When I'm with you

Chapter 13

JANE PARKER

It was Friday evening, the night before of the competition. I was lying in bed with my earphones plunged in with the music at full blast. I was trying to calm myself since I was feeling really anxious for my race the next day. I wasn't feeling particularly confident to win. I wasn't in good shape since, unlike Anne, I always skipped our training.

I was also feeling quite worried because Paul, my boyfriend, hadn't been answering his phone. I had called him like a million times already but for some reason he wasn't answering any of my call. Maybe he was busy. I checked my phone every freaking second of the day but he didn't even send me a message. My eyes were starting to feel heavy, and I fell asleep without realizing it.

I was half awake, still lying in my bed. My body felt heavy, like I had just lifted a huge boulder, but it was a good feeling. I was cherishing the wonderful moment: the soft blanket covering my body from the cold wind of fall (almost winter) and the warm, fluffy pillow I was hugging. I really didn't want to get up but I had a feeling that I had to. When I finally remembered the oh-so-important thing that I was supposed to do, I almost fell off my bed in my rush to get up. The swimming competition!

I looked at the clock and internally screamed when I saw that it was already 7am. Katy had told us that the bus would leave at 7.30am (well, fyi, you shouldn't mess with Katy about time, when she says "exactly" you should be there at least 5 minutes before the given time or else she WILL leave you). I hurriedly changed my clothes.

Luckily, it didn't take long since there was no need to decide what to wear. We only needed to be in our P.E uniform and our letterman jacket that said "Edison Highschool Swim Team" in the back. I grabbed my bag, (good thing I packed my things last night) and my phone, and dashed to my car. Before starting the engine, I checked my phone and saw a message from Paul and it read: "I'm sorry, I was busy. I left my phone in my room, that's why I couldn't answer your call. I'm sorry, sweetie. By the way, goodluck on your race. I'll try to be there asap. Love you."

I couldn't help but feel a tinge of happiness. Paul was a sweet guy, which was why I easily fell for him. He would always rush when I needed him, and he supported me with everything. He was kinda strict, though. He wanted us to meet at least everyday, though it was kinda impossible these past few weeks because of our training. That was why I always skipped, pretending to be sick. Paul and I had fought many times because of that, the last time was yesterday. I thought that was the reason why he didn't answer my calls.

I drove to the school, and sprinted to where the school bus was parked. Luckily, I arrived five minutes before the given time. Anne was already sitting in her usual place, leaving a seat next to her that was reserved for me.

"Congratulations, you made it." Anne greeted me. It was her famous line everytime I arrived panting, since it was always so obvious that I had run for my life to avoid Katy's wrath.

"Yeah," I responded as I sat next to her.

As we made our way to the Siena Sports Complex, "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls was blasting at full volume on our bus. Everyone was singing along, banging their heads and whipping their hair. Everyone was so excited and energetic but the energy visibly lessened as soon as we got closer to the location. By the time we were a block away, everyone was silent. I stood up to see them: some were tapping away on their cellphones, some were staring off the windows with their earphones on, and others were just trying to calm themselves.

We arrived there 20 minutes before the competition began. I thought our team was early but when we entered the waiting area, almost everyone else was already there. Most of them had serious faces. It didn't feel like a swimming competition, but more like a wrestling competition. Some competitors were trying to intimidate us but we just ignored them, giving them our best bring-it-on-baby look.