Chapter Five:

There were a lot of things I didn't understand about my friend Kasumi. One of them was that I shouldn't put her on the spot, but I did that anyway. Right in front of Makoto and Nanase, too. I should've also remembered that she was much more shy around boys than anyone else, which I had no idea why, but...oh heck, I wasn't one to beat around the dang bush when it came to something urgent.

"Hey, Kasumi-chan? You still thinkin'?" I asked.

She turned an awful shade of white, but it subsided in a matter of seconds. She looked up at me with splotches of red on her face for cheeks once she was ready to answer.

"O-okay..."

"What'd you say there, hon'?"

"I'll do it. I'll take you up on your offer."

She faced Nanase, thanking him for his help as I stood back feeling glad for being proven wrong on my doubts. For a second there I thought she'd turn it down, but she took it like a good sport and made a face that seemed to say, "I'm determined! I can do it!".

"Awesome!" I responded with a clap of my hands. "Alright, so, Kasumi-chan, you and Nanase-kun can start after our first practice. How about you two sleep on that for the big day tomorrow?"

Makoto was all for it, Nanase-eh, he was hush like a puppy, but Kasumi was too into it, her reaction too strong. A red flag flew up right at that moment. So how was I gonna believe her then? My new hunch had me split the group up so that I could talk to her in private. If it were the boys that she were nervous around, then I'd have to really dig deep to find her real problem.

Walking down the sidewalk in silence had me thinking, Maybe she might feel like I outed her in front of our classmates and hates me for it. Or she doesn't take well to the pressure I put on her. But I didn't want that to be true. I'd feel ashamed if she said yes to something that she didn't really wanna do.

"You okay?" I rushed to ask. "Nervous?"

"I...I guess."

At least she's being honest with me. Maybe it's just my imagination that got me worried...?

"N-aw, don't worry about it. Nanase's a natural when it comes to swimming. I just think it'll take a bit for him to get used to helping someone as cute as you."

Did poking fun at her work? Well, it made her react, I'll say that much. I never knew that I could go overboard. Or that the hole I wanted to dig was actually for me.

I went on teasing her, saying things like, "He always did come off as the 'silent' type", and, "But maybe he l-i-k-e-s yo-ou!". She was bashful, but at the last part she sunk to her shoulders and whimpered, "I..I'm not..."

I already knew what she wanted to say without finishing.

When I turned to her I could almost sense the familiar sadness that I had gone through coming from her, the feeling of not being wanted, of not being capable to love again. The last thing I'd want for her to think is that she wasn't good enough for that. I smiled and told her, "Don't doubt yourself. When the time comes, you'll find the right guy. He'll see the most beautiful qualities in you that you never saw, and he'll fall in love with you and all of your perks..and your faults..."

For getting emotional I hated myself. I made a promise not to let it bug me. It was getting old, frustrating, honestly, to keep thinking about "it". I knew it'd take a while to get over it, but not that long. And not that painfully. What made me even more depressed was when Kasumi asked me if I'd ever been in love. My honest-to-God answer was, "You could say that, but 'love'...probably not.".

To tell her I'd felt something close only to love made a cold chill run down my spine. It was realization that hit me hard. But I had to accept it. What I felt for my last boyfriend, Brandon, wasn't love. "Infatuation", or better yet "puppy love" ever since the seventh grade and he bought me a pendant and a teddy bear as big as a half-grown cow. Then he changed in high school, he got overly touchy, and he'd get more upset when I told him to back off. So he went off to find someone else to knock boots with because I wanted to save it for later. And he found it with my best friend, Jess. More like ex-best friend...Should've seen it coming. Should've noticed how much she liked him when I was dating him...

When he told me the truth that day, I felt...numb. Taken aback like he made a really bad joke. He interrupted me as I was about to tell him that my parents wanted to send me to Japan to live with Grandma. After Brandon explained it all and said he was breaking up with me I should've sunk my fist into his jaw. But...instead he and I stood there, waiting for me to say something and I couldn't muster any words. My world was crushed in a matter of seconds...The my body took over and walked away from him, speechless.

So I had to forgive and forget. While it was uncomfortable to tell Kasumi about it, I did feel a slight lift off of my shoulders. If moving on had to start with talking, then I'd do it.

I readjusted myself and tried to face my friend with a more positive outlook.

"But, hey, I want you to know that I only want to tease you because I don't want you to stress yourself over doing a great job. You do the best that you can do, and I'll support you every step of the way."

We walked on, Kasumi taking confident strides with me to my street after she made the promise to me. Before leaving I turned around, getting a little sheepish to see her fluster again. Something to make me feel a little happier.

"Oh, Kasumi-chan?"

"Yes?"

"By the way, I wanted to tell you that you're lucky."

"L-lucky...?"

"Yeah. You get a one-on-one session with a half-naked guy. Not a lot of girls get the chance, so you better not blow your opportunity!"

"W-What?!"

I wanted to laugh. She turned beet red with her mouth hanging wide open like a gaping fish. At first I thought she'd relax and joke about it with me, but once again I was proven wrong.

There were a lot of things about Kasumi. And when she fell forward on the sidewalk pavement I learned that not only did she faint on the spot of seeing water or being pushed into it, but that she also couldn't handle being teased about seeing shirtless boys or washboard abs, period.

Her mom reassured me that it was somewhat normal for Kasumi to "overreact". I brought her home and sat with her mother in the living room while Kasumi was sleeping it off in her room. Her mom thanked me for helping her daughter get home, and after that it was a bunch of small talk. Like any proud mother, she went on about Kasumi's childhood. I expected to hear about times where she got scared of riding the swing set or her first time eating ice cream, but not about her family moving from place to place in the past couple of years. To me it sounded like my friend was deprived of fun. She had to keep being the new kid at school nearly every year. No wonder she was scared of me the first day. She didn't want to make friends so quickly because she was afraid of losing them.

"Kasumi-chan's had a lot of trouble adjusting to that, and...she's also had a..fear...to swimming..."

"Swimming?"

