Epic Training (Open.)

[Michael Jones]

Swimming was something new to him, and normally he really disliked trying out new things in front of other people. It meant they would see him at his most weak position, and he’d been taught at an early age that this wasn’t a good position to be in. Michael, therefore, was really trying his best to actually be a kid at this school. Even just letting himself go like this in front of one of his peers was such a huge step in his leap of faith. He had to trust that he was going to be able to make friends who wouldn’t make fun of his horrible qualities, and he was trusting Kevin right now.

Michael knew he made the right decision as he started to go, traveling down the pool probably a lot slower than he would if he just walked through the water where his feet touched. However, it was definitely a start. And Kevin was being actually supportive. He was expecting at least a little bit of laughing, as he was sure that the other kid his own age was rather good at swimming by now, and probably didn’t have an ounce of trepidation when he looked at a large body of water. He gulped down a little bit of water as he attempted to breathe, but with his head coming up for air, he heard nothing but praise. Praise! For him! Michael couldn’t help but smile, and he realized that he had to keep swimming, so he did. His body wriggled furiously, the floaties probably hindering more than they were helping him with the stroke he was taught, because he kind of liked getting that praise. Though, of course, he would never admit it.

Turn his head sideways when he needed to breathe? He tried it, and the first time he did was awkward for him. He had to figure out how to get his nose above the water and his mouth all at the same time. The second time he tried to breathe, he realized that if he just gulped in air through his mouth, he didn’t really have to use his nose. The third time he managed to only take in a small bit of water. And kick his legs?! This was complicated stuff! He started to kick them, and then coughed a bit, as he’d taken a very large mouthful of water in. Awesome. He was probably the worst at swimming ever.

[Kevin Bailey]

Kevin never judged anyone, even if they were extremely rude or mean to them, he just walked away, or gave them strange looks. He realized that everyone had bad days sometimes, but why wouldn’t they just let him make them happy? He knew he could do it if they just let him! Kevin didn’t think Mike was horrible at all, just the opposite. Michael would be hard pressed to get Kevin away from him after today though.

Sarcasm and all that teenage angst just wasn’t for Kevin. It wasn’t worth his time, and when drama was happening, he escaped into his stories. Friends were for fun, and he wouldn’t know trials and tribulations if they hit him in the face. Kevin just kept an eye on Mike and also on the door, because he figured that Mike wouldn’t want to ‘show off’ for anyone just let. “And then, when you’re swimming on your own, just reach out with your fingers so you don’t hit your head.” Kevin touched his own head at that point, wincing. “I’ve done that so many times, my mom says I have slight brain damage,” he giggled, showing that his mom really didn’t mean it, she was just trying to bug him.

Standing in front of Mike so he wouldn’t continue, Kevin made sure the other brunet was actually breathing. “Too much?” He asked sheepishly. “Like this,” he said, crouching into the water while his feet stayed on the bottom, Kevin made stroking motions with his arms over and above his head like two windmill blades, turning his head to the left every time his right arm went over. “It’s like a rhythm thing, it’s different for everyone,” he said, “and then you just add kicking and you’ll get across the water a lot faster!” It was weird, to actually think about it this way, but he was happy to be teaching someone. He just loved swimming so much!