"Swimmers, on your marks!"
Mounting block number 3, I pulled my goggles over my eyes, ready to shred through water in the mens 200meter individual medley.
Ethan flexed his muscles beside me on block 4.
It didn't take much to notice the cocky grin on his face. He radiated confidence. But what he didn't know, was that I was about to steal this win from him.
"Get set!"
I bent low, holding the starting block. "May the best swimmer win."
"Thanks," Ethan smiled. "I will."
Beep!
We both launched forward at the same time, streamlining through crystal clear water, before resurface to begin our strokes.
My hands cut through the mass of liquid with butterfly. Ethan slipped past me like a shark spotting its prey, and I tried my best not to focus on him. He might have started off strong, but at some point, he'll get tired and that will be the perfect opportunity to strike.
I kept my pace behind him, hearing the crowd cheer along with the rapid splash of water. Throughout my laps with backstroke and breaststroke, I maintained my position behind Ethan. But the moment we hit the turn and switched to freestyle, I changed tactics, zooming through the water till I was at par with Ethan.
No one else was beside us. It was just me and him.
Ethan noticed and tried picking up the pace, so did I, slashing through water like a turbine. The wall was close. It was gradually within reach, and in an attempt to touch it first, I dashed past Ethan, splaying my hands on the flat, cold surface before the piercing beep signaled the end of the race.
Panting, I yanked my goggles off and let my eyes fly over to the scoreboard.
1st place || Akwasi Appiah || 1:15
Yes! I slapped a fist over the water. I knew I could do it. The crowd went wild, filling the atmosphere with loud chants and cheers.
Ethan gazed at the scoreboard, totally baffled by the fact that I managed to put a whole five seconds gap between us in just a short amount of time. He didn't say anything when he turned to congratulate me, but I could see the shock in his eyes and it made me smile.
Swimming underneath the lane dividers, I pulled myself out of the pool and waved at the adoring crowd. My eyes moved over to where my friends sat. Akunna and the rest of the gang were all up on their feet, cheering their hearts out, but the first person I locked eyes with was Shola, who didn't hesitate to blow me a kiss. I chuckled and sent one out in return, making a couple of first year girls squeal with excitement.
I grabbed my towel and was about to head back into the lounge, when a familiar "Hey bestie" made me pivot, just in time to catch Princess' arms from wrapping themselves round my torso.
"Haven't I told you to stop doing that?" Pushing her hands down, I secretly hoped Shola hadn't seen us. I thanked my lucky stars when I lifted my head to see her engaged in a conversation with Nadia.
"Hey, why so grumpy?" Princess hit my bare shoulder. "It's just a hug." She lurched forward again.
This time, I stepped back and swatted her arm away. "I said stop it!"
The command must've gone through one ear and out the other, because no matter how many times I swatted and pushed her away, Princess still wouldn't give up.
"C'mon, Akwasi." Her arm touched my side and I quickly pushed it down. "It's just a sweet bear hug."
"I don't want your hugs!" I sniped, taking another step back into the corridor, leading to the locker rooms.
"Why not?"
"Because I have a girlfriend!"
Her arms froze mid-air. "What?" She gaped at me out of mere shock. "You're kidding... right?"
"No, I'm not." I took another step back. "I'm dead serious."
Princess' arms dropped to her sides, disappointment clouding her features. "Who..." she heaved out a breath, then realisation dawned on her. "Oh my God... you finally told that nerdy Nigerian girl how you feel about her!"
I rolled my eyes. "Stop calling her that. She has a name; her name is Shola."
"Oh I know," Princess laughed. "I'm just surprised and wondering why you even had a crush on her in the first place. I mean, aside from being a nerd, she's basically unattractive."
"Who are you to determine who is attractive and who isn't?" My tone was now coated in brewing anger, but Princess hardly noticed.
"Oh c'mon Akwasi, it's so obvious," she scoffed. "Her skin is as dark as a chimpanzee's and her chest looks as if a hippo sat on it, not to mention that shapeless fig-"
"Well, at least she's not a gold digger like you!"
The moment the words left my mouth Princess turned to me, eyebrows descending into a very vivid frown. "What did you just call me?"
"A gold digger!" I spat the words out again. "Because that's what you-"
My cheek stung from the impact of her palm. The sound echoed in my ears, stirring up a large pot of fury. Cupping my burning cheek, my eyes drifted back to her, meeting a similar pot of anger in her pupils.
"How dare you!" Her face contorted with rage. "How dare you call me a gold digger!"
"Because it's the truth!"
Her hand flew up a second time and I immediately caught it, fingers pushing deep into her flesh. "You can compare Shola to a chimpanzee and a hippo, but she is a hundred times more dignified than you could ever be in your life!"
Princess forcefully yanked her arm out of my grasp and glared at me like I was the devil's spawn.
"I know everything about you, Princess! I know about that deal you made with Ethan. The two of you were never in a relationship, you've just been sleeping with him for money!"
That look of rage faded off for a millisecond, but came back with full force as she growled, "Who told you?"
"It doesn't matter who told me!" I retorted. "What matters is the fact that you're parading around campus, calling yourself Ethan's girlfriend when in reality, you're nothing but his prostitute!"
