In Deep Waters (The Summer House series #1)

8

Winter 2003
Sophomore year

And she's off! Keeley Anderson number five, East Greenwich high school. She's already in the lead and we are only seconds in! One of the youngest in this heat and in her team, but she's taken the competition by storm. Man! She is one to watch this year.

Keeley Anderson is still in the lead! Only a few seconds left everybody. Think she's gonna make it? I think she will!

Five, four, three, two, one!

Keeley Anderson, number five, East Greenwich high, first in her heat! Amazing work. Wasn't that just amazing to watch? We've got the boys up next but wow what a start for the first day.

We always got tapes from our tournament. Mostly for our families. But that was the first tape from my first tournament ever in September, after we had gone back to school in the fall. Dad had got several copies of it and made us all sit down and watch it together. He was so proud. His little girl already winning. I guess all the training we'd had did pay off in the end. This was an important year after all.

Only a few months later, I was thinking about that day again today. Because today was the last day of the second tournament. I only had this tournament left to show them what I'd got in preparation for Nationals, and for Junior year.

I remembered the first time we had all been on tv for that commercial last summer after Freshman year. How excited we all were made me laugh. And now we were about to compete in our second tournament. We had no idea what we were in for.

It was now the middle of December, and it was cold. I was pretty sure it was going to snow later. I wrapped up tightly before I got in the car, pulling my school swim sweater on over my head, the big blue number five.

Tom was driving me, he was waiting in the driveway. We also had an awards night tonight for the swim team after the end of the competition. Tom would have to be my driver for most of the day. That meant taking me to and from practice and then taking me back to the house to get ready for tonight. I knew he was somewhat annoyed about it because he'd wanted to go surfing. Dad had made him promise he would because he and Mom were in Florida for a work event. But even this weather couldn't stop Tom from getting out there. I wouldn't be surprised if he still tried. He was crazy.

"Hurry up Keeley!" Tom called from the car, turning down his music.

"I'm coming!" I called back, shutting the front door behind me and running down the steps. I'd barely shut the car door and Tom was pulling out of the driveway, roaring down our street and onto the main road.

"Jeez. Let's play the game of how long it takes Keeley to get ready. What do you do? Stand in the mirror for half an hour and stare at yourself?" Tom complained in annoyance. His hands were tapping impatiently on the staring wheel as we waited at a red light.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please. I know you're annoyed because you can't go out today, just admit it."

Tom shrugged. "I'm not. Just saying you take ages. Every single time."

"Whatever."

I was just nervous. He was right to some extent. I stood in front of the mirror sometimes before practice because I had a mantra I would say to myself. But not because I was fussing over myself in the way he thought. It was just like my magic good luck charm. Tom had walked in on me doing it one time and now he just thought I liked to muck around every single time. And he liked to make fun of me for it.

We reached the school in no time. Tom drove like a maniac, I was always holding on for dear life. The last day of the tournament was being held at our school, at home. And it did help to calm my nerves a little. I knew that pool inside and out.