SWIM (LAMS AU)

Concerning a pool

His feet carried him as fast as they could- which wasn't all that fast, but it didn't matter, he had to get away from all the whispers, and giggles, and rumors that were closing in around him.
He blindly turned, half running- half falling, down a long corridor that smelled faintly of chlorine. He must be nearing the pool. Good. There was seldom anyone in there during the school day and it was always quiet and shadowy. He could easily hide if someone were to look for him in there. He ducked through the doorway and let the door swing shut before finally letting himself slide into a sitting position, his breaths coming hard and fast, lungs burning. No, Laurens was no runner.

He didn't know if they'd found out- If they'd found out even. He hadn't even fully admitted it to himself, wasn't sure how to wrap his head around it. He certainly hadn't told anyone, who would he tell? Even before this rumor came about he hadn't had any friends. His father was rich, yes, respected, yes, but anyone who met him could easily deduce that he was ashamed of his son, his son who spent his days by the pond, sketching instead of studying, tucking flowers into his long hair instead of tucking flowers into the hair of his girlfriend.

Laurens sighed and let his head fall into his hands, breathing through his nose. He had thought that maybe high school would be good, but two years in and he realized just how wrong he was. The kids hadn't become nicer- only smarter, and more efficient. And his friend group definitely hadn't grown. Lafayette, the exchange student from France, was across the ocean, back at home, and Mulligan had already graduated and was working for a tailor.

Laurens was about to grab his sketchbook to express some very strong frustration when the door on the other side of the pool burst open. Instincts heightened from years of bullying and beatings, Laurens rolled to the side, crouching in the shadowy area beneath the lifeguards chair. He peeked through a tiny hole in the wood at the intruder, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

The boy on the other side of the pool couldn't have been much older than Laurens, but everything about him was wild and new, where Laurens considered himself quite plain. His dark hair was swept back in a ponytail, and even from here Laurens could tell that his eyes were almost black. The boy looked around suspiciously. He should have looked vulnerable, wearing only black swim trunks, his small frame shivering, but he looked stronger than Laurens looked when he glanced in the mirror.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" he called. Laurens held his breath as the boy's words echoed over the pool. After a moment of silence, the boy shrugged and without hesitation, dove gracefully into the water, barely disturbing the surface of the water.

And then he didn't come up. Laurens waited. One minute. Two minutes. He had to come up soon. he could almost see the boy's silhouette near the bottom of the pool. Three minutes. Was he crazy? Four minutes. Or was he... Five minutes. Shit.

Finally Laurens couldn't stand it anymore, he had to be drowning, he had to. He leapt up from his hiding spot and ran to the edge of the pool, peeling off his shirt as if it mattered if it got wet. Just when he was about to take the plunge into the blue depths of the high school pool, the boy surfaced with a gasp, smoothing his hair back and out of his face. He turned to a wide eyed Laurens, the biggest smile that Laurens had ever seen stretched across his face.

"I knew that would freak you out." he said.

So I never writefanfiction but I read it a lot so I decided to give it a shot.