Chapter 3

School’s Out (Alexia’s POV)

“Finally! Freedom!” Buddy yelled out, tossing his hat up in the air.

“Yes!” I laughed. We were just dismissed from the very last class, and everyone was running around on the driveway and parking lots. Buddy and I were looking around for our own carpool. “I can’t wait until tomorrow!” I said, catching Buddy’s hat on its way down.

“What’s tomorrow?” he asked, snatching for his hat. I put it on my head and twirled around happily.

“It’s swim season, Buddy! Tomorrow’s our first day of practice!” I said, pinning his hat to my head with one hand. Buddy froze for a second, and then his arms dangled limply at his sides.

“Oh... That’s right.” He said, grimacing. “I forgot.” I stopped twirling around. Something popped up in my mind from last swim season.

“You don’t want Jamaica to get to you again, am I right?” I said. Jamaica was Buddy’s ex-girlfriend. She was also on an opposing swim teem. That caused a lot of tension between the two of them, so now Buddy tried his hardest to avoid her or any of her teammates.

“Remember what she did to me last year?” Buddy asked, looking at me. I gave him back his hat and sighed.

“Yeah, I remember.” I replied, walking forward slowly. Buddy walked beside me. “Was that the time when she kissed a sixteen-year-old in front of you?” I asked, wincing at the memory. I was there when it happened, and watching a thirteen-year-old kissing an older teen was traumatizing. It was a miracle I recovered from the sight.

“He was fifteen.” Buddy said, kicking at the ground.

“Same difference.” I said, shrugging. “Now, lighten up! Just show he you’re not going to let her get to you!” Buddy smiled a little bit.

“It’s good to know someone’s backing me up.” He said, nudging me.

“I think you mean protecting you from an emotional breakdown!” I said, laughing.

We were interrupted by the honking of a car horn. We looked around, and there was my daddy’s car.

“Well, there’s our carpool.” I sighed. “Let’s go.” We ran to the car, put our backpacks in the trunk, and hopped into back seats. Daddy smiled at us through the rearview mirror.

“Ready to go?” he asked, starting the engine.

“Yes!” I said, leaning back against the seat. Then, we started off.

“How was the last day of school?” Daddy asked.

“It was okay.” Buddy shrugged. “The best part was leaving!” At this, Daddy laughed.

“You say that every year.” I said, smiling. Buddy shook his head.

“Nope. I only said that about middle school.” I rolled my eyes and sighed when he said that.

“Same here.” I said. “Ever since we were sixth graders, all we wanted to do was get to high school. Sure, we would have to work harder, and of course, high school is more of a challenge, but everything fun happens in grades nine through twelve, you know what I mean?”

“You kids sure about that?” Daddy said, looking back at us when there was a red light. “I thought college was a whole lot more fun!” Buddy and I looked at each other. We could tell that this was going to be a long story.

A few minutes later, we were finally at my house.

“Well, we’re here, kids.” Daddy said, turning off the engine and stepping out of the car. Buddy sighed and got out.

“Come on, Alex.” He said, a broad smile on his face. “Time for your exam.” I rolled my eyes.

“Okay.” I sighed, stepping out of the car and closing the door. “It’s better than one of Daddy’s stories.” We laughed as we took our backpacks out of the trunk.

“I thought you were a ‘Daddy’s Girl’!” Buddy laughed, leaning forward to balance his backpack.

“I am!” I replied, having the same problem with my backpack. “I just don’t understand his stories!” We walked into my house and dropped our backpacks on the sofa.

“So,” Buddy said, rubbing his hands together. “Exam time!”

“I’m ready.” I said, rolling my eyes. We had been working on my boy skills for the past few weeks, and we scheduled the last day of school for my “cumulative exam” to see how much I learned. Buddy was eager for us to start. He took time off his homework to help me out, and I could tell he was ready to test out his masterpiece.

“Okay! Well, let’s get you to your room! We wouldn’t want your parents to find out about all this just yet, would we?” he said. All the while he was talking he was pushing me to my bedroom.

“Okay! Okay! I said, shooing him away. “Just let me change!” I walked in my room and shut the door in Buddy’s face. He still urged me on from behind the door.

“Come on, Alex! Don’t take too long!” came his voice, muffled by the door. I rolled my eyes once again and pulled out some boy clothes to look at. I took a look at a few shirts and picked out a dark one with a biohazard sign on the back. Then, I opened up my closet and pulled out a random pair of jeans. All boys jeans looked the same to me. I quickly changed into those clothes, and then I rummaged through my dresser for a baseball cap and sunglasses.

