don't go near the water!

don't go near the water chapter 1

Hello. My name is Elsa. I'm 16 and in high school. This is my crazy mixed up wonderful story. You may be wondering what my story is about. Well, read on and you'll find out. Get ready for a story that will change your perspective. 

On Friday May 2nd, I was in gym class. We were listening to the teacher tell us about how we would be doing swimming for the next week. I put my hand up and when the teacher called on me, I told her I wasn't allowed to swim. She said she would need a doctors note. A doctors note which I would be getting immediately after school. After I told her this, though, the entire class snickered. They just didn't understand. I wasn't allowed to swim. It was the truth. The cold, hard truth. When I was little and it was hot out, I wasn't allowed to go swimming with my friends. I'm still not allowed to. My mom says she can't swim so that's why I can't. I don't have a dad so he can't teach me. 

After gym class, my best friend Julie met up with me at my locker. "Why can't you swim Elsa?" "My mom won't teach me. She doesn't know how." "Then let me teach you!" she said with a grin like she just gained the key to all of life's secrets. "You know I'm not allowed to go near the water unless it's showering or washing my hands." "Oh come on. It's not like your mom has to know. We can practice in the school pool after school." "How would I explain my wet hair to my mom?" "It's Friday. Sleep over at my house and you won't have to explain it to her at all!" "Fine. But if I drown, it's on you." she hugged me and then went to her next class. 

I was worried about this for the rest of the day. What if I drown? What if I hit my head on the wall? I couldn't let these thoughts go. During lunch my guy friend Sal tried to calm me down but he just made it worse. "Oh come on. It's not like anything will happen. It's a school pool. Totally safe." "I've never swam before, Sal." "Come on. It'll be fine. I'll be there, Julie will be there. You have nothing to worry about." luckily Julie jumped in "Sal, leave the poor girl alone. She's scared out of her mind. I doubt you're making it any better." "Fine. But can I come over after school with you guys?" "I guess so."

The last 3 classes were a blur. I couldn't focus on anything but this thing I agreed to. Teachers kept trying to call on me and I was so out of it that I couldn't remember what we were talking about. I was scared yet relieved when the last bell rang. It was time. 

Since I didn't own a swimsuit, Julie let me borrow her swim team one. It was a little big on me. She's a couple inches taller than me, but it was better than nothing. I sat on the bleachers and waited for Sal to get here. "It'll be ok Els. Just think that you're jumping into a big, deep, puddle. And then put your arms out and push yourself through the water." "I'll try." "Oh, here comes Sal. Hey Sal!" "Hey. Ok, let's get this started."

I pushed myself off the bleachers, slowly and reluctantly. I walked over to the edge of the pool. I looked down, and I could see my reflection. My blonde hair in its messy bun and my silver eyes and the red swimsuit. I bent down to touch the water, testing the temperature. It was surprisingly warm considering we were in a cold room. "Just go already" Sal shouted from the bleachers. I plugged my nose and jumped in. I used what Julie said to get myself around the pool. This wasn't so bad. It was actually kind of... fun! I could hear my friends cheering and I smiled to myself as I swam. I kept going for a few more laps and then... I stopped. My legs cramped up so bad that I couldn't move myself anymore. I didn't want to call for help so I used my arms to get to the edge. "Julie! Help me out!" she ran over and grabbed my hands and pulled me out of the water. "Are you ok?" she asked with concern on her face. I was about to tell her there was pain in my legs, but as soon as I got out, it was gone. "Yeah. I'm fine." "Well, at least you were great for 5 minutes!" she said, grinning." "Yeah." "Come on. Let's go to my house!"

We got to Julie's house and her mom was baking a pie. "Hi mom!" "Hello honey!" "Is it ok if Elsa and Sal sleep over?" "It's ok with me if it's ok with their parents" Sal and I nodded simultaneously even though neither of us had texted our parents. "Ok! Well, let me know what you want to do for dinner!" "Ok mom." and with that we went up to Julie's room. 

Julie and I sat down on her bed and Sal sat down on the floor. It had occurred to me that I should probably text my mom. I told her that I would be sleeping over at Julie's and she replied "ok love you" Sal didn't need to text his parents. He had so many siblings that they probably wouldn't even notice. "So, what do you guys want to do tonight?" I asked, hoping the subject of my swimming wouldn't come up. "Oh no, you're not going to get out of it that easy. We need to talk about this swimming situation. I thought you've never swam before?" pressed Julie. "I haven't, I swear. But I just felt natural in the water. Like I was meant to be there. It was weird. And then I got this cramping in my legs and I couldn't move them anymore." Sal and Julie turned their heads towards each other, both raising one eyebrow, and then turning to me giving me looks of concern. Sal broke the silence. "You're ok now though?" "Yeah. As soon as I got out of the pool, the pain went away." and that was it on the matter for the night. 

Later that night we just did what we normally did at our sleepovers. We played video games. ate pizza and candy, played truth or dare and fell asleep at 3 am. Julie's mom woke us up later telling us that she made pancakes. After we ate, silently, Sal and I went home. I had some sleeping to do and some things to figure out. Sal had some homework to do, and so did I, but that really wasn't on my top priorities list for the weekend.