"Mm-hm...There was a day we all went to the beach when she was younger. While her father and I were setting out our blanket her friend Nanami-chan screamed. She pointed out to the water, and..there was my baby splashing in the water..being carried away. A young boy with her group of friends saved her, then disappeared, but my baby was never the same after that. She'd have frequent panic attacks and fainted more often, especially near water. But showers she could handle...of all things..."

That doesn't make a lick of sense...Why did Kasumi join the club if she's afraid of water?

I thought about every reason even after I left Kasumi's house and went back home to Grandma. It went on to midnight as I was laying in bed that I realized Kasumi's intention. She was suffering to face her demons head-on. Or she'd go through the Trials of Hercules to make friends. No, cut that. I thought she was afraid of making friends because she'd lose them quickly.

Being half-asleep in bed wasn't fun when it came to decoding people. Soon I started to think that the wood chuck couldn't but could, and then saw sheep hoppin' over fences.

During class the next day I decided to be extra careful with Kasumi. It was our first time using the pool and when we all changed in the locker rooms I was relieved that we wouldn't be doing anything serious. Only Ryuko was prepared for hardcore training with her best swimsuit as the rest of us beside her were wearing old suits that lasted the years before. Mine was a simple yellow-green two piece I got to wear once to a family vacation in Florida. I hated the color, but the polka-dot pattern looked cute. Plus, it was the only one I could get my hands on before the plane flew in to take me to Japan. At the time I was packing I wasn't exactly myself, either...

Practice went well, surprisingly. Kasumi actually jumped into the pool before any of us. The others I had to stop from staring at Ryugazaki's contortion of stretches. Ever since then Ella had been snippy as per usual towards me. Her attitude I was akin to, so of course I ignored it. My main concern was seeing how Kasumi would do. I started out with exercises for everyone to do, and we got through those before an interruption. One that had glasses and the confidence of a bull.

I was just about to move on to floating techniques that Makoto told me about at lunch when Ryugazaki hopped onto the fifth diving board where some of us girls were standing close to. He was so determined to perfect a dive, yet he was worse than the first time at Samezuka...Just plopped right in like a Sheltie dog cannon balling on its stomach.

I had so little of words that I told the girls, "Um...okay. Well, he's okay. Let's..get back to the practice..."

No one argued with me there. We went right back to learning the turtle float. Even Kasumi gave twice the effort. But that was because she didn't want to do what Ryugazaki did-Fail...big time...

The day ended when the sun was burnin' yellow-orange in the afternoon sky. Ryuko had a ride to catch and couldn't be held up any longer and Ella was losing the energy to sass me. All the boys and girls got out of the pool at the same time to wash at the showers and get into dry clothes-except for Nanase. He waited in the water for Kasumi as she waddled back to the girls' lockers.

I was going after her when Makoto caught my attention.

"It looked like your practice went very well today, no?"

"Yeah, and I could say the same for yours, too."

"Oh, well, thanks. But it was more focused on one particular person than the whole group."

"Really?"

I didn't notice any thing of their's other than Ryugazaki's big flop that disturbed my group, so I was technically blowing smoke at him.

"Yeah...but he's doing better. He doesn't know it, but he's catching on."

The girls' locker room door shut behind Kasumi. I turned back to Makoto and asked, "Hey, if you're not doing anything after hitting the lockers, did you want to stick around...with me for the other two...?"

"Sure. I'll get changed."

"'Kay."

I followed behind Kasumi, and he went down the stairs towards the other direction. Ella and Ryuko waved goodbye as I opened my locker and started peeling off my suit like a banana peel. And who was standing by in a corner? Kasumi. Shivering and cuddling her towel close to her body. She should be out there starting her sesh with Nanase, I thought.

But there was the early memory of her intolerance to water that I was afraid to trigger.

I need to approach this firmly, but gently. Last thing I want is to make her repeat yesterday's habit.

"Ready to go?"

She peeked up at me with her big blue eyes. I pulled my shirt down over my head and continued, "Remember what I said before? No freaking out."

"I-I understand."

"I won't kid with you about it like the last time, seeing as how I made you react, so-good luck. Makoto-kun and I'll be back in about an hour," I told her with a less firm tone.

"Hai."

Kasumi seemed to perk up with a nervous smile, so I left her there to meet back with Makoto. I thought I sounded too motherly, but Kasumi didn't seem to be intimidated by it.

I waved to her and then shut the entrance door behind me.

Outside Makoto stood at the foot of the stairs facing my way. I was tying my wet hair behind my head with a rubber band saved inside my pocket as I descended the steps. It was like I was a princess being escorted to a ball, as far as my imagination went. Makoto smiled and turned to me, and I smiled back. That dream shot right out the window of my thoughts as I fell back down to earth. It was funny, but stupid how I got carried away with imaginative metaphors. People like me don't have anybody to go to a ball with...and that was a fairy tale illusion. My school uniform was a bit informal for a dance, anyway.

"Did you want to wait in the library?" Makoto suggested as i took the last step. "I thought maybe you wanted to do some homework in the mean time."

"Sure. I told Kasumi-chan that I'd be back in an hour or so, so let's do it."

"Okay." He lead the way with his go-to sweet smile as I walked by his side. With nothing else to do we chatted about more random conversations like we had the other times we'd had by ourselves. I found myself talking and chiding with him like I didn't have a care in the world, just like before. Makoto was clearly a bad idea to keep around me. I didn't want to jump right into the fray of high school life that dealt with teen emotions and angst. I was too comfortable with him, and yet that's how I wanted it to be. Comfortable. Laughing and feeling free. But not so fast...

And Makoto really was the most polite and the sweetest. But too kind?...No..Well, maybe. His kindness felt like euphoria to me, so addictive and so enticing. I'd never been treated like that since I moved in. So I guess it was just me. Someone who craved kindness to make up for the hurt.

"Here we are." He slid open the door to let me in first.

"Oh,...thanks."

The library was somewhat small for us students. Most of the room was taken up by columns and tables that it was a maze for me to crawl around in. Seeing one like that had me thinking that the school library back in Texas was as huge as a mall with the wide open space it had.

"Over here."

