Synchronized Swimming

Chapter 13: Broccoli Attack

Sang

I feel so relaxed after swimming! Normally practicing is a rather stressful event with Avidite criticizing my every move, so I have never really felt the joy of just doing what I wanted to before. After a simple warmup, I swam my solo in lap form without music to concentrate on quality. Once I got tired of that I did vertical drills in the deep end to work on my support scull strength. It felt a bit weird to have other people watching me practice, since with Avidite I practiced before the pool opened to the general public, but I didn't mind it as much as I thought I would. Around six I got out of the pool and dried off before changing. As I left, I made sure to give a friendly nod to the lifeguards- it's always good to be on their good side!

The walk home is pleasant with the evening air warming my still damp skin. Cars whiz by me as they rush to get home from work, but I remain in my own peaceful bubble. As I approach the house, I hesitate on whether or not I should knock. Technically, this is my new home, but since I just moved in today it still feels like I'm a guest. My internal dilemma is solved when the door is yanked open from the inside. Gabriel stands in the doorway with an expression that seems awfully similar to relief. Was he worried that I would take too long swimming?

"Oh good, you're back!" he says with a suspiciously big smile. It looks a little forced, but it's not like I have a lot of experience in social matters.

"Hi Gabriel." I say tentatively. After Gabriel motions for me to step inside, I come in and set my bag gently down next to the door. I follow him into the living room where Mr. Blackbourne, Sean, Nathan, and Silas are all sitting down on various couches and chairs. Their heads snap up in unison when I enter the room.

"Hey guys..." I mumble, picking up some seriously weird vibes. They all say hi back, then Mr. Blackbourne clears his throat and they go back to what they were doing before. All though what they are doing exactly is beyond me; Silas appears to be flipping through a book without actually reading it and Nathan is staring at his phone screen with a fierce intensity. When I look harder, I can see that his phone isn't even on!

Luke and North come bounding out of the kitchen. "Sang! I'm so glad that you made it home okay!" Luke says. Now I'm seriously confused.

"You guys got my note, right?" I ask them. As soon as the words left my mouth, everyone in the room tenses and Luke pales.

"We got your note. It was very considerate of you to leave one, Ms. Sorenson." Mr. Blackbourne responds in a diplomatic tone.

In an effort to escape the tense atmosphere, I follow Luke and North back to the kitchen. Immediately, I can smell something delicious baking in the oven.

"What did you guys make?" I ask, looking around the kitchen for clues. One of the two boys must be an obsessive cleaner though, because everything is already washed and put away.

"Chicken spaghetti!" Luke exclaims brightly.

"With broccoli." North adds with a pleased smile on his face. I gag a bit when I think of chicken spaghetti with broccoli.

Luke looks a bit green when he tells me that North added three whole heads of broccoli while he wasn't looking. "I don't even know how he got them- I didn't buy any broccoli at the store and this house didn't come with any food!" he mutters sourly.

Time for a subject change. "Where are Victor and Kota?" I ask.

"They're buying you a phone." North says.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting to get one so soon!"

"Now just seemed like a good time." North informs me. His mood darkened at this statement. Great, now the atmosphere is awkward in the kitchen, too!

"I'm going to shower." I tell them. When I head up to my room, Gabriel intercepts me and asks to wash my hair, which strikes me as odd. I politely decline and ask for a rain check. Gabriel leaves looking like a sad puppy, but we barely know each other and it would have been too weird to be trapped in a bathroom with him.

Victor and Kota have returned by the time I'm finished showering, and they proudly present me with a very complicated, expensive looking smartphone.

"Are you sure that the camp covers this?" I ask doubtfully.

"Just say thank you." Victor says in his smooth baritone voice.

"Thank you Victor."

Sean

I'm not one to complain about cooking, but this chicken spaghetti is horrible! It's not even fair to call it chicken spaghetti; I think that broccoli paste would be a more apt name. Everyone at the table dutifully eats a socially acceptable amount, but I can tell that they are suffering. Sang thoughtfully compliments North on his "creative use of vegetables", and he glows and promises to do more with them in the future. The gap in conversation is suddenly filled with coughs as people try to hide their groans of distress.

After dinner, Sang excuses herself and goes to relax in her room before bed. The rest of us migrate to the living room, where the boys sit on the couch and I stand next to Owen. I instantly feel like a slouch next to him and roll my shoulders back, much to the boy's amusement.

The chuckles stop as soon as Owen starts speaking. "I know that I had previously stated that we would have an hour tonight for yelling this morning, and then another tomorrow for overreacting about Ms. Sorenson's impromptu practice session, but I feel that this day has been eventful enough already. I'm moving the hour tonight to tomorrow morning, so we will do two in a row starting at seven sharp. I want you all to go and rest and settle in you rooms. Remember, practice starts tomorrow and I won't take it easy on you if stay up too late and are tired. Good night." With that abrupt dismissal, Owen walks upstairs to his room. All of the other boys disperse as well. Soon, it is only me and Kota left.

"Is something on your mind, Kota?" I ask him.

"Sang needs a physical before we start serious practice. I doubt that she's ever had one with her horrible mother."

"Thanks, I'll get that arranged." I say. Kota heads upstairs, and I'm left wondering how I didn't even think about a physical. Some doctor I am! I'll have to set up an appointment at the hospital for later this week. Shaking my head, I plop down on the couch. I only meant to rest my eyes, but this day has been so crazy that in seconds I'm fast asleep.