Please Write Back

Chapter 22

I sit anxiously on the bleachers around the swimming pool. The humidity of the room doesn't help my sweaty hands and my nose still hasn't gotten used to the smell of the chlorine yet. Any sound that anyone makes is amplified in the large room. There's a few other people here, but not many since it's still very early until the competition actually starts. There is one other guy sitting in the bleachers, and the rest of the people are girls, which intimidates me a little bit. I look for Sarah, but I don't see her around yet. She'll probably be here soon, with some of her others friends too.

I see Alex come out of the locker room at the other corner of the pool, wearing a sweatshirt with the school name on it and his swim shorts. I didn't even know the school sold those, but maybe you only get it if you're on a sports team (also, this is besides the point). He looks around and notices me. He waves his whole arm, not even trying to hide that he's waving to me. I just wave with my hand, and I can already feel the eyes on me. I look around, and a majority of the people in the bleachers are looking at me, either saying something quietly to the person next to them or just doing nothing at all, staring blankly. The humidity of the room doesn't help the intense sweatiness I'm experiencing right now.

Only ten minutes later, the room is packed and the bleachers are full of students. Only ten more minutes left until it starts. My eyes have been glued to Alex most of the time, I can't really help it. Sarah is sitting towards the front, which is a place too scary for me to sit. The competitors are just so close to you, and sometimes they try to spark a conversation with you, which I don't like at all because I'm terrible in social interactions. And just as I thought, Alex is taking to some girls who are sitting up in the front. I don't understand how they do that. 

Two more minutes left. Alex pulls off his sweatshirt, and so do some of the other guys. I don't notice that I'm blushing until I rest my warm cheek on my hand.

I look around to see if anyone else notices me, but no one's really looking in my direction at all. This is the worst environment for me to be in. Not only is there a bunch of people here that I don't know, but Alex is also here (shirtless), and it's extremely hot and humid in the room. I can't express how horrible this situation is for me. But I'm doing it for Alex. I probably would be here if he didn't beg me to come. Not that I'm not there for Alex, but I just don't like it here. He would probably understand if I had the courage to even tell him that.

It's finally the third event, Alex's event. It's supposedly a Medley Relay but I don't really know what it is. I should probably pay more attention to sports, but I can't get interested in them. Like, whenever my dad is watching a sporting event on TV, sometimes I try to watch too, but it gets boring to me very quickly.

Alex is standing there in his lane, the second to last person in his line of four people. When the whistle blows, and the first people jump in, the room is just filled with the voices of everyone; so loud I can't even hear the splashing of the water in the pool. Everyone is getting so riled up about this, I feel like for no reason at all. 

However, I watch this game intently. I obviously want Alex's lane to win, but his group is in second to last place, with 6 lanes in total. He's up next, and I'm already starting to loose hope that his group will win. Hopefully the one if the other school teams will, at least. 

When the swimmer before Alex finally reaches the starting point again, that's when Alex jumps in, and to my surprise, speeds in front of two swimmers, already putting his lane in third place. 

All around, there's murmurs and cheers, and I just smile to myself as he makes it to the end and the next person jumps in. He was a lot quicker than I expected, I think to myself as he pulls himself out of the pool, dripping wet. He looks at the girls in the front lane and then back at the pool to his teammate after getting a towel and drinking some water. He still has one more race after this. How does he have so much energy to do this? 

His lane came is second place, with the rival school team coming in first place. They almost made it, but it's okay for me. I don't know what Alex or his teammates think about it.

And just like that, it's time for Alex's second race. I pay more attention to this one, since it's just Alex by himself in his own lane. Again, just like last time, he's fast, maintaining the same amount of energy he had in the last race. He's leading already, with some other person trailing right behind him in the next lane over. Everyone else is far behind, trying to catch up with the two leading swimmers. 

There wasn't much suspense or anything, it was pretty much expected that Alex would win. The person behind him started to get slower as the race progressed, probably becuase he used so much energy in the beginning. But Alex deserves this, I guess, since he practiced so much all week and last week.  He gets out of the pool when the race is over, and then shoots a quick glance at me, smiling wide. I smile shyly back at him before he turns around to one of his teammates who is congratulating him on being first place.

When the competition is over, I walk down the stairs of the bleachers and make my way to Alex, who is currently talking to a few people. I wait for them to finish their conversation and walk away before I approach him.  He just has the towel over his shoulders and the sweatshirt he wore before the competition in the other. 

"Oh, hey!" Alex says before I knew that he saw me.

I look up at him. "You did really great," I say.

"Thanks. I actually still can't believe I got first place in that last race there," he replies, drying his hair. "Anyway, thanks for coming," he adds ruffling my hair up a bit with his hand. 

I already know I'm blushing, there's no doubt about it. I look down at the floor. "Um, yeah, I mean of course."

"I have to go change," Alex says, slightly off topic. "Um do you have to go anywhere afterwards, or..."

I shake my head. 

"If you don't mind, could you hold this sweater for me?" he asks me, holding out his sweatshirt. 

"Uh, sure..." I say, taking it. It's still warm...

"Thanks Earn. Just wait outside the locker room for me. I'll be quick, okay?"

"Okay," I say as he goes off. I wait outside the swimming pool by the locker room for him, leaning up against the wall. Everyone's passing by and looking at me, making me feel embarrassed. I mean, I am the murderer, supposedly. And it's just that Alex doesn't know.