Ocean - Fighting For The Win

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Ocean

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Makai, obviously, made the swim team and was a starter right along with me. He and I were pitted against each other with every single practice match that the coach had over the next week. It was annoying.

And, of course, Makai beat me every time. What the hell was going on here? Was I losing my edge? Was he throwing me off somehow? Was I just nervous that there was another swimmer of similar skill as me?

I couldn't answer any of those questions. I couldn't figure any of this out at all. All I know is that I was working as hard as I could to be the best again and it wasn't working. If this kept up then I would lose everything.

If I didn't win Brittney would leave me. If I didn't win I would lose the favor of the rest of the student body. My chances of being the class president would disappear altogether. I would lose everything that made me who I am.

I refused to rest for even a second. I was practicing at all hours of the day. Morning, noon, and night. If I didn't have a class I was swimming. When school was out I was swimming. I was barely home and my parents were getting worried about me, but I didn't care. I needed to train. I needed to practice. I had to get better.

It was working too. I could tell I was getting faster. I could tell that I was slowly getting closer to beating my new nemesis. I never would have thought that my biggest rival would be on my own team.

Still, at least I could beat him and the thugs over at St. Reece's all in one go. It would be worth the hard work and the dedication. And it would definitely be worth all the sleepless nights and skipped meals so that I had more time to practice.

I just kept telling myself one thing, over and over again.

'I've got to win. I've got to win. I've got to win.'

That had become like my mantra. It was what was fueling me to move faster, to swim harder, to do my absolute best.

The few times that I tried to call Brittney she would barely speak to me, even if she took my call. Most of the time she just let it go to voicemail. She wouldn't answer my texts either. She would be nice enough in the morning and still go with me to class, but I could tell she was looking at Makai more often than she was looking at me. And after first period when our classes no longer lined up, I never saw her again the rest of the day. She stopped eating with me, she stopped coming to see me between classes, and she stopped coming to practices completely.

If I didn't win this next race-. If I didn't come out on top at the next meet, then I was going to lose everything. I was going to fall from number one. I would go from hero to zero instantly. I just couldn't let that happen.

The night before the meet against St. Reece's was the worst night of my life. I couldn't sleep. Which was saying something with how exhausted I felt already. And when I did finally fall asleep I only had nightmares about the next day.

I had a series of these terrible dreams. I dreamt different outcomes for the meet over and over again. And they all ended in similar ways.

Makai would win the race because I couldn't leave the platform. It was like I was stuck to it. My feet were glued to it or something.

Then, Makai won the race because I suddenly forgot how to swim and nearly drowned.

Next, Makai turned into some giant sea creature and swam the length of the pool easily. He finished each match in seconds and I was the only one who seemed to notice that he wasn't human.

These dreams and more just kept playing on repeat over and over in my head. When I woke up the next morning, I was more tired than I had been the night before. I felt drained and exhausted, but I still couldn't give up yet. I needed to push on through. I was going to keep fighting to win.