Odd [re-writing]

28. The House-Visit Cliché

in which, you visit your "friend's" house

Plot Twist: *and uncover some secrets, like... your other friend

                When Meg offered to look for Miss Hart to pass our paper, I insisted on assisting her.

"Andy," Meg said in that pained face and pained tone and scrunched brows and tilted head. She said "Andy," like she was hearing a ridiculous idea too ridiculous to say out loud. Over the few days since our friendship began, I eventually learned how to counter this.

"Meg," I whined.

"You can't."

"Why," I whined

"Andy, even if Miss Hart were just a yard away from you, you wouldn't even notice her."

It was true, and I accepted my defeat. Having nothing better to do, I wandered around while I waited for her to find Miss Hart. Meg promised to buy me cinnamon pretzels if I walked home with her. So now, here I am, at the back of the school near the football stadium and the swimming pool. The pool had considerable shade, and so I decided to sneak inside.

My Gym class didn't include swimming as a sport—it only had volleyball, basketball and badminton. And at first, I was deeply saddened by this. After all, the only thing I was good at back in St. Cecilia's was swimming. I actually love swimming pools.

Stepping inside the closed pool, the familiar and comforting scent of chlorine stung my nose and I walked around, my footsteps loud and wet and echoing in the desolated area. The last class must have just ended, judging from the mess of water buoys by the side, and the puddles of pool water around the edges. I stopped in my tracks and stared at my shoes—the possibility of slipping because of my shoes is higher than the possibility of slipping because of bare feet. I crouched on the floor and touched the wet tiles. As expected, this was the kind of tiles that permitted flip flops and bare feet, but sneakers would be a dangerous choice for footwear.

To avoid the risk of slipping and experiencing a panic attack, I took off my sneakers and foot socks, dropping them in my bag while I walked around barefooted. Edging towards the ledge, I sat beside discarded water buoys and dipped my feet into the cool water.

I loved swimming pools, but I hated oceans. After the lighthouse incident, I never stepped back into water. The very thought of waves and rocks near me made me uncomfortable, and stepping into waves and rocks and all that made me scared. So maybe I shouldn't really feel regretful of a swimming class. After that incident, I never stepped back into water, and now I can't even remember how to swim anymore. Immense anxiety made it easy for me to forget things like staying afloat, let alone move a limb. However, despite this, I still like the stableness of swimming pools, even if it were just a poor replica of a sea.

In swimming pools, everything is stable and controlled. It gave me a calm and comforting vibe, knowing I won't end up in a lone island if I make a wrong move. In a pool, I know exactly where to go.

My phone rung loudly inside my bag, and I hurried to answer it after seeing Meg's contact calling. "Nutmeg!"

"Hey, Andy?" She said, her voice apologetic "I'm so sorry, but I don't think I can go home with you today. Turns out I have somewhere to go, and my mom's picking me up for it."