Swim Into My Heart: A Summer Story

Chapter 1

Leo POV

I climb up the block and get ready to swim 200 Butterfly. Anything Butterfly is my thing. Well, every stroke there is am great at and number one in. Every year at this camp everyone has to do five races to get their times for the rest of the camp. The times to decide what groups were in, what lane we're in, how much you have approved thought the summer, and even if you get to do the full camp. This camp is the best in the United States. This camp is the most elite swim camp in the United States or even maybe the world. Most people who go to this camp go to the Olympics. I should know my dad and my sister have both gone to the Olympics after going here. I've been doing this camp since I was 7 years old. Now that am 17 this is going to be my last time doing it.

I look around at the other lanes to see the usual suspects Daniel Young, Chase Long, Zeke Richardson, and my brothers Lucas and Link. There are 8 lanes in the pool and 7 out of the 8 are filled. The lane to my right is empty. Someone is about to get lose their opportunity of a lifetime. Why would anyone do that? I look over at Daniel who is in the lane to my left. Am in the fourth lane which is the fastest lane. Daniel is fixing his googles tight on his face. " Who's in this lane?" I ask him as I point to lane five which is the second fast lane. Daniel looks over at the empty block and shrugs his shoulders at me. " The scoreboard says, Byrd. Do you know someone of the last name, Byrd" Daniel tells me as he puts his swim cap on? " I have no clue," I tell him. I look over at coach to see his frustrated face. He seems upset by this boy not being here.

Then I hear the sound of clinging metal next to me. I look over to see a Hispanic boy climb up the ladder on the block. The block is more than four feet from the ground. I look back at Daniel and he seems confused by this as well. There is usually just one person who is not white at this camp which is Zeke. I have never seen the boy before. Maybe this is Zeke and he just switched skin colors. I lean close to see if the boy is Zeke. When I do this I accidentally get the boy's attention. Even though Zeke is in lane 7. I still thought that it was him.

He looks at me sharply. When he does this I suspected he would tell me to stop looking at me or he was going to do something I would like, so it came to my surprise when he stuck his hand out for me to shake. " Good luck man," the boy says to me. When he does this I can't help but laugh a bit. " Yeah, you will need it, " I tell him as coach shouts at all of the swimmers" Swimmers take your mark".  I can't wait to win.

Antonio POV

I hear the whistle blow and my feet jump off the block. I fly through the air and land softly in the water. Once I feel the soft water touch my body. I go into autopilot and I start to swing both my arms at the same time. This is my safe space. Even though this is not my normal pool or anything close to it. First off this pool is outside. Second, the pool doesn't smell like mold or fungus. Even what that boy had said to me can't affect me in any way.

What feels like only seconds am on my last lap in the pool. It's already almost over? I consider slowing down to get more time in the pool, but I know this is a once-in-a-lifetime option. So I do what's right and speed up. I never look over at the lanes next to me. That takes me out of the claiming part of swim. Before I know it I touch the wall with both hands.

I look up at the scoreboard to see my time, 2:05.36, and next to it says first place. Then second place time shows up, 2:05.59. The boy in lane 4 got second place. Then in a matter of seconds, everyone else is done. I swim over to the lane to my right, lane 6, and shake his hand. " Good job man," I tell him as we shake hands. " You to man," he tells me as he breaths heavily. I swim back to the other side of my lane to shake the guys in lane 4 hands, but he is gone and so is the boy in lane 3. I climb out the lane to see the shocked faces of almost everyone here. What did I do? I just swam as I would usually.