"Chi!"

"Hm?"

"Put the book down, girl! Cal's on the block."

She slammed her book closed and looked at the boy on her left, "Derell, I put up with you guys dragging me out to these things, but please don't test my patience by expecting me to watch."

"Uck, you are hopeless, honey." Derell attempted to flip his hair. China raised her left eyebrow over her newly reopened book, the boy sighed and explained, "It's cute guys in swimsuits, sweetie."

Silence.

Then a giggle, "Oh, is that why you're here, 'Elle?"

On the left of the boy with the bright red face, another boy waved his arm at his friends and said, "Shh! I'm trying to watch!"

The two looked to their right as the book was again closed, "They're swimming, Robbie," China sighed, "there's nothing to hear," then she looked to Derell, "or see, for that matter." And reopened her book for a second time.

Derell clicked his tongue in disapproval, "Honey, no wonder you're still single."

"Because I don't troll for boys?" China said behind her book, "I always thought it was because I wasn't a brainless blonde bimbo who giggles at everything."

"Shh! I'm try-ing to waaaatch!"

Derell looked to the pool, "But it's finished."

"How'd our boy do?" China asked, muffled behind the pages of her novel.

"Why don't you put down that stupid book," Derell said, pulling the book from her hands, "and freaking look?"

She did. Calvin had placed second. "Oh, my." China said, slumping, "he must be so disappointed."

Derell nodded.

"But he got a shiny thing," Robbie pointed out, "I thought that was good."

"But he didn't get the gold shiny thing." China explained.

"Are those the best ones?"

"Yes."

"And he always gets them." Derell finished, "Which is why Cal is probably bummed."

Robbie's eyes were wide with interest, "Oooooh. I see!"

"Yuh-huh." The other two said, getting up to go console their soggy friend.

"Wait, where's everyone going?"

"It's over Robbie," China said, stepping down the bleachers, "everyone's leaving."

"What's over?"

Derell placed his face in his palm as China kept making her way down the steps, "The swim meet, Robert. That's why we're here."

"Ooooh!" Robbie said again.

China made her say to Calvin, somewhat slouched over with a towel around his shoulders. She placed her hand on it, "Hey."

Calvin turned around and said quietly, "Hi."

China bit her lip, "You alright?"

"No." Calvin said shortly, "Stupid Roger Han-sen got my medal." The two looked over at the blonde boy being lifted on the shoulders of his teammates.

China looked back at her friend, and said as nicely as she could, "It's the only silver you've ever gotten, though. Maybe, this could be a learning experience?"

"Learning experience!" Calvin shouted louder than necessary, "Chi, I'm a winner!"

"I get that." China said softly, trying to calm Calvin down.

"Winners, Chi," Calvin said as the other two joined them, "get gold! What color is this medal?" He shoved it in her face.

Derell put his hands protectively on China's shoulders and loomed over his friend, "Hey, cool off, Cal! China was only trying to calm you down."

China bit her lip, broke her eye contact with Cal, and said as quietly as one could and still be heard, "It's a silver, Cal."

Calvin looked at China and changed his expression. She was, after all, the closest to him of the three other clones, "Sorry, Chi." He said, stepping back from her as she looked back at him, "Guess I need to let off some steam. I'm going to hit the showers, yell at the drain."

And he left.

China looked up backwards at Derell and smiled, "Thanks."

"That boy of ours," he responded, "needs some anger management ASAP."

Robbie was confused, "How will sap help him manage his anger?" The other two stared at him, "I mean," he continued, "did you see the way he went off a Chi? He was all 'ROAR!' and she was all 'eep!'" He acted the roar and eep enthusiastically.

"And that boy," China looked up at Derell again, "needs some medication."

Derell nodded in agreement.

Just then, Roger, gold medal around his neck, swaggered over to the trio and said, "Hey, you three are Calvin's friends right?"

The three nodded, China's nod a little more hostile than appropriate.

Roger just flashed a smile, "Well, it was epic-close," (to this comment, China scoffed. The word 'epic,' according to her, was only to be used to describe The Odyssey), "did you guys see where he went? I want to shake his hand for the competition."

"Haven't seen him." China said slowly and viciously through her teeth.

"What are you talking about, Chi?" Robbie said, then to Roger, "She's crazy, I'm telling you. He went to yell at a shower drain."

"Ah, sweet, thanks dude." Roger said. Then, patting Robbie's arm, nodding to Derell and (she hoped she had imagined it) winking at China, Roger went into the locker room to find Calvin.

China's jaw dropped, "He did NOT just wink at me."

Derell flashed her a smile, "See? Not all the 'brainless blonde bimbos' get the cute guys."

"Not cute! Evil!"

"Cha," Derell rolled his eye, "Whatevs. Gonna go outside, chlorine wreaks havoc on my face. You two coming?"

China reluctantly followed the two boys.

"Did you see the way Roger hit on Chi?" Robbie said with amazement to Derell.

Calvin had already yelled at the shower drain and was putting on the last of his clothing when Roger found him.

"There you are!" Roger said, far too friendly for Cal.

"Hey Roger." Cal muttered.

Roger stuck out his hand to Cal, "I wanted to shake your hand. That race was wicked close."

Calvin took hold of the outstretched pruny hand, "Yeah, you're real fast. Truthfully, I've never lost to anyone before."

Roger laughed, ticking Cal off, "Really? Wow, I've never heard that before." Calvin clenched his jaw and ground his teeth as Roger continued, "Yeah, but I train real hard. Every day, before and right after school until dinner, then I do some homework and swim the rest of the day." He pushed back his hair as he reflected and Cal prepared to give him a black eye, "Weekends are nice, no school to cut into my training."

Cal clenched his jaw and swung his bag over his shoulder, "Dang, that's a lot of training." He then tried to leave, but Roger kept talking.

"Yeah, not much time for friends."

"That sucks." Cal said, hand on the door.

"Or romantic pursuits."

Cal turned around, "Sorry?"

Roger looked genuinely shocked, "You're saying you're not dating that girl?"

Cal laughed, "China?" Roger nodded. Calvin laughed again, "Nah, China's one of my oldest friends; we know each other too well to be able to date."

"Really?" Roger said in a way that made the hairs on the back of Calvin's neck stand up, "So, is she seeing anyone?"

"Hell if I know." Cal said quickly, "Hey, I gotta go, see you."

"Yeah," was all Roger could get out before the locker room door slammed closed.