Three days later

"Helloo Penfield! Welcome to the final leg of the Penfield Annual Swimming Competition!"

Grabbing my water bottle, I made my way over to the lobby.

"...I know these past few weeks have been tough, especially on the team," Coach Sarah announced in a sympathetic tone that was quite different from the usual strong, imposing voice she used to deliver her motivational speeches. "But I'm glad the whole lot of you passed the drug tests and stayed clean. Hopefully, these final heats will ignite that familiar passion and drive to swim your heart out, give it your best, and Penfield Sharks will be restored to its former glory. Good luck to all of you."

Amidst a series of applause from my fellow teammates, Coach walked towards the door, meeting the Detective, two policemen, and a few other University authorities at the entrance. For some reason, they all seemed on edge, and I found myself wondering why.

"Hey, Akwasi." Seth appeared at my side. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." I faced him. "A little nervous, but I'm fine."

"Anything from Princess?"

"No, nothing," I sighed, crossing my arms. For the past three days, her phone was off. None of the texts I left received replies either. It was like she had erased her existence off the face of the earth, and I knew damned well that Ethan was the root cause.

My head darted to the side, catching his and Nana Kwame's watchful gaze on us. Those two were up to something, but I just hadn't figured it out yet.

"Gentlemen." The approaching detective and Coach Sarah steered my attention away from my rivals.

"How are you feeling, today?" Detective Frimpong asked.

"Pretty good," I replied, trying my best to look confident.

"Are you sure?" Coach placed a hand on my shoulder. "Cuz if you're not, we can still pull you out of the competition. It's not a big deal."

This wasn't the first time she had suggested that. In fact, within three days, she'd suggested it about a dozen times. Ever since the news broke out that the finals were back on, Coach Sarah had been doting on me, almost as if Akunna's death had made me lose a limb and I was no good for swimming. No matter how many times I told her that I was fine and good enough to compete, she'd always find another way to bring the question up.

"I'm good Coach, really." I subtly shrugged her hand off, right before the announcer called for all male 200meter breaststroke swimmers.

"Wish me luck, guys." Shaking hands with Seth, I grabbed my goggles, swim cap and walked out, ready to face race one.

I had two of them today, the last one being an Individual Medley race that would determine whether Ethan got to keep his title for the third time or not.

I was more than ready to snatch it from him, but before that, I had to take care of this race first.

A cloud of cheers welcomed us onto the deck, as we prepped ourselves for the heat. Shooting my vision to where Shola and the rest of my friends sat, I threw them a warm smile before climbing onto block 4 and adjusted my goggles.

"On your marks!"

I bent low, ready to shred through for the win.

Beep!

My body flew in, embracing the coolness that came with the water. I streamlined forward and broke the surface to begin my strokes with the usual breaststroke format.

For some reason, my first practice session with Princess rolled out right before my mind's eye. I thought I knew her back then. I thought because she'd helped me improve my breaststroke, she was worth calling a friend. But after discovering the secrets behind her relationship with Ethan, in addition to what she'd done to Akunna, it made me realise that I'd been too quick to trust her. When I thought that I was being a good friend to her, she was just using me to crawl back to Ethan. Ethan was the only person that mattered to her, and as much as I thought the whole deal she had with him was messed up, I definitely had no say in what she could and could not do. She had her reasons for signing up to be his prostitute. The only thing I could do was to pray for a serious revelation for her.

My body charged through water for the last time across the length of the pool. Slapping the tile, my legs kicked harder than before. Fellow swimmers fought beside me, thrashing through water for the win that was gradually coming within reach, and as I stretched a hand, I nabbed it for myself, bringing the race to an end.

1st place|| Akwasi Appiah || 2:10.5

"Let's give it up for the overall winner of the men's 200meter breaststroke event, Akwasi Appiah!"

The joy that came with the victory, as well as the energy from the crowd, had me floating on cloud nine. For the first time since my roommate's passing, I felt happy. I felt like myself again, ready to face anything and everything life threw at me... and that included bringing Ethan down.

¤¤¤¤¤

"Ladies and gents, this is the moment we've all been waiting for..." the announcement blared out of the speakers. "It's time for the final race of the competition, the men's 200meter individual medley!"

The atmosphere was tense, despite the raging cheers from the crowd.

"Swimmers in this race will have to travel the length of the pool four times, using all four swim strokes. The first person to finish will earn the title of Penfield's Greatest Swimmer!"

Another barrage of shouts and applause wafted into the air. I cracked my knuckles, readying myself for the swim that mattered most of all in my entire swimming career.

"So let's welcome our competitors!"

One by one, we were called out onto the deck. Ethan, who was introduced as the defending champion, appeared quite confident as he strolled towards the starting block, throwing kisses in the air.