Makoto found a small table by a window with a few matching chairs to spare. Most of the furnishing fit an old, dusty-lookin' theme for a library. Mahogany shelves, dark wooden tables, dated yellow-tan wall paint. I could nearly smell the mustiness of the books from my seat. I sat myself across from Makoto as he and I pulled out our notebooks from our school bags. My handwriting scrawled over the pages was almost all Japanese, save for a few things in English to remind me to write in both. I was in the middle of a break through with my kanji by translating English in the same line, but it was hard for me to read the tiny letters.

I was reading notes and writing answers on homework sheets when I struggled with a sentence. Because I accidentally brushed my thumb over the graphite I couldn't remember the kanji that my teacher had copied on the board.

Pulling my bangs behind my ear certainly didn't help, so I sat back in my seat to remember what the History teacher wrote. C'mon, remember what he at least said! Something about an era with an M. What was it?

"Is something wrong?"

I glanced back at Makoto who had already closed his Math notebook.

"Oh,...it's nothing," I politely grumbled, "just forgot a kanji."

"Oh..."

"Hey, actually, I had a question." I suddenly sprang to action as I flipped over my notebook to him. "Which era started with an 'M'?"

"'M'? You mean 'Muromachi'?"

I gasped as quietly as anyone could in a library. "Hot dang! That's it!"

"I'm glad I could help...But you know you wrote 'Muromochi' instead of 'Muromachi', right?"

"What?"

The smudge I made earlier turned the word into Muro-mochi. It was funny that I could translate that in my head and yet I was thinking of food in class when I was writing that down. It was too funny that I found myself burst into peals of laughter while fixing my notes.

"What's so funny?" Makoto asked so concernedly.

"It's-" I took a deep breath before explaining, "It's just that it reminded me of food. Muro-'mochi', Muromachi?"

When he got the joke, Makoto chuckled to himself with a voice as smooth as silk and charming as church bells. I bit my lip to keep from laughing with him, and also to hear his laughter for a little longer. But I cracked a smile feeling more and more comfortable with his joy bouncing off of him.

"That is pretty funny," he admitted after he paused to catch his breath.

"Isn't it? Oh, man, and I didn't mean to do that. It just popped up out of nowhere!"

"Really? Because I'd say that you're very comedic."

Where is this going? And what does he mean?...I'm not sure if I like this or not...

"How so?" I replied with a playful smile.

His cheeks grew pink as he told me, "Oh, well,...you're funny in a good way. And very outgoing. I...I admire that of you..."

"What makes me so special out of all the other girls here?" I asked Brandon in the library.

"I think you're funny," he said a matter-o-factly. "And clever. And smart."

"Stop it!" I giggled.

"What? It's true!"

"Yeah, right!"

"If you go out with me, I'll prove to you that you are different!"

"Go out with you? Hmm, so tempting!"

"C'mon! Just one date!"

"...May-be..."

"Samantha-chan?"

I quickly turned to my homework. The sudden memory of seventh grade came up to bite me like a wild dog, and I felt an anxious quell stir in my belly.

I coughed and then gave Makoto a dumb excuse. "Sorry...I just lost my train of thought."

"I'm sorry if I might have said something upsetting."

"Huh?" I looked back up at him. "You didn't...I-I just...remembered something."

"'Remembered something'?"

"Well,...nothing important, that's for sure. I guess..ugh! It's just stupid!"

I grinned back at him to divert the limelight from the matter.

"But...thank you,...Makoto-kun."

His look of confusion melted into a heart-warmin' smile that was far from the others he'd made for me. In that moment I felt the flutter of butterflies in my stomach, but I hid it best with my own smile.

Makoto went back to his work as I closed shop on mine. I'd finished everything but a couple problems for my math paper, yet I blew all my energy on the others. All I wanted to do then was lay in bed and hit the hay.

My bag was packed when I glanced back at Makoto. I paused before opening my mouth. He hovered over the table droopy-eyed, tempted to take a nap. His hand was still going, slowly finishing a sentence with his pencil daring to roll over his thumb and to the ground. I fidgeted in my seat, wanting to wake him up in time for him to catch himself, but the other half of me wanted to watch him as he was. So I kept quiet.

My eyes traced over every curve and shape of his hands as I wondered about what he was thinking of. One of his was poised on the crisp page of his notes and its partner propped his head up by the underside of his cheek. His skin glowed with the dying sunlight coming from the window. He stopped writing the same time his soft green eyes closed. I felt so captivated to every little thing he did: the rise and fall of his chest, the way his hair fell into his eyelashes, his slim fingers that twitched in his sleep.

Oh, golly, his hands! His warm skin and everything! I wouldn't be surprised if they were twice the size of mine! He could play piano with those fingers!

Something possessed me to reach out and lay my hand out next to his. I kept telling myself that it was just to confirm if his were any bigger than my bear claws of hands, but I knew it really wasn't true. The rampart of beating in my chest was proof enough that I was falling to temptation. I was so nervous to get close to him, to want to touch him, but I didn't let it stop me. I willed myself to stretch my arm out a little bit more,...just a little bit closer...

When my hand settled right beside his, I bit my lip harder than the last time to hold the panicked steam of breath inside. If I were an anime character I'd have already blown smoke out through my ears, but I kept composed of thoughts so I wouldn't stir him awake. I had definitely crossed a cultural border and on the verge of bursting a personal bubble, but I did not care.

I leaned into the table to get a better look. My hand seemed like Kasumi's tiny ones compared to his. It was natural to find that boys' hands were bigger than girls', but...there was some surprise when it came to his. I could've sworn that his pinky was the same size as my pointer finger, but I didn't have time to clarify.

Minami came bolting in the room like the Road Runner running from the Coyote.

The sound of the door sent Makoto jumping out of his skin and hoppin' from his seat. I gasped a loud as I was about to retreat my hand.

That's when I noticed the warmth of Makoto's hand on mine.

Ohmigod, it's definitely twice the size! And, hot dang, are his fingers slender!

My mind raced with so many thoughts, but my body reacted differently. Under his touch my hand went from warm to prickling hot as if...

As if I were drawn to him. Like I was attracted to him and...there were sparks between us...

"Ma-Makoto-kun...?"

