The Game of Hearts

22 // Rivals in the River, Friends at the Shore

Chapter 22 - Rivals in the River, Friends at the Shore

"This is gonna be the best day of my life

My li-i-i-i-i-ife

Oo-o-o-o-o (...)

This is gonna be, this is gonna be, this is gonna be

The best day of my life

Everything is looking up, everybody up now

This is gonna be the best day of my li-ife

My li-i-i-i-i-ife."

I took a deep breath and placed my hands firmly around my oars. I had my rowing suit on, was sitting in my racing shell at the river, in the middle of other rower girls, who were mainly from other rowing clubs. I was ready to race. I was ready to win.

I wanted to make my club proud, my family, and my friends. But mostly I wanted to make myself proud, I wanted to feel the rush of crossing the finish line in first place, the happiness, the freedom.

Someone blew the whistle and the race began. I had good reflexes, so from the corner of my eye I saw that I had managed to be one of the first ones to start the race. From then on, it was just me, the oars in my hands, the water below my shell and the finish line. Nothing else mattered.

I focused on my breathing and kept paddling like my life depended on it. I heard the wind blowing in my ears, the sound of the water splashing, the noise coming from the crowd. I could vaguely hear people calling my name and I smiled to myself. It felt good to be encouraged but it also added pressure into winning. From the corner of my eyes I could see the other rowers right behind me.

But this was my race. Feeling the adrenaline running in my veins, I rowed and rowed and soon enough I was crossing the finish line in first, the happiest feeling in the world filling me. I was tired, but most of all I was not only satisfied with myself but also I was truly happy, like this was one of the best days of my life. I rowed to the river's edge and got out of the shell where Dylan and the girls were waiting for me, along with my parents. I was greeted with smiles, compliments and cheers.

"You were awesome out there, Kiara!" Ellie excitedly told me.

"Yeah, you totally nailed it!" Dylan agreed, giving me a warm hug, despite me being wet by the water's splashes and sweaty from all of the physical effort.

"That's our girl." My dad smiled proudly.

After giving everyone a hug, some other people came to congratulate me, some I knew and some I did not. My coach gave me a bear hug and told me he was very proud of me. Then I spotted James nearby, his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face.

"Well done, Kiara." He said, and his smirk turned into a small genuine smile despite his desire to hide it.

"Thanks." I smiled back. Then his smirk returned.

"You were good but I'll be better."

I snickered.

"Let's see it then."

-------------------------

James won his race as well, along with Roxy and Cameron, and Lori and Ellie came second in their races.

The medals' delivery arrived and I received a golden medal and a small trophy that had two mini oars crossed over each other.

Afer the races it was time to chill and hang out and that's what we did. We chatted between us and met some new people, mainly other boys and girls from other rowing clubs. We also met some rowing professionals that had came to see the competition. One of them even told me I had been great on the river, which totally made my day.