Synchronized Swimming

Chapter 50: Epilogue

This is the second of two parts posted today. If you haven't read Chapter 49: Finals, read it before this.

Sang 

Later in the hotel lobby we're standing around waiting for Sean to come back. He went to the donut shop across the road to pick up some victory donuts, so we figured we would eat them in the lobby together. We get some strange glances from the other hotel guests since our hair is still knoxed, but I'm too happy to care.

I eye the hot water dispenser. Luke may have lost the bet by kissing me before I had the chance to knox Mr. Blackbourne, but that doesn't mean I can't try anyway. I have a packet of knox in my swim bag, and the hotel has disposable cups, so I have everything I need...

After some not-so-subtle gestures at Luke he finally walks over. "I'm going to do it," I whisper. His eyes sparkle mischievously when he gets my meaning.

"I knew you were a prankster at heart! I'll distract him while you prepare the knox and attack." Luke stalks over to Mr. Blackbourne, who's messing around with his phone. "Hey Mr. B, I was wondering if you knew how many cats it takes to wrap around the equator," he says.

"Why in the world would I know that?" Mr. Blackbourne asks with a raised eyebrow.

I ignore their increasingly random conversation to prepare my knox. By this point the rest of the team has tuned into Luke's questions, so they'll see me approach. Mr. Blackbourne's facing away though, and that's what matters.

I dip my hand into the knox; there's no going back now. I ghost over to him, using years of experience at sneaking around to guide me. I hold my breath, afraid of any small noise that'll give my position away. Everyone sees me except for Mr. Blackbourne, but they all do an amazing job of controlling their expressions- it must be that Academy training.

Without pausing to think about my actions I stand on my tip toes and wipe a huge glop of knox into Mr. Blackbourne's pristine hair. With frightening speed he turns around, his eyebrows turning down. When he sees it's me, he pauses, then a small smile appears on his face.

"Thank you Miss Sorenson, I was feeling rather out of place," he says diplomatically. Sensing potential weakness, Luke rushes forwards and grabs the cup from my hands.

Then, he turns it upside down, and dumps the rest of the knox onto Mr. Blackbourne's head.

Mr. Blackbourne slowly wipes the goop off his glasses. "Thank you Mr. Taylor," he says through gritted teeth. Luke scampers out of grabbing range, leaving me the only person next to the poor man.

Sean bursts into the lobby, laden with box after box of donuts. When he sees Mr. Blackbourne, he freezes for a moment before bursting out laughing. He takes a donut out, looks at it, and shrugs.

"You know, I've always kind of wanted to see if knox tastes like other jello," he says. He runs over, wipes the donut in Mr. Blackbourne's hair, and takes a big bite. He gags but manages to swallow the knox-covered sweet.

Everyone stares at him in shock. Then it hits me- when will I ever get another chance like this? I grab a donut, dip it into the knox stuck to the inside of the cup, and take a bite.

It's actually not as bad as it seems.

I sigh contentedly. What a crazy end to a crazy season.

**********

Hello everyone! Thank you for reading my story. I've been so amazed by how well received it's been. This is my first fanfiction, and without your support I would have stopped writing long ago. Your votes and comments have been so inspiring and humbling.

I hope I have piqued your interest in synchronized swimming, or that you at least know more about it now than when you started. If you have any lingering questions, feel free to ask! I always love to talk about synchro, and I have lots of video recommendations if you want to watch some more amazing teams.

I have been asked if I'm planning on writing a sequel, and at this point the answer is no. I have a lot of other story ideas so I don't want to just focus on synchro, but who knows for sure what the future will bring.

77,000 words and nine months later, this is finally the end. I hope you enjoyed the journey!