I wanted his hand off mine, needed it off, really. I didn't want to think that what I felt was anything beyond imaginative. It was too convenient, ironic, but also dangerous. I couldn't believe that he'd ever feel the same thing for me...no matter how much the odds may have been up in the air...

Makoto saw where his hand landed, and then stuttered for an explanation while drawing it back.

"I'm-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright, Makoto-kun. You didn't hurt me," I laughed it off.

"Thank goodness..."

Minami slammed his hands on the end of our table as he tried to stop himself from zooming past us and out the window. The awkward moment was long gone when the manager showed up. And it was the perfect distraction for me.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" he said as his eyes darted between Makoto and I.

"You didn't. It's alright," sighed Makoto.

"But I think you just upset the librarian," I noted.

"Oh, well, y'know, I'm not the best student around, but...uh, that's besides the point. I wanted to talk to you about the team, Samantha-chan."

"'The team'?"

"Yeah. I mentioned some things to Matsuoka-chan and it got me thinking about our team. You see, there's the local swim tournament coming up and if we were going to do something then we should start assigning the big swim strokes to players soon."

"As in...?"

"As in the basic strokes. Like, the freestyle, or the butterfly...?" He gestured his hands with his words to signify his point.

"I...I mean,...it's only been one day that we've gotten to use the pool."

"Which may have been the only day to do warm-ups. The tournament is at the end of June. It's a week from the end of April right now. If we're going to do it, I'd want to talk to the others about it at least by this next week coming up.

"And we also need to get better gear for you girls, too. Going to a store and looking at swimsuits may not be such a bad idea."

I deflated into my seat taking in all of the new info at the speed of light. First it was a tournament and now it's swimsuits?

"But the club barely has any funds as it is," I replied.

"Competing in the tournament will bring in money from the school, but only if we can bring back a trophy. As for the swimsuits..."

We'd have to pay for them ourselves...

"Lemme think about it." I knew it was a lot to ask from the others, but if we had the funds after winning something then we'd be able to train at a real pool like what the boys were talking about earlier.

"So," Minami huffed as he dropped the topic, "how's it goin' with you guys?...I noticed you were doin' homework together."

"We're fine," I answered before Makoto.

The manager nodded his head, focusing on both of us with a fading grin. I cleared my throat, not wanting to go down the same weird path as before.

"Umm...hey, so, Makoto-kun." I turned to him. "Don't you think that we should check up..on Nanase-kun and...?"

"Oh! Yes! Err...I'm sorry, Minami-san, but it looks like we need to leave soon."

"M'kay, catch you guys later!"

A minute later we left the same way he had gone. The bizzareness dissipated but still lingered around me. I couldn't get my head around how i could talk to my team about a tournament or having them buy their own swimsuits. It seemed like too much to ask of them when we had one day to train under our belts.

Halfway to the locker rooms Makoto disrupted me to see if I were okay.

"Oh. I'm okay...Just overwhelmed, I guess."

"Did you want to tell your team about it?"

"I...I don't think so. I mean, not yet. We've started training, but we do need something to motivate us. But..."

I was confusing myself after that. All of my words were jumbling through my head like kids playin' with building blocks. I didn't even understand what was coming out of my mouth.

My friend held open the girls' locker room door for me as he said, "There's no pressure for you to make a decision right away, if that's what you're worried about."

"Yeah..."

I switched the lights on and smiled at him. "I'll see you out there."

He nodded.

Back on the other side I was going to talk to him some more. I figured maybe consultin' with him would help, but I heard splashing coming from the pool. Thinking I might have to save it for later he and I climbed the small steps to investigate. In the water we found Nanase standing next to Kasumi who gasped for air with her face having been dunked in.

What in the name of Sam Hill did he do to her?

"So, how's the progress goin'?" I asked as normally as I could.

"Haru, is everything okay?" Makoto didn't want to try looking past the "situation". At least he saw it and it wasn't my imagination.

"Everything's fine..."

But it wasn't. Kasumi wasn't as good playing his facade as she intended to. She looked at him and said as politely she could, "Thank you for your help, Nanase-san. I should go if I want to home on time."

She clambered out of the pool and hurried to her locker. I had to follow so that I could help. I waved goodbye to the boys before leaving.

Inside the locker rooms Kasumi gingerly put on her clothes as I crossed my arms feeling a "talk" coming on.

"So...how'd it go?"

"It...was okay.."

She bent over to put on her shoes, so I winged it for the real question burning me inside.

"Well..did you feel like it helped?"

"I...I guess..."

She's breaking down.

"Aww, Kasumi-chan, did something happen?"

My first suspicion was that Nanase said something harsh to her, or that he did dunk her head in the water (however slim that chance was), when she confided to me, "I-...I don't feel like I can do it..."

"What's the problem?"

I waited for her to say it, trying to guess what it was during the silence. But, of course she wouldn't give. She shrugged her shoulders like a hesitant kid.

"Do you want me to tell Nanase that he doesn't have to tutor you anymore?"

I was like a mother threatening to take a child's toy away when I said that. But it almost sounded like Kasumi wasn't interested in getting help from him. After all, what her mother told me was crucial to her and the team. If Kasumi didn't get over her problem as a kid she'd be a tougher nut to crack. I didn't want her to give up, but I didn't want to push her. Kasumi would certainly trust someone she knew better to help her. So, why not me?

"You still want to keep goin?" I asked curiously.

Giving her options was the best bet. Her expression shifted from lost in thought to physically sick. I had no clue what she was thinking. Whatever it was, it helped on my part.

"Y-yes, I do."

"That's the spirit."

I was both proud and at ease. She's a brave sport but everybody has an Achilles' heel, and that heel of hers was going to have to be removed if we were going to stay a team.

At the end of that day I walked her home. She put on a happy face for me, but I couldn't help the inkling of curiousness concernin' her and Nanase. I couldn't be sure of what they did, but I had to let it go. I had to trust that they were getting somewhere with helping her deal with her fear.

The next few days were good to us. Homework was a mess and I had to study for a test, but I got too busy with my afternoons practicing in the pool. We were able to try the different swimming techniques by day three. That's when I gave some serious thought to whether or not I'd tell them about the tournament. And the swimsuits.