“Aha!” I said happily, putting on a white baseball cap and tucking in my hair. Then, I looked in my tall mirror and put on my sunglasses. “Something’s missing.” I murmured to myself. I inspected my reflection. “Let’s see... pants, check! Shirt, check! Hat, check! Shoes, I’ll put them on later! Sunglasses... oh yeah, check! Boxers... oh shoot!” I slapped my forehead.

“What? Are you all right in there?” Buddy yelled through the door. I looked around for my boxers.

“I can’t find my boxer shorts.” I replied. Buddy didn’t reply, but I could hear a slow constant banging. I sighed. He was hitting his head on my door. I quickly set about searching for my boxers, or else Buddy would be banging his head all day. “Let’s see,” I mumbled, looking under my bed and pushing my bed sheets to the side. I lifted a pillow and shook my head in relief. Under my pillow was a crumpled pair of checkered shorts. “Found them, Buddy!” I yelled over my shoulder. “Stop banging your head before you lose your memory! We still need to start my training.” Immediately, the banging noise stopped. I rolled my eyes and redid my dressing procedure, as I called it. There was something about dressing up in boys’ clothes that made me feel awkward. Finally, I looked into the mirror. I was ready. “Alex is in the house!” I said in my boy voice.

“Alexia! Don’t come out here!” yelled Buddy’s voice suddenly. “Tammy alert!” I stiffened.

“Oh no.” I groaned. “Tammy.” My little sister was nothing but an annoying, prying tattletale.

“Alexia!” a little voice said from behind the door.

“Don’t’ come in, you little dumb-butt!” I yelled. Pathetic insult, I know, but it works on her!

“Hey! I’m telling!” Tammy whined, and I heard footsteps running away. I gave a sigh of relief. She was easy to get rid of this time, but next time might be harder.

“Okay, can I come out now?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

“All clear! Come on out, Alex!” Buddy replied. I adjusted my cap and walked out the door.

“Hey, Buddy. Like the new me?” I asked, deepening my voice. Buddy looked me up and down.

“Perfect.” He said under his breath, smiling. “Now, it’s time to take you to your exam.” Then, he dragged me out my front door and into the street.

“Where are we going?” I asked, struggling with my new deep voice. It was hard to use it for a long period of time.

“You’ll see.” Buddy said, grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh no.” I groaned. “The mall?” In front of me was the shopping mall, buzzing with people walking in and out, usually carrying full paper bags. “This is going to be hard. I can tell.”

“Relax!” Buddy said, nudging me with his elbow. “You already have the looks! It won’t be hard to get the moves.” I soon found out that it was easier said than done. We walked inside, and I was immediately enveloped in a massive crowd.

“What’s going on?” I asked, literally baffled. There was never a crowd this enormous before in all my visits to the mall. Buddy’s grin was beginning to scare me.

“Today’s special!” he explained, raising his voice above the din of the crowd. “I got word that Elijah Wood was doing some shopping here. He’s probably swamped with fan girls asking him for autographs now.” It seemed as if I couldn’t breathe from the news. I just couldn’t believe it. Elijah Wood, in my opinion, was the best, most talented, and cutest actor ever! I had pictures of him and his many movie roles taped to my walls and school folders. Of course, when a girl is so close to her favorite heartthrob celebrity, she forgets everything else. I was no exception.

“Elijah!” I squealed, and jumped up and down, waving one hand in the air frantically. “Elijah! I love you!”

“ALEX! Get a grip!” Buddy yelled, grabbing my arm and pulling me back. He pushed through the crowd until we were almost against the wall.

“What are you doing?” I asked, getting very annoyed. “I want to see Elijah Wood!” Buddy growled and pinned me against the wall.

“I think the question is, what are YOU doing, Alex?” he hissed in my ear. I suddenly realized what happened. I was supposed to be asking like a boy, and my behavior was very much like a blonde, pony-tailed fan girl. I groaned and slapped my forehead.

“Oops.” Buddy sighed and let go of me.

“Well, let’s hope no one saw that little slip you made.” He said, sounding more relaxed. “Now, let’s get on with the exam.” Then, he lead me into the crowd. So this is the exam? Is this the reason why he wanted to get here so quickly? I scowled, and my cheeks started to flush.

