Fafr's Epic Random Book

Indigo is a Creative Color Part Two

Chapter 4

     I made my way over to where Shay was sitting, carrying my tray with shaking hands.

     "Hi, Indigo." She waved. "This is Felix." Felix ran his hand through his blue hair and smiled. "And this is Bob. Well, his full name is Robert, but everyone calls him Bob." A lime green haired boy waved and grinned.

     I take a seat next to Felix, who immediately asks, "You ever swam before?"

     I jump slightly but answer anyways. "Well, I took swim lessons when I was a kid, but other than that, no. Unless racing the lake with my mom counts."

     Felix smiles a bit. "You have a good build for swimming. Big shoulders, long arms, long legs. You should come to practice with me."

     "Okay. I didn't bring my swimsuit."

     He shrugs. "Practice starts at 3:30. Get it ready and meet me at the pool. I think Coach Jackie will let you swim with us for a day, see how you like it."

     "Okay." In truth, I wasn't a bad swimmer. I'd always beaten my mom when we went out to the lake. Sure, I was younger than her, but I was also stronger.

     I finish my lunch and anxiously finish school, watching the clock until it rings at 3:00. I race home, briefly explaining to my mom where I was going ("Gotta go swimming, bye!") and grab my swimsuit and goggles.

     I look up at the pool building and, taking a deep breath, I walk inside.

***

     I amble out of the locker room, feeling awkward in my plain black swimsuit. There are kids in swim caps and Speedo suits talking together. It's not quite 3:30 yet. I recognize Felix because of his blue hair and stocky build. He's conversing with a black-haired man I figure must be the famous Coach Jackie he mentioned at lunch.

     "Um, Felix?" I tentatively ask.

     He turns around. "Oh, hi Indigo! This is Coach Jackie." The black-haired man nods at me.

     "Have you ever been on a swim team before?" His voice is deep and rough like he's been yelling.

     "Nope."

     "Lucky for you, we're tapering, so that means 50's and 25's, maybe one or two 100's."

     "I misunderstood like, 90% of that," I said, smiling. Felix and Coach Jackie chuckle.

     "Well, don't worry, Felix will explain it to you. Here's a cap you can borrow," he says, handing me a white cap with Colby Swim Team written on it in black cursive. A wave decorated the rest of the cap on both sides.

I nod gratefully at him and walk over to a lane with Felix. He explains that a 25 means one length, 25 yards, a 50 means two lengths, 50 yards, a 100 means four lengths, and so on. He shows me what each stroke looks like (with us laughing when he demonstrated butterfly, and he waved his hips back and forth while making windmill-like arm motions) and at 3:30 we hopped in the pool. I noticed that even though I was a beginner, I finished earlier than some of the younger kids, which excited me.

     By 4:30, the end of swim practice, I was tired, but I was also excited. Swimming was the best thing I had ever done.

     Chapter 5

     One month later, I was ready.

     I had learned flip turns. I had learned correct starting positions. And I was on my way to a meet in Denver.

     "You'll do fine!" my mom kept insisting, but I was terrified because Coach Jackie stubbornly encouraged me to sign up for the 200 Free. I'd done plenty of those in practice, and believe me, they were not fun.

     I was excited because Shay and Bob had promised me they would be there with an extra surprise. Of course, Felix was already going to the meet.

We eventually arrived at the pool. Once I put my swimsuit, cap and goggles on, I headed out to meet Coach Jackie and the rest of the team.

     "INDIGO!"

     I glance up at the sound of my name and...holy Cheetos.

     Shay, Felix, and Bob were waving animatedly from a spot in the stands, but that wasn't the thing that drew my attention. They had all replaced their crazy hair colors with a bluish purple.

     Indigo.

     I gasp. "What the heck did you guys do to your hair?"

     Bob grins like a madman. "I noticed your name was a color, and so I convinced Shay and Felix to dye their hair indigo. Like your name."

     I grin, glad I have crazy friends like these. "You guys are impossible," I say, shaking my head, but deep down I'm happy that they did this for me. Felix and I head over to the rest of the team, and we start stretching.

     "Okay, swimmers." Coach Jackie materializes behind us, and we crane our necks to look at him. "We've got new swimmers here, and this is their first meet." I have a feeling he's talking about me. "We have some people doing sprints, and we have Felix here doing a 500 Free." A few scattered whoops come from the team. Felix grins. He loves attention.

     "Always do your best. Remember, those of you doing 200's; go at a medium pace for your first 100, speed up in the next 50, and go all-out sprinting in your last two lengths. It's the next to last event of the day. Be so worn out that you're falling asleep at the dinner table."

     We all stand up and put our hands in the middle. It was a ritual thing, every time we ended practice for the week, we did this.

     "On the count of three, yell, 'Go Colby!'" Coach Jackie says. "One, two three-"

     "GO COLBY!" we shriek at the top of our lungs.

I made Colby up so don't, you know, actually go there.