By then it became Friday. We couldn't swim because of the downpour, so suddenly a "brilliant" idea came up that we talk about Ryugazaki's swimming at Nanase's house. I went along with it for the heck of the team, but I didn't know why it had to come to that. Ryugazaki hadn't been getting any better and he was becoming more agitated about it than a beehive being swung at by a baseball bat. Everyone but Ryuko sat around the living room table and started throwing in suggestions on how to help the restless soul. Things like "the water hates him" and "being athletically challenged" flew around. Nagisa asked me personally what my thought was. Besides letting me answer the others went on their own extravaganza of idea. Ryugazaki's rebuttal was snapping.

"That's enough!" He jumped up from his seat. "The problem is the way you guys teach! If I had a proper coach, I would be fine!"

"There is a coach!" Makoto exclaimed.

Their answer was to call up pizza delivery. I witnessed them invite the delivery man in, and I never felt so in sync with Ella than any other day we'd known each other. Both of us were thinking, What the heck am I seeing?

Makoto and Nagisa told us that the delivery man used to be their swim coach when they were kids from the old building I found the boys sneakin' into. I didn't think of their "coach" as a teacher. More like he was a family friend or long lost uncle. His sun-colored hair was flipped over on one side, the rest of it shaved. A star dyed brown on the opposite side as he wore ear piercings on the other.

That's a first for me. The only people I knew with that kind of 'do were some punks from the same grade back in Texas.

Nagisa begged "Goro-chan" to help them teach Ryugazaki, but as the elder man was warning the kid not to eat and talk all at once he spotted Kasumi sitting next to me and squinted at her. She hesitated on her cushion.

"Were you one of my students like those boys?" he asked in his gruff voice.

"N-no...I'm sorry...I don't-don't think...so..."

He studied her a little longer before coming out and announcing, "I got it! You were the little shy girl who waited outside with that sassy little one for Matsuoka!"

The original discussion went a completely new route as everyone huddled closer to talk about the years before. I had no say because I'd never been in Iwatobi until recently, but things began connecting dots for me as they went on. Kasumi used to know Kou because she recognized her on the first day of school. According to her, her only link to Kou's brother was an old friend named "Nanami", who Kasumi's mother told me about. I thought I got all that 'til Nagisa and Ella were tossin' in new things, then Gou apparently was a serial panty puller as a tike who "harrassed" Ella. So in the end I found out the woodchuck actually could chuck wood and that Ella was going to beat the boy's face in. I stopped them right there, telling her, "Alright, alright, we get you're still upset, but we need to skip the reunion for now. Coach Sasabe needs to give us advice for helping Ryugazaki-kun."

Hey, he's the one who started it, and now he can finish it.

But finishing it meant that he fussed over helping the poor thing and gave pathetic excuses. He told us he was too busy to help and then left.

Now the boys are back to Square One...

On Saturday we girls tried racing each other with three lanes to see who could swim how fast. After a lap from all of us and then some I had Minami keep track of our times. It was just about then when Ryugazaki suddenly declared that he knew what his problem was. The entire team and ours swam to him and listened carefully.

"The answer was right under my nose. The answer is..."

"The answer is?" Makoto and Nagisa repeated.

As we stood still in anticipation, he shouted, "My-swimsuit!"

He pointed right at his yellow-flared-multicolored-speedo with his finger gestured to..well, "below the hip", shall I say. Ryugazaki had no idea how "suggestive" that was 'til Ella was laughing so hard she snorted water up her nostrils. It made it worse that he kept pointing at it after the boys climbed out of the pool to talk to him.

"C'mon, Ella, don't laugh," I grunted as she held her gut with fits of giggles.

"How is that not funny?" she heaved with a sigh.

"Because he's been runnin' delirious on why he hasn't been doing well."

"It's not my fault..."

I exhaled. Overhearing the boys talk about fitting swimsuits brought back the topic I'd been saving for a later day. Seems like now's the time to say it.

"Y'know, there's something I wanted to tell you all."

Ryuko, Ella, and Kasumi focused entirely on me.

I smirked. "We're going shopping tomorrow!"

With no school on Sunday it was the perfect opportunity to go with the boys to the mall and look for swimsuits. I was reluctant because of what their parents might've said, but everyone showed up on time to take the train, even Ryuko.

I stood with Ella, Ryugazaki, and Makoto on the train while the rest sat down. Ama-sensei didn't want to come, according to Nagisa, so the group's trip couldn't be considered "club-related". I hoped none of the parents were under the distinct impression that us going together was completely innocent.

We got off the train a half-hour later and stood in front of a store called "Sports Zero". I spun towards Nagisa and demanded, "I thought we were going to the mall!"

"It's a mall-sized store, Samantha-chan!" he laughed.

"Well, now it seems like I lied to everybody..."

I folded my arms. So far I felt like I'd be in trouble if someone got home late because of the trip. The rest of the group entered the store as Makoto tagged behind the lines with me.

"Do you want to go in?"

"Yeah. I'm a bit surprised, is all."

"Don't worry. This is a sign that you care a lot about your team."

Well, if he put it like that...

"Thanks..."

Ella missed me by a hair when she opened the door to tell us, "Hurry up! You guys don't know what you're missing!"

When she left Makoto hovered over me to see if she hit me.

"I'm fine. Thanks for askin', though."

"Not at all."

Like a gentleman, he opened the door and pointed out where our groups were. I split up from him to check the girls' side as he took to the other direction.

Nagisa was right about the store. It was a swimmers' Nirvana with the whole works" suits, goggles, plastic dummies in nearly every corner. I didn't know where the start. It was like a Cabelas but with less dead, stuffed animals on display.

The girls began pulling hangers from the shelves while Kasumi sat on a bench in front of the dressing rooms. She'd been that way for more than the weekend, but I couldn't help that. It was her choice to sulk and I had to make sure Minami wouldn't be kicked out for peeking at other shoppers trying on suits.

After keeping Minami at bay and changed into two-pieces I thought were cute, Ella called out from the dressing room beside mine, "So, what do you guys think? Is it too tight around the butt or-hey, Minami, I saw that! Put that bloody phone away before I come over there and shove it up your-"

"Hey, Ella, let's not be so harsh, okay?"

