Chapter Twenty-three: Cheers
Folken shoved his books into his locker and slammed the door close. He pulled his car keys out of his pocket and walked down the hall. He had just about enough of this damn school for one day. So screw all the afternoon classes, he'll make them up another day. Right now, what he need was to get out of here, go somewhere quiet and clear his mind. As he walked past some more lockers, Folken caught the sight of a couple wrapped up in an intimate embrace. 'Don't these people have anything better to do?' As if hearing his remark, the couple broke apart and turned around to face him. For a splice second, Folken thought that the face of the girl looked familiar. He shook his head and blinked several times. 'Damnit! It's happening again!' he cursed under his breath, 'I gotta get eyes checked.' He shook his head once more and continued to walk.
The more he thought about what just happened, the more it bothered him. Folken knew very well that there was nothing wrong with his eyes. It was his mind playing tricks on him again. He was seeing her again. Seeing her everywhere he went.
It was a phase he thought he was over with. Right after the crash, Sora's face was everywhere he looked. It followed him wherever he went and haunted him is his sleep. Gradually, things began to get a little better, and she slowly disappeared from his vision but never left his mind or heart. He longed to hold her hand, to taste her lips or even just to see her face again. And he did. She reappeared in his dreams last night; but this time, she was different. She did not look afraid or hurt, her face showed no signs of suffering or pain. Last night, for the first time since her death, Sora seemed happy.
***
Hitomi walked into the school swim area and looked around for a decent spot to sit. The gym was mostly empty expect for a few people sitting on the risers. Most of the seemed completely oblivious to the fact that there was to be a swim meet. They were all wearing headphones and doing was looked like homework. Hitomi sat down on the bottom row near the finish line. She dropped her duffel bag onto the ground and raised the head to look around. The pool was pretty big, 20 yards wide and 50 yards long. The shallow side started at 5 feet deep, gradually descending to 15 feet. The water was crystal blue and smelled of too much chlorine. The only audible sound came from the gym lockers, and the tapping of raindrops falling onto the roof. An unexpected storm hit earlier in the afternoon, causing all outdoors activities (including track) to be cancelled.
Hitomi nervously twisted the side of her sleeve as she waited for the swim met to start. From what she heard, the Gaia Sharks were competing against the Brandywine Torpedoes. The Torpedoes are supposed to be a pretty tough team to beat but Hitomi was sure they wouldn't have any problem with Van on the team. She had her doubts about coming here this afternoon. It was just a joke when she suggested it to Van but he seemed to like the idea. Since track was cancelled, Hitomi thought it was probably worth a shot. After all, it did give her a nice excuse to see Van in a Speedo.
"Thank you all for coming to today's swim meet against the Brandywine Torpedoes."
Hitomi was so busy thinking about Van that she hardly noticed that people started to come out of the locker rooms. The announcer began to announce the swimmer and Hitomi noticed that some people began to pack their things to leave. 'Why is everyone leaving?' she thought, 'How can they be so rude?' Her anger rose has more people started to leave. 'Fine if they're not going to support our team, then I will.' She stood up onto the bench and screamed, "GO GAIA!!!" The remanding people stared at her as if she was going crazy but Hitomi didn't care. "Come on! Work with me people!" she demanded, "GO GAIA!!!" The majority of the people started to clap but the others that just rolled their eyes.
By the time Van came out, Hitomi had gotten everyone to cheer. She was standing on the bleachers, waving her arms in the air and reciting every cheer she could remember. Normally, she would have felt like a complete fool but for once, it was fun to not care about what the others though and go wide. As a bonus, the look on Van's face when he saw her was priceless. It was a mixture of excitement and surprise. The whole scene was definitely a Kodak moment.
***
Hitomi watched closely as Van got ready for the last lap. She blushed slightly at the sight of his body. His Speedo didn't leave much up to imagination. She knew that Van stayed in form but she never pictured him to look this good. He wasn't like those really pumped guys who liked to show of their muscles; Van's body possessed a nature form of hardness. (A/N: please people, this is rated PG-13. so no nasty thoughts). Hitomi's eyes rested on his abs for a minute. 'One, two, three, four, five, six. Oh my…'
She blushed harder as Van caught her gaze. He gave her a smirk that said, 'I know what you were just doing.' Ever since he came out, Van has been sneaking glances at her. Not too much to make the coach notice but just enough to tell her that she was on his mind.