Hm, enjoy it while it lasts, I quietly thought. Being introduced as the sixth swimmer, I stepped out to meet my own set of welcome cheers that sent a wave of goosebumps floating on my skin as I pulled my jacket off.

The whole room was packed to the hilt. Since this was the final race, everyone had come to watch. Knowing this pushed my heart into a pool of anxiety. But before those feelings could get the best of me, I shook them off with a strong reminder that I was here, for one thing, one goal, and that was to get that title for me, my friends, but most importantly, for Akunna. Akunna mattered so much to me. This was the least I could do to avenge my brother's death.

Slapping my thighs and bouncing on the balls of my feet, I soon mounted my block. Block number 6.

The two-time reigning champion stood tall on block number 4. He shot a brief look my way, eyes narrowing when mine met his. In a span of days, we'd gone from childhood friends to sworn enemies.

It wouldn't be an overstatement if I said that Ethan had changed completely. Because it was so hard to believe that this guy was once a kind, sweet little boy who used to share his lunch with me at school anytime he noticed that I didn't bring any. I would have liked to blame his whole change in personality on the fact that he moved to Accra, but I knew Ethan. He was someone who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was given everything he ever wanted as a kid, and as an adult, the story hadn't changed either. That was probably why he was so determined to keep the title of Penfield's Greatest Swimmer. He saw it as his own, something he wanted, and he was willing to fight for it by any means necessary.

But my late brother and friend once told me during a starry Val's day dance to go for what I wanted, and that was what I intended to do. I wanted this thing as much as Ethan did. I wasn't going to let it slip past my fingers with ease. Even if I had to use my teeth to snatch this win from him, I will.

"Swimmers, on your marks!"

Bending low for the last time today, I pretended not to feel the eyes of a thousand people boring down on me. I focused only on the mass of liquid in front of me and the seven other competitors on my side. They were all good swimmers, I had to admit, but that win was mine.

Beep!

With all the might I had to offer, I lunged forward, diving into the chlorinated pool. The butterfly was the first stroke and I broke the surface with it, swinging my arms like that of an actual butterfly.

The crowd raged on, setting my ears ablaze, along with the ferocious splash of water from my other competitors. We reached the turn and flipped over to backstroke. I had Seth give me a couple of pointers during the three days I had spent practicing for this meet. I could almost hear his voice in my ears.

Keep your head as still as possible by looking up. If you look down, your hips will drop, increasing your drag and reducing your speed.

Your kicks shouldn't be super wide! The smaller and faster your kick, the faster you will go. And always maintain the posture.

My pointed feet fluttered in the water, carrying me forward to the turn, which soon marked the beginning of breaststroke. My transition was swift, almost had me believing that I was in the lead until I spotted Ethan shooting forward on my left. It only fueled my movement. My arms swung faster and so did my legs.

We hit the final turn, moving on to freestyle. My legs flapped in the water, as my arms extended. Every move I made propelled me toward my goal. I was almost there, and though my muscles felt strained like they had reached their limit, I suddenly had this intense driving force, pushing me to go even faster than I was before. When I blinked past all the blue tint in my goggles, Akunna was right in front of me, hand outstretched, beckoning me to come closer. My rotating arms picked up the pace, slicing through the water.

All I wanted was to touch him. All I wanted was to grab his hand and pull him out of wherever he was. But the moment my hand touched his, it came into contact with a cold wet tile. I gaped at my hand.

The harsh sound of the buzzer brought me back to reality, as my fellow competitors lined up in their respective lanes, showering me with congratulatory messages.

I had won. Akunna had helped me win, and though my heart rejoiced upon seeing that I'd exceeded Ethan's time and set a new record, I couldn't shake off the feeling that this victory would've been sweeter if Akunna was around.

I missed my friend, I missed him a lot more than words could describe.

Climbing out of the pool, I waved at the crowd, locating my girlfriend and the rest of my friends. Shola's eyes brimmed with tears of joy and Deon looked as if he was minutes away from flying over to capture me in a hug. Felix, Deladem, Nadia, and Seth were all on their feet, adding on to the joyous rainbow of cheers.

Akunna wasn't here right now, but at least I had these people to celebrate with.

Grabbing my towel, I patted myself dry, ready to head back into the locker rooms. But my feet soon came to a halt when I noticed a squad of policemen, finding their way onto the dock.

Curiosity and a blob of fear invaded my bloodstream when Detective Frimpong pointed an accusing finger at me and moved in my direction with the police officials.

My blood turned cold. "Is-is everything alright, sir?"

"Akwasi Appiah, you are under arrest as a suspect for the murder of the late Theodore Akunna Williams."

******