Waiting Game (A Free! Iwatobi Swim Club Dancer AU)

Haruka Nanase- July 20th

"Haruka we need to go." My mother said, walking up beside me. "I know you don't want to honey. But we can't hold on to this place forever. It's what your father would have wanted."

"Don't even bring him up." I scoff. I push my Nike bag up on my shoulder and I turn away from our small one story house. It may have been just that, small and average, but it was home and I didn't want to leave. We had to go because of mom's work. She works for the Red Cross and we move around quite a bit, but this is where I had spent most of my life. Duty calls and now we're off to some place that only sounds a little familiar- Iwatobi.

Mom kept insisting the only reason we were moving was because of her new promotion. I kept trying to get myself to believe that too. But I knew there was always a little bit more. It's that way with all parents. There's always a little bit more that they don't want to tell you. Unfortunately now I was seventeen, a bit too old to be fooled by that trick. I knew we would've moved soon. Even if mom didn't get promoted we would've moved. This house gave her too many reminders of what was. It gave her too many reminders of the past. It gave her too many reminders of dad.

She always insisted he would be back. She would always paint him in a positive light when she would bring him up to me, so I would always refrain from yelling at her. I knew he wasn't coming back. I knew he was gone. And I also knew he was a dick. But I didn't have the heart to tell my mother that. Besides, deep down she knows that's true too. If she didn't we wouldn't be moving.

I stomp off and head to the navy SUV at the end of the cracked driveway. I slumped down into the passengers seat and I slammed the door a little louder than I should. Moving was the last thing I wanted to do. Even if it meant getting away from the memories of my father.

"Listen Haru," my mom said calmly as she got into the drivers seat. "I know this is hard on you. But you'll see! Things in Iwatobi will be wonderful! Besides if they get off to a rough start you have the rest of summer to get adjusted!"

"I won't be able to dance." That's all I can think to say. Even though my mother is being so optimistic about the whole journey, I can't find one reason to look on the bright side.

"You don't know that! Maybe there will be a studio around Iwatobi! If not I'll be willing to make a little bit of a drive for it. I know how important it is to you Haruka." Although my mother said this, she didn't really know how important it was. Because if she did we wouldn't be moving in the first place. "I promise sweetheart. Everything will be great."

We drove through the day and through the night. It was around midnight when we stopped at a cheap motel. My mother parked our car and she looked over to me. "Would you be a dear and get us a room?" She asked, almost sympathetically. I nodded. She handed over her credit card and I got out of the car. I headed for a window that seemed like it served as a front desk. Sure enough there was an old woman sitting there.

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't see you there. Not often we get costumers!" She chirped.

"That doesn't surprise me." I thought. She took the credit card out of my hand before even asking what kind of room I wanted or how many people I was with.

"Just you right?" The lady assumed.

"No. Two people." I say. The old woman laughs at her mistake and continues rambling- so much I forget to listen.

"Hello? Young man?" I didn't realize she was speaking to me again until I looked down at her hands. She was holding out two things- In her right hand, a key with a room number attached to it, and in her left, my mothers credit card.

"Thanks." I nod at her and take both the key and the credit card. I walk back over to my mothers car. She is getting out holding a small bag of toiletries she packed, incase we stopped. I take the bag and she takes her credit card and the room key. We walk up the outdoor staircase up to the motel room. It was dimly lit by one lamp and dirty.