“You planned this, didn’t you?” I shouted angrily, hoping he would hear me above the crowd.

“What? I didn’t ask Elijah Wood to come here!” he replied with a shrug. Then, he smiled. “I just heard that he was here, and I thought that this would be a good exam!” I was boiling with anger now.

“Buddy...” I growled.

“I never said this would be easy!” he shrugged, and pulled me deeper into the crowd.

“Buddy, you’re evil.” I said.

“Oh, come on!” he urged me. Then, he disappeared into the mass of people. The screaming of the crowd was louder than before. Not wanting to be left alone with strangers, I plunged in after him. Then, I froze in my tracks. So that’s why the crowd was screaming even louder. There was Elijah Wood, just a few feet ahead of me, signing paper napkins and t-shirts. A few steps closer, and I could’ve touched his arm. I bit my lip to keep from squealing like a girl, and my hands fumbled around my huge cargo pants, searching for a camera in one of the deep pockets.

“Dang.” I hissed when I found nothing. I took one last wistful look at Elijah before I pushed myself out of the crowd. “Buddy!” I yelled, looking around. A few seconds later, Buddy squeezed out of the crowd, staggering forward. I hurried to help him regain his balance.

“What a bunch of lunatics!” he wheezed. Then, when he had recovered a bit more, he smiled at me. “Much better, Alex!” he said, a big grin on his face. “You controlled yourself! Consider yourself a B student!” I rolled my eyes.

“Consider yourself a mean teacher who gives hard exams!” I joked, nudging him. He gave me an amused smile.

“Oh, I know you can come up with a better comeback than that!” he said, taking my arm and leading me to the exit. We walked out of the mall, both happy to leave the crowd. About a few minutes later, while we were walking down the sidewalk near the mall, Buddy stopped. “Oh, Alex!” he said, rummaging through the pockets of his cargo pants. “I need to give you your certificate for passing the exam with flying colors... well, almost.” He chuckled at the last part. I stopped too, and stared at his many pockets.

“Thanks, Buddy, but I don’t think you’ll find it any time soon.” I joked, but I still looked on, curious. I soon saw a smile of satisfaction cross his face, and then he pulled out a folded piece of paper.

“Congratulations, Alex!” he said, and presented me with the paper. I couldn’t help but look disappointed. It looked a bit worn out, and it was no bigger than a postcard. Not wanting to hurt Buddy’s feelings, I plastered a smile on my face and took it from his outstretched hand. I unfolded the piece of paper, half expecting it to be covered with shiny stickers and the words “Good Job” on it. What I saw instead was far from it. I gave a sharp gasp.

“Oh my goodness!” I managed to choke out. Buddy smiled his signature upper-teeth smile.

“Don’t thank me yet, Alex.” He said. “You’re still a boy, you know.” I smiled gratefully at him and put the piece of paper in my pocket.

“Come on.” I said in my boy voice. “Let’s get back to my house. I’ll be Alexia by then.” We both laughed and cheerfully made our way back to my house.

I don’t think I’ve ever hugged Buddy so much before in my entire life. We were back in my room, and I was practically clinging onto him. I have never been so incredibly happy. The piece of paper he gave me was a print-out of a black-and-white Elijah Wood headshot with his signature on it. Buddy explained to me that he printed out the picture at school once he heard about the celebrity’s appearance at the mall, and while we were separated in the crowd, he got an autograph.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” I squealed, squeezing Buddy even tighter.

“Er... Alexia?” he choked out. “I appreciate the thanks, but I need a breather!” I let go.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” I said, putting one hand on his shoulder. Buddy leaned forward and gasped for breath. “It’s just that I got so excited! I mean, no one’s done anything like that for me!”

“Hey, that’s what friends are for!” he replied, the smile returning to his face. I gave a small laugh. Friend, indeed! More like hero! Buddy put his hand behind his neck and chuckled. “Well, you’re like the best student I’ve taught.” He said. I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Student?” I said, grinning.

“And, you’re my best friend! I mean, I’d do that for you even if I wasn’t teaching you anything!” he added, shrugging. My smile widened.

“That’s more like it!” I sighed. For a little while, we said nothing, but the smiles never left our faces. It felt as if no words had to be spoken. Buddy had just done the greatest thing for me, and at this point, nothing could keep me from smiling. At length, Buddy sighed.

