Thrust Into His Arms

"Underwater flip, excellent! You’ll crush them with that.

Keep going with that breaststroke. You are doing great!" Coach yells and claps of encouragement is giving me extra bursts of energy. I am feeling more strong determined than ever.

Criticism is essential for one to do better, but sometimes you just need someone to tell you that you are doing great at something even though you are not. She yells for me to swim over. I swim to where she is without getting out of the pool, removing the google cover glasses from my eyes and answer, "Yes Coach?"

"The bell just rang for lunch break. You should go get something at the cafeteria." She says.

My brows knit, "Wait, it is lunch break so soon?" I thought I have only been swimming for one lesson period which is forty-five minutes. If it is already lunch break then that means I have been in the water for nearly two hours!

"Yeah. Time flew by. I’m surprised too. Go for recess. All the swimming must be making you hungry. You can come back here right after if you want to. I’m also going for mine at the teacher’s quarters and I would be leaving school after. I need to complete the registration by today. We will start early tomorrow as soon as you arrive in school, is that okay with you?"

"Yes. Very much."

"Excellent . Bye!"

I wave at her, "Bye! Take care!" I get out of the swimming pool and change into my clothes and leave.

Maverick freaks out a bomb when I tell him the news. "Wait—what? State nationals! This is huge!" He shouts with glee.

"Shut up. You’re being loud." I scold in low voice.

"Why should I not be? Or maybe you don’t understand yet how huge this is. Let me do the honors of enlightening you. It is—"

"Save it." I stopped him. "Coach Mira already told me everything there is to know."

"Fine okay. But if you do need additional information. I’m always your guy."

"Of course I know that."

I stopped the server from putting the strawberry milkshake that I always have on my lunch tray. "I didn’t ask for it." I tell him.

"I know. I just put it in out of habit since it is what you always have." The man says fondly. He is right. I always get the strawberry milkshake as I love the creamy taste.

"I just don’t feel like having it today." I refused it politely. I can’t say that I am sort of still going through my period. The three days main cycle is over, but it doesn’t go completely after that. I have noticed that I don’t feel good whenever I have that on my period. Main cycle or not. And I really can’t have any funny cramps or any sort of distraction for the rest of my self training.

I put my lunch tray on the table and immediately start gobbling it up. "Calm down girl. Are you that hungry?" Maverick asks with the exact wierd look I expected.

"Here, have some of my fries. I don’t like them much anyway." I hold my hand up to stop him as he tries to put them on my plate.

"I’m not hungry." I say muffly due to my mouth still pretty much occupied by large bites of cheeseburger. "I want to eat quickly and get back to training. I’m very much in the mood for it today."

He wears a light frown. "Do you have to?"

"The competition is in six days." I point out just before I take another large bite. I see him waving at someone, I look behind me to see that the person is none other than Gary. And then it hits me,

"Why haven’t you guys been sitting together for lunch?" I ask.

"I know how much you and Curry dislike him—no you especially." He quickly corrects himself as if it is a forbidden mistake to mention her.

"And he has his soccer teammates to sit with. He asked me to join them but I refused."

"Why?"

"Isn’t it obvious? If I did you would be alone and have no one to eat with. Besides, I like your talkative energy."

"I’m not a talkative."

"You are."

"Am not."

"You are."

"Okay, maybe I am because Rex told me too. You should be happy and consider yourself lucky. That means I really like you."

"I’m very honored your highness." He responds with a hint of sarcasm. I roll my eyes, "Whatever.

Thank you Maverick. I really am glad to have you as a friend." I say sincerely. "Without you, this place would have been too unbearably cutthroat for me to survive in."

"No, I should be the one to thank you. I was kinda getting used to being on my own and rejected. But that all changed when you came along. Before you, I didn’t have a reason to expect and look forward to a new school day." He also says.

I hold out my pinky, "Besties for life pledge?"

"That is so cliche, but okay." He holds his out too and cross it with mine.

"I could kiss you now." I say gleefully, I am pulling his legs to see what his expression would be. He visibly cringes, "Please don’t. It is unethical as besties."

"Forehead dummy. Not on the lips."

"Okay, go for it. To seal our bestie pledge."

Now it was turn to cringe, "Here?"

"Yeah."

"We are famous besties, no one would pay attention." He reasons. "I guess you’re right." I stand up and lean my body forward over to his side to kiss him on the forehead. Mwah!! I sit back down again.

"You didn’t have to pucker your lips so much."

"I hate you."

******************

CALIX

"She didn’t have the drink today? Why?"

"I don’t know. She refused it when I gave it to her." The person responds on the line. Damn it, this girl wants to spoil the meticulous plan I have made. But I won’t let her. I immediately come up with another idea. There is no way she wouldn’t fall for this one. She wouldn’t refuse a drink from her best friend.