"So how was the drama club?" Panit asked Mana. "Did you get in?"
"Did I get in? Did I get in?!" Mana gave huff and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Of course I did. How could they not let this masterpiece," Mana said as she gestured to her body, "into their stupid little club?"
"So, only a few people show up and they decided to let you all in?" Panit asked.
Mana slapped the table. "How did you know?"
"You're great at pretty much everything Mana, but you can't act." Panit said before taking a sip out of his cup that was next to his lunch.
"Yeah well, it's not like I'll have to keep doing this for long. Especially now that-JUL-I mean Team?" Mana interrupted herself as she stood up in a panic and rushed to my side as Ae and C helped me into the canteen and over to their table.
"What happened?" Panit asked as he cleared some space for me to sit down at the table. I sat and laid my head on my arms on the table.
"He's fine. I think he's just a bit out of it because of...everything." Bea said.
"Mana get him some food and some cold water." Panit told Mana, and for the first time since I've met her, she did exactly as she was told without having a witty comeback.
Panit glance around before asking, "Where's his bag?"
Ae, Bea, and C glanced around and couldn't find it.
"Go find his bag and let them know he's okay." Panit said.
The boys left just as Mana came back with some food and water.
"Here. Sit up and fill your stomach." Mana said to me as she placed the food and water in front of me and sat down as well.
For a while, none of us said anything as we finished up our lunches. Ae came back and dropped off my bag before leaving again. As I took the last bit of my food, something accured to me.
"Who's them?" I asked.
"What?" Panit asked.
"You told Ae, Bea, and C to "let them know" I'm okay. Who were you talking about?" I asked Panit.
Panit and Mana glanced at each other. They seemed to be having a silent conversation if their facial expressions were anything to go by.
"I was talking about your captains. I'm assuming you have a swimming captain right, possibly even a co-captain?" Panit asked to which I nodded.
"They're in charge of the entire group. I would imagine it wouldn't look good if a student passed out day one." Panit said.
"And did you know Ae, Bea, and C? You seemed to be comfortable enough with them to boss them around." I asked.
"Are they your friends?" Panit asked.
"Well yes. I suppose so." I answered.
"Then they're my friends too. And friends look out for each other." Panit said.
Mana gagged. "Give me break. You sound like you memorized that off of a greeting card."
I laughed.
"You feeling better?" Mana asked me.
I nodded.
"Good now let's go. If I'm late to the rest of my classes on my very first day because of you, I'm going to hurt you." Mana said as she stood up and gathered up her trash.
I looked around the canteen to find it entirely empty. Only the three of us were left.
"Let's go slowpokes." Mana said as she waited by the entrance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The rest of the school day passed by without a hitch. The first half of the day was for clubs. The second half was for going to your classes and meeting your teachers.
Then finally came time for the mini competition. P'Phek wasn't lying when he said that the swimming club had gotten popular this year. Quite a lot of students stayed behind to watch the competition, including my new friends, Panit and Mana. Both of whom I could hear screaming my name from the bleachers surrounding the pool.
How the competition works is a few people would swim at a time. It doesn't matter if you're the fastest, though it doesn't hurt either. The upperclassmen are looking for your performance overall, not just your speed, though that didn't stop a lot of students from being nervous.
However, when I got up to the mark, my nerves went away. Being in the water was therapeutic for me. When I was in the water, it feels like the entire world disappears.
As I stepped onto the starting platform, I glanced to my side and saw Win watching me. Though his gaze was intimidating, it was also strangely encouraging.
The whistle sounded and everyone jumped into the water. For a few minutes, I forgot the world around me. Nothing else mattered but swimming though the water. Before I knew, my head surfaced the water and I found out I was the first to make it back.
I looked back at the water to watch the rest finish up the competition, when I noticed someone had stopped moving. In fact, this person was slowing sinking to the bottom of the pool.
"HEY! Stop the clock!" I heard Win say behind me.
Before I could even think about what I was going to do, I jumped back into the water. I started swimming towards the bottom of the pool, though I found that the pool was deeper than I thought.
As I was swimming closer to the bottom, the air was quickly leaving my lungs and I began to panic. Any time I felt short of breathe, my body begins to hyperventilate, which makes me lose more air. Before I knew it, I had no more air left and the other guy's body was just inches away.
Suddenly, as my vision started going black, I saw Win and the strangest thing started to happen. I saw the two of us, but we looked so different to how we looked now. It was like I was seeing us in a different era and we were happy. Holding hands, smiling at each other, laughing together.
Seeing us like that gave me the strength to push forward and grabbed the other guy's body. I saw another pair of hands grab the guy and I looked up to see Win helping me bring this guy to the surface.
I gasped for air as my head broke the surface and could hear clapping as P'Daew and P'Phek helped the guy out of the water and started CPR on him. I could feel hands on my waist, so I looked over my shoulder to see Win pushing me out of the water and onto the side of the pool.
Fortunately, the guy was fine. He had caught a cramp in the water. He wouldn't make the team, but he seemed perfectly fine with that. After he was taken to the hospital for a thorough examination, P'Phek gave the names of the people who made the team. I made the team as well as Ae, Bea, and C.
