Fake Sam

32. Logan: I'm here to help

32. Logan: I'm here to help

"Well, I can't wait to see what you can do." Coach Carter smiles and his mustache curves with his lips. He is an old man, still with hair, white, and a fine mustache to match. He wears a cap with JH and it's logo behind it, and a grey and white jersey jacket.

I nod and smile back since I don't know how else to respond, and walk ahead to where he leads me: the pool.

It's a really large pool, white tiles covering the walls and floors, and along the walls are metals and awards, and also enlarged photos of past students who have made memories; maybe I will be there someday. The splashing with the current class, and who I assume is the guys' team swimming, and the room is filled with the strong scent of chlorine.

I sit on the pool edge with my feet in the water, dropping my goggles beside me, and pulling on my cap. I look toward the balconies, where mom and dad decided to skip work and watch me. They wave to me, I smile and look back at the water. I haven't swam in two years, I really miss this.

"Whenever you're ready," Coach smiles once more.

I tug my goggles over my head and get them to stick in place around my eyes. I slide into the pool, and land on the floor sooner than I expected, it's only three feet. I hear Carter laugh behind me, and he starts to say something, but I am already ducking into the water.

I pull up my feet and kick off the wall, and feel myself swimming so fast, my freestyle feels perfect and I feel like nobody could catch me if I was able to keep on going. I pass the people practicing in adjacent lanes, and some of them turn their heads to see who I am.

Turn to right for breath, flip turn.

I speed off the wall, back in the coaches direction.

Iwish I would always have this feeling, like I am free; I have nowhere else to be, no one to worry about, nothing left to do. Just this.

Soon, I arrive back at my starting wall, but I don't stop, I take a breath and do my turn, and I start my fly. This is my majoring stroke, it hurts at first from no practice, but I make it to the first wall... and the second, and I stay turned on my back for backstroke.

I watch the ceiling, counting the lines the lines, until I reach the flags strung across the pool, and I turn onto my stomach for my turn. I make my way back to the coach, turning for my last 50. I keep moving with the breast stroke, trying my hardest to keep steady movement. This is my worst stroke, I bet the Coach can see it. I just can't seem to pull right.

I finish the two laps and stop at Coach Carter's feet. He kneels in front of me and holds a hand out.

I look at him, and he nods to his waiting hand, I shake it.

"Welcome to the team."

~

In third hour, I see Sam at her desk. Today, she has decided to dress up.

I sit beside her, and she glances at me sideways.

"What do you want? And why do you smell like that?" She grabs her nose.

"It's chlorine, Sam." I laugh, and the take in her outfit. "You look fancy today."

She organizes her books on the desk to be side by side, "Yeah, well, I can't just sit around while Andrew doesn't like me."

My eyebrows shoot up, "Really? So you want to seduce him, practically."

"You said I was changing. Well, this is who I used to be."

The bell rings and I return back to my seat. I didn't even get to tell her that I made the team.

I watch Sam during the hour, the whole time she is fiddling with her dress, either playing with the hem or re-securing the straps.