I opened the curtains to make sure she didn't chomp his head off. He slipped his phone back into his pocket as Ella pouted at me in a green and blue bikini piece.

The one i had on was red and orange. I like the transition in color, but I wasn't sure about the swimsuit in general. Seeing that the mood was less tense I asked Ella, "Should I go for a two-piece or one-piece*? I can't decide."

"Can I give just a littl-" pleaded Minami.

"No," Ella shot back. "I don't take advice from drooling messes."

"Maybe he should say it," I countered. "It looks like he's suffering enough. Look at him twitch...Is he turning a different color?"

"It's more like a creepy nervous tic."

So I went for back up.

"Ryuko-san, will you help me out over here?"

She leaned out in between her curtain and room and drew it open.

"I don't see any issue in it, should he have a perfectly logical and pure purpose."

"But this is Minami we're talkin' about!"

"I'm takin' that as a two-to-one vote in favor for him. Have at it skipper," I said.

Had I known what I had gotten into, I wasn't sure if I would've let him do it like I was sure about anything up to that point. Lil' Speed Race made a dash to separate aisles of women's suits and came back holding four different pieces.

"For Ella-chan I recommend this yellow-and black two piece a part of this moderately-priced yet exclusive collection from this chain store. The straps are thin and the bottom part is more like a pair of boxer short for your tomboyish figure. It won't weight you down and orange is a better color for your skin. Too much of that or yellow would make you look like a banana, or worse-jaundice. So the black fixes that problem.

"And for the others the same line as mentioned. Samantha-chan, a springtime green and black two-piece with a bikini bottom and thicker straps for the upper half. It's not as tight as a bra strap but it'll hold firm. The green brings out the color of your eyes but will also blend the look of your curves. Too much curve will make you look like a poorly-drawn anime character.

"Ryuko-san, a one-piece with thin straps that curve over the neck to show off your shoulders, but also give a little space to move around in. The lavender on the stomach is thin material, almost like netting, which shows a little skin yet keeps the modestly. And the black over the hips makes you look more curvy.

"And for Kasumi-chan, a one piece with a V-neck and open back that teases with your small bust but sits snug on your chest so water doesn't sink you down. The baby blue is more or less a flattering color for you. It's cute and moe, but the black around the bottom, stomach, and back balance out the seriousness and playfulness."

In two breaths he gave us a detailed description of the best swimsuits he had to offer. The whole group was frozen with shock for a minute. He handed each of us his swimsuits before chugging a bottle of water like his life depended on it. I was...Whew...speechless...

"Oh my God...Hon', I don't know whether to kiss ya' or slap ya'," I gasped after I blinked the moment away.

Ella was in disbelief. "Sam, pinch me. I think I'm dreaming. I just imagined Minami saying something amazingly brilliant yet creepy."

"Ella, he did just say something smart!"

"I'll vouch for that." Ryuko dipped behind her curtain and changed into the suit as we waited for the results.

She came out and replied, "It's exactly as he said. And it's just the right size."

Now I'm curious. Ella and I were the next ones to try 'em out. We crowded the outside mirror to see what we looked like with them on.

"Sweet baby Jesus, I look fantastic!" I squeaked.

Green was a great color on me. The two piece felt comfortable like warm pajamas and fit just right. But how...?

"Minami-kun, how'd you know so much about swimsuits?"

"Well, what you guys call 'creepy' I call a 'future'. My dream is to become a designer for swimwear, so I've studied a lot in my free time.

"Now, can you turn this way so I can take a pi-"

Ella growled, "Just when I thought you could redeem yourself."

The last person left was Kasumi. All of us nearly shoved her tiny buns into an empty room to try her suit on. When she came out I had to hold me excite back. She looked so cute and mo...whatever Minami said.

She stood in front of the mirror as I walked around to look at her.

"The v-neck does give you a bigger chest. Oh, but you look so cute!"

I danced in circles with her hopping like a rabbit. The moment was brief before the boys joined in.

"Don't they look cute?" Nagisa asked his group as they stopped to gaze.

"Don't encourage our manager," hissed Ella.

"You all do look very good," Makoto said.

His eyes landed on me as he complimented us. I blushed, feeling my heart beat frantically.

"Thanks," I replied, "it's all because of Minami-kun. He's the genius behind all of this."

Makoto flashed a little pearly white a' teeth at me as he smiled. I did the same, but I was too over confident. Being giddy and flirty-like wasn't a good combo for me.

"Well, I'm gonna get changed. Are you boys finished?"

"Yep!" answered Nagisa. "We found a great swimsuit for Rei-chan!"

"Cool!"

Before we left the store I talked to Kasumi regarding her cute baby-blue suit. She said she didn't have enough allowance to buy it, so thinking that I'd be generous I offered to lend her money if she wanted it that badly. Poor Kasumi was caught in the cross fire of being polite and being selfless. Ryuko and Minami stayed out of it, but Ella didn't care to watch her friend blow a cog in her head with thought. She huffed at Kasumi to "give up being polite for once and buy something awesome for yourself". I would've told her to lay off because of her tone but Kasumi agreed to take me up on my off. After I gave her the money she thanked me over many a' time like I gave her a gift from God. I was happy to see that she appreciated being doted on, but my empty wallet was going to suffer the wrath of Grandma when I'd get back home.

I called it. As punishment for spending all of my money I had to get groceries that were for the next two weeks, meaning that I had a lot to lug home. It didn't make sense to be punished for buying something then buy more things, but Grandma slammed the door in my face and hollered for me to, "Just go get those things on the list before getting your hide tanned in public!".

It wasn't all that bad. I could wander around town for a little bit as I headed to the market. The street corners were short and sidewalks too long that I thought for sure I'd get lost. Unlike other times I'd been out I had a time limit, but chose to ignore it. The town was quiet, peaceful, and I could see why Grandma and Grandpa wanted to move back here after so many years. In Texas we had lots of neighbors and friends visit or invite us to cook-outs on their front yards. People like my grandparents needed a break from that after so long.

