Synchronized Swimming

Chapter 45: Trading Tokens

Sang

I check my bag at least five times on the way to the airport just to make sure my keychains haven't magically grown legs and run away. I fight the urge to check one more time- I can't have the boys becoming suspicious after all.

We're flying commercial this time, so I'll finally get the true airport experience. It seems pretty horrid from what I've heard from other swimmers, but it's still something I've wanted to try. I stare out the window as Charleston whizzes past us. It's funny that just two months ago I was watching the countryside in Illinois, and now here I am in a completely different state with new friends and a new life.

Kota breaks the silence. "Nobody forgot anything, right?" he confirms. Well, I hadn't thought that I forgot anything, but now that he asked that I have the sudden urge to pull out my swim bag and make sure all of my suits are in it. "IDs, gifts, nose clips?" he prods. My heart starts thundering.

"ID?" I murmur. Kota's eyes widen. His gaze swings over to Victor, who pulls out his phone and taps rapidly on it. I've never needed an ID for anything before, so I never saw much point in getting one. I guess most people would have a school ID at least, but I don't even have that.

Victor looks up from his screen. He seems a bit nervous, which has my heart pounding again. This was not the low-stress travel experience I had wanted. "Mr. Blackbourne says it should probably be fine since we're traveling in a group. If it becomes a problem, he knows someone he can call," he says. I breathe a sigh of relief. Mr. Blackbourne and Sean had to ride in another car with most of the luggage, so while I couldn't talk to them myself it's nice to know they aren't too worried.

We park and take a shuttle into the terminal. Once we enter the building, I'm stunned by the sheer amount of people rushing around. Everyone seems slightly annoyed, which surprises me. Shouldn't they be happy to be going somewhere? I'm already starting to bounce with excitement.

I follow the group as we head to the check-in line. Thankfully, my knee only hurts a bit as I walk. There's some bruising, but nothing too bad. There are so many counters that I don't know how the boys decide which one to pick, but I'm not complaining as the one they choose has by far the shortest line. There's only one couple ahead of us.

"Oh, are you a sports team?" the lady asks with a kind smile.

"Yes ma'am, we do synchronized swimming," Kota replies. The man looks up from his phone and chuckles.

"If one of you drown, do the rest of you drown, too?" he asks. I frown as I try to understand the joke. Why would we all drown if one of us drowned? Thankfully, the couple moves up to the counter, so I don't have to pretend to get it.

Kota gives me a tag with my name written on it for me to put on my suitcase. I'm bringing my swim bag with me on the plane so that if my suitcase gets lost or delayed, I'll still have all of my essential equipment. It was hard to fit my hair box- which I've jokingly termed the Knox Box- into my bag, but with some strategic stuffing it worked.

After a minute of waiting, we get called up to the counter. Mr. Blackbourne talks with the man briefly. North and Silas take the time to line all of our suitcases up to make getting them checked go quicker. Apparently we printed our boarding passes at home, so we don't have to mess with them here. I notice Mr. Blackbourne pulling at his tie, trying to straighten it even though it's already perfect.

The man helping check baggage calls for our attention. "I'll need IDs from everyone so I can get your baggage checked," he says. My hands start shaking, but I push them into my legs so I don't appear suspicious. Even though I've never flown commercial before, I still know it's important to blend in as much as possible.