"So this is where you disappear to all those times when the boys are swimming or at football?" I asked Sawyer as we walked side by side out of the piano room. Even though the sound of the piano had stopped I still felt like I was bouncing on air, a weightless quality to me.

"Yeah," Sawyer nodded, "this or running training, I'm on the cross country team."

"Don't you ever feel left out?" I tilted my head towards him peering through my hair, I felt so much closer to him now that I understood this part of his life, "you know because Mitch, Nico and Grey all do swimming and Mitch has football but you don't do either."

"Grey's on the running team too," Sawyer said too quickly so I just gave him a pointed look and waited for him to continue, "I never really get lonely I guess, I mean the piano is big enough to count for a few people."

"Seriously," I rolled my eyes with a slight laugh, even though Sawyer didn't say a lot when he did it would always keep me guessing.

"I am being serious," Sawyer returned to his usual sincere tone, "I don't get lonely, I like the quiet time to think, it clears my mind."

"Me too," I nodded quickly, "I mean when I used to play a little it would always help me think straight and destress."

"You should keep playing then," Sawyer insisted seriously.

"No," I swatted away the idea, "I was never serious about it or any good."

"So, it's not about how good you are but how much enjoyment you get out of it, isn't that what you were telling me?" Sawyer encouraged.

"I guess," I was hesitant, playing the piano was putting myself it there, possibly to fail. Did I want to risk that?

"I'll teach you, how about that?" Sawyer posed excitedly, he looked so enthused by the idea I knew I couldn't possibly turn him down.

"Are you sure, I don't want to be a pain?"

"Absolutely, it will mean that I'm not alone while they're all at practise," Sawyer was decided, "it's a win win situation."

"Okay," I agreed, "if you insist."

"I do," Sawyer stated firmly.

"Then I guess I'm your student now," I grinned, "I want to hear more about your piano skills though so I know I've hired the right teacher, when did you start playing?"

"When I was eight," Sawyer considered, "just after I was adopted, my mom plays the piano, her whole family plays and she taught me."

"That's kind of her," I wanted to ask more about his adoption story but I didn't want to push him into saying something he wasn't ready to.

"You're thinking about something," Sawyer observed, "I can see it in your eyes."

"I guess I just liked the way you called her mom," I smiled faintly, "you seem really close with her."

"I am," Sawyer agreed, "I call her mom because she is my mom, she couldn't be a better mom."

"That's wonderful," I tilted my head back to get a better look at his content smile.

"Yeah," Sawyer nodded, "I guess it is. Hey do you want to see what we're missing out on?"

"What?" I wasn't surprised at his switch of topic, he wasn't ready to fully open up yet.

"The boys, we should take a look in on their swim practise, see what we're missing out on."

Swim practise, it involved water and many half naked toned bodies. Count me in.

"Sure," I shrugged casually.

"This way then," Sawyer led the way outside towards the pool building, it contained an Olympic sized swimming pool outfitted with an arena of seats. Most of the building was made of the same grey stone as the school building but one wall was floor to ceiling glass. Like everything else in Kings Bridge it was spectacular and dramatic.

"Wow," through the glass I could see the morphed blue light reflecting off the pool surface which was twisting around the movements of the swimmers in the water.

"Impressive isn't it," Sawyer chuckled at my awed expression, "it's even nicer on the inside."

"Are you sure we should go in?" I was nervous, was crashing a swim meet really acceptable?

"Of course," Sawyer confidently pulled open the door sending a wave of chlorine scent washing over me. I breathed it in deeply, who didn't love the strong smell of chlorine?

So I allowed him to march through the corridors of the building with me close behind him until we came directly into the pool room.

The scent of chorine was overpowering and intense now, and I could hear the eery echoes of the splashing water around the ginormous room. However, even at this close proximity all I could make out of the swimmers was the sprays of water and flying arms, their moments so sharp and clean like knives slicing across the water in harsh smacks.

"Let's sit and watch," Sawyer was already steadily making his way up the steps to find a seat in the row upon row of tiered seats. I was too enraptured by the breathtaking speed of the swimmers.

"You better not be here to distract my boys," a harsh gravelly voice boomed in my ear making me flinch back and finally notice the furious man next to me.

His face was fixed in a scowl I could tell was permanent by the creases of his face that seemed in set in that position. He stood legs wide apart in the stance of a wrestler about to fight and he held the whistle around his neck like a weapon.

"No," I backed away quickly, that man was terrifying, "I won't distract them at all."

Keeping my gaze on him until the last possible moment until I spun around and raced towards Sawyer I quickly retreated as if I thought he would throw the whistle right into my back like a knife if I wasn't looking.

"Did you just get Normaned?" Sawyer teased.

"Normaned?" I still had one eye fixed on that swimming coach, I wasn't letting him and that whistle out of my sight.

