Lean Onto Me

Chapter 9: "𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝐼𝑠 𝑀𝑦 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝐵𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔?"

TODAY is the annual inter-high semi-finals. Five schools out of forty had made it. And they were determined to make it to finals. Only three schools will go through the next round.

Tensions were high.

Vernon watched the hundreds of students whilst waiting for his round. It's no lie that he's nervous. Taking in a deep breath, he watches as King High, once again, takes first position.

"Okay, guys, you need to beat them in the next two rounds. Otherwise, our chances of getting to finals will be very low." Coach says, looking at the group of swimmers in front of him.

"That girl Maxine is impossible to beat. Did you see how fast she finished with the butterfly?" Zoey points out, not confident.

"She's doing the backstroke, too. Is she not? She's slower there. That's your advantage, Zoey, as backstroke is your strength."

"Beating her in backstroke won't make me pass her, though."

Coach shows an encouraging smile. "Even if you don't surpass her, try to close the gap in points as much as you can. Vernon and Laurence will do the rest."

Coach turns his head to the boys. "You two will be going against Nelson. We've seen how he is. Aggressive swimmer that one. Maintain your pace, and you have a solid chance of beating him."

"Yes, Coach." The two respond.

"It's now time for the under nineteens freestyle and backstroke. Contestants get into position."

"We can do this." Laurence says, taking in a few deep breaths.

Vernon nods quickly. "Yeah, we can."

"Good luck, man." Laurence says, offering his hand.

"Thanks, Laurie. You too." Vernon says, accepting the hand as the two shake on it and do a quick slap on each other's backs.

"Do your best, boys."

~~~

Vernon finds himself standing at the edge of the pool, positioned to dive. He takes in a breath as his nerves start to get to him.

I've been doing this for years. I'll be fine. I just need to calm down.

"Wohooo! Go, Vernon!" He hears a voice yell.

He looks over to the noise and sees Olivia and her group of friends up on their feet, trying to make the crowd join them.

"Come on, Vernon, you can do it!!" She yells this time, the crowd joining.

The referee makes his way, signaling for the contestants to get into position. Lifting up the gun high up in the air, he waits for a few seconds before letting go.

And they are in.

Vernon steadies himself, lifting his head once in a while to get some air.

It's just like he practiced.

He watches as he nears the wall and prepares to turn around for the second lap. He manages to do it smoothly and hears the crowd cheering. He couldn't tell if it was for him or the other contestants, but that was the least of his worries.

Succeeding in another smooth turn, Vernon enters his final laps as he tries to increase his speed. Assuming he's in the middle, he hears Olivia's voice cheering loudly for him, and that pushes for him to continue.

"GO VERNON!" Olivia yells louder than everybody else, eyes glued to the boy.

They had attended swim meets multiple times this year alone. Yet, this was the first time Olivia was openly cheering for someone. The last meets she would just watch but would spend most of the time on her phone. This time, her eyes were laser focused on one swimmer.

Vernon.

Olivia knew that he was obviously going to be good. But seeing him in action wowed her more than she ever thought.

"Looks like Vernon has his own personal cheerleader." Her friend teases.

Olivia takes no offense to it as she continues cheering at the top of her voice.

Finally, Vernon reaches the wall, and with both his hands, he touches it, and his head emerges out of water. Shaking the water from his face, he looks to his neighboring lanes and notices the other swimmers had also finished.

"Redding High, Vernon Wilson,

King High, Nelson Brown,

Victory High, Alexander Stoppford,

James Newton High, Nathan Rashford,

Eastpark High, Daniel Cambridge."

Cheers from Redding High roar out, confirming their win. Vernon steps out of the pool, listening as people call for his name.

"Good job, Vernon!" Olivia's voice rings out, making him lift his head.

He watches as Olivia excitedly waves at him, and he can't help it but wave back. Without thinking, Olivia sends a flying kiss, to which Vernon smiles at warmly.

Returning back to the shed, he is embraced by his friend as his coach congratulates him by patting his back proudly.

"Well done, Vernon." Coach says, a proud smile on his face.

"Thank you, Coach."

~~~

"Congratulations to all the schools that participated today. A special congratulations to Redding, King, and Eastpark for making it to the final. You should all be proud of yourself."

Cheers erupt as each school sings the official school song. Moments pass, and the crowd dispers, everyone going to their buses to return to campus.

Vernon steps out of the changing room, hair fully dry with his blazer placed over his shoulder. He walks out the gate and is surprised to see Olivia running towards him, with a wide smile on her face.

Noticing she wasn't stopping, Vernon opened his arm the moment Olivia jumped on him, giving him a huge hug.

"I'm so proud of you!" She squels happily.

A big smile makes its way on Vernon's face as he mutters a thank you. Due to the close proximity, Vernon catches her scent.

Was it the water that's still in his ear, or did Olivia find a perfume that smelled real close to the one he used?

Deciding not to question it, he puts her down and the walk side by side, occasionally brushing shoulders.

"I like your perfume, by the way." He compliments.

"Thanks. I switched from my old one."

"What made you switch?"

Olivia shrugs her shoulders before responding. "This one reminded me of you."

Vernon could swear he felt his heart stop upon hearing that sentence. Stopping I'm his tracks, he stares at Olivia, who hadn't fully registered what she had said.

Realizing the boy wasn't following her, she turned back to him and held his hand.

"Come on, we need to go back to school."

Vernon's eyes dropped to their intertwined hands. Olivia did it so casually that it surprised him. First, it was the perfume. Now they were holding hands.

It's not a big deal. He thinks as he tries to convince himself.

Still, he could feel his heart beating out of his chest.

~~~

Socials in bio!

Please remember to vote, comment, and follow!

❤️