Natural Disasters by J.K. Wise

Author:J.K. Wise [Wise, J.K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Published: 2016-03-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

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Pull water, kick, breathe. Slow and long, don’t push, don’t push. Blue and cool, sunlight through the blue. Back under, turn, push off, kick, kick. Up to the surface, breathe, pull. Keep the pace, keep cool, this isn’t a race. Push through. Push through.

Too many words in my head.

I lift my eyes to look at the large digital clock at the edge of the pool, and the world rushes back in when I see that I only have enough time for a few cooldown laps. Uncoached and swimming without a team, I lost track of my lap count. Others are waiting, so I finish my set and swim over to hold onto the lip of the pool deck. My lane time is done, but I’m not ready to get out of the water.

Resting my head on my folded arms, my legs dangle and my toes brush the bottom. Swimmers chat and laugh as they walk past me. As my breathing recovers, the burn in my muscles is already turning into pain. A week makes a difference, but even though I hurt like hell, I would swim the whole set again if I could be underwater a little longer.

Yesterday was long and painful at the new high school. At Pima, everyone is carving out new pathways and hangouts on the huge campus. On my way to first hour, I turned the corner and almost walked straight into Christina. She stared at me from under her perfect eyebrows. I ducked into the stairwell. I guess she hates me because of Jared and the party and the fight and all of that stuff. I haven’t talked to him since that morning when I woke up at his place.

I pull myself out of the water and head to the locker room. It’s strange practicing up here at Red Rock High, but this is the closest pool that’s still intact and open for business. The shockwaves didn’t do damage this far north. I heard some swimmers saying that on the morning after the earthquake, the aftershocks sloshed water out of the pool during their practice.

State was finally rescheduled for next Thursday, and even though I’m not at the top of my game, I’m going to be there. Every swimmer in Southern Arizona who still plans to compete has been scheduling practice time at this pool about twenty miles up the highway from Tucson. I could ride my bike up here, but Mom and Corrina said they would take turns driving me. I’ve been lucky enough to schedule some swim times in the afternoons. I have a few late night times this week, and I’m going to have to miss school on Thursday for practice too.

I’m trying to find my rhythm again, both in and out of the water. At school, I force my aching body to climb the stairs to my next class. I keep my head down and breathe my pattern, En-glish, En-glish. Wow, the halls are packed.

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