Van got onto the platform and put on his goggles. The whistle went off and he dived straight into the water. Hitomi held her breathe as she watched him move swiftly through the water. His powerful legs kicked the current and his arms dug repeatedly into the water to pull him forward. His head came up for air and he continued to swim nonstop.
"Wow, look at that Van guy go," a freshmen girl said with admiration.
"Yeah, he's sssooo hot," her friend answered, "I wonder if he's single…"
"If he is, I want him!"
Hitomi felt a hint of jealousy as she listened to the two girls giggle over Van. She wanted to tell them that he was taken but he wasn't. She wanted to tell those girls that Van would never be interested in them but who was she to decide what kind of girls he liked? The more she thought about it, the dumber she felt. Why did she choose Allen or Van? Why was she so blind? Van is obviously the better choice. He's sweet, honest, caring, and extremely hot. Why did she have to pick the jackass who couldn't keep his hands of other girls? 'I should have never dated Allen,' she thought, 'back then Van was interested in me and I had refused him. And now…' Hitomi sighed and turned her attention back to the pool. It was no use getting depressed over it now.
Van reached one end of the pool; he made a quick flip and kicked on the wall to go backwards. The swim back had to be in backstroke style, a style that Van managed perfectly. A wide smile appeared on Hitomi's face as she saw that he was in the lead. A second swimmer was approaching fast but not fast enough to surpass Van. She stood up to as he approached the finish line. The other swimmer was catching up really fast and it looked like it was going to be a close call. "Come on Van…you can do it…" she whispered. The two swimmers were equal distance from the finish line. Van must have seen the other guy because he suddenly began to swim faster. Within seconds, he reached out his hand and touched the wall. A cheer exploded throughout the gym as the Sharks won.
***
Hitomi waited patiently as everyone else went to congratulate Van on his performance. She wanted him to enjoy his moment of glory, so decided to leave him alone. Van looked up from the crowd and gave her a sad smile, apologizing for the fact that he was surrounded. She returned the smile with more warmth, telling him to take his time.
It was around half an hour later that the crowd around him finally died out. The gym was practically empty as Van went back to the lockers to change. The storm clouds outside darkened the sky, making it appear later than it actually was. Hitomi began to wonder if she should leave when Van came out of the locker room. He was dressed in shorts and a white t-shirt. His hair was still wet from the swim. He looked a little worn out. Van walked over and sat down beside her but made no effort to start a conversation. None of them bothered to move or speak. They just sat there in the dark, enjoying each other's company.
"I'm really glad you came today," Van said after a while.
"Me too, I had fun," she admitted, turning to face him. "And you were right about the swim team not getting much support."
"I had all the support I'll ever need today."
Hitomi turned away, not wanting him to see her blush. "The water looks so cold."
"Yeah it is when you first dive in, but you get used to it after a while."
"How deep is it?" she asked.
"Why don't you go in and find out?" Van suggested with an amused look on his face.
She laughed, "You're kidding right?"
"Nope" he shook his head and replied seriously.
"I…I can't…"
"Why?" Van got up to his feet and looked down upon her.
"I-I don't have a bathing suit."
"Who said anything about a bathing suit?"
Hitomi's eyes went wide with shock, "You mean you want us to go skinny dipping?"
"I was thinking that you could wear your t-shirt and shorts but if you want to, that's find with me," he joked.
"Fanel!" a shout interrupted their conversation, "I gotta run." The coach called out from the exit door. He was a short, a little over weight, bald and looked about in his 40s. "Clock up after you leave." He glanced over at Hitomi and finished in a teasing voice, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Hitomi blushed harder and joked, "I guess that counts out skinny dipping."
"I wouldn't underestimate the old guy," Van reached out to pull her up. "So you coming?"
"I can't" she objected. 'God, he's going to think I'm a wuss,' she thought. 'But at lest it's better than me making a big fool out of myself…"
"What's wrong now?"
'Should I tell him? Will he make fun of me?' she asked herself. "I…I can't swim." She admitted at last.
"That's it? That's no problem. I'll teach you." He offered.
Before she could react, Van pulled her from her seat and led her towards the pool. Hitomi stared at the water and tired to estimate the approximate depth. '6 feet? 10 feet?' she wondered, 'Lord, what did I get myself into this time.'
"It's 5 feet," he answered her question. "You can stand up, and when we get a little deeper, I'll help you stay a float. But if you really don't want to do it, I understand." He assured her. "I don't want to pressure you onto doing anything you don't want to."
Hitomi stared at the water uncertainly. 'Go ahead,' a voice inside encouraged, 'it's about time you learned anyways.' She took a deep breath and said out loud, "Okay, teach me how to swim."