“Well, I have to get home.” He said, shrugging. I saw him out the door after giving him one more hug.

“Remember,” I yelled out to him as he walked down my driveway. “We’ve got swim practice next week!” Once I said that, Buddy’s smile faltered, and I thought I saw him grimace a little bit. But, the smile quickly returned.

“Okay! I’ll be there!” he yelled back. I leaned on my doorway as I watched him leave. Now that was what I called an amazing person.

The week went by slowly. I spent most of my time sleeping and watching television. My parents didn’t interfere, knowing that I would be quite occupied once swim practice started, and I deserved at least some time to rest. Besides, Mom had her hands full with Timmy, so I got lots of time alone and unmonitored. When there was nothing good on TV, I modeled my boy outfits in my mirror and practiced my deep voice. Tammy got a bit suspicious when I kept locking myself in my room, and she made numerous attempts to get in. Needless to say, I had to be on guard. I made sure she never found out how to pick the lock, never mind finding out that I was a boy in training. I had a computer with internet connection in my room, so I didn’t feel cornered whenever Tammy was hovering about my doorway. I chatted with Buddy when we were online, but whenever the topic of swim practice came up, Buddy quickly changed the subject. This was strange because his ex-girlfriend Jamaica didn’t show up at practice, only meets. I guess he was just being paranoid. Jamaica hurt him bad last year, so the entire swim team issue reminded him of that one incident, I think. Poor guy. But, buddy was far from avoiding the swim team topic altogether.

“Alexia, there might be people on the swim team who go to our new high school.” He once typed to me. “Be sure to wear makeup and ‘girly’ stuff while with the team. They won’t even recognize you when school starts.” I cringed when I read this. Girly stuff? Sheesh, that was exactly why I was masquerading as a boy in the first place! But, he did have a point. The only way to pull this off at school was to be the exact opposite in the summer.

The first day of swim practice was coming fast. Tammy used to be in the swim team, but she quit after she fell in love with gymnastics. I had to stop her from using my goggles as eye protection if she fell off the balance beam, and onto something that might blind her. Since her gymnastics summer camp began a day before the swim season started, I was off “room arrest” for a day. I spent that one day playing with Timmy and witching movies with him. He enjoyed watching the classic animated movies from when I was, like, five. Timmy would giggle if the scene was comical, and he would repeat lines from characters that he liked imitating. I just enjoyed watching him have a good time. Next to Buddy, Timmy was my closest friend, despite his autism. I could talk to him when I knew that no one else would hear what I have to say without asking for an explanation or jumping to conclusions. This boy business was no different. After the first movie ended, I turned off the television and sat next to my brother. I smiled, seeing his face always grinning, and laughed. He was so oblivious to all of the terrible and immoral things happening in the world. That part of him made me wish that I was a bit more like him. I rumpled his short black hair and said,

“Well, Timmy, I hope you won’t mind having an older brother for a change!” Timmy giggled as if to reply that he wouldn’t mind. I sighed and put an arm around his shoulders. “I wish you could understand me.” I said softly. I placed my forehead on his neck, and remained there for a moment. Then, I gave a deep sigh and shook him playfully. “Do you understand me?” I asked him, bringing my face close to his and clenching my teeth. “Say ‘yes, Alexia!’”

“Yes Alexia!” Timmy squealed.

“No, you don’t! No you don’t! You only know my name!” I laughed, shaking him again. Timmy was now screaming and giggling. “What’s my name, Timmy?” I teased him.

“Alexia!” Timmy shouted at the top of his lungs.

“That’s right! That’s right! You’re such a smart boy!” We both collapsed into a giggling heap on the floor. After a while, I looked up, and I found that my mom was watching the two of us. I slowly got up, still laughing a little bit, and gently pushed Timmy to his feet. “Come on, Timmy! Go to Mommy!” I nudged him. Mom was grinning from ear to ear. Timmy ran into her arms and pulled her towards the TV.
”Watch movie, please!” he giggled.

“No, no, Timmy!” Mom said. “Let’s go to your room! I’ll read to you.” She led him away, but stopped for a second and looked at me. “Thank you for spending some time with your brother, Alexia.” She said thankfully. “I really needed the time off.’ I smiled and nodded.

“No problem.” I said, shrugging. “I had fun.”

The phone rang. I groaned and put the pillow over my head.

