My 3 Dedications And Me

She pulled him down pushing herself up breaking the surface laughing before screaming as long fingers wrapped around her ankle pulling her back down and felt Michael move past her body to the surface. She heard his deep laugh roll through the pool room before grabbing him and jumping on his back "Oh you think you're all funny now" she stated "Yeah I do!" he commented back throwing himself on his back pushing her underwater.

She fell under his weight before her hands felt the tiled floor and she pushed herself away from him. She got to the surface again spotting him further down the pool and went under again her hands finding the tiles and pushing her legs up to a handstand, she came up again to see Michael laughing "I can do better, look!" he shouted doing the same and she smiled. "He has an advantage, he's far taller!" his mother shouted over the noise of the water, Dolly swam at him knocking him over and he grabbed her as she surfaced picking her up and throwing her back in the water. Her arms instinctively began to push at the water to slow herself down but she felt an arm wrap around her waist pulling her away from the floor to stop her hitting herself as protection.

"Kids behave! You'll hurt...oh who am I kidding" his mother called as they both surfaced and Dolly pushed him backwards before setting off swimming down the pool, Michael started to catch her and she pushed herself on her arms grabbing at the water pulling her forwards as Michael gained on her and she felt the water bounce off her side as he pulled up on her sides grabbing at the water at her side.

She'd be damned if she was being beaten by him again, her muscles burnt and she could almost taste the pain as she touched the wall pushing off again back up the pool to where they'd started. She knew Michael came back strong on his second half but she was no push over, she gritted her teeth as she felt him grow level with her and felt the waves at her side change. Michael was tired, he was grabbing the water clumsily and in odd movements. She smiled inside forcing her arms to move faster and her legs to power her forward at a better pace than him, she felt him try to take her up but she wasn't giving in and she just prayed the wall came quicker. She felt the wall at her fingertips and pushed against it. She surfaced her body tired to see Michael hanging his head "Did I beat you?" "Beat him? You thrashed him girl! You were 2 whole seconds faster than you've been all this time!" his mother called over and Michael half laughed. "All she needed was a good challenge" "And it looks like she got one! They're some splits that girl has!" a strange voice called out and Michael looked up to see his old coach sat next to his mother.

Dolly looked at Michael "You...beat...me" he pushed out and she grinned at him "And she wasn't far off world record pace doing it! She'd have medaled at London at that pace in the free" Bob shouted and Dolly jumped on Michael.  "We did it! I'm good again!" and he laughed in her ear "You were always good! I think we're making serious progress. I never doubted you!" he admitted as they both climbed out.

"Now Michael I think you owe me a huge explanation!" Bob pushed as they both sat down in front of them, "I-I...it's complicated" Michael offered and his coach looked at him. "Okay but you cannot tell a soul, only us 3 know and I want it staying that way!" Michael warned and his old friend nodded.

"Come on Michael you can trust me, hey your his friend Dorothy. We met awhile back I think" "Yes Sir!" Dolly smiled at him. "Well actually you've met Dorothy a lot before and a long time before then. Can you remember the girl who used to annoy you because she'd mess up my training? Way back when I was like 19?" "I don't remember much from back then, I'm not as young as you. I remember a kid and her dad down here a lot" Bob admitted and Dolly smiled.

"You remember old Dolly Phoenix surely?" "Her I remember, was tipped to be the next big swimmer. What happened to her?" he asked "She just thrashes old Phelps that's what happened to her" Dolly grinned at Michael who laughed. "I ran in to her at the pool 3 years ago and since then I've been spending some time on her" "By that he means with me! Mikey choose your words better!" she lectured and he grinned at her.

"Yeah! This is the secret part, I'm her coach and I'm putting that girl in a podium at Rio!" Michael admitted and Bob looked at them. "Why?" "Because she has the talent, she's far more than capable, she's great. I owe her a lot and as a kid I remember hanging out with her a lot. Pretty sure them times speak for themselves" Michael defended and Bob nodded. "We'll kid you're doing something right, you need any help give me a call" he offered and Michael nodded as a phone rang "She's going to do something that one!" Bob said as Dolly shot after the phone in her bag "Yeah fail a drug test! She's got pain meds in her for that hand. She broke it in her race the other day!" he said as he saw her lean against the wall on the phone.

She dropped in her bag smiling at him and he grinned at her, they sat down at her house later and she kept smiling at him. "What's cheered up your face?" "I beat your decorated ass in the pool! It's freaking great!" she laughed and he shook his head. "Why's that so great?" "Because your a legend! Your an inspiration Michael and you're one of the greatest, I just thrashed you! Well I beat you by the only way I could" she explained as she sat his side.

"You really think that?" "Yeah, as a kid I had one idol. But you were a natural at swimming and great at it, aside from that you're a great person and I was happy just to have you as a friend but beating you by any margin means a hell of a lot to me!" she admitted.