***Yay! Done! Hehe. I know this chapter was a little short but I wanted to leave the rest for the next chapter. I have something to ask…did I make Folken situation sound too pathetic? I wanted it to show how hurt he was and how much he wants Sora back. Maybe I went a little over board…What do you think? One more lil note, if I don't explain something and leave you guys hanging, it's probably because you're not supposed to know what happened (or happens) yet. Don't worry, by the time it's all over (which will be pretty soon…few more chapters to go) I'll have everything explained. So R&R and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible.***
KawaiiBloss: thanks for IMing me since you couldn't review.
Carrie: I hope this one was just as good. ^_^
Ria Fanel: I'll try to write more next time.
SexyChick: hehe, thank you.
DragonSun: hate is a strong word…I strongly dislike him. sure I'll read it. Tell me when u post it.
Cat: I will, don't worry, it's not finished yet.
scharm0119: lol, you're number 200th!!! I'm glad ur finally caught up. ^_^
Krista:? I'm confused…I just updated 23 today…
Demus: hahahahah! I'm agree totally!
Miyoshi: Van is hott…he's my all time fav anime guy. ^^
Hello: wow, everyday? Let me help u out, I update usually once every two weeks. I update Normal Life one week and then Not My Kind the next.
Lola: *blushes* thanks!
Magical Dream: lol, are u giggling because of Van?
EmpressMish: what do you think about the whole Folken/Sora thing?
Sakura Scout: sorry this one was kinda short. ~_~;;
Ryan: hehe, I'm glad u like it so much. Thanks
Pyja: there's even more V/H in the next one. But sssshhh!
Soprano Songbird: more details on them soon.
TigerWolf: Tory is Sora's sister, I'm sorry about the confusion.
MysticEyes: I'll try my best.
dancegoddess: maybe she will fall…*writes that down as an idea* ^_^
winter light: thank you, I hope u keep on reading
Ria Fanel: I've made Va like an asshole? Btw what's ASTIG?
Sereneblaze: hehe, favorite stories? Wow, I feel special. Lol
Ti-TiKutie4ever: no wings. Sigh~ that would be kool though, I love his wings. *dreamy look*
Ali: haha, I wonder when he's going to give into his feelings.
Folken shoved his books into his locker and slammed the door close. He pulled his car keys out of his pocket and walked down the hall. He had just about enough of this damn school for one day. So screw all the afternoon classes, he'll make them up another day. Right now, what he need was to get out of here, go somewhere quiet and clear his mind. As he walked past some more lockers, Folken caught the sight of a couple wrapped up in an intimate embrace. 'Don't these people have anything better to do?' As if hearing his remark, the couple broke apart and turned around to face him. For a splice second, Folken thought that the face of the girl looked familiar. He shook his head and blinked several times. 'Damnit! It's happening again!' he cursed under his breath, 'I gotta get eyes checked.' He shook his head once more and continued to walk.
The more he thought about what just happened, the more it bothered him. Folken knew very well that there was nothing wrong with his eyes. It was his mind playing tricks on him again. He was seeing her again. Seeing her everywhere he went.
It was a phase he thought he was over with. Right after the crash, Sora's face was everywhere he looked. It followed him wherever he went and haunted him is his sleep. Gradually, things began to get a little better, and she slowly disappeared from his vision but never left his mind or heart. He longed to hold her hand, to taste her lips or even just to see her face again. And he did. She reappeared in his dreams last night; but this time, she was different. She did not look afraid or hurt, her face showed no signs of suffering or pain. Last night, for the first time since her death, Sora seemed happy.
***
Hitomi walked into the school swim area and looked around for a decent spot to sit. The gym was mostly empty expect for a few people sitting on the risers. Most of the seemed completely oblivious to the fact that there was to be a swim meet. They were all wearing headphones and doing was looked like homework. Hitomi sat down on the bottom row near the finish line. She dropped her duffel bag onto the ground and raised the head to look around. The pool was pretty big, 20 yards wide and 50 yards long. The shallow side started at 5 feet deep, gradually descending to 15 feet. The water was crystal blue and smelled of too much chlorine. The only audible sound came from the gym lockers, and the tapping of raindrops falling onto the roof. An unexpected storm hit earlier in the afternoon, causing all outdoors activities (including track) to be cancelled.
