Where the Ocean Gets Rough

Twenty-Two

There I stood, I was on the concrete to the school. Alley stood next to me. I don't think either one of us were ready, but we took the steps up and now we were heading into the gates of Hell.

I got stares, I had looks, and I got some feet in my path, but I held my head up high. I reached my locker and took my backpack off. The ninth and the tenth grade would take classes together. That's just what I needed.

I grew about three feet and I towered over almost everyone. Nobody was at the two lockers besides me yet. I had unloaded my binders and put my swim bag in the bottom. When I poked my head back out Ashley stood at her locker dumbfounded.

"Hey," I said shyly.

"Oh my god! It is! It's you!" She screamed hugging me extremely tight for a small figure. She didn't let go for a long time. Then Maddie showed up at her locker and did the same thing.

"How are you! We thought you were gone, like forever. I didn't know how to deal with it." She was smiling so wide that it wouldn't fit on her face if it were any wider. 

I hugged her. "You grew like eight feet to. oh my Amy."

"yeah, ha. I missed you guys and I wanted to text you or something, but my mind just hasn't been working very well the past few months."

"That's okay, we would give you all the time that you wanted." She told me everyday last year that they were my friends and I would always wonder is that were true. So I guess that I tested it and it was positive. I was wrong.

The school day went by slowly. Each period I would meet up with Alley in the hall and let her know that I was okay. Time after time I would walk slowly past the classrooms and slowly and the minutes would tick by.

I was in homeroom now and I had a study hall after that. I liked my schedule this year, I had so much to do and it kept my mind busy. During homeroom you could walk around the halls and hang with friends, but I preferred to be alone. Times were hard and I knew it.

Nobody seemed to mind me, the teachers and staff were confused, they had all been told the rumor and that's what they were supposed to believe. Students and staff looked at me as though they had seen a ghost and I guess that is okay.

I plugged my ear bud's into my phone and quietly wandered the halls, on the occasion I would cross Alley and she would wave. I never waved back, I didn't notice her actually. I was me and I was tired and weak.

I didn't think less of anyone who saw me, who hated me, and who talked about me. They were all the same people. It wouldn't make a difference weather I hated them or not. They would always be the same to me.

I finally sat down in the auditorium well nobody was there. I missed this place. Everyone would gather here and watch a play. And sometimes I would be in Jazz band and I would have a concert. I never expected anyone to show up, but one girl did. She always came with her friend, whose brother played in the band.

I knew her from a previous sport and we were friends, but she only was friends with me for the time we went snowboarding and played that sport. She always asked me how I was doing but that was only ever about it.

I think that all people were once friends, like when you were young and it didn't mater the skin color or the speech, it only ever occurred to you when someone  pointed it out. Not that I ever cared, I just wanted a friendship and I just wanted to be alive.

That girl never did  make it into my life as someone important that maybe I would remember forever and ever, but she did gain my thoughts every once in a while. I wasn't about ready to go back to class but I had to in order to get some where else right?

I made it to swim practice. I was changed and on the pool deck. Nobody seemed to notice me until the coach yelled my name out and welcomed me back. Then nobody would stop staring at me. My body was tattooed with scars and cuts. Everyone seemed to notice this.

We started with a seven hundred and I was the only one who could finish it. "How in the world did you do that on the first day Amy?"

"I don't know. I guess it's all mental, you have to have something to think about."

Everyone stood on the deck looking at me. They had no idea what to say. They were shocked, I wasn't even out of breath. I was fine and I was just standing there.

"Okay, well I bet you can't do this one. Everybody line up, we are going to do push up laps." She smile at me. This was a challenge huh? Bet I can't make the team. Well news for you coach, you got another thing coming,

I did the push ups till the whistle blew, I swam laps until it sounded again. I repeated this almost twenty times until the girl I went up against stopped.

"What are you doing there Amy?" 

"what do you mean? my competition is over," I said.

"No it's not, not until you win the race. Your going to do this until you collapse."

Okay, another challenge. I'll take it but just so you know you can only keep me here until eight. And so that's how long I stayed. My body was in the best shape it ever was in. She kept blowing the whistle and the girls on the bench kept watching me.

By now Alley was in  the bleachers and she was watching me. She was so confused as to how a so called "twig" could do all this exercise. Coach finally told me to get out. Hey, I can stay in the pool, and I can do anything that I want to. You don't change that.

I stood there quietly. 

"I clearly have miss understood you. You are one of the strongest swimmers I have ever seen. I'm sorry for all the harsh words, welcome to the team," she said handing me a towel and a deck coat with the Livonia mascot on the front.

The girls were shocked and they walked into the lockeroom. I on the other hand just put on a jacket and shorts. Alley and I walked outside.

"Wow, dude you  totally shook her up. How did you pull it off?" 

"I have no idea," I said shaking my head. "But i have a feeling this is only the beginning."