“Someone get that.” I mumbled, half-thinking someone would hear me. The phone stopped ringing. I sighed in relief. “Thanks.” I said, relaxing. A few seconds later, there was a knock on my door.

“Alexia!” Dad called out. It’s for you!” Great. I slowly pushed the pillow off my head and reawched for the phone on my bedside.

“I got it, Dad.” I said groggily. I put the phone to my ear. “What?” I groaned.

“RISE AND SHINE, TOMBOY!” came a loud voice out of the receiver. I yelped and sat up so fast, I temporarily blacked out.

“Whoa...” I gasped, nearly dropping the phone.

“Come on, Alexia!” the voice came again. I had to hold the phone at an arms length away from my ear.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, running a hand through my messy hair and blinking to get accustomed to the light.

“It’s time to wake up! We’ve got swim practice at seven!” I rubbed my eyes with my free hand.

“Buddy,” I said, looking at the phone incredulously. “You’re ready for swim practice already? What time is it?”

“It’s already 6:30!” Buddy yelled. Then, he switched to a softer voice. “Remember to be girly!” I snorted as I brought the phone back to my ear.

“Right. Girly.” I scoffed.

“Come on, Alexia!” Buddy pleaded.

“Alright! Alright! I’ll do it!” I said, now fully awake. “I’ll be ready soon.”

“I’ll be waiting at the pool for you.” He said. “It’s my job to set up the lane lines for practice.”

“There aren’t any jobs for lane lines.” I said, getting out of bed. “It’s just a volunteering opportunity.”

“I know.” He sighed. “But, it gets me team spirit points.” I detected a hint of slyness in his voice and shook my head. I looked over to a small cabinet in my room, filled with trophies, medals, and other awards. One of the trophies was the annual team spirit award. Every year, one girl and one boy won a trophy, and I won last year for being the only girl who brought pompoms and sugar-loaded candy to the swim meets. I was considered the unofficial cheerleader of the team. Looking back on it now, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to be called a cheerleader, given its stereotypical connotation.

“Striving for the award, I see.” I said, rummaging in my closet for a decent swimsuit.

“Hey, you got one, so why shouldn’t I? Besides, it can’t be that hard!” Buddy said.

“Yeah, all you need to do is transform yourself into a hyper cheerleader.” I joked.

“Very funny.” Buddy said sarcastically. “Well, you should be getting ready. I’ll leave you alone for now.” That was my cue to wrap up the conversation.

“Byeee!” I said in an extra-girly voice, and then I put down the phone. I stuffed my swimsuit into a sports bag with a towel and goggles, then threw in some waterproof makeup. Wouldn’t hurt to add that little feminine touch, just in case. I kept my pajamas on. It wasn’t like I was going anywhere formal. I also packed my pink swimcap. I have no idea why I have one of those, because they look a bit TOO girly to me, but I guess it was a good thing that I had it this morning. I looked around to see if I had packed everything I needed. Once I was satisfied, I picked up my bag and walked out of my room. Mom was toasting bread when I entered the kitchen. It smelled really good, and I cursed at the fact that I was crunched for time. “Morning, Mom!” I said cheerily, as the bread popped out of the toaster, and she caught the slices on a plate as they fell.

“Oh, you’re up, Alexia!” Mom said, flicking a piece of hair behind her ear. “Good!” She pushed the plate towards Timmy, who took it eagerly.

“Good morning to you, too.” I said, ruffling Timmy’s hair. I shouldered my swim bag so that both hands were free, then I raided the pantry for some granola bars.

“Alexia, you need a balanced meal!” Mom said when she saw me pull out a box of assorted bars.

“Mom, I have swim practice, like, real soon! And, Buddy’s already there!” I said, rolling my eyes and ripping open the box. “He probably needs me to bring him food.” I added quickly, picking out a bar and unwrapping it.

“In that case, you can go.” Mom sighed. “Just watch out for cars on your way there!” I raised an eyebrow. Talk about paranoid!

“Don’t worry. I won’t get run over.” I said, then stuffed one end of the bar in my mouth and put the rest into my swim bag. Then, I waved to Timmy and walked out the door.

“Hey, Darwin!” Coach Carl said as I walked through the gates of the swim club, now open after an entire year.

“Hello, Coach!” I waved. “Where’s Buddy gone off to?”

“Who?” Coach Carl asked. I gave him a raised-eyebrow look saying “You’ve known us for years, and you’re asking me THAT?!” It took him a few seconds, but he finally got it.

