Walk on Water or Drown

Chapter One

Six years later:

Louis walked hesitantly down the crowded hallway towards the Dean's office to discuss his schedule. They knew his predicament, why had they scheduled him for gym?

Upon arriving at the ominous cherry coloured door, Louis knocked politely, praying that Dean Rivers wasn't busy. A jovial voice sounded from behind the door, and Louis took it as a sign to proceed.

He eased the heavy door open, surprised by what he found on the other side. He had never been in the Dean's office before, the result of many years of keeping his head down and staying out of both academic and social trouble. He marveled at the openness of the small room, finding it not at all as oppressive as he thought it would be. The sea foam green walls, coupled with the immense amount of light streaming through the large windows made the atmosphere calm and inviting.

The Dean sat behind his desk, quietly typing away on his computer. When he noticed Louis' presence, he looked up, greeting the boy with a genuine smile.

"Hello, Mr. Tomlinson!" Mr. Rivers spoke boisterously, his voice loud and full of cheer. "How can I be of service to you today? Please, have a seat and make yourself at home."

Louis smiled, pleased by the kindness of the Dean. Maybe there was a chance of him getting his schedule changed after all. The young boy humored Mr. Rivers' request and sat down in one of the matching green chairs that had been strategically placed in front of the large cherry wood desk.

"Good morning, Sir." Louis started, not wanting to come off as a rambunctious teenager. His mother had always taught him to respect his elders, so he did just that. "It seems that they've scheduled me for a gym class, Sir. The problem is I've already taken gym, and I need the space in my schedule to study for my A-levels." He explained, hoping that the Dean would understand his plea.

"Let me see your schedule, son." Mr. Rivers said, outstretching his hand towards Louis. The Doncaster lad handed it over dutifully, and the Dean nodded in thanks.

Louis watched as the Dean looked between his computer screen and the schedule, pausing occasionally to type something. The minutes ticked by almost silently, leaving Louis with nothing else to do but worry over whether or not the Dean would let him drop the class.

Finally, Mr. Rivers looked up from his computer, relaxing into his plush leather desk chair.

"Well, it looks like there's no mistake in the system." Mr. Rivers spoke calmly, hoping to ease the blow of what he was about to tell his already troubled student. "I'm sorry, but there's absolutely no way you can drop gym class. It looks like you didn't complete the require coursework and you need to make up the credit, otherwise you can't graduate."

The words rang in Louis' ears, can't graduate? He needed to graduate, if not for himself, for his grandmother, or his parents. How could a gym credit possibly prevent him from graduating?

"But Sir, can't I take strength and fitness training instead?" because that class doesn't have a swimming component, he added silently, watching in horror as the Dean shook his head.