Bright's Shame

Hastily, I dashed to the poolside restroom, where I swiftly took a shower and changed into my swimsuit. I left the bathroom with an overwhelming sense of fear, looking at the poolside, I realized the weight of expectation upon me; a thronging crowd awaited to witness my performance. The tale of my previous extraordinary swim had spread throughout the school, attracting those who had missed it before. "What if I faltered this time? Would I still be embraced by the same love and admiration?" I asked myself.

Among the competitors in the swimming event at my house were Bright, Stanley, Paul, and myself. As we awaited the signal to begin, my heart raced uncontrollably. Lost in my thoughts, I failed to hear when the whistle was blown. Upon seeing my peers plunge into the water, I instinctively made the sign of the cross, a ritual of my Catholic faith, before immersing myself.

Once submerged, a familiar sensation enveloped me. Faint strains of music filled my ears, accompanied by an indescribable feeling of peace. The water's embrace offered solace and security, akin to a child cradled in their mother's arms, I almost forgot it was a competition, I was just busy enjoying all the comfort that the pool had to offer.

"Swim! Swim, Damian, swim!" Cynthia's voice pierced through the water, Even though I was in the pool, I could still hear her very clearly, I heard her voice echoing from above the water's edge where she stood. When I heard her voice, I sprang up from the water, all to stare at her and she greeted me with a sweet smile and urged me on, "My love, swim and silence this bully forever." She urged me with so much faith.

Her encouragement ignited a rush of determination within me and quickly, I turned to see Bright already making his way back, leading the race. With renewed vigor, I sank myself back into the water and propelled myself forward, kicking my legs vigorously while also using my arms to gain speed, in no time, I was already at the pool's edge. Reaching the pool's edge, I propelled myself upward before plunging back into the water, my rivals especially Bright were almost reaching the finish line.

Summoning all my strength, I surged ahead with a determination I never knew was in me, I never cared about anything nor did I have any for of fear, all I cared about at the moment was winning the race, I gave it all I had and it paid off, I reached the winning post just ahead of Bright. Though I was certain of my victory, some argued it was a tie. Amidst the debate, it was decided that Bright and I would face off again since the other two contestants were far behind, unable to even contend.

I felt so excited and my confidence level was so high, now that it has been proven that I can actually swim, I had nothing to fear. So, Bright and I stood side by side waiting for the whistle to be blown. But before the whistle was blown, Cynthia came to me, gave me a peck on the cheek, and said to me: "Do it for us, honey."

The peck from Cynthia gave rise to some side talks, I could hear the other girls from the Super Cee saying something in the background. "Did I not tell you? The two of them had been dating in secret." "Now I see, now I see why Cynthia won't let us touch him." I noticed that the last voice was Charity's.

So, as the whistle was blown, we both dove into the water, and I immediately started swimming, unlike before, I was not frozen in fear, I didn't just sink down and wait for death. I made sure I ignored the voices from the water, and before a twinkle of an eye, I was already at the edge of the pool. As usual, I sprang up, sank back, and swam back.

I don't know why, I just can't explain, but it felt like I could only swim from beneath. The swimming took me no time at all, and I was already at the winning post, while Bright was still struggling to get to the first edge. As I got to the winning spot, everyone shouted in amazement; they could not believe their eyes. That was when I noticed that even the school principal was there. This was not even the main competition; the main competition was going to be on Monday, and this was just Thursday. 

"This kid swims like a real Merman." "I think we already have a new Merman." So the principal said to our sport's master. "Make sure we have the journalists from TV stations here for the main event." He added. Hearing this, my heart skipped a beat, there will be journalists? What if Mom sees it? I wondered

On the other side of the pool was Bright; he only managed to swim to the other end and quietly left, and his friends followed suit, Kunle and his crew also followed them. Kunle went to Bright only to rub more shame in his face, he said; "I'm so disappointed in you, you are the worst loser to ever exist; you should be ashamed of your existence; if I were you, I'd be committing suicide; I can't believe that I even tried to associate with a loser like you." Kunle said.

"Kunle, that boy is not normal, he is a real demon. Didn't you see his speed underwater?" Bright said with his face butted in shame.

"He is a real demon," Kunle said, mimicking Bright mockingly. "Bird of a feather; no wonder you three are the best of friends," Kunle added pointing at the three bully friends and leaving Bright drowning in his very own ocean of same.

