ᵀᴴᴱ 𝓈𝓌𝒾𝓂𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔 ᵀᴱᴬᴹ

Chapter 5

I went to call Maddy. I knocked on her door and she opened it. She came out with a sleepy looking face, messy hair and in her PJs. 

"What's the big deal?" Maddy asked with a yawn as she put away her face.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL!? TODAY IS THE COMPETITION!? THAT'S THE BIG DEAL! WE HAVE TO GO NOOOOOOW!" I screamed. I couldn't believe Maddy forgot!

Maddy almost fell back as she ran inside. I heard some shouting and running up the stairs from her house. After five minutes she ran up towards me, hair neatly tied up, in her usual simple clothes, and her huge backpack.

"Okay, ready to go?" I asked.

"Mmmhmm, all ready!" She cheered.

Soon my sleepy old dad woke up and drove us to the pool.

Once we got there our dad wished us luck. I told him to come after 2 hours to come and watch the competition and if he couldn't make it, then to come after 4 hours because the competition would take 2 hours. He agreed.

Soon me and May ran in to the sports club. We ran towards the secretary.

"Hello Rose! Here, take your keys girls," Ms. Tammy greeted.

"Hi, Tammy," Maddy said.

I snatched the keys. 

"Wait, no pool today, it's competition today," Tammy said, "Oh wait, did you come to train with your friends Sasha and Cecelia?"

"Mhm," I said nodding happily. I tossed one of the keys to Maddy but she couldn't catch it. She laughed and bent down to pick it up, just then, Chen came running in.

"Hi, girls," Chen cheered as she did a double-high-five-in-the-air with me. *CLAK*

Then she ran up to Maddy and did the same *CLAK* 

"Ouch!" Maddy whined rubbing her hand as me and Chen broke off in to a laugh. Chen grabbed her keys and we headed down stairs to the girl's dressing room.

***

"She almost FELL OVER! And then she ran back in side with that just-woke-up look and got dressed!" I laughed finishing the story of what happened with Maddy in the morning. Chen started laughing at Maddy who was frowning but still smiling a bit. We were all dressed. And our swimming suits looked AMAZING!

"Here, I have chocolate Nutella sandwich, my mom had made. She gave it since I would get hungry after the competition but I think you need it more, based on what Rose said, I think you haven't eaten," Chen told Maddy, handing her a Nutella sandwich. 

That sandwich looks so goooood, and Chen is sooo kiiiind! I thought.

Maddy didn't even say a thing as she shyly took the sandwich and then gobbled it up.

"I think you should say thanks!" I scolded Maddy with a grin.

"Thmanks," she said in the middle of chewing.

Chen nodded. 

Then the door slammed open, nearly breaking down.

Sasha and Cecelia.

"WHERE HAVE YOU GIRLS BEEN!?" Sasha screamed.

"WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR HOURS!!!" Cecelia exagerated.

"Hi guys!," Nina said, rushing into the dressing room. She slid off her clothes, and she was ready. Looks like she had worn her swimming suit inside. Wow, a big contrast since Nina is white and is always wearing light neon things, now she has the black swimming suit.

"Ugh, Nina come on, let's go," Cecelia groaned. As she was about to leave, she bumped into Ala.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!!!" Cecelia shouted in Ala's face. Wrong move, wrong move. Ala was just getting used to us and now Cecelia screams in her face on a very exciting day. The day of the competition.

Ala slightly shrugged, her face failing to hide her hurt emotions.

"Umm, heheh- heh, I-I'm tr-truly sorry," Cecelia said as she patted Ala and walked with her to the bench of the dressing room. Chen walked over to Cecelia and Ala. 

"Cecelia, spectacular way to start the competition!" Chen said sarcastically and then walked over to Ala who was sitting quietly looking at the ground.

Now it was Nina's turn to look impatient. She opened up her backpack and took out something, something like a pill container.

"Hey, guys, let's drink this now, remember? After around fifteen minutes, the pill will have an effect," Nina said.

At first everyone looked confused, and then we remembered the gill-pill. Nina had talked about it at the sleepover. Chen quickly explained to Ala, since she had not come to the sleepover, while the other girls quickly ran to get their pill. Zahra came in and soon she too, was going to swallow it. I saw Ala shake her head. Chen shrugged and took a pill. We all counted to three and all threw it in our mouths. 

Let me tell you one thing, if a friend gives you some sort of weird gill-pill, don't drink it without water because it has the most bitterly odd substance inside. All the girls made grossed-out faces and Nina was just smiling. Maddy looked so helpless when she looked at me. I swallowed and started laughing at her face.

Just then we heard footsteps. The pills in Nina's hands fell over, someone was coming and we were doing something illegal. Even though Ala didn't drink any, she was quickly helping the rest of us trying to clean up the mess before anyone sees.

The door slammed open.