Synchro Boy by Shannon McFerran

Author:Shannon McFerran
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press
Published: 2018-01-16T16:00:00+00:00

TWENTY

Our first day at provincials back at Aquamania, I grab the program from Erika and flip through the schedule. “Whoa …”

“What?”

I point to the event. Sunny already told us it was on day two of the provincial competition, and although I believed her, I still wanted to see our names on paper, to have it feel real.

But it’s not just us.

Erika snatches the program from me. “Who are … Nikki and Josh? From Kelowna Dolphins? Oh my God, there are three more mixed pairs!”

“Where do they come from?”

“Yukon.”

“Yukon comes to our provincials?”

“Yeah, they come to ours since there aren’t enough Yukon teams to hold their own event. And there’s a pair from … Oh no.”

I grab the program back from Erika. “Oh, Sunny … why didn’t you tell us?”

“Tell you what?” Sunny says, walking into the pool lobby wheeling our cooler.

“Freaking Aquastellars?!”

Sunny chuckles. “I didn’t know, Erika. I don’t know everything about every other club.”

“Yeah …” Erika narrows her eyes, “but you’d know about this.”

“Sunny! You told me it was an automatic blue ribbon at the qualifier if I passed my figures here.” But it won’t be if Aquastellars are in the competition. They’re one of the best clubs in the province.

“I thought you didn’t want an automatic win anyway. This is good, right?”

“Yeah, but … some preparation might have been nice.” Okay, don’t panic, don’t panic. You’re okay.

Sunny comes up close to us and drops her voice. “Look, I didn’t know until about a week ago. And I didn’t want this to throw you. But come on, it’s good! Having some competition will keep you guys on your toes.”

“You know what this means, though, right?” I say. “If these guys are here … there will be more guys. Like, in other provinces. At qualifiers.” I go quiet, imagining what it might be like, a bunch of mixed duets there.

“Okay, don’t lose your focus,” Erika says, clapping her hands in front of my face.

I laugh and pull her hands down. “I’m not.”

“You looked like you were gapping out there. And we still have to perform tomorrow.”

Sure. In front of guys who are all swimming better than me. Who all passed their figures, no doubt. But still … if these guys are here, then guys from across the country might come out of the woodwork to enter our first junior synchro mixed duet event at qualifiers. Like there’s actually a place for us. I feel scared and comforted all at once.

• • •

For the first time since leaving racing, I see another competitor in the pool with a Y chromosome.

As usual, we have the figure event first. I spot one of the other guys in the lineup at the judge’s station straight across from me. He looks younger, like they’re probably having him swim up into a higher age group to do the event. Then there’s a guy I saw in the hall earlier with red hair and bleached streaks. He’s in the lineup at the other corner on our end.

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