Hitomi nervously twisted the side of her sleeve as she waited for the swim met to start. From what she heard, the Gaia Sharks were competing against the Brandywine Torpedoes. The Torpedoes are supposed to be a pretty tough team to beat but Hitomi was sure they wouldn't have any problem with Van on the team. She had her doubts about coming here this afternoon. It was just a joke when she suggested it to Van but he seemed to like the idea. Since track was cancelled, Hitomi thought it was probably worth a shot. After all, it did give her a nice excuse to see Van in a Speedo.
"Thank you all for coming to today's swim meet against the Brandywine Torpedoes."
Hitomi was so busy thinking about Van that she hardly noticed that people started to come out of the locker rooms. The announcer began to announce the swimmer and Hitomi noticed that some people began to pack their things to leave. 'Why is everyone leaving?' she thought, 'How can they be so rude?' Her anger rose has more people started to leave. 'Fine if they're not going to support our team, then I will.' She stood up onto the bench and screamed, "GO GAIA!!!" The remanding people stared at her as if she was going crazy but Hitomi didn't care. "Come on! Work with me people!" she demanded, "GO GAIA!!!" The majority of the people started to clap but the others that just rolled their eyes.
By the time Van came out, Hitomi had gotten everyone to cheer. She was standing on the bleachers, waving her arms in the air and reciting every cheer she could remember. Normally, she would have felt like a complete fool but for once, it was fun to not care about what the others though and go wide. As a bonus, the look on Van's face when he saw her was priceless. It was a mixture of excitement and surprise. The whole scene was definitely a Kodak moment.
***
Hitomi watched closely as Van got ready for the last lap. She blushed slightly at the sight of his body. His Speedo didn't leave much up to imagination. She knew that Van stayed in form but she never pictured him to look this good. He wasn't like those really pumped guys who liked to show of their muscles; Van's body possessed a nature form of hardness. (A/N: please people, this is rated PG-13. so no nasty thoughts). Hitomi's eyes rested on his abs for a minute. 'One, two, three, four, five, six. Oh my…'
She blushed harder as Van caught her gaze. He gave her a smirk that said, 'I know what you were just doing.' Ever since he came out, Van has been sneaking glances at her. Not too much to make the coach notice but just enough to tell her that she was on his mind.
Van got onto the platform and put on his goggles. The whistle went off and he dived straight into the water. Hitomi held her breathe as she watched him move swiftly through the water. His powerful legs kicked the current and his arms dug repeatedly into the water to pull him forward. His head came up for air and he continued to swim nonstop.
"Wow, look at that Van guy go," a freshmen girl said with admiration.
"Yeah, he's sssooo hot," her friend answered, "I wonder if he's single…"
"If he is, I want him!"
Hitomi felt a hint of jealousy as she listened to the two girls giggle over Van. She wanted to tell them that he was taken but he wasn't. She wanted to tell those girls that Van would never be interested in them but who was she to decide what kind of girls he liked? The more she thought about it, the dumber she felt. Why did she choose Allen or Van? Why was she so blind? Van is obviously the better choice. He's sweet, honest, caring, and extremely hot. Why did she have to pick the jackass who couldn't keep his hands of other girls? 'I should have never dated Allen,' she thought, 'back then Van was interested in me and I had refused him. And now…' Hitomi sighed and turned her attention back to the pool. It was no use getting depressed over it now.
Van reached one end of the pool; he made a quick flip and kicked on the wall to go backwards. The swim back had to be in backstroke style, a style that Van managed perfectly. A wide smile appeared on Hitomi's face as she saw that he was in the lead. A second swimmer was approaching fast but not fast enough to surpass Van. She stood up to as he approached the finish line. The other swimmer was catching up really fast and it looked like it was going to be a close call. "Come on Van…you can do it…" she whispered. The two swimmers were equal distance from the finish line. Van must have seen the other guy because he suddenly began to swim faster. Within seconds, he reached out his hand and touched the wall. A cheer exploded throughout the gym as the Sharks won.
***
Hitomi waited patiently as everyone else went to congratulate Van on his performance. She wanted him to enjoy his moment of glory, so decided to leave him alone. Van looked up from the crowd and gave her a sad smile, apologizing for the fact that he was surrounded. She returned the smile with more warmth, telling him to take his time.
It was around half an hour later that the crowd around him finally died out. The gym was practically empty as Van went back to the lockers to change. The storm clouds outside darkened the sky, making it appear later than it actually was. Hitomi began to wonder if she should leave when Van came out of the locker room. He was dressed in shorts and a white t-shirt. His hair was still wet from the swim. He looked a little worn out. Van walked over and sat down beside her but made no effort to start a conversation. None of them bothered to move or speak. They just sat there in the dark, enjoying each other's company.
