If I Could Change History

Chapter 7- Just...No. Way!

It was a relief to get back to the swimming pool. In the changing rooms, the tension between all the girls was extremely intense. A few girls gave Lucia a grin and a few words of encouragement, but generally ignored me.

Our swimming instructor told us to not get changed just yet as some people would not be swimming this session and would be moved back down a few levels or heading to retrain.

Ten girls and boys were to be picked for the A team or as reserves and the other 40 or so would either retrain or move down.

Finally we gathered on the side of the pool, Lucia giving me a fierce hug and we stood together waiting. I knew that Lucia didn't need any encouragement, it was definite that she was going to get picked.

The boys swimming instructor cleared his throat, "So, our boys team is as follows; Oliver, Flynn, Layth, Collin, Yunus, Mark, Malik, Hiroshi [He gave a huge sigh of relief] and Guan with Allen as A team Boy's Captain." Everyone clapped politely but some of the guys chosen looked slightly disappointed. Either because they weren't Boy Captain or that Captain could be a girl- again.

None of us where sure whether the Captain was picked here in the A team tryouts. Though typically the Captain was from the A team.

"Now, the girls, the team is as follows; Molly, Tanya, Holland, Alyss, Briar, Claire, Misha and Aaliya with Lucia as Girl's Captain." 

My heart splattered to the ground, did that mean that I didn't make the team? Which...... was expected I guess, I had been in training forever- longer than Lucia (who had joined later after me) and had only been in the C team for a little while before deciding to tryout for the B team- which I didn't make. 

He stopped and beamed at us all, "And, we have chosen a very deserving girl, who showed that she works hard to achieve more and the girl who has been working with different people more than anyone else. The Captain is- drumroll please!- the Captain is..... Lauren!"

Holy sugar rainbow chocolate chip cookies.

How did this happen?!

How in the huge wide universe did this happen?

"Do want me to pinch you?" Lucia's grinning face popped into my vision, she was grasping my hands so hard with happiness that I felt sure that they would break.

"No, no thank you." I half laughed, the pressure of her hands was real enough.

Hiroshi appeared behind her, grinning widely too, "Well done Lauren!!"

"Now may the others whose name are not mentioned come to me please, I will give you your new level number!" The girls' instructor- our swimming instructor Cathy yelled. 

Though there was not much to yell over, all the girls where staring gobsmacked, guys hung around with plenty of shocked faces and only a few where only absent-mindedly clapping. A large chunk of the gathered group shuffled off to Cathy where she was laying out sheets for them to find their names.

"Who would've guessed?" Briar said, giving my shoulder a pat, "I guess some things happen, with no... particular...... reason." She flashed me a pretty smile, tossing back her long thick braid of brown hair. 

Hiroshi and I shared a quick glance, our expressions both said 'what...is this? '. 

I had no idea what to say, was this a nasty comment or because things where awkward between me and um... all of the Training Group girls? In the end I just gave a small tip of my head and a ghost of a smile in return. We where ushered to the changing rooms to change for our first training session as this season's team A.

--------

Zuzanna peered at us through the rear view mirror, "Really girls, you can't be that tired."

"Shush, you have no say in this," I said, rubbing my shin where someone had kicked me when they overtook me- on purpose or accident, it was rather clear that I was not going to be very popular. As if I was ever popular.

"Anyway, I checked your homework app and Lauren, you have Science homework and Maths- which is a long list of decimal stuff. And you Lucia, you have Science homework as well with a French on something called Vocab Express and an English homework."  Zuzanna smirked, "Have fun my dear baby cousins."

Lucia slumped back into her seat, looking absolutely devastated. 

"Oh and Uncle is visiting."

Me and Lucia shared a look of horror, "No, Zuzanna, you don't mean that- "

"Yep."

"No!"

I folded my arms, annoyed, "And it just happened to be today when we have a TON of homework and tired to death due to swimming that Dad visits!"

Lucia looked just as angry as I was and the temperature in the car dropped ten fold. Zuzanna sensed our combined anger and pressed her lips together, concentrating on the road ahead, while I glared out the window for the rest of the journey.

She parked the car outside of our house it was a lovely Victorian you know, narrow and tall with delicate looking frames and railings- really it was more of a flat. We lived on the third floor at the top with three families below us. Zuzanna and Beatrix's room's window balcony was teaming with different coloured plants; climbing plants that wove around their the bamboo arches, violets growing in clumps in their pots, dahlias' stems weighed down by their lush, dawn-pink flowers.

We climbed up the stairs to our floor, and rapped on our door. There was a shuffling of feet and Dorothy peeped her head around the door, she pulled a terrified face,

"He's here and... oh well, thank god you're home!" I knew that she wasn't talking to me, Lucia had always been the best at handling Dad while Dorothy was better with Mum- she liked her best afterall and we  know loving and liking was two very different things.

Zuzanna bustled off to her room muttering something about her own online class planning that she had to attend to, leaving us with Dad in the tiny living room that was joined with the dining room, the kitchen door off to the left.

Beatrix sat alone on the cream-coloured sofa and Dad was sitting in Zuzanna's armchair, cradling his mug in his hands. His face burst into a grin when he saw Dorothy return with Lucia and I in tow.

"Hi Dad." We both greeted in Polish as he crushed us both in a big bear hug.