Those who made the team would get to go to a local beach and hotel over the weekend. While there, we'd learn some different exercises to help our muscles stay strong and reduce soreness and how to keep up our staminas. As well bond with each other.
After everything was over, Mana ran up to me and gave me a hug.
"Not only did you come in first place, you're also a hero." She said.
"No I'm not. Win helped too you know."
"But everyone's only talking about you. Way to make a first impression with the student body." Mana said with a smile.
"Where's Panit?" I asked as I desperately tried to change the subject.
"He's other there with his boyfriend." Mana pointed behind me.
I turned to see Panit standing next to P'Daew and for the first time today, P'Daew had a smile on his face while he was looking at Panit.
"Aw. They're cute." I said with a smile.
"More like nauseating. Everytime they're around each other, they act like they're the only ones in the room." Mana said.
"Is someone jealous?" I asked.
Suddenly, two arms wrapped around Mana from behind her.
"She shouldn't be. What's there to be jealous of, love?" P'Phek asked before he kissed her cheek.
Mana smiled and glanced away.
"Looks like they're not the only ones." I muttered before speaking up, "I'm going to go home. See you later." I said before making my way to the locker room to change.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once the weekend hit, the swimming club went to the closest beach. It was just outside of the city, but still close enough that it was only a few hours drive away. After we got to the hotel and got our assigned rooms, we headed to the beach.
We did a few routine exercises and we goofed off. Everyone had a really good time, until Bea and C decided to throw Ae into the water. Ae had gotten hurt or so we thought. He had tricked Bea and C into getting in the water as well. As funny as that was, I didn't expect that they would throw me in as well.
Unfortunately, I actually did hurt myself by getting a cut on the bottom of my foot. The strangest thing happened next. Before I could announce that I was hurt, Win was suddenly right beside me. He picked me up, carried me to a picnic table, and sat me down on one end of the table.
"Get the first aid kit." Win said before grabbing a bottle of water and rinsing off my foot.
"You don't have to do that. I can handle it." I said as I grabbed the water bottle from his hand. Or, at least, I tried too.
He wouldn't let go and he was so close to me, I ended staring straight into his eyes. His eyes seemed to say a thousand things, but I wasn't quite able to understand any of them.
"Here you g-oh." Ae said as he came back with the first aid. "Sorry to interrupt."
Win started to walk away when I called his name.
"P'Win."
He stopped, but he didn't turn to face me.
"Thank you." I said before he resumed walking away.
Later that night, we had just finished eating BBQ when C came to me and told me he had something fun to watch. So C and I, along with Ae, Bea, and a few others went to C's hotel room that he shared with Ae. Turns out he had gotten his hands onto a sexy movie. As interesting as it was, I didn't want to be around a bunch of horny men, so I left and started on my way to my room.
Unfortunately, just a few feet away from C's room, stood Win.
"What are you doing, creeping around like that?" I asked in a frantic tone.
"Creeping around? I was going back to my room." Win answered.
"Oh alright then." I said before trying to walk pass him.
He grabbed my arm as I was walking by and stopped me.
"You smell like..." Win began to say.
"Smell like what?" I asked.
Win let go of my arm and turned to face me. He placed a hand on my cheek.
"You're blushing."
"No I'm not." I said as I shook my head.
He moved his hand to my neck and traced his fingers up and down the side of my neck.
"You're heart's racing."
His fingers slid down my body and latched onto my waist. He pushed me until I was pressed against the wall behind me and placed both hands onto the wall on either side of me.
"You're breathing just got heavier."
Win's face came closer to my own and he kissed me. I've never been kissed before. I've never done anything intimate before, so I was a bit nervous.
Okay, maybe more than a bit. I ended up pushing him away. We were both breathing heavy. He glanced down before looking back up to my face.
"Go handle yourself." Win said before a smirk slowly appeared on his face. "But if you can't, follow me to my room."
Win began walking away without a glance backwards. I know I could've went straight to my room. I probably should've. Instead, I followed Win to his room and walked inside.
Win walked into the room until he was at the foot of the bed. He turned to me and pulled me to him. We were pressed against each other. Win's forehead leaned against my own. All around me, all of my senses were clouded with him.
"How much have you had to drink?" Win asked me.
"What?"
"Even though this was suppose to be an alcohol-free trip, don't lie to me and tell me one of your little friends didn't break the rules." Win said. "How much have you had to drink?"
"Three. Three cups."
"Are you...single?" Win asked, though it seemed like it hurt him to ask me that.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"We're not going to do this if you're drunk, unconscious, or in a relationship. Answer the damn question."
I smiled before grabbing onto his face and pulling my forehead back.
"Yes. I'm single. I know what I'm doing and I know that I want to do this with you P'Win."
He kissed me again, but this time he didn't stop. Throughout our night together, he kept telling me that he missed me. I didn't know what he meant by that, but I knew I had to comfort him. A part of me wouldn't rest until I told him, "I'm right here."
And for the rest of the night, the world disappeared, leaving the two of us in a world we had created together. Even though we knew our world would disappear when the sun rose, we made sure to enjoy every blissful moment we could together.