When I'm with you

Chapter 25

ANNE WINSTON

Summer was, I guess, everyone's most favorite season. The rainy days had finally ended and in just one week it was finally going to be summer.

The temperature was starting rise so all of us in the swim team were celebrating, since sooner or later it was finally gonna be our season. Just last week, the water was so cold that it made it seem like you were swimming in the icy waters of the North Pole. Unfortunately we weren't like Princess Elsa, so we couldn't say that the cold never bothered us. We were only human after all. We just had to endure it since we were aiming for victory.

Speaking of victory, the Fresno High School Swimming Competition was getting closer and closer and everyone was trying their best not to humiliate our school, especially since it was our first time participating. We were also excited for the end of the school year, but at the same time we were extremely sad to see our seniors graduate. We had been together through joy and pain so it was going to be really hard to say goodbye to them.

Our captains, Katy and Sean, were also nearing the end of their high school life. With this in our minds, we tried, as much as we could, to avoid giving them headaches or too much trouble . It was actually their first and last time participating in FHSC, so we were hoping that at least the two of them could win, although it wasn't impossible since the both of them were really fast swimmers.

Seriously, school was as boring as ever. If it wasn't for the swim team, I would have skipped all of my classes; though it wasn't like I could do that if I wanted to graduate. To be perfectly honest, it had only become more enjoyable for the past few days because we kept on teasing Jane and Chad about their relationship. I still couldn't believe that Jane named Chad her “prince”. Gab was right, it was lame and silly. Mostly lame, but whatever. It wasn't like we were living in a fairytale, but I understood where Jane was coming from. Jane had gone through a lot with boys: they cheated on her, lied to her, hurt her; but now it seemed like she had finally found someone who could be honest with her. Someone who could protect her and who would never leave her. Of course, like what I stressed to Chad before, if he ever hurt Jane he'd have the rare honor of tasting my beloved fist.

On the other hand, I thought Gab had changed. He had been smiling and laughing a lot more than before, but all of those smiles vanished into thin air in a matter of days; it was like he was reverting back to the way he used to be, with his perpetually gloomy expression and intimidating look. I had been thinking of asking him about it but I was afraid that he would just ignore me.

I made my way to the cafeteria as soon as lunch started. Even though Chad and Jane were now officially a couple, they still sat with us at lunch. As I headed to our usual seat, I found no one there, so I decided to eat alone. I scanned the cafeteria for the last time, but I saw no sign of Jane, Chad or Gab. I decided to fill my tummy with Mom's tuna sandwich as I waited for them. All of us in the swim team were on a strict diet for the upcoming competition. For the first time in history, Jane didn't complain about it since it helped her maintain her figure.

Mom had made two sandwiches. I had told her about the little incident with Gab (when he snuck in a bite on my sandwich, that bastard), so she kept bugging me to bring one for him too. My protests went unheard, naturally. She even scolded me for being so “selfish”.

“The poor guy was probably starving, and you snapped at him. The least you could do is bring him a sandwich!” she said.

I noticed how wide her smile was when she was making the sandwich. She was probably grateful that she could do something for Gab. He was her son after all; not biologically, of course. If Aunt Anne and Uncle Mike treated me as their own daughter, it was also the same for Gab with my parents. Oh, speaking of the devil, Gab suddenly arrived with his ever gloomy expression.