As they say, "When the winner wins, the loser looks small." That's exactly what is happening at the moment: the Almighty Bright and his clique retreated into their shells, they could not be their usual selves anymore. On a normal day, they would have been walking around looking for who to taunt or bully. But instead, they had disappeared from sight, leaving everyone guessing where they might have gone.

Our last screening day, which just ended, felt like the main event itself, at least, so I heard many people say. Everyone said they'd never experienced such an interesting screening before; some even argued it was more captivating than the main competitions.

But let's shift our focus from the celebration and focus on my beautiful Cynthia. So many things had been said, and my emotions had soared to new heights. She called me her love and kissed me. Sure, it was just a peck, but what did it matter? Her graceful lips left me feeling indescribable. I could even swim fire, the volcano just to get more of her lips on me.

Well, talking about Cynthia, checked around the people around but I only noticed Cynthia's absence. Chinwe and Charity were by my side, but Cynthia was nowhere to be found. "Where is Cynthia?" I asked.

"I don't know; I saw her going behind the crowd," Chinwe replied.

"Yeah, go find your love. We're here for you, but it's not like she's prettier than me, hahaha," Charity joked, prompting laughter from both of them. Though I knew Charity meant it humorously, my sole focus was finding Cynthia.

Charity is a very playful girl, I like her a lot, she is fun to be with, I understood the context of her comment, and I understood that it was meant for one purpose, and that was for laughter, but I really do not have the time for laughter at the moment, my sole focus remained on finding Cynthia. Struggling through the dense crowd, I soon realized Chinwe was right; Cynthia was seated behind the crowd on a wooden chair by the poolside – the same chair where I once fibbed about my swimming abilities. Well, it turned out I wasn't lying after all; honesty prevailed.

As I laid eyes on Cynthia, her beauty seemed even more captivating. My heart skipped a beat, and my pulse quickened once more. I could sense her emotions, and as they intensified, I watched as she shyly lowered her gaze. Without hesitation, I walked to her and took her hand. I felt her pulse quicken as I held it, and her eyes widened with emotion.

Looking at her, I couldn't suppress the urge to pour out my heart to her. But how could I articulate my feelings when the right words eluded me? I wished I could find the perfect word to encapsulate my love for her. In my current state, fueled by adrenaline, if I could, I'd inscribe it in the sky with bold ink and elaborate calligraphy for all to see. But I refrained, for the word had yet to be found. If I waited idly, I might miss this chance, this golden opportunity to express my feelings. With this thought in my mind, it came to me that now or never, I must do it with the words available to me, and it must be here and now.

"I love you. I love you, Cynthia, and I've always loved you. From the moment I first saw you, holding that cake, my entire world changed. Your presence has filled my life with new meaning and light. Yes, Cynthia, I do love you, I love you with the whole of my heart, my love for you runs deep." I said to her, staring her deep in the eyes while she looked up at me as I spoke.

" It's not just a word to me; it's a promise between my heart and soul. I'm certain that even a thousand years from now, my feelings for you will remain unchanged. You're the only one I can love, the only one I need, the only one for me. How can I express the depth of my emotions? How can I show you that you've occupied a space in my mind meant only for my thoughts, that I can't think of anything else but you?"

Those were the exact words and even more that I told her, I really didn't know I had that many words in me, as soon as I opened my mouth, it seemed kike my heart and mind all materializes into words gushing out via my mouth. And now Cynthia just sat there looking at me.

I bent down and grabbed her hands, causing her to stand facing me, her eyes stuck in mine almost as if she was lost in space. "I love you, Damie; I love you." She said she was making this cute face like a baby about to cry.

As she said this, I found myself going for her lips in a motion so slow, and she also came for mine; her pulse was increasing and faster, as was mine, and just as my lips were about to make contact with her two parted petals of rose, Charity and Chinwe came with their interruption.

"Hey! Common, go get a room," Chinwe said.

" What were you two thinking? If the principal sees this, you know he won't condone it. Don't let excitement ruin your reputation in this school; oo, Oya Cynthia, let's go; leave that seductive Damian." Charity said holding Cynthia by the hand "Don't mind him, one day if he dont stop looking this hot, all the girls in this school will rape him. Hahaha." Charity added

"I swear, you need to hear what some girls were saying today; they are all in love with your baby, oo, hahahah," Chinwe added looking at Cynthia before Charity dragged Cynthia from me and took her off my sight, leaving me alone with my piling emotions.