"Ladies and gents, this is the moment we've all been waiting for..." the announcement blared out of the speakers. "It's time for the final race of the competition, the men's 200meter individual medley!"
The atmosphere was tense, despite the raging cheers from the crowd.
"Swimmers in this race will have to travel the length of the pool four times, using all four swim strokes. The first person to finish will earn the title of Penfield's Greatest Swimmer!"
Another barrage of shouts and applause wafted into the air. I cracked my knuckles, readying myself for the swim that mattered most of all in my entire swimming career.
"So let's welcome our competitors!"
One by one, we were called out onto the deck. Ethan, who was introduced as the defending champion, appeared quite confident as he strolled towards the starting block, throwing kisses in the air.
Hm, enjoy it while it lasts, I quietly thought. Being introduced as the sixth swimmer, I stepped out to meet my own set of welcome cheers that sent a wave of goosebumps floating on my skin as I pulled my jacket off.
The whole room was packed to the hilt. Since this was the final race, everyone had come to watch. Knowing this pushed my heart into a pool of anxiety. But before those feelings could get the best of me, I shook them off with a strong reminder that I was here for one thing, one goal, and that was to get that title for me, my friends, but most importantly, for Akunna. Akunna mattered so much to me. This was the least I could do to avenge my brother's death.
Slapping my thighs and bouncing on the balls of my feet, I soon mounted my block. Block number 6.
The two-time reigning champion stood tall on block number 4. He shot a brief look my way, eyes narrowing when mine met his. In a span of days, we'd gone from childhood friends to sworn enemies.
It wouldn't be an overstatement if I said that Ethan had changed completely. Because it was so hard to believe that this guy was once a kind, sweet little boy who used to share his lunch with me at school anytime he noticed that I didn't bring any. I would have liked to blame his whole change in personality on the fact that he moved to Accra, but I knew Ethan. He was someone who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was given everything he ever wanted as a kid, and as an adult, the story hadn't changed either. That was probably why he was so determined to keep the title of Penfield's Greatest Swimmer. He saw it as his own, something he wanted, and he was willing to fight for it by any means necessary.
But my late brother and friend once told me during a starry Val's day dance to go for what I wanted, and that was what I was what I intend to do. I wanted this thing as much as Ethan did. I wasn't going to let it slip past my fingers with ease. Even if I had to use my teeth to snatch this win from him, I will.
"Swimmers, on your marks!"
Bending low for the last time today, I pretended not to feel the eyes of a thousand people boring down on me. I focused only on the mass of liquid in front of me and the seven other competitors on my sides. Each one of them were good swimmers, I had to admit, but that win was mine.
Beep!
With all the might I had to offer, I lunged forward, diving into the chlorinated pool. Butterfly was the first stroke and I broke the surface with it, swinging my arms like that of an actual butterfly.
The crowd raged on, setting my ears ablaze, along with the ferocious splash of water from my other competitors. We reached the turn and flipped over to backstroke. I had Seth give me a couple of pointers during the three days I had spent practicing for this meet. I could almost hear his voice in my ears.
Keep your head as still as possible by looking up. If you look down, your hips will drop, increasing your drag and reducing your speed.
Your kicks shouldn't be super wide! The smaller and faster your kick, the faster you will go. And always maintain the posture.
My pointed feet fluttered in the water, carrying me forward to the turn, which soon marked the beginning of breaststroke. My transition was swift and quick, almost had me believing that I was in the lead until I spotted Ethan shooting forward on my left. It only fueled my movement. My arms swung faster and so did my legs.
We hit the final turn, moving on to freestyle. My legs flapped in the water, as my arms extended. Every move I made propelled me towards my goal. I was almost there, and though my muscles felt strained, like they had reached their limit, I suddenly had this intense driving force, pushing me to go even faster than I was before. When I blinked past all the blue tint in my goggles, Akunna was right in front of me, hand outstretched, beckoning me to come closer. My rotating arms picked up the pace, slicing through water.
All I wanted was to touch him. All I wanted was to grab his hand and pull him out of wherever he was. But the moment my hand touched his, it came into contact with a cold wet tile. I gaped at my hand.
The harsh sound of the buzzer brought me back to reality, as my fellow competitors lined up in their respective lanes, showering me with congratulatory messages.
I had won. Akunna had helped me win, and though my heart rejoiced upon seeing that I'd exceeded Ethan's time and set a new record, I couldn't shake off the feeling that this victory would've been sweeter if Akunna was around.
I missed my friend, I missed him a lot more than words could describe.
Climbing out of the pool, I waved at the crowd, locating my girlfriend and the rest of my friends. Shola's eyes brimmed with tears of joy and Deon looked as if he was minutes away from flying over to capture me in a hug. Felix, Deladem, Nadia and Seth were all on their feet, adding on to the joyous rainbow of cheers.
Akunna wasn't here right now, but at least I had these people to celebrate with.
Grabbing my towel, I patted myself dry, ready to head back into the locker rooms. But my feet soon came to a halt when I noticed a squad of policemen, finding their way onto the dock.
Curiosity and a blob of fear invaded my bloodstream when Detective Frimpong pointed an accusing finger at me, and drew closer with the police officials.
My blood turned cold. "Is-is everything alright, sir?"
"Akwasi Appiah, you are under arrest as a suspect for the murder of the late Theodore Akunna Williams."