Penfield's Greatest Swimmer

🌊~11

I spent the entirety of Saturday unpacking and settling in. By the time the clock struck four, I found myself trekking up the stairs to the entrance of Penfield's Sports Complex.

The building was big enough to house about five large lecture theatres. With pristine white walls contrasting with the black marble tiled floors, one would think they'd wandered into a sanctuary for athletes. Everything was in here; courts for every sporting activity you could think of, offices for the coaches of the various teams, gyms stocked with the latest equipment, a fully furnished lounge area with a cafe that advertised nothing but healthy foods, plus a mini boutique that sold all the needed sporting gear. The university's management must be a huge fan of sports, since they'd invested this much in keeping athletes in their best shape.

As I loitered around the first floor, in search of the swimming court, I landed in a hallway that had floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides, each one overlooking a particular indoor court. On the left was the basketball court with players hobbling after the orange ball, Jordans squeaking against the polished floors. On my right sat the very court I was looking for. Quickening my steps, I located the entrance and pushed past the doors.

The place was wide and spacious like a football field, but instead of a field in the middle, there was a rectangular pool with red vertical lines, dividing the pool into ten lanes. And in those lanes, people splashed through, trying their best to make it to the other end of the pool. Tryouts had already started.

Hoping I wasn't late, I moved past the bleachers, down to the edge of the pool where some students sauntered around in their swimming gear, whilst others were dressed in blue shorts and white t-shirts with the Penfield's Sharks logo printed boldly in the middle. I soon realised that those wearing the t-shirts were all members of the swim team because Ethan sat amongst them, sporting the same get-up. His eyes flitted over to me, bringing a smile to his lips.

"Hey, you made it." He came over to where I stood.

"Yeah." After clasping my hand in a handshake, I said, "Hope I'm not late."

"Nah, we started with the girls so you still have more time. But you should get changed, where's your swimming gear?"

"Uuh..." I rubbed my neck, casting a look down. "I... don't have any. I was just planning to try out in my underwear."

"What? No." Ethan draped an arm across my shoulder. "Come on, I think I have some new spares in my locker. Hopefully, they'll fit."

He led me through a set of double doors that opened up to a lit hallway with waves painted on the walls. It branched off in two directions, and as we took the left turn, a bright blue plaque held the words Boys' Locker Room in white lettering. Ethan shoved the door open, only to find the buffed guy from yesterday and some girl in a very...compromising position.

"Ah Seth, really!" Ethan's yell startled them apart. Embarrassed, the buffed guy got on his feet with a bashful smile.

"What have I told you about bringing girls into our locker room?"

"Sorry, sorry." The buffed guy put his hands up in surrender, but Ethan wasn't done scolding yet. He shifted his attention to the girl who was taking her sweet time picking up her shirt and bag from the floor.

"And you, Amina. As the assistant team captain, you should know better."

"Oh please." Amina stood up from the bench. She was a fair, short girl with long silky dark hair. "Don't act so innocent. I know you've smashed a couple of girls in here before."

The statement took Ethan by surprise. "Shut up and get out!" He snarled, which had Amina chuckling as she exited the locker room. She didn't even bother putting her shirt back on.