I made it to the market and rummaged through an aisle of noodles and rice. Grandma would've called it the "carb section" and had a fit about how much someone should have daily, so I was glad it was just me there. On the list she wanted a brand she labeled as "the one with a farmer on it", but I wasn't having any luck finding it. That kind of description wasn't as helpful for Pete's sake.

I tried glossing over each bag one at a time with my finger on the labels. Up to the middle of the shelf I figured it was useless, but suddenly I bumped shoulders with someone with familiar long fingers and big brass knuckles. He and I jumped at the same time to face each other, and I was met with gorgeous green eyes.

"Hey!..Makoto-kun!" I greeted with a friendly grin. "Shopping, too?"

"Oh, yeah," he breathed. "Just an errand for my parents."

"Grandma," I said with my thumb to my chest.

"Are you almost done then?"

"No, I just got started."

"You don't mind carrying the rice with you for that long?"

"It depends on if I can find it," I laughed. "I know the brand, but it looks like they don't have it here."

I raised the sheet of paper my grandma gave me to him. He eyes paged over it before he told me, "Oh. That brand is on this end of the shelf."

There were two more sitting at his end. I tugged one of them out from their corner and sat it over my right shoulder. Out of nowhere Makoto exclaimed, "On your shoulder?! You aren't worried about hurting yourself like that?"

"I've carried tons of stuff over my shoulder. I'm used to it."

"Let me carry it for you."

Hah?

"You'd do that for me..?"

"I-It's proper for a guy to carry the heavy things for a woman, isn't it?"

"I...o-okay."

He took the bag from me and held it in his arms. I wasn't sure I was comfortable with him doing that for me, so I grabbed his crate and told him I'd hold onto the rest. He hesitated, but I promised him that if he did something for me, then I'd do something in return for him.

In the end he agreed, and after paying for my groceries at the counter Makoto still insisted that he'd carry my things for me. It was definitely strange to me for a guy to wait on me like that. Not even Brandon did that, so I thought it was bizarre for any guy to offer such a gesture. Except for Daddy, of course. He did that because he didn't want his baby girls to strain ourselves.

"Do you ever get tired of being so nice?"

He and I were walked by the edge of town when I asked him something that randomly came to me. Makoto peered over his shoulder at me with a befuddled look.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying...I never knew anyone so polite, so kind like you. Besides family, I mean!"

"You were never treated that way with your friends?"

In all honesty, I was the one who gave help instead of getting it. And from my former friends I was taken for granted in return...I never asked, but then again, no one ever offered anyway.

"Let's just say...I had different experiences in America."

"I'm-I'm sorry if I tread on your past or-"

"No. Don't be. I'm here now, so I'm glad you're here with me."

He blushed tenderly as he held his fist to his mouth, clearing his throat.

"Umm..sorry. I didn't want to-"

"No. It's okay...Thank you...And, I feel honored that I could be different for you."

His smile was calming, fresh. I tucked away a strand of hair behind my ear as I returned the favor. On the inside I could never get tired of his kind expression. It was a good kind of weird for me to be treated like a lady. And I certainly wouldn't get tired of smiling back at him, neither.

"Wait a minute." Makoto stopped by the beach side. "Isn't that Kasumi-chan and Haru?"

I followed his attention to the shore where two figures were standing close together. One had a skirt and twin tails and the other had indigo hair.

"Is that you, Kasumi-chan?" I didn't wait for them to notice us. I got scared that she was in shock standing in the water.

Makoto then hollered, "Haru, what are you doing in the water?"

"Showing Misuzu-chan something," was the response he got.

"Are you two cold? You know the sun's almost gone?" I pointed out.

Kasumi tried trudging through the water after glancing back at the sunlight. She almost fell over at the first step.

"Is she okay?" I asked out loud.

She said something to Nanase. Then in return he picked her up like a doll and carried her to the sidewalk. All I could think was, That was your solution? If you're going to do it you need to carry her like a princess, dangit!

"Alright, let's head...on back."

I recovered from that..moment in a second so that I could check Kasumi for any sign of trauma. Makoto was busy talking with his friend so I insisted, "You sure you're okay, Kasumi-chan?"

"I'm fine. Actually, I'm better than ever."

She stared out to the beach as I squinched my brows. I may not know what Nanase did, but whatever it was seemed to work...

Though, I also hoped that Kasumi wouldn't crumple onto the sidewalk on the way home.

Monday was a slow day for us at the pool. Ryugazaki still couldn't get over his "sinking" problem and Kasumi was as off as she had been since Sunday evening. It was a calm weird, but very not her, if that made any sense. Ella and Ryuko were doing well with the effort we were making, so I didn't have a lot to complain about. I considered bringing light to the tournament at the next day's practice, but with Kasumi's new issue diving I wasn't sure if I should've. Nanase told Makoto and I the problem during lunch in the corner before anyone met us on the roof. I asked if there was any chance of her improving soon, and he answered, "Maybe". "Maybe" didn't comfort me It was a slim bargain that couldn't promise me much of anything.

That in mind, I decided as I got changed in the locker room Tuesday afternoon that I'd go ahead and tell them. If Kasumi could handle pressure, then I wouldn't regret giving her a push that time to advance.

"Samantha-chan!" Kasumi called out as she walked in the locker room. "I have something to show you!"

"Is it my birthday present?" Because I really hope it's as awesome as you say it is!" yipped Ella.

That particular Tuesday also happened to be Ella's birthday. The past few days she'd been "hinting" to it during lunch, but ironically I forgot.

"I-Let's consider it as your present!"

"What's with the sudden change of tone?!" demanded the blond.

I directed my attention to the one teammate who wasn't talking about birthday presents.

"Ready?" I conveyed to Ryuko.

"Oh, yes. And I believe Ryugazaki-san has something important to show everyone as well."

"Really?" Was it me or is this afternoon feeling like it's gonna be full of surprises?

She nodded and motioned her arm towards the door. I ushered all the girls out so we could see what the "surprise" was for the team, falling behind Nagisa, Kou, and Makoto outside by the stairs.

"Somebody's swimming butterfly," Kou claimed as I stepped next to Makoto.

