Chapter 11
"I'm so excited!" I squealed as I stood beside Gou in the stands, waiting for the boys to arrive.
"Me too! It's been so long since we've been to a swim meet." I nodded my head in agreement.
"Here they come!" I waved to the boys, so they knew where to walk. As Nagisa waved back they all walked towards us. When I saw Haru I took in a deep breath and calmed my nerves. Today was his day and I was not going to let my stupid feelings get in the way of that.
"Good morning!" The boys greeted us when they finally reached up.
"Good morning!"
"Okay, so here is the schedule for the first day. They're starting with freestyle in the morning. Haruka-senpai is in the fourth heat." Gou explained to the club members as I sat down on the bench.
"Wait. Haru-chan and Rin-chan are in neighbouring lanes." Nagisa pointed out.
"The heats were drawn based on qualifying times, right?" Makoto clarified.
"Yes." Gou answered.
"That means they're even." Nagisa said. I looked over at Haru and noticed that he just stared at the pool with a dazed look.
"The eight fastest times from each event advance to the final and qualify for regionals." Gou explained.
"It'll be fine. No need to get nervous. Just swim the way you usually do. The most important thing is to never give up. There's a quote from Napoleon. Five minutes make the difference between victory and defeat!" A familiar voice cooed in. We all looked to the side to see Miss Amakata standing there with her umbrella.
"Five minutes?"Nagisa asked.
"Miss Amakata, that's too long." Gou added.
"I'm pretty sure she used that in the wrong context." I commented. Makoto, Rei and Nagisa giggled though due to their faculty advisor.
"Well guys, do the best you can in each event. Let's make sure we can leave with no regrets." Makoto told his teammates.
"Yeah!"
"Haru-chan and Rin-chan are up next!" Nagisa pointed to the two familiar boys that were walking towards their starting blocks.
"Who are you cheering for, Matsouka-san?" Miss Amakata asked Gou.
"Both of them!" She replied as she clasped her hands together.
"Haru-chan! Fight!" Nagisa called over to his teammate. The whistle began to blow as the swimmers stepped onto their blocks. I clasped my hands together as I brought them up and pressed them up against my lips.
"I believe in you, Haru." I whispered as the whistle signalled and the swimmers entered the water.
"They're fast." Rei said with disbelief.
"Rin-chan's gotten faster. He's pulling ahead of Haru-chan!" Nagisa noticed.
"Haru's falling behind in the first leg?" Makoto was surprised at what was happening before our eyes and I was as well. I felt my teeth begin to bite into my thumb as I refused to take my hands away from my mouth.
"They're entering the turn!"
"Haru-chan's catching up!"
"Haru!"
"Haruka-senpai!"
"Haru!"
"Come on Haru!"
But it didn't matter how loud we cheered for Haru – when Rin and Haru pressed their hands up against the side of the pool the results were in and Rin had beaten Haru.
"Haru lost…" Makoto was in shock by the fact that the boy that he grew up with, the boy that never lost a race, had just been defeated.
"No." I whispered.
"No way." Nagisa muttered.
"This can't be happening." I whispered.
"And he didn't advance." Gou stated. I closed my eyes shut at the sight before me. I couldn't believe that Haru had lost and that he didn't advance to the final. I was in denial as I tried to convince myself that that wasn't Haru who just swam, but even when I opened up my eyes and I saw Haru with his pained expression I knew that this was all real. Haru had lost his race.
EEEEEEEEKKKK! The story is almost done guys! But don't worry...I want to do a sequel, but I also want to know if you guys want a sequel! Also, I know there's a lot of you reading this, so how about you leave me a review or a PM? :D
-xoxoJaminJazzi