"The coach, Mr Norman, loads of people sign up for the swim team just thinking it will look good for college applications but don't intend to take it seriously. That's when they get Normaned, he's terrifying but that can make you swim faster than you've ever swam in your life," Sawyer stated knowledgeably.

"You sound like your speaking from experience?"

"Not exactly, I've never gone on the team, but Mr Norman takes it upon himself to terrorise anyone who simply wants to take a lap in the pool," Sawyer shuddered at the memory.

"I think I'll give this place a wide berth then," I was deadly serious, that man scared me.

"Cara Collins," a deep voice echoed across the room, at the edge of the pool Mitch was pushed up on his forearms dripping water all over the white tile floor, "what are you doing here?"

"Come to pay a visit and see what the hype is really about," I shrugged casually acting as if my mind wasn't completely spinning just looking at the contoured definition of his six pack and his bulging arms as they gripped the pool edge. Water streaked down from his brown hair onto his broad shoulders and trickled down his chest making the oddest feeling bloom in my stomach.

"You might have missed it sorry," Grey chimed in now as he lazily swam his way towards Mitch, he moved in a way that he became one with the water pushing and contorting it to his advantage, "training is over."

"Damn it," I shook my head, "you're just going to have to tell me who's faster then."

"Me clearly," Nico chimed in treading water behind Mitch, he grinned up at me, "afternoon Vegas."

"Afternoon," I greeted in return at the same time Mitch argued;

"You're only quicker in butterfly."

"And breaststroke," Nico reminded.

"One time," Mitch snapped, "I've beaten you ever other."

"Excuse me, I do remember my PB beating both of yours," Grey cut in.

"Only in freestyle, everyone knows that's quicker than butterfly," Nico rejected bluntly.

"Then let's race, show Cara who really the fastest?" Grey gave his signature cocky smirk.

"It's on," Nico nodded confidently.

"You bet," Mitch agreed, never one to turn down some healthy competition.

I'd been oblivious to the rest of the swim team had leaving but now the pool was empty apart from the three boys.

"Get to your starting positions then," I got up from my seat to stand by the poolside. I watched the three of them swim to the far end of the pool.

"You've really asked for it now," Sawyer shook his head, "they'll kill each other trying to get to the end first to impress you."

I turned to him quizzically about to ask him what he meant by 'to impress you' before Nico cut of my train of thought and I was forced to let the topic go;

"Let's get going then Vegas before my muscles cramp up," he hollered.

"Anyone ever taught you the virtue of being patient?" I called back, "or to respect the judge?"

"Nope," Nico yelled gleefully.

"Okay racers are you ready?" I made my voice sound the way all the announcers did on TV did. All the boys hovered next to the wall in their starting positions prepared to push off, their faces set and eyes staring at their destination almost willing it to come to them. "On your marks. Get set. Go!"

They all shot off from the wall with a explosion of water spraying up in grand plumes around them. They were off like rockets, arms crashing over their heads and into the water creating great currents and legs mechanically kicking up and down behind them, their splashes echoing around the vast space.

I was fascinated by the way they swam, it was mesmerising, just like Sawyers playing but in a whole different way.

Mitch moved powerfully, using sheer strength to pull himself through the water and let out a powerful wave of water behind him. His swimming came from sheer muscle power. Whereas Nico was a more lithe swimmer, he was significantly leaner than the other two with slimmer arms and legs but that allowed him to slip through the water in a more streamlined way. What he lacked in power he made up for in nimble speed. Grey, however, caught the perfect balance between the two, he was muscular like Mitch but not to that extent and lean like Nico but more powerful. He didn't charge his way through the pool like Mitch did or dart his way across like Nico, instead he melted his way through it becoming one with the water and twisting it to his advantage, manipulating it with his whole body.

Mitch had the lead first, his leg strength causing him to push forward off the wall at the greatest speed but soon both Nico and Grey were catching up to him. They remained neck and neck for a bit before Nick and Grey both propelled ahead. One moment I would think Nico was in front but then it was Grey who's arms were reaching ahead first.

In the last twenty meters however Grey shot forward in one final spurt of energy to widen the gap between him and Nico. And it was his hand that slammed against the edge of the pool first.

Grey grinned up from the pool that seemed to be almost rocking from the motion of the boys through it, looking more triumphant than I'd ever seen. Nico who had arrived a mere two seconds behind him was looking annoyed but not as furious as Mitch was. He'd been a split second behind Nico and now he rested his head against the pools edge panting and gutted.

"Looks like we have our winner," I bent down to congratulate Grey with a handshake, "congratulations Christopher Grey."

"Cheers," Grey's face covered in water droplets smirked smugly up at me as he pulled his hand through his drenched hair.

I gazed at each of them breathless and soaking and silently thanked whoever had built this pool in Kings Bridge, and whoever had invented speedos.