Amberle Stoffers

Period 6

The Swim Meet

Dani was terrified of the water. Nevertheless, he forced himself to attend this one swim meet and stand up to his fears, at least a little bit. The sharp smell of chlorine attacked Dani's nose as he entered the echoing pool room. The scent alone sent chills up and down his spine. The voices of the crowd resonated through the water and across the tile, vibrating in his head. Carefully not looking at the turquoise pool, Dani found a seat towards the top of the thundering metal bleachers. In a pocket of calm, he stood and looked for the reason he had come.

Dani quickly found him. Jeren Grey, the star of the varsity swim team, and Dani's best friend, was talking with Coach Warner. Jeren rarely smiled; his face now was set in intense concentration, focusing on one thing: winning the region competition.

The strange slap of flip-flops on aluminum rang loud right behind Dani. He whirled, almost losing his balance, to face a little sophomore girl. Her short, green-streaked black hair was pulled into pigtails, and her impish face grinned up at him. She barely reached his shoulders, despite the fact that she was standing a bleacher above him.

"Well," she drew the word out to its full non-verbal meaning. "If it isn't Daniel Ashton, the Notorious Hydrophobiac, come to watch the Region Nine Swim Meet." She looked behind her nonchalantly. "Where are the Four Horsemen?"

Dani stifled a groan. "Hello, Emily." The bubbly extrovert had plagued him since the first day of school when he, having no one else to sit with, sat with Emily and her group of giggly clones. They had mercilessly tormented him until his face turned the color of the tomato soup, and yet they still persisted.

Emily plopped down on the bench next to Dani. She poked him hard in the ribs. "I thought you were scared of the water." Of course, her minions had dug up every detail of his day-to day existence.

Dani took a deep, shaky breath. "I am," he said through clenched teeth. "Why?" The swimmers for the hundred meter freestyle race were taking their place, Jeren among them. Dani caught his eye and waved. Jeren's stony façade cracked into a smile for an instant, and then settled back into intensity.

Dani shrugged. "I dunno." That was a lie. The crack of the starting pistol ripped through the air, and the swimmers plunged into the water. They glided smoothly, like dolphins. When they surfaced, Jeren was in the lead. As Emiko cheered loudly next to him, Dani considered his response. The lie had never bothered him before, he'd told it hundreds of times, and it didn't bother him now.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Emiko screamed into his ear, nearly bursting his eardrum. "Unless, of course, you don't know how to swim."

Dani just nodded tersely. His eyes were fixed on Jeren, leading the race, though he didn't really see the swimmers.

Instead, he was reliving a night from his childhood, seared into his memory. Dad was giving little Celia a bath, and Dani could hear her giggling over the blare of his favorite TV show, Power Rangers. Dani didn't his sister's giggling gradually growing quieter. During a commercial break, Dani wandered into the bathroom. What he saw remained forever etched in horrifying detail in his mind. Dad was singing silly, goofy songs to Celia as he calmly held her under the bathwater, ignoring her weakening struggles.

Dani didn't hear himself scream, but Dad whirled around, soapy water up to his elbows. Demons twisted Dad's face into something more horrible than anything Dani had ever imagined. Abandoning Celia, Dad lunged for Dani. Dani kicked and screamed and bit as hard as he could, but he was roughly forced into the tub with his sister. Water suffocated him, entering his nose and mouth. Strong hands held him down, the same hands and arms that had lovingly rocked him to sleep so many times. Darkness engulfed him, nearly claiming him completely.

All at once, the hands were gone. Dani sat up, gasping and sobbing uncontrollably. He saw Mom grappling with Dad, and then he threw her against the wall, making his escape out the door. Dani hadn't seen his father since that nightmare, Mom assured him that Dad was gone and wouldn't come back. However, he still felt those hands holding him, without feeling, as he struggled to breath. Celia, now in Junior High, didn't even remember her near death experience as the EMTs resuscitated her.

For months Dani had struggled even with taking a drink. He still had not taken a bath or gone swimming since then. Even showers and the rain had sent him into hysterics until he was almost thirteen. At school, he'd become known as "That Freaky Kid That Cries When He Gets Wet." Finally, popular and studious Jeren had befriended him, though giggles and whispers followed him through the halls.

The shrill referee whistle jolted Dani out of his reverie and nearly off his seat. The stands erupted with cheering teenagers and parents. Standing to get a better view, Dani tried in vain to see what had happened. Jeren was bobbing at the finish line, the stoic athlete grinning from ear to ear. Dani turned to the whooping, squealing Emily.

"What happened?" he yelled over the crowd.

She gaped at him. "Didn't you see? Jeren just set a new state record! He's so hot!" She turned her gaze back to the region champion. Dani almost gagged at the sickening puppy-dog way she looked at Jeren.

Photographers, parents, coaches, and fans all swirled around Jeren like the tide pulled by the moon's gravity. Dani patiently waited back by the concessions stand, but Jeren spotted him through the sea of admirers. He waded through the throng to wrap Dani in a very wet, chlorine-scented hug.

Jeren pulled back and grinned at Dani. "Thanks for coming and rooting for me!"

"Yeah," Dani mumbled, red-faced. He hadn't exactly done much rooting.

As cameras flashed, the star swimmer stood with his arm around Dani, answering questions from reporters and acknowledging fans. As the crowd began to dwindle away, Jeren turned to Dani.

"So, what're we doing later today?" he asked as nonchalantly as if they were at their locker in school.

Dani considered for a moment, then smiled. "How about we go swimming?"

A few onlookers chuckled. Jeren stared at him in shock, then smiled. "Ha, ha. Really, what do you want to do?"

"Seriously. I want to go swimming." Jeren stared at him, flabbergasted.

Dani felt the same way. He felt liberated, a huge, crushing weight lifted from his chest. The sight of the rippling water didn't fill him with dread. Perhaps there really was something to facing your fears and becoming stronger through them. Dani grinned. He couldn't wait to get home to tell Celia.