Between the Barn and the Stage

2

I stood and waited for the national anthem to end before getting into lane four. James was two years older than me, and probably the only person who tried as hard as I did when swimming. "Good luck, James." I said, tugging his goggles. He wiggled his arms and said, "I'm gonna need it."

I backed away and sat in the chair. The announcer drawled on about welcome and blah blah blah, and then finally the beep came, and James dove into the water with the rest of the swimmers. "Go, James! Swim!" I shouted, waving my arms around. He was beginning to lap everyone, and I whooped for him. I spotted someone from the other team far behind, and someone was yelling at him to swim. Because they divide girls and boys in the events. Boys first, then girls. Age group starts large, then goes down. Our youngest member is Hope, age six and cute af.

I caught the opposing team's name they were yelling, and held onto it. James finished and held onto the wall weakly. "Did....I...win?" he asked, eyes fluttering. I can only imagine how I look like when I do that. "Yes, James, you did it! Good job, man." I said, helping him out of the water. All the other swimmers finished seconds after James...except for the guy I saw earlier. He still had another fifty, and everyone was yelling at him in anger rather than encouragement. I crouched down, he was in lane five, to the right of my lane. Lane four. When he finally finished, I offered him my hand and helped him out the water. "You did great, man. Keep trying, and you'll win for sure." I said. He panted and squinted at me. "Do I know you?" he asked, and he sounded familiar. Looked familiar. But I didn't say anything about that, it would be weird. "Nope. I'm from the other team, but that doesn't stop me from being a decent and honest human being. Good job, and good luck, Will." I said, and then slid a foot back to my lane.

"Event two, girls, fifteen eighteen two hundred meter freestyle." the announcer said, and I tightened my goggles. Adrenaline began to pump through my veins. A whistle, and the announcer said, "Take your mark." I bent down and gripped the side of the pool. A long beep, and I was off into the water. I sub-kicked for as long as I dare before breaching the surface and swimming. A moderate pace was good, this was a two-hundred. I was behind all of the swimmers by a few feet, but that always happens. They burn themselves early, while I save my energy for the finish. I flip-turned. Stroke, stroke, stroke, take a breath. My heart was racing, and I could hear faint cries telling me to swim, faint only because water was in my ears. Flip-turn. I picked up a little more speed, and passed three swimmers. The shouting was turning into a roar, and I did another flip-turn. Half-way done. I was neck-and-neck with someone from the other team, and at the flip turn I had the lead. I pushed harder, my muscles burning and complaining, telling me to stop. Determination fueled me now, nothing else. I will not let them win.

Flip-turn, and I lapped everyone but the one I had been neck-and-neck with. She was a couple feet behind me, struggling. I pushed a little more, and my hand smacked the wall. I fumbled to stay on the wall, and a blurry out-stretched hand came into my vision. I took it and was heaved out of the water. I lay on the pool deck, dizzy and heaving. I won, nobody else had touched the wall yet. I took off my cap and goggles and sat up, letting a cough through my fist. I was shaking.

"You are fast." a voice said behind me. I turned around, panting. It was the guy from earlier, Will.

"That's what everyone tells me, but I'm not Olympian material." I said. Or tried to, I was wheezing too much. "Are you okay?" He asked, cocking his head. He had green eyes flecked with gold. Pretty. "Oh, she's fine. This happens to her all the time after finishing a race. She pushes so hard, one time she actually blacked out after getting out of the water." Helen said from two lanes over, taking her goggles off. Will looked alarmed and I waved a limp hand at him. "Still...fine...no...worry." I wheezed, standing up. My legs were wobbly, and I went to the lane beside me. The girl I had been racing close too was there, angry, red, and huffing. I held out my hand. "Good...job...you were...amazing. You'll beat me...for sure...next time." I said, and she scoffed at my hand. "Go away, foreign girl. I can't believe I lost to someone who belongs in a--"