—(Mark)—
Friday could not have arrived sooner. This entire school day, I couldn't sit still. I was excited to finally have something normal in my life. I could be part of a team, make friends that weren't part of the supernatural world.
When entering the locker room connected to the pool, I checked in with Coach Harris.
"Hey, Coach," I said, giving him a nod.
"Mark, good to see you," Coach Harris replied, looking up from his clipboard. "Ready for tryouts?"
"Absolutely," I said, trying to keep my excitement in check.
"Good. I've got a good feeling about you. Let's see if you can live up to my expectations," he said with a smirk.
"Looking forward to it," I replied confidently. "Where should I put my stuff?"
"Over there," Coach Harris pointed to an empty locker. "Get changed and wait for the rest of the people trying out to join in."
I nodded and made my way to the bench, quickly changing into my jammers. As I was adjusting my goggles, more people arrived.
The first to arrive was a guy who was almost as tall as me.
"Name's Kadin. This is my last year here. I was co-captain last year and likely captain this year," he said, offering his hand.
I shook it firmly. "Hey, I'm Mark. Sophomore and I transferred here. I've never done swimming competitively, but I'm looking forward to it."
"Ah, I should've known you're the 'Mark The Grump.' Well, I can't say they exaggerate anything," Kadin said with a grin.
"Please tell me that's not my actual nickname," I groaned.
"Yeah, sorry to say it is. You're also said to be grumpy and a bit cold and you standout so your popular in a way," he added.
"Just because I don't deal with bullshit from people doesn't make me grumpy," I retorted.
"A bit short-tempered," he teased.
"That's… actually true, but I'm working on it!" I said, which was true. I hadn't hit anyone... on school property.
To be fair, I'd been working with Scott on managing anger by kinda beating on him to make him control his temper during the training. It's for his own good, so he doesn't shift when getting hit on the field. Lyla also said I need to make more physical contact with people. It's a win-win situation. She argued that it wasn't what she meant, but it's all semantics.
"So, how's the team atmosphere like?" I asked.
"It's friendly for the most part, none of that lacrosse team infighting. That's last year team though, so it's bound to change a bit. I just know the returning swimmers. The freshmen might have a holier-than-thou mentality because they're the best at their age group, but they'll see the difference pretty quickly," Kadin explained.
"The only person you need to watch out for is Charlie. The guy is also a senior, but he's got an ego the size of Texas. He's also a bit of a bigot, so feel free to put him in his place."
More people began to show up, so I decided to wait by the poolside. When everything was said and done, there were about 16 people trying out for the team. I was by far the most muscled out of everyone here. Harris was right when he mentioned most swimmers have a lean build. No one really bothered me and only a few stared at my scars.
Kadin came up to me and handed me a bottle of water. "Stay hydrated. Most people forget to drink water and end up with cramped muscles by the end."
I drank the water, not that I needed to, but it would be rude to refuse.
"Alright, listen up!" Coach Harris called out. "We're going to start with a timed 200-meter freestyle. I want to see your speed and endurance. Line up and get ready."
As eight of us lined up at the edge of the pool, I felt a surge of adrenaline. This was it. My chance to be part of something normal, something that didn't involve the supernatural.
"On your mark... get set... GO!" Coach Harris shouted, and we all dove into the water.
The moment I hit the water, I felt a sense of calm wash over me. I focused on my strokes, my breathing, and the rhythm of my body cutting through the water. This was where I belonged.
When I finished, I looked up at the clock and saw that I had made a pretty good time. I did just enough to stay in the top five and always enough to be in front of Charlie.
By the end, Coach had let go of six people, leaving only ten of us behind. Four seniors, two juniors, three sophomores, and one freshman made the team.
Coach said I would mostly be doing the 200 fly event during meets because I had the stamina to finish in the top three when comparing my time to last year's numbers. I was fine with that. Being able to swim was the only thing that mattered to me.
When we went to change, the people who were cut were already gone, and it was just the team left.
That's when the problem started. Charlie had seen the freshman apparently staring at me while I changed.
"What, see something you like, Freshy?" Charlie said in a disgusted tone.
Michael, the freshman, didn't know how to respond, so he continued to change, ignoring him.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Charlie went to shove him into the lockers, but I got in front of him. He stared at me. "Tsk, what, defending your little plaything?"
"So what jealous? It's not his fault you're not satisfied with your times. Taking it out on someone just makes you look like an asshole, and beside I'm single and ready to mingle so unless your offering fuck off" I said. I wasn't ready but he didn't need to know that.
Charlie grabbed his stuff and left in a hurry when he saw the rest of the team staring at him.
"Kadin, you were right. That guy's a dick," I said.
"Those weren't my exact words, but they fit. Anyway, he'll probably do something stupid to get kicked off the team soon. Last year's captain was too lenient on him, but he's out the second he crosses a line," Kadin replied.
"Thanks, and I wasn't staring, you know," Michael said to me. He only stood at 5'6", a whole foot smaller than me so I had to look down at him. "It doesn't matter to me much. I get stared at every gym class or at the club pool."
"Anyone need a ride home? I got a truck, so I can take four people," I offered to the people in the locker room.
After gathering my stuff, Kadin, Michael, and two juniors took me up on the offer. We piled into my truck, and I drove them home, making small talk and getting to know them better. It was nice to have a sense of normalcy.
By the time I got home, it was late, and I was exhausted. I collapsed onto my bed. Today had been a good day. I was on the swim team, and for once, life felt normal.
I grabbed my phone and texted James an update about the day, then quickly fell asleep, dreaming of the upcoming swim meets.