ENG - My best friend's sister ᵐᶦᵏᵉʸ ˣ ᵒᶜ

6

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"Three!", Emma counts down with excitement and I feel the excitement rising inside me. I look at the two of them and take a deep breath, my heart suddenly beating faster. But as I wait for the jump, doubts plague me. Why did I get involved in this stupid swimming race? Why did I react so angrily when Mikey picked me up? Questions running through my mind as I get ready to push myself off the edge of the pool.
"Two!", I lean forward and look at the water in front of me. I feel my muscles tense and I get ready to jump into the water. Why did I feel so dirty when nothing happened?
"One, go!" The countdown ends and I push myself off the edge of the pool with a powerful thrust. I dive deep into the cool water and feel the environment change around me. The noise of the world disappears, and all that remains is the soothing sound of the water around me.

So many thoughts are racing through my head that I hardly notice how the swim is over. My body swims the lane back and forth on its own.
"Mikey won!" exclaims Emma happily. Surprised, I look at him and he grins stupidly back. I'm about to ask who came next, but that's unnecessary.
"After that comes Meiyo and then Draken. It was really close though, you guys got to the finish line almost at the same time," Emma continues. So I was at the finish line before Kenny? I briefly widen my eyes and a small smile spreads across my face. This is the first time I've ever crossed the finish line before him.
"I won against you!", I finally burst out and fall around my brother's neck in the water. I just rejoice, completely forgetting why we did this race.
"Well, well. I won, and you two now have to do one thing I want you to do," Mikey says with a grin and swims over to us.

That stupid grin, I detach myself from my brother and lift myself up by the side of the pool to sit down.
"Ken-chin, from you I want you to buy me an XL Super Deluxe sundae," he starts and stops in front of me in the water.
"I'll think about it with you," he grins stupidly again. I sigh, but still have to smile.
"Well, think of something," I push my foot into his face and under the water with it, then stand up to ring out my hair.
"Let's get something to eat, shall we? All this excitement has made me hungry," Emma whines, walking ahead with Hina.
Kenny appears beside me and looks down at me. "You win, kiddo. I'm not going to keep raking it in. But I'm still here for you if you want to talk to me about it. I've never seen you like this before, and it's made me realize that I've failed as a big brother because I've never been there for you. So please give me a chance to finally be a good brother to you, okay?", I feel his hand on my head. He grins at me, but it looks more sad than happy. He waits for no answers from me and instead runs after Hina and Emma. As I think about his words, I blush a little. Does he really think he's not a good brother for me?

I turn toward the water once more to check on Mikey, as he is exceptionally quiet. My guess is that he's the first to yell when it comes to food. Still, I don't catch sight of a blond, so I walk even closer to the water and peek in. And that was a mistake, because he suddenly jumps out of the water, grabs me by the arm and pulls me back. A short squeak escapes me. Immediately, I pop back up and look angrily over at Mikey.
"What the fuck?", I immediately rant, swimming back to the edge.
"I'm sorry," he pops up beside me out of nowhere, pulling himself out of the water and looking down at me since I'm still in the water.
"I didn't know you had a problem with that kind of thing. I just didn't want you to sit in our spot alone," he continues speaking, looking at me.
"Forgive me, will you? That's what I want from you, for winning," he smiles gently now, not taking his eyes off me.

For some reason, I get lost in his gaze and that smile. It's so different from before. Somehow... lonely. I know I'm staring, but I can't take my eyes off him.
"I'll take that as a yes," he grins now as stupidly as before, standing up and holding out his hand to help me out of the water. Only then do I shake my head inwardly and realize how I'm blushing. I get out of the water without his help.
"From me... I forgive you just.... But don't ever do it again!", I mutter as I pass by and run with quick steps to the others.

When I get back to our place, everyone seems so happy and the group is laughing and joking with each other.
"Mei-chan? You're so red in the face, you should put some sunscreen on. You seem to have gotten sunburned," Hina says worriedly, digging out cream from her bag to give to me. I accept it gratefully and start to put cream on my arms and legs.
Actually, I just want to go home. The excitement and tension have emotionally exhausted me, and I just want my rest. But before I can think any further, Kenny appears next to me and looks at me with concern. "I know I said I wouldn't ask further, but are you sure you're okay, Mei?" I don't know what to say. I feel like I can't tell him the truth, that I feel dirty and vulnerable. So I shake my head and say, "I'm fine, Kenny. Thanks.", he nods and smiles gently before turning back to the group.

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