"I'm really glad you came today," Van said after a while.
"Me too, I had fun," she admitted, turning to face him. "And you were right about the swim team not getting much support."
"I had all the support I'll ever need today."
Hitomi turned away, not wanting him to see her blush. "The water looks so cold."
"Yeah it is when you first dive in, but you get used to it after a while."
"How deep is it?" she asked.
"Why don't you go in and find out?" Van suggested with an amused look on his face.
She laughed, "You're kidding right?"
"Nope" he shook his head and replied seriously.
"I…I can't…"
"Why?" Van got up to his feet and looked down upon her.
"I-I don't have a bathing suit."
"Who said anything about a bathing suit?"
Hitomi's eyes went wide with shock, "You mean you want us to go skinny dipping?"
"I was thinking that you could wear your t-shirt and shorts but if you want to, that's find with me," he joked.
"Fanel!" a shout interrupted their conversation, "I gotta run." The coach called out from the exit door. He was a short, a little over weight, bald and looked about in his 40s. "Clock up after you leave." He glanced over at Hitomi and finished in a teasing voice, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Hitomi blushed harder and joked, "I guess that counts out skinny dipping."
"I wouldn't underestimate the old guy," Van reached out to pull her up. "So you coming?"
"I can't" she objected. 'God, he's going to think I'm a wuss,' she thought. 'But at lest it's better than me making a big fool out of myself…"
"What's wrong now?"
'Should I tell him? Will he make fun of me?' she asked herself. "I…I can't swim." She admitted at last.
"That's it? That's no problem. I'll teach you." He offered.
Before she could react, Van pulled her from her seat and led her towards the pool. Hitomi stared at the water and tired to estimate the approximate depth. '6 feet? 10 feet?' she wondered, 'Lord, what did I get myself into this time.'
"It's 5 feet," he answered her question. "You can stand up, and when we get a little deeper, I'll help you stay a float. But if you really don't want to do it, I understand." He assured her. "I don't want to pressure you onto doing anything you don't want to."
Hitomi stared at the water uncertainly. 'Go ahead,' a voice inside encouraged, 'it's about time you learned anyways.' She took a deep breath and said out loud, "Okay, teach me how to swim."
***Yay! Done! Hehe. I know this chapter was a little short but I wanted to leave the rest for the next chapter. I have something to ask…did I make Folken situation sound too pathetic? I wanted it to show how hurt he was and how much he wants Sora back. Maybe I went a little over board…What do you think? One more lil note, if I don't explain something and leave you guys hanging, it's probably because you're not supposed to know what happened (or happens) yet. Don't worry, by the time it's all over (which will be pretty soon…few more chapters to go) I'll have everything explained. So R&R and I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible.***
KawaiiBloss: thanks for IMing me since you couldn't review.
Carrie: I hope this one was just as good. ^_^
Ria Fanel: I'll try to write more next time.
SexyChick: hehe, thank you.
DragonSun: hate is a strong word…I strongly dislike him. sure I'll read it. Tell me when u post it.
Cat: I will, don't worry, it's not finished yet.
scharm0119: lol, you're number 200th!!! I'm glad ur finally caught up. ^_^
Krista:? I'm confused…I just updated 23 today…
Demus: hahahahah! I'm agree totally!
Miyoshi: Van is hott…he's my all time fav anime guy. ^^
Hello: wow, everyday? Let me help u out, I update usually once every two weeks. I update Normal Life one week and then Not My Kind the next.
Lola: *blushes* thanks!
Magical Dream: lol, are u giggling because of Van?
EmpressMish: what do you think about the whole Folken/Sora thing?
Sakura Scout: sorry this one was kinda short. ~_~;;
Ryan: hehe, I'm glad u like it so much. Thanks
Pyja: there's even more V/H in the next one. But sssshhh!
Soprano Songbird: more details on them soon.
TigerWolf: Tory is Sora's sister, I'm sorry about the confusion.
MysticEyes: I'll try my best.
dancegoddess: maybe she will fall…*writes that down as an idea* ^_^
winter light: thank you, I hope u keep on reading
Ria Fanel: I've made Va like an asshole? Btw what's ASTIG?
Sereneblaze: hehe, favorite stories? Wow, I feel special. Lol
Ti-TiKutie4ever: no wings. Sigh~ that would be kool though, I love his wings. *dreamy look*
Ali: haha, I wonder when he's going to give into his feelings.