Chapter 51 - Makai - Tournament Part 4

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Makai

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Our team had just won first place in the four-man relays. Ben, Ryan, Ocean and myself would be on the podium at the top when they announced the winners in just a few minutes. Unfortunately, Ben was the only one on our team that was not going to be part of the individual events that would start with the semi finals right after the awards ceremony.

Ryan, Ocean, Justin, Alex, Jordan, and myself were the only guys from Jasper High School that had made it to the next round. I had known that Ocean and I would make it, we were both really good swimmers, and I was really proud of the other guys to have made it as well. There were a lot of competitors that were taking part in all of these events so it was not easy to make it ahead in a competition like this.

Our entire team had celebrated with a group hug, initiated by our coach as soon as it was clear that we were the winners. I only remember one thing from that entire time. Ocean had said I had a handsome face. I don't care what the context had been, he still said it. That proved that he looked at me like that.

I just remember standing there on the small podium that they had waiting for us. I had wanted to stand as close to Ocean as I could, but he managed to get on the other side of our coach while he stood there beaming like he was the one who had raced. He had gotten to stand on those podiums twice, and he had celebrated just as enthusiastically when the girls team had won.

I couldn't help but grin when I saw the happy smile that was on Ocean's face. I had actually been afraid that he would not be able to swim at his best this morning. I mean, he had been really affected by what I had done last night. But, I couldn't help it. I was at my limit, and he was just so tempting.

Having been the one to swim with the best time both days, our coach had let Ocean be the one to hold the trophy in the photos that were being taken. There was one photo where our whole team, everyone from our school, had been grouped together and photographed with the eight of us that placed, guys and girls, in the front. I was next to Ocean that time, but I wasn't able to enjoy it because it ended too soon.

After the photographs, it was time for the individual events. We had one girl that was racing in that set. And as it turned out, today they would be racing all three of the female events first, then all the male events. It would happen twice since it was the semi-finals. and then we moved onto the actual finals.

Cassie was the only girl from our school that had made it to the semifinals. She swam her hardest, and of the twenty girls that were part of the semi-finals, she made it into the top ten. She actually came in at number eight and would be moving onto the finals. This was major for her, just making it that far guaranteed her an invitation to the national event in the spring.

When it was time for us guys to swim we had to narrow down the forty of us to just ten as well. It was going to be hard but I knew that Ocean and I were going to give it our all. By the time that the semi-finals were over, Ocean and I were almost tied at the top of the rankings. Points were given during these heats based on the position you finished in and the overall scores would determine who the winners were. Between the two of us we had taken first and second place over the last two days in the individual events.

Just thinking about that made pride swell within me. The guy that I was so drawn to was only matched by me. Or I could phrase it the other way around, I was only matched by the guy that meant so much to me.

After the semi-finals were over it was time for the sudden death matches for the girls individuals. I call them that because there would literally be no rest between their heats. They would swim one reset and swim the next. They would do this three times in a row and the top three swimmers when it was over would be the ones on the podium.

We all watched on and cheered as Cassie swam over and over again. She was doing good, but she just couldn't make it to the top three. She finished with fourth place though and that was amazing enough. We were very proud of her and celebrated as we should have.

Now it was time for Ocean and I to see who it was that was going to take home the top prize. It was funny though. Now that the finals for us was actually beginning there was a look of pure excitement on Coach Dickson's face. He had not one but two swimmers in the finals right now, and they had been finishing in the top every time. He was hoping that we would stay in those rankings and he would have bragging rights for a long time.

None of our previous points would carry over for the finals. We reset for the semi-finals and we were resetting again for the last leg of this journey. That meant that Ocean and I were starting fresh with this.

I had promised him that I was going to give it my all. I was not going to throw the race and let him win. I was going to try my best to actually win. I just hoped that Ocean would swim at the level that I knew he was capable of. If he did then he could definitely beat me, I had seen him do it. That was another reason I thought he was more like me.

When the signal came to start the first race we all dove into the water at the same time. The ten of us were all swimming in the one pool at the same time and moved as if we were a well oiled machine. Though once we were in the water it was clear that parts of this machine moved faster than others.

Ocean and I took the lead easily. This was the two hundred meter breaststroke. It was an event that Ocean and I would always be neck and neck on and that was made clear by the fact that he beat me by one tenth of a second. He could tell that I had not given him the win and there was nothing but pure joy on his face as he felt the happiness that came with being in the water.

The next event for us was the two hundred meter backstroke. It was another one that Ocean and I were very good at. I think my only advantage here had to have been my height. I was just a little taller and my arm was half an inch taller than his. If it weren't for that we would have tied but I touched the edge right before he did and secured myself the second event's top score. We were tied.

The last and final event was the two hundred meter butterfly, that was literally Ocean's best and my worst. All he had to do was swim like he usually did and he would win. I wanted him to win. I would take it because I love swimming and of course I joined the team because I wanted to compete, but Ocean had needed this. He needed to see that he was one of the best on the team and only great things will come from being near me.

Still, I had to give it my all. I needed to show him that I was not just going to hand him the victory. When the signal came I dove into the pool and gave it my all. I pushed myself to swim as hard as I could. I moved through the water like I was the water itself. I rejoiced at the way the water felt as it rolled across my body and how right it felt to be in its welcoming embrace.

When I reached the edge of the pool I heard our entire team cheering. I thought it was for me until I looked to my right and at the tie board. Ocean had beaten me. He had finished ahead of me by twelve hundredths of a second. It had been so close during all three heats, we had been neck and neck, but Ocean had beaten me to win top prize.

Ocean had won.