“Ooooh, you mean Brad!” he sighed, taking off his baseball cap. “Brad Lowes! Yeah, he got here early today. He’s in the pool, stringing up the lane lines. You know, this is the first time I’ve seen him so helpful!” I rolled my eyes. That was Buddy, alright.

“Thanks, Coach.” I said.

“Hey, no problem, Darwin!” he called back. I shook my head.

“Coach, call me Alexia!” I laughed, and then began walking to the pool area. As I was walking, I heard Coach Carl yell to me,

“Practice starts in twenty minutes, Darwin!” I didn’t bother to reply. I can’t remember how many times I told him not to call me by my last name. I decided to let it slip again. I walked up to a pool bench and dropped my bag beside it. I pulled out my towel and spread it over the bench so that no one else would take my spot. Then, I picked up my bag again and started towards the ladies room to change into my swimsuit. As I was walking, I heard a voice yelling behind me.

“Alexia!” he called. I rolled my eyes and smiled. Good old Buddy. I heard wet footsteps approaching me, and then felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, and there he was, wearing a towel around his neck and dripping wet from head to toe. He was breathing hard from the run, but he was still smiling his trademark upper-teeth grin. I shook my head.

“Buddy, you know that you can’t run in the pool area.” I teased.

“There’s no lifeguard on duty yet. I’m good!” he shrugged, running a hand through his hair rapidly to shake out the water. I put my bag in front of my face in defense.

“Hey!” I giggled. Buddy stopped and laughed.

“What are you complaining about?” he asked. “You’re getting into the water anyway!” I lowered my swim bag.

“I need to get changed first!” I said. “So, let me change before you get me wet or anything.” Buddy put a hand to his chin and screwed up his face in mock-concentration, as if he was making a big decision.

“Hmmm... okay!” he said. I smiled at him and turned to go to the ladies’ room, but after I took one step, Buddy grabbed my arm. “Remember, Alexia, keep it feminine.” He instructed. I rolled my eyes and nodded.

“Don’t worry, Buddy. I brought the stuff!” I sighed.

“Good.” Buddy said, smiling.

“Now, just you wait. I’ll be as girly as possible.” I laughed, then turned around and went to change. When I entered one of the changing stalls and locked the door, I rummaged through my bag and pulled out my makeup and a small mirror. “You want girly, do you, Buddy?” I grinned, uncapping my eyeliner pencil. “I’ll give you girly.”

“Alrighty, swimmers!” assistant coach Colleen yelled out. “Get ready! We’re getting into the pool in ten minutes!” Coach Colleen was a tall woman with blonde hair tied back in a messy ponytail, and dark green eyes that had a commanding look in them. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

“I know, Colleen, I know.” I muttered, tying my hair up and snapping my swim cap over my head. It was difficult for most girls with long hair to put on a swim cap without help, but I was one of the girls who mastered the art of stretching the cap over my head without any assistance. Some of the other girls shot me jealous glances, and I heard one grumble, “show-off.” I personally don’t know why they say bad things about me for the little things I’m good at, but then ask me for my help in those little things right afterwards. I guess I was just being naïve again. The boys were also looking at me, but for a completely different reason. Buddy had taken the liberty of pointing out my “girlyness” to the guys on the teams. He liked what I did to myself to avoid suspicion. He even gave me leave to stuff my swimsuit just for the occasion. Although he did cringe when I first brought up the idea, he agreed in the end. My swimsuit was a black and green scuba-style speedsuit, which I thought wasn’t really all that feminine, but it was the best I could do. The boys obviously thought it was convincing enough. I could tell by the looks on their faces that they were plenty convinced. It sickened me. Never in my whole life have any guys looked at me that way, and now that it was finally happening, I was definitely not enjoying one bit of it. Regardless, I just kept a dumb, ditzy smile plastered on my face throughout the entire ordeal. I walked up to the edge of the pool, feeling the gaze of practically every teenager in the area following me, and jumped in.

“CANNONBALL!!” I yelled. Then I resurfaced, everyone in range was wet and complaining. Coach Colleen stomped over to where I was, then gave me a withering stare.

“Darwin!” she barked. “See me after practice!” I rolled my eyes, but nodded in agreement.

“Whatever, Meanie Colleenie.” I mumbled under my breath. Then, practice began.