Perfect. Maybe I’ll get that Journey Mark sooner than I thought. The guppies in my gut temporarily stall. It’s weird how I can be so pumped to kiss Sean, but also want to be back home, far, far away from him. It’s not personal or anything, but these emotional currents flinging me in totally different directions can be a bit disorienting.

“Here comes Kavya!” Sean says, then cups his hands around his mouth to shout, “Let’s go, Queen K!”

A few other people in the stands cheer along, but Kavya doesn’t look like she hears them. She takes her position in front of her lane, and stares aimlessly at the water.

“This is the hundred-meter breaststroke,” Sean explains. “Kavya kills this one. She placed first in the district last year, fourth at state. Just watch her.”

A countdown begins and Sean mumbles under his breath, “Three, two, one.”

HOOOOOOONK!

Swimmers dive in, the crowd goes wild, and Kavya stays completely still. Just stands there, glowering at the water.

“The fuck?” Sean says. He leaps from his seat, his feet clanging on the metal bleachers. “KAVYA, GO!”

Kavya shakes her head and jumps in, but she’s seconds behind everyone else. Her motions are jerky and hesitant, not at all the powerful swimmer Sean made her out to be.

“What is going on with her?” Sean asks, but I know it’s not a question for me. “Something’s wrong.”

Even still, Kavya is able to catch up to two others and finishes fourth out of six.

“I’m going to go check on her,” Sean says. “I’ll see you after my heat, okay?”

“For the kiss?” Blue below, I wish I’d stopped those words before they fell out. This is a time to be focused on Kavya, not stupid flirty gut guppies.

But Sean nods and says, “For the kiss.”

I want Kavya to be okay, I really do. But I also can’t wait for Sean’s and my big scene.

     Sean     

“What happened to you, Anand?” Coach growls. I’m right behind him, a towel in hand for Kavya as soon as Coach stops reaming her out.

“I just . . .” Kavya shrugs. She’s never at a loss for words.

“I’ll give you this one, but it’s almost qualifiers. Get it together.”

Kavya nods, her lips in a tight line.

As Coach stomps away, I hold the towel out for her. She grabs it while I open my mouth to ask what’s wrong, but she whips the towel at my shins. “Don’t. Can’t I have one time where I screw up? It was an accident. I’m just off, okay?”