The Lake

Swimming Race

"ONE MINUTE UNTIL THE RACE BEGINS!"

The island looked beautiful, pine and aspen trees crowded around a sweep of sandy beach, lake sparkling gently. I wanted nothing more than to already be there, sitting on the grass amongst the daisies. 

"THIRTY SECONDS!"

The shore closest to us was sandy beach, grass and trees, but the far shore had a couple of massive boulders that were amazing for rock climbing. The rock was worn into little hollows from wind and rain over millennia. 

"TEN!"

I looked down at my feet, toes curling in the grass. My heartbeat picked up. 

"FIVE!"

I pushed the final strands of ginger hair out of my eyes-

BANG!! The starting pistol went - where had they even got a starter pistol? - and we all sprinted towards the water. I was nearly shoved out of the way by a tall brunette, but just about kept my footing. Aliya was ahead of me, but as far as I could tell, we were pretty close to the front.  

We hit the water and my world was reduced to spray and thrashing limbs.

Remind me to never again take part in a race with a hundred other students.

I wriggled out of the fray, just about getting ahead of the main pack. I could see some other faster swimmers, heading straight out towards the island. I put my head down and swam. 

My lungs were bursting, arms aching already. It was maybe only a hundred and fifty metres to the island, but I was sprinting at full blast. A glance to my right showed a couple of others still ahead of me. I desperately pushed faster.

Suddenly, I could see the sandy bottom getting closer. My fingers scraped the sand, and I half-jumped, half swam the last metre to the shore. 

A tanned hand was extended to me, and a voice purred, "Welcome, chicken fight partner."

I'd done it. I was second. I took the hand and stood, before looking up and noticing a pair of very familiar amber eyes. 

"You!" I cried, jumping back. 

"Looks like you can't win at everything, bicycle girl," he teased, flipping wet black hair off his forehead. I ignored the way the sparkling water ran down his tanned torso, highlighting every groove across his chiselled chest. I ignored the fact that only a few seconds ago, his hand had been wrapped around mine. My fingers were tingling. 

I was thankfully saved from replying by the arrival of the next swimmer, another boy. I recognised him as Asher, one of Noah's closest friends. He congratulated Noah, before surprisingly congratulating me, as well. 

"You're a damn good swimme- wait! are you the girl who beat Noah to the camp on a bicycle??"

"That's me," I smiled at Asher, before sending my evillest smirk in Noah's direction. 

He groaned. "I like how no-one noticed that I beat her in the swimming race, they only remember that she somehow sneaked to camp quicker." 

The other boy turned to him. "Noah mate, sorry to be blunt, but it's because cycling faster than a car is a tiny bit more impressive than winning a swimming race."

I snorted with laughter. 

Asher held out his hand. "Asher, nice to meet you."

"Hi Asher," I smiled, he was the school's quarterback and second-most-popular boy, it amused me that he felt the need to introduce himself, "I'm Mackenzie."

"Anyway," he said, turning around. "I've got to find Katy before the chicken fights start. Good luck, you two!" 

With that, he jogged off, leaving me with the devil himself. 

***

"So," asked Noah, "How did you get to camp so quickly?"

I smirked. "I know a shortcut through the woods."

"Really? Where?"

"Um, it cuts off from the main track and heads up over that ridge," I pointed to the ridge rising above the lake, where I'd looked down on the tents and people only a few hours before.

"Wait, the old walker's path?"

"Yeah," I said, "I think so."

He whistled. "That's some impressive biking. I walked into the lake by that path once and it took nearly three hours."

I, for some unknown reason, blushed. "It's not that far for a bike and the path is pretty easy..."

He smirked. "Why is it that you rub your achievements in my face all the time, but when I admit the merest compliment to you, you turn into a self-deprecating armadillo."

"Armadillo!?" 

"Yeah. You curled up into your shell like an armadillo."

"Wow, thanks."

I could feel myself blushing even further, my pale skin and red hair not helping matters. The hottest boy in my school had just called me an armadillo. How mortifying.

"Anyway," he said, "What I really wanted to ask you about was whether you'd teach me mountain biking."

"Teach you mountain biking?"

"Yeah, I'd pay you of course, I, uh, wouldn't normally ask something like this but I agreed to do a competition with my brother and he doesn't know that I've never biked off road before."

"Wow." I said, trying to process this information. "I guess I would... uh, I'll give you my number later and we can work out a time."

Wow. That was awkward. 

a/n: well, no surprises there, she won. And wow, who guessed Noah would be her partner? *everyone raises hand*  

Cassie :)