West laughed lightly while shaking his head. "It was a team effort."
Across the field, Nina stood with her own class. Class 3C had done exceptionally well. Second place wasn't a loss... it was a near victory.
But it wasn't first.
She clapped for her teammates, smiling brightly, even laughing when someone dramatically accused West of being unfairly gifted by the universe.
Yet every now and then, her eyes drifted... and they always found him.
Later, when most students had begun packing up, West didn't immediately leave. He didn't have to shower at school since he wasn't in any way sweaty but he did anyway.
The locker room was loud with leftover adrenaline and loud retellings of exaggerated feats.
He rinsed off, letting the cold water run down his shoulders.
Afterward, he joined a few classmates at the poolside celebration. Music played from someone's speaker. Students dipped their feet in the water, still energized, reliving moments from earlier events.
