out of my pool. Now."

Lilly and I looked at eachother wide-eyed. We had only ever heard him sound that angry when he caught a senior skipping sets.

Jake and Zach looked like deer caught in headlights. They scurried out the doors so fast they knocked over a few people.

"Alright ladies, hurry up and then you can all go home and eat as much as you want!"

Whooping and shouts probably could have been heard on the other side of the school. Then we started our chant. The seniors started and the rest of us replied.

"Extreme!"

"EXTREME!"

The team laughed until Mr. Parker shouted "Get back to work!"

Lilly and I put the touch pad away and followed everyone else to the locker room to change and go home.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow, word is that the principal has a surprise for everyone tomorrow." Amanda said as she picked up her bags.

I looked up from my own bag and thought out loud, "What could they possibly be surprising us with now?"

"Maybe a surprise exchange student?" Lilly questioned.

"Maybe, but I guess we'll find out tomorrow. Bye guys." I waved as I left the locker room and walked to my mom's car. Ready for bed after the long, exhausting meet.