“GUYS! Today is the try-out of the Swimming Club freshmen, wanna come?” Shanaia asked, who’s now one of the Drama Club members. 

Marylex, a Music Club member, immediately shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t go with you guys. Mom is expecting me to be home at exactly six o’clock.”

Shanaia rolled her eyes. “Oh, common, Lex! It’s too early, duh!”

Marylex took a deep sigh. “Fine!”

“Good!” Shanaia turned to Meredith and held on to her left arm. “How about you, Mer? Are you coming with us?”

At that moment, Meredith’s mind and heart were arguing. Her mind kept telling her that she should go with them to see how her cousin would lead a swimming try-out. While her heart keeps insisting the opposite. That her true intention why she wanted to watch is because of her classmate, Randall.

“Hey! What now?” Shanaia asked impatiently.

When she can’t decide yet, Shanaia rolled her eyes.

“W-wait!” she whined when Shanaia pulled her to the Swimming Club.

“Why are there so many people here? I thought it was just a try-out. Why is it like a championship?” Marylex commented when they arrived at the swimming pool area.

It seems like all the women at BSU were present at the Gym.

“Duh! As if you’re not used to it, Marylex.” Shanaia turned her gaze at Meredith. “Swimming Club is the most popular club in our university because of their three consecutive wins. Aside from that, it’s really where girls and women go when they want to see a handsome and sexy guy with a. . .” Shanaia smiled mischievously and come closer to Meredith and Marylex to whisper her last four words. “Big and long sword.”

Marylex pushed Shanaia slightly because of the last sentence she had said. “Hey, Shan! You’re so naughty! Be careful with what you were saying! You’re ruining Meredith’s innocence and her virgin ears.” Shanaia didn’t say anything. She just gave them a peace sign.

At least she knows that her college life won’t be boring because of her new friends.

“Oh! There they are!” Shanaia shouted.

The freshmen entered one by one with her cousin, John Person, and Randall who were juniors and seniors of the swimming club. 

And she can’t deny that they have beautiful bodies, especially the man he can’t get out of her mind. At his age, his muscles are fully defined, an inverted pyramid with broad shoulders and a small waist. 

Meredith blinked a little when she noticed that his eyes seemed to be focused on her, making her heart pound so fast again. Their eye-to-eye contact was only interrupted when her friends pushed her to find a seat.

“This year seems to have a lot of potentials because there are many students who applied to the Swimming Club this year, so we have to select people to join. Good luck everyone!” John Person's opening speech.
“Hey, you! You have been distracted! Who are you looking at over there? You have been spacing out!” John Person asked to get Randall’s attention.

“Ahm. . . I’m sorry, Captain! I won’t do it again.” He doesn’t know why he couldn’t take his eyes off the girl he met yesterday. He felt like he had known that girl for a long time. He needs to get to know her.

John Person’s gaze followed what he was looking at the crowd and frowned when he noticed that he was exactly looking at his cousin, Meredith, who was also looking at Randall.

He tapped his left shoulder. “Focus!”

“Y-yes, Captain!” he answered.

“So what are you waiting for? Go to your position!” he shouted when Randall didn’t move immediately.

When the try-out started, the crowd was filled with screams and cheers.

AFTER giving the results of the try-out, where all freshmen has passed, Shanaia immediately approached Randall to greet him.

“Nice one, Randall! I’m Shanaia.”

“Great job, Randall! I’m Marylex.”

The girls greeted in unison and offer a handshake. They don’t get a chance to talk to him since day one because he’s always not in their classroom when they have no classes. He seems busy looking for the girl he’s been looking for for a long time.

Randall accepted their handshake one by one, but for some unknown reason, he smiled when he met Meredith’s eyes again.

It’s only interrupted when John Person approached them and talks to Meredith in private.

Randall frowned when he realized that her classmate and their captain knew each other. They were close together but his full attention was focused on her face even though Shanaia and Marylex were busy talking to him. He also realized how beautiful Meredith was, especially when she smiled.

“Dude! Are you crying?” Ernan asked who was his classmate which made him wipe his tears.

He didn’t know why suddenly tears appeared in his eyes all of a sudden while looking at Meredith.

“N-nothing. I just have something in my eyes.” He reason out and left.

AT NIGHT, Meredith was currently working on an assignment when she suddenly received a message from a group chat of their friends. Shanaia showed a photo of her with Marylex and Randall that was taken at the swimming club’s try-out earlier. Until she stared at Randall’s face, even though he was smiling in the photo, she felt sad for an unknown reason. She just lost her attention in the photo when her phone rang.

“Yes, Cous?” It’s her cousin, John Person.

“I saw you yesterday talking with Randall in front of Cooking Club. What happened? Is he bothering you?”

Her face turned red when she remembered what happened yesterday.  

“Ahm. . . I-I just tripped yesterday and he just happened to pass by, so he helped me. That’s all. Nothing more, nothing less.”

She doesn’t want her cousin to worry about her Phobia. And one more thing, she didn’t want her cousin to torture him during their training.

“Is that so? How is your foot then?” he asked worriedly.

“I’m totally fine. You don't have to worry about me.”

“A’right! Don’t hesitate to report or come to me when someone bullies you, okay?”

She nodded. “I will.”

“Good night then! I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

She smiled. She found a brother who will protect her from harm in the personality of her cousin.

“See ya! And good night!” then she ended the call.