"Call me whatever you want, I don't give a fuck!" Princess snapped, lifting her middle finger in my face. "I don't give a fuck at all! I did what I had to do. All my life, I've been referred to as the cripple's daughter and the poor girl from down the street. But when I came here, I had the chance to change my life. I had the chance to be someone different, someone who wasn't poor! Ethan gave me that chance for a simple price, and I accepted it wholeheartedly because it was the only shot I had to a better life."
She paused to draw in a breath. "I am not like you, Akwasi! I'm not fine with everyone finding out that I'm a scholarship student, neither am I ok with them knowing that my father is crippled, my mother abandoned us and my family is poor. When you have a background like that, you do everything you can to keep it hidden."
"But it's not right, Princess. You're pretending to be someone you're not."
"At least it's better than who I was before!" She stared back at me with tears welling up in her eyes. "And that's someone I'm never going back to." She pursed her lips, blinking furiously. "Coming from a similar background, I was expecting you of all people to understand... instead of judging me!"
Once the sentence left her mouth, Princess stormed off, without giving me much of a glance, even when I mentioned her name. I almost felt bad for calling her a prostitute, then I remembered all the horrible things she had said about Shola.
In an attempt to desperately get rid of the poverty in life, Princess had lost sight of her self-worth. She was giving herself to someone who didn't appreciate her, all in return for money. The entire scenario reminded me of Maadjoa, my other half-sister, and how she'd left us to go sell drugs for Mensah, my stepfather. She was sick of being poor and couldn't stand the idea of living in it forever.
Poverty was like a never-ending disease, haunting you till thy kingdom come. It had the power to change and belittle people, to the point of wishing that they'd never been born. I, in particular, had been through it several times and I understood that not everyone had the spirit to endure.
Princess was one of those people, and it hurt me to see her doing something that she was definitely going to regret in the coming future. I wished I could help her, talk some sense into her, but after the horrid fight we just had, she probably wouldn't want to see my face right now.
Remembering that I had one more race today, I sucked in a deep breath and made my way over to the locker rooms to prepare. I stopped by the bathroom to wash off Princess' slap on my cheek, then proceeded to my locker to get a cleaner towel. Pulling the fabric out, my eyes soon spotted a grey coloured box, hiding at the back and I picked it up.
The expensive Rolex watch Princess had gifted me after the Val's day dance lay inside the box, untouched. I was glad I never wore the time-piece. Knowing that Princess had bought it with money she'd earned from her sexcapades with Ethan, made me quite eager to dispose of it.
My eyes darted to the side. "Yo, Kweku."
The short guy turned; a towel draped over his head.
"Catch." I tossed the box and he caught it with a surprised look. "Congrats on winning your first heat."
"Wow, thanks Akwasi," his lips cracked into a smile. "I really appreciate it, man."
"Don't mention it."
¤¤¤¤¤
Beep!
And just like that, we were at it again. Prodding through chlorinated water in the third heat of the 100meter freestyle event.
Ethan was beside me, cutting through the waves and pushing himself forward. Unlike the first race, he had gone radio silent and didn't seem as cocky as he was before. He almost looked angry, sort of. I wanted to find out what was going on with him, but that was when the beep went off and we had to jump into the pool.
My curved arms sliced through the water without much effort. My muscles felt relaxed and at ease. Freestyle was the one stroke that I couldn't go wrong with. Compared to breaststroke, it was easier and more flexible, so I hardly noticed that I was in the lead, until I hit the turn.
Ethan was trying to catch up, streamlining as fast as he could, but of course, I wasn't going to allow things to be that easy for him. I wanted this win as much as he did. So I quickened my pace, kicking with all the strength my legs had to offer.
Extending another arm, my head rotated to the side and I took the opportunity to sap in some air before facing down again, and pulling my other arm. The consistent rhythm of my body and the water made my final journey a breeze, as I slapped a palm on the tiled wall in front of me.
I didn't even need to see the scoreboard to know that I had won. That wonderful feeling of success, coupled with the shouts of joy made me feel like a rocket, ready to take off into the sky and explode with flying colours!
I had won! The joy, enthusiasm and happiness it brought set my body on fire with goosebumps, and it only intensified when I heard my name being announced as the winner for this heat. I had qualified for the final leg. Come tomorrow, there will be a new champion for the Annual Swimming Competition.
My eyes darted over to the lane beside me, only to find it vacant. Ethan had already reached the edge of the pool and was climbing out. He didn't even cast a glance behind as he snatched his towel.
Unperturbed, I continued to wave at the adoring crowd and finally waded out of the pool. Shola, Akunna and the others had come down to the metallic barrier, screaming my name out of sheer excitement. I knew I wasn't supposed to, but I still dashed in their direction, ignoring the cold air, biting into my skin.
"Aah, Akwasi! I am so proud of you!" My girlfriend yelled.
Laughing, my arms wrapped around her in a hug and the rest of our friends didn't hesitate to join in, paying no attention to the fact that I was still dripping wet.
But they didn't need to. Because this win wasn't just for me.
It was for all of us.
*****