"Is that Haru-chan?" quipped Nagisa.

"But Haru only does free," mentioned Makoto.

"So then...?" Ella pushed.

"It's not me."

I skidded on the step I took on the stairs. Haru came up out of the blue scaring the daylights out of us.

"Then that means...?" said Gou-kun.

"Rei-chan?!"

By the third board Ryugazaki thrusted his swim cap off as he caught his breath. The entire group squirmed to take the stairs and catch up to Ryugazaki. His team crowded his side as they panicked to get an answer, but I was curious as to how Ryuko knew about him swimming in the pool beforehand. I could've sworn she got in the same I did.

"Well, I guess it worked out in the end," sighed the other captain.

"Umm...everybody?" Kasumi drew attention on herself. "There's one thing I'd like to share with you...if that's alright..."

"Go on ahead, hon'," I permitted with a smile.

She took to the fifth board and peeked over at Nanase. He blinked at her, and then she leaned out and dove into the water.

She did it! And Nanase said she was struggling for so long on it!

"Kasumi-chan! You did it!" I cheered.

"Her dive's as pretty as Haru-chan's!" Nagisa replied.

"Well, this is a different kind of birthday present than I expected...A card would've been good, too."

"Oh, hush up, you! You know I woulda' bought you somethin' if I knew it was your birthday today!" I grumbled to Ella.

"Sure, but I've been dropping hints like a dog does on someone's yard."

I had to roll my eyes at that.

"Well, anywho, since the boys seem to know who's swimming what, and since we've been doing well practicing, I wanted to know which one of you calls dibs on which stroke. For the road ahead there's the freestyle, back, breast, and butterfly."

"Yeah, well, I lost a damn bet to Hazuki, so I'm signing up for breaststroke," said the birthday girl.

"I believe in order to hone my arm strength I'd specialize in the butterfly," Ryuko told me.

That left Kasumi.

"Well, it's all down to us." I turned to my friend. "What do you wanna do?"

"I-"

She creased her brows and pinched her lips together. Of all things she prepped for over the last week and one of them wasn't which swim style she wanted to do. Or maybe Nanase was focusing away from that to work on everything else with her.

Makoto and the boys came over to listen in. Their captain suggested the easier course would have been to choose the backstroke, but for some reason I wanted her not to take it. It seemed like jealously boiling in me for her to share something of Makoto's if she agreed. And I'd never been jealous of anything...Not that I'd remembered...

Minami countered Makoto by telling Kasumi to go for freestyle. "I know that your swimsuit can withstand a lot, despite the open back and bare shoulders, so you should gun it and go for freestyle. Your skinny, tiny figure would also help with your speed."

Ella mumbled to Ryuko about something as I reminded Kasumi, "I'll go with whatever you decide, like I promised."

Kasumi dipped her chin.

"I-I wanna do..."

We were all on the edge of our toes.

"Freestyle..!"

"That's that then!" I laughed. "Looks like I'll be doin' the backstroke."

"Wow, it 's very admirable that you want to take another leap in your progress, Misuzu-chan," replied Makoto.

"Oh...I dunno...but, thank you, Tachibana-kun."

No way was I gonna feel jealous. I turned the focus to the pool as the day was gettin' old. For the practice I held a race again to see who could do their own stroke the fastest. As usual, Minami kept the records.

Kasumi and Ella had a tie for the best time in our final lap, so I had to flip a coin to appoint the real winner. Ella's call on tails made her champ, but Kasumi wasn't broken up about it. She stuck behind to talk to Nanase so I knew she was okay.

"Looks like your team is almost ready to face the tournament," Makoto joked as he caught me watching our teammates from below the staircase.

"Well, almost," I chuckled. "How about yours?"

"After that surprise I'd say we have a lot more confidence now."

"That's good..."

I focused on him as I swung back to the locker doors.

"Y'know, I've been meaning to tell you something since that day in the library."

"Hmm? About what?"

I smiled. "You're kind...and you have so much hope. And I respect you for that. Frankly, it's something I've been working on in myself for...awhile. But..I want you to know you shouldn't ever let anyone trample over that. It's too precious to lose these days..."

"Samantha-...chan.."

A tiny speckle of a tear came to my eyes. I brushed the knuckle of my thumb over it to hide the stupidly emotional urge flooding through me. I couldn't get hold of myself to say something from the heart anyone without breaking down...

"I'm...gonna get changed..."

I didn't wait for him to comment. If I were going to cry I'd do it out of hindsight like in the locker room. Ella and Ryuko already left by the time I opened my locker. Having some peace to do whatever I leaned my forehead onto my locker and sucked in some deep breaths.

Just let it pass. You don't need to cry...It'll make things worse...Think-calm-thoughts!

Changing back into my school uniform was soothing enough. I regained composure and set out to go straight home once I'd grabbed my things...Was what I assumed until I did walk out the doors and saw Makoto waiting at the bottom step for me.

Oh, fiddlesticks...

"Samantha-chan.."

I climbed down more stairs while putting on the best "me" face I knew I had.

"Makoto-kun, what's up?"

"You're very kind, too. But I don't know if you know it."

"Oh, please...I-I.."

"I don't want to make you upset. So please understand that what I said before about you comes from the heart...And there's a lot more that I haven't shared with you, too. "

My whole body had blown up in mental flames. I wasn't sure how to react, but I was more than touched. I felt blessed. But the beating in my chest didn't simmer down, either.

"Samantha-chan...?"

"M-Mm-hm?"

"Would you like to go to the library with me? Our friends might be an hour."

So I responded with a smile that used every ounce of joy I owned, "I'd like that."

Makoto's smile expressed as much as mine. I walked beside him a little closer than normal, and when our hands gently brushed the other I felt a tiny spark of hope, of excitement, of something that made my heart race for him that I found myself grinning to.

"Oh, are you thirsty? There's a vending machine nearby."

"I could use a drink. Which one's your favorite, by the way?"

"Hmm...maybe the melon soda? But I also like the strawberry banana drink..."

"Really? I've only tried the melon one."

"Then how about we get the strawberry banana one together?"

"Sure!"