At the end of the show, I was exhausted and we hadn't ended up winning any awards. This wasn't unusual though. We hadn't won any awards at the previous award shows either. It was a little disappointing. I really thought that we were going to at least win something.

After the show, everyone always split up. Most of the parents came to see the show in person because the tickets weren't that expensive. Anyone who had their parents at the show usually went home with them as soon as it was over. The other kids loaded back onto the bus and went back to the school. Their parents would pick them up there.

Unfortunately, both of my parents hadn't been able to get tickets this year. They sold out so quickly. After saying goodbye to my friends, I dodged through the crowds and made my way outside. A few steps down the sidewalk was the bus.

After dodging all of the people outside, I made it to the bus. Our director, Ruby, was waiting with the attendance list. She checked off my name as I got on and wished me goodnight.

It was weird seeing the bus so empty, besides the driver I was the only one there. Did everyone else go home with their parents? At least the trip home would be quiet. I walked down the aisle and decided to sit all the way in the back. I never really knew why, but it was my favorite place to sit on the bus.

I couldn't help being disappointed when someone else got on. He was a senior and pretty talented when it came to acting and singing. He was also on our school's baseball team. Most of all, he was a fantastic swimmer. We were actually on the swim team together in elementary school. I remember arguing once about which one of us was faster. Of course, we both thought we were better than the other.

"Cordelia! Race me! I'm gonna show everyone that I'm the best swimmer on the team," Leon said.

"Best swimmer? Everybody knows I'm faster than you are!"

Five minutes later we were in the pool. Our elementary swim coach, as well as the rest of the team, were standing behind us, eager to see who would win. Our coach counted down from three and we both dived into the water, swimming as fast as we could. In the end, it was a tie. After the race, we argued even more, both saying that we had won.

After that, we began to race once every week trying to prove ourselves as the best. Every time it ended in a tie, but we would argue about who won. But when one of us got tired of arguing, we would declare that we would definitely win next time and walk away. Afterward, I always had a smile on my face and everyone said he did too.

It was a well-known rivalry even to the other parents. But it was also more than a rivalry. We both knew that we were friends and I was really upset when he had to move away. Eventually, he moved back, but I was different. I wasn't on the swim team anymore, so there was no rivalry. We never reconnected.

To be continued...