Whatever You Say
FTW
It was four o'clock in the afternoon; the perfect time for them to strike. I looked to my left, then to my right and found no one.
Outside of the curtains there was the booing crowd. Yes, the booing crowd. As in “boo”.
I feared for our souls after this meet. Before we got into the field, the coach warned us that this was our last chance to make it right. If we didn’t, they were cutting the program, and I understood part of it. Why spend money on something that wasn’t going to give something in return? That something: being trophies and recognition for the Feltch High School.
This program didn’t exactly mean to me something other than an escape from the pressure of being a student. For the other players it meant more. It meant life. Literally. Without this program, the teenagers studying here under a scholarship would have to leave. This happened almost everywhere.
We stepped out, feeling the hot sweat run on our cheeks as the crowd kept going at it.
I didn’t know who the opposite team was, but from the looks of the other guys, there was a small chance the program was coming to an end. They combined in a huddle I was not invited in and whispered mutters.
I stared awkwardly around and found Susanne and my mother in the crowd. Susanne gave me quick wave and I held my thumb up, thanking her for the support. I imagined we were going to need it.
“Let’s do this!” one of the members yelled, and the nerves hit more as nobody else answered.
He (who I remembered was named Teddy thanks to the announcer) was the first to go on against one of the opposite members (which I learned that was a three-time winner champion named Huy Yashika). Yeah, we were pretty much done.
“Ready. Set. Go!”
And they raced off, getting into the water, ultimately determined to finish first than the other. From the corner of my eye, I saw our coach give a desperate groan and flex his fingers through his hair. I turned to Teddy again and saw that he was still finishing his first lap, when the Yashika kid was already on his second.
In this meet we had to do three laps. One forth, one back, one forth, one back, one forth and one bac— A whistle blew my thoughts. “Set! We have a winner. First lap goes to Darwin Academy, favor to: Huy Yashika, Senior Year. Give it up!”
The Japanese/Korean/Philippine/Chinese/Hawaiian kid gave a short bow and walked off, just as the announcer called another of our members, Rich Davidson, against another one from the Darwin Academy; a Hector Lancaster.
It was the same situation until the end. The coach even turned from his team and walked to the changing room, giving exaggeratedly frustrated punches to the wall. Jeesh.
I became frightened to even watch. The mid-time came and they all ran to the bathrooms. I stayed, staring at Susanne and giving her a fat lip, which she laughed at later. I waited…I waited until the minutes of break were over and when the team returned, I noticed it wasn’t really the team. They looked more confident, rough. I wondered if the coach had made them consider their actions carefully.
The dude Teddy came to me and then proceeded to speak to me directly for the first time since I’ve been here in two years.
“You’re up!” He patted my back and handed me a glass of water. I didn’t know what my face was showing, but it was probably something between shock and horror. Shock because of the fact that I was being spoke to. Even if the team was the lamest, I was still the lamest.
Horror because I was up. He repeated it.
“Why?”
“You’re on the team, aren’t you?” I nodded. “Then, take this”—he handed me a paper towel. I picked it up and felt a slight weight against my palm—“and get your ass on the water!”
I saw the others laugh silently and I walked to the changing room, taking my shirt off. I proceed to my pants and then I reached for the small paper towel to unwrap it.
Pills.
There were two small pills hanging in my hand and I didn’t know what they were. I was part of the team. I didn’t really have the time to think about it. I drank it without worrying too much.
What’s the worst that could happen, right?
I walked out, feeling a little more than embarrassed about my body. Hey, I wasn’t a stud, no matter how much exercise they put up for me. I simply didn’t get the muscle, I thought as I walked to the team, seeing grins in their faces.
They called my name, and that’s when I felt it.
Adrenaline. It hit my system like a bullet against a window. Quick, precise, direct…
I walked to the stands; I positioned myself and went for it…
Outside of the curtains there was the booing crowd. Yes, the booing crowd. As in “boo”.
I feared for our souls after this meet. Before we got into the field, the coach warned us that this was our last chance to make it right. If we didn’t, they were cutting the program, and I understood part of it. Why spend money on something that wasn’t going to give something in return? That something: being trophies and recognition for the Feltch High School.
This program didn’t exactly mean to me something other than an escape from the pressure of being a student. For the other players it meant more. It meant life. Literally. Without this program, the teenagers studying here under a scholarship would have to leave. This happened almost everywhere.
We stepped out, feeling the hot sweat run on our cheeks as the crowd kept going at it.
I didn’t know who the opposite team was, but from the looks of the other guys, there was a small chance the program was coming to an end. They combined in a huddle I was not invited in and whispered mutters.
I stared awkwardly around and found Susanne and my mother in the crowd. Susanne gave me quick wave and I held my thumb up, thanking her for the support. I imagined we were going to need it.
“Let’s do this!” one of the members yelled, and the nerves hit more as nobody else answered.
He (who I remembered was named Teddy thanks to the announcer) was the first to go on against one of the opposite members (which I learned that was a three-time winner champion named Huy Yashika). Yeah, we were pretty much done.
“Ready. Set. Go!”
And they raced off, getting into the water, ultimately determined to finish first than the other. From the corner of my eye, I saw our coach give a desperate groan and flex his fingers through his hair. I turned to Teddy again and saw that he was still finishing his first lap, when the Yashika kid was already on his second.
In this meet we had to do three laps. One forth, one back, one forth, one back, one forth and one bac— A whistle blew my thoughts. “Set! We have a winner. First lap goes to Darwin Academy, favor to: Huy Yashika, Senior Year. Give it up!”
The Japanese/Korean/Philippine/Chinese/Hawaiian kid gave a short bow and walked off, just as the announcer called another of our members, Rich Davidson, against another one from the Darwin Academy; a Hector Lancaster.
It was the same situation until the end. The coach even turned from his team and walked to the changing room, giving exaggeratedly frustrated punches to the wall. Jeesh.
I became frightened to even watch. The mid-time came and they all ran to the bathrooms. I stayed, staring at Susanne and giving her a fat lip, which she laughed at later. I waited…I waited until the minutes of break were over and when the team returned, I noticed it wasn’t really the team. They looked more confident, rough. I wondered if the coach had made them consider their actions carefully.
The dude Teddy came to me and then proceeded to speak to me directly for the first time since I’ve been here in two years.
“You’re up!” He patted my back and handed me a glass of water. I didn’t know what my face was showing, but it was probably something between shock and horror. Shock because of the fact that I was being spoke to. Even if the team was the lamest, I was still the lamest.
Horror because I was up. He repeated it.
“Why?”
“You’re on the team, aren’t you?” I nodded. “Then, take this”—he handed me a paper towel. I picked it up and felt a slight weight against my palm—“and get your ass on the water!”
I saw the others laugh silently and I walked to the changing room, taking my shirt off. I proceed to my pants and then I reached for the small paper towel to unwrap it.
Pills.
There were two small pills hanging in my hand and I didn’t know what they were. I was part of the team. I didn’t really have the time to think about it. I drank it without worrying too much.
What’s the worst that could happen, right?
I walked out, feeling a little more than embarrassed about my body. Hey, I wasn’t a stud, no matter how much exercise they put up for me. I simply didn’t get the muscle, I thought as I walked to the team, seeing grins in their faces.
They called my name, and that’s when I felt it.
Adrenaline. It hit my system like a bullet against a window. Quick, precise, direct…
I walked to the stands; I positioned myself and went for it…