Three days later
"Helloo Penfield! Welcome to the final leg of the Penfield Annual Swimming Competition!"
Grabbing my water bottle, I made my way over to the lobby.
"...I know these past few weeks have been tough, especially on the team," Coach Sarah announced in a sympathetic tone that was quite different from the usual strong, imposing voice she used to deliver her motivational speeches. "But I'm glad the whole lot of you passed the drug tests and stayed clean. Hopefully these final heats will ignite that familiar passion and drive to swim your heart out, give it your best, and Penfield Sharks will be restored to its former glory. Goodluck to all of you."
Amidst series of applause from my fellow teammates, Coach walked towards the door, meeting the Detective, two policemen and a few other University authorities at the entrance. For some reason, they all seemed on edge, and I found myself wondering why.
"Hey Akwasi." Seth appeared at my side. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine." I faced him. "A little nervous, but I'm fine."
"Anything from Princess?"
"No, nothing," I sighed, crossing my arms. For the past three days, her phone was off. None of the texts I left received replies either. It was like she had erased her existence off the face of the earth, and I knew damned well that Ethan was the root cause.
My head darted to the side, catching his and Nana Kwame's watchful gaze on us. Those two were up to something, but I just hadn't figured it out yet.
"Gentlemen." The approaching detective and Coach Sarah, steered my attention away from my rivals.
"How are you feeling, today?" Detective Frimpong asked.
"Pretty good," I replied, trying my best to look confident.
"Are you sure?" Coach placed a hand on my shoulder. "Cuz if you're not, we can still pull you out of the competition. It's not a big deal."
This wasn't the first time she had suggested that. In fact, within a span of three days, she'd suggested it about a dozen times. Ever since the news broke out that the finals were back on, Coach Sarah had been doting on me, almost as if Akunna's death had made me lose a limb and I was no good for swimming. No matter how many times I told her that I was fine and good enough to compete, she'd always find another way to bring the question up.
"I'm good Coach, really." I subtly shrugged her hand off, right before the announcer called for all male 200-meter breaststroke swimmers.
"Wish me luck, guys." Shaking hands with Seth, I grabbed my goggles, swim cap and walked out, ready to face race one.
I had two of them today, the last one being an Individual Medley race that would determine whether Ethan got to keep his title for a third time or not.
I was more than ready to snatch it from him, but before that, I had to take care of this race first.
A cloud of cheers welcomed us onto the deck, as we prepped ourselves for the heat. Shooting my vision to where Shola and the rest of my friends sat, I threw them a warm smile before climbing onto block 4 and adjusted my goggles.
"On your marks!"
I bent low, ready to shred through for the win.
Beep!
My body flew in, embracing the coolness that came with the water. I streamlined forward and broke the surface to begin my strokes with the usual breaststroke format.
For some reason, my first practice session with Princess rolled out right before my mind's eye. I thought I knew her back then. I thought because she'd helped me improve my breaststroke, she was worth calling a friend. But after discovering the secrets behind her relationship with Ethan, in addition to what she'd done to Akunna, it made me realise that I'd been too quick to trust her. When I thought that I was being a good friend to her, she was just using me to crawl back to Ethan. Ethan was the only person that mattered to her, and as much as I thought the whole deal she had with him was messed up, I definitely had no say in what she could and could not do. She had her reasons for signing up to be his prostitute. The only thing I could do, was to pray for a serious revelation for her.
My body charged through water for the last time across the length of the pool. Slapping the tile, my legs kicked harder than before. Fellow swimmers fought beside me, thrashing through water for the win that was gradually coming within reach, and as I stretched a hand, I nabbed it for myself, bringing the race to an end.
1st place|| Akwasi Appiah || 2:10.5
"Let's give it up for the overall winner of the men's 200meter breaststroke event, Akwasi Appiah!"
The joy that came with the victory, as well as the energy from the crowd had me floating on cloud nine. For the first time since my roommate's passing, I felt happy. I felt like myself again, ready to face anything and everything life threw at me... and that included bringing Ethan down.