Elsie Lark is a walking paradox. A marine biology student that suffers from severe aquaphobia. Despite her near-crippling fear, she's determined to follow in the footsteps of her late father, a famous marine explorer. Trying out exposure therapy, El...
At a certain point, this feeling happens. Euphoria. As if your body disconnected from reality and entered a different plane. One where there was just you, the ground, and the whoosh of wind as you moved. I could understand why people got addicted to this.
For me, it was just exercise. Getting my body prepped for the real thing.
Running was similar... but it was nothing compared to swimming.
The freedom when I was in the pool, the quiet, the peace. It was a different world. It was my world. A world where there was the water and me, gliding through it like my body was made of the same material. Liquid.
The moments when I was in the water, everything made sense. And for those few moments, I could also forget.
Bending down with my hands on my knees, I let out a deep breath, and glanced at my smartwatch. It was almost 7. Perfect. The pool should be free today until at least 9. More than half of the swim team was at the party yesterday and considering the state of them when I left, there was no way they'd be waking up early today.
Slowing down to a walk, I pulled up the bottom of my shirt and swiped it across my face, wiping off the sweat.
"Hey, Ethan!" A woman's voice called out and I dropped my shirt with a frown. Two girls passed by me, neither of them looking even remotely familiar.
I nodded in return, hoping that was pleasant enough. Jaxon had been on my ass about improving my shitty attitude. Especially now.
"Who's that?" I heard the other girl ask as I passed.
"You don't know? That's Ethan Monroe!"
"Wait, the Ethan Monroe? The swimmer? I had no idea he went to our–"
I sped up. It was fucking uncomfortable, hearing people talk about you like you were someone. I never wanted this. I just wanted to swim. Lucas was the one that thrived in the light, the one that–
Shit. I needed that fucking pool. Now.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Running my fingers through my wet hair, I stepped out of the shower area. Just feeling water fall against my back was already making me feel better. Making all the bad memories fade away. Or maybe it was the anticipation of what lay beyond.
I grabbed my swim cap, and pushed through the doors, taking a deep breath of that familiar chlorine smell. Calm spread through my body instantly.
Some people hated the scent, but it was definitely my favorite. Salt water was a close second.
Focusing my attention on the space beyond, all the calm I'd felt instantly evaporated.
Bubbles. Why the fuck were there bubbles coming out of the pool?
