Chiron POV
Percy groaned as he did one more painful pull-up. The exercise was important, and blindness should not stop individuals from being physically active.
I know that they couldn't see themselves, but that didn't mean that they couldn't look good.
Percy jumped back onto the ground in a sweat.
"Chiron, can we finally be done? I'm exhausted," Percy said.
"Considering your looks, Percy. I would think that you're used to working out," I said sternly.
"All of my exercise before came from swimming and some workouts," he replied.
"Well, it's important that you stay physically active, which is why I brought you to your school gym," I said.
"All right, Chiron," Percy said.
Percy grabbed his walking stick and started going towards the exit. He was sweating a lot, and his muscles seemed stressed. I probably should've started him off slowly. He paused at the door.
"Chiron, are you coming?" he asked.
"Yes. Also, I'm going to get updates from your mom to make sure that you're doing exercise every week," I said seriously.
Percy simply groaned as we walked to the car.
Percy was getting better at memorizing his surroundings. For example, Percy had remembered where we had parked the car, so he followed the same path back towards the car.
We got home very quickly. Percy still had his oral homework to do, so he quickly took a shower and went into his bedroom.
I suppose the first day of exercise should've been during the weekend.
Yeah, I hadn't planned today's visit. I simply wanted to see and check on Percy, who was one of my best and most complicated pupils.
"Hello, Paul. What's the matter?" I asked.
Paul was sitting seriously on the couch in the living room. He had just gotten off the phone.
"Nothing, Chiron. I don't want to trouble you anymore," he said.
"No, insist. If I can help, then I will," I said firmly.
Paul simply stared at me before nodding. He had a sad look in his eyes as he formulated his thoughts before speaking.
"Chiron, you've already done so much, but I don't think that you can help with this. Basically, Percy was offered a pretty substantial scholarship to a university for swimming. Now, that he's blind, they, unfortunately, revoked it," Paul said.
"I'm so sorry, Paul," I said earnestly.
"Honestly, I was expecting, Chiron. It was a sports scholarship, so they won't give that to someone who's no longer an athlete," Paul sighed.
"I just don't know how to tell Percy," he said softly.
"Paul, Percy is stronger than he seems. He's mature, and he understands what's going on. Honestly, Percy is probably ready for the news," I said firmly.
Paul nodded with a smile.
We conversed for a few more minutes before I left.
I was confident that Percy could accept the news, especially because he was slowly accepting the reality of his situation.
A few minutes passed by in silence as I drove back to the vision rehabilitation center, where I worked.
Suddenly, I received an unexpected phone call.
***
Percy POV
I was listening to the Biology audiobook when someone stepped into my bedroom. I paused the kindle using the middle button before turning around.
Surprisingly, the person didn't speak up.
"Who's there?" I asked cautiously.
"Sorry, Percy, it's just me," Paul said softly. His voice was slightly tense, and I could sense that it was bad news.
"Is everything all right, Paul?" I asked in the direction of his voice.
"Percy, I just have to tell you that your NYU scholarship got canceled," he said softly.
I simply sat there. I wasn't surprised or shocked because I was honestly waiting for the news. It was a swimming scholarship, but I wasn't swimming anymore. It wouldn't be fair for me to have the scholarship.
"It's okay, Paul," I said quietly.
"It is?"
"Yes, I was expecting it, and I'm okay," I said earnestly. "Um, I'm just gonna get back to doing my work," I said as I turned the kindle back on.
"Of course, Percy. I'm proud of how you're handling these things," Paul said assuringly.
I nodded gently, and my bedroom door closed, indicating Paul left my room.
I was sad, of course, but it wasn't the end of the world. I sighed before refocusing my attention back on my homework. I couldn't do anything about the scholarship or swimming, so it was best to just focus on what is possible.
***
Surprisingly, I didn't have that much to do on Wednesday. I went to school and came home. Then, I was just listening to the news while Paul was watching it.
The doorbell rang loudly.
It was strange because I didn't think we were expecting anyone.
"I'll get it," my mom called from the kitchen.
"Percy, you have visitors," my mom said after a few moments. I could hear several pairs of footsteps walking into the living room.
I stood up cautiously. "Who is it?" I asked.
"It's just me, Percy, and I have Coach Gleeson Hedge with me as well," Chiron's strong voice said.
"Coach Hedge, what are you doing here?" I asked in surprise.
"That's not a very nice welcome, Jackson," he said roughly.
"Err, sorry, coach," I said.
"Chiron and I would both like to talk to you and your parents. But first, we'd like to talk to you to get your opinion," he said boldly.
I was shocked that Chiron and Coach knew each other. I was further shocked that they sounded so serious right now. What did they want to talk about?
"Um, okay."
"I'm gonna get straight to the point, Percy. I want you back on my swim team," Coach Hedge's voice boomed.
I simply stood there and blinked.
I couldn't see them, but they could certainly see the disbelief in my face.
"Wait, are you joking, Coach?" I asked in confusion. My parents were silent, so I couldn't tell what they were thinking either.
"We are not joking, Percy. We think that you should swim and compete," Chiron said firmly.
"But, I'm blind," I said softly.
I felt a rough hand firmly grasp my shoulder. My body turned slightly to directly face the individual. Based on his upward and solid grip, I knew that it was Coach Hedge since he was shorter. Chiron was tall so his grip would have come from above rather than from below.
"Percy, you are the best swimmer and one of the best athletes I've seen through my time at Goode High. You were born to swim, and so, you should," he said boldly.
"But-"
"Percy, just because you're blind doesn't mean that you have to give up the things you love," Chiron said interrupting me.
I felt my mother's soft touch against my back.
"I think that your teacher and coach are right, Percy," my mother said.
"But, how can I swim? I literally can't see," I said.
"Answer me, honestly, do you need your vision to swim?" Coach Hedge asked roughly.
I paused as my thoughts clouded with experiences.
"Percy, we can work on how you know when you reach the ends of the pool, but you don't need your vision to swim. You need your arms, legs, and breathing skills. Not your eyes."
"He's right, Percy. I believe that you can swim again."
I wanted to believe it, too. I wanted to swim and compete. Also, I didn't need my vision to do swimming. The only times that my eyes were necessary for the pool was while setting up the dive in the beginning and knowing when to make the turns.
I loved swimming, and the thought of being able to swim and compete again was extraordinary and overpowering.
"Do you really think that I could swim?" I asked cautiously.
"We all think so," Chiron said firmly.
"What if I can't?" I asked.
"You won't know until you try," Chiron replied. He was right, of course.
"We'll need your parents' content," Coach Hedge said.
I turned slightly to where I presumed my mom and Paul were standing. I wanted to try this, and they both seemed to see that in my face.
"We will support Percy in whatever he decides," Paul said firmly.
I could almost imagine his hand reassuringly placed on my mother's shoulder. They were both probably smiling towards me.
I turned back around to Chiron and Coach Hedge.
"I would love to swim and compete again. Let's try this," I said firmly.
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I hope you all are enjoying this story. In this chapter, I hope that everyone realizes the importance of taking care of themselves and moving forward. Don't dwell in the past and don't focus on the negatives. See the hope in the future.
Thanks, everyone for all the love you guys are giving all of my stories.
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