HEMP ROPE

Believe.

The closer it got to the tryout day, the more restless Team became. After rolling about on his bed for hours, he got up to kill time by switching on his PC to play online games. Once he logged in, a friend greeted him as if they'd been waiting for him.

 

[Hey, Pooh Bear, how are you?]

 

Team laughed in the mic. Pooh Bear was his online name. When he named his character, he thought about a certain blond guy, as he couldn't come up with one himself. That made Pooh bear the name for his handsome and bulky character in a game.

 

"The club's pretty busy, Hia."

 

The guy on the other side, named Barbaden, was at his party. Team was there because of Barbaden, although gaming wasn't his thing. Barbaden was boisterous, but when he got angry, it was so hilarious that no one could get mad at him.

 

[It's lonely without you here. I always get swarmed.] He whined into the mic. Team shook his head. This guy was certainly capping.

 

"Isn't it because you were hot-headed with others?"

 

[You're slandering me. I'm as cool as a cucumber.]

Team blurted out laughing. "You're hilarious, man. Like my senior. So comfortable to be with.

 

[Oh? Is it your senior or your lover?]

[Silence? Whoooohooooo]

 

The young man rolled his eyes....This was also like him...they both loved messing with people. As he pondered giving up a friendship with this guy, another online friend's name popped up, making Team smile.

 

"Oh. P'T-Rex's online."

 

[Is he!? Let's get him. Today we'll beat him.] A playful voice turned furious.

Team arched his brow. "You're still fighting with him? He's decent, so good at games too."

 

[Ok, my ass. He messes with people. He shoots first, asks later!! And you're siding with him.]

 

"I'm not!"

[Found him. Die, you lizard!]

 

"Hey!!! Phii, wait up!"

 

Team pressed the key to run after, laughing along with the senior. Friends so entertained him that he never knew a face, forgetting his worries for a moment. Before he knew it, the lights in the sky started to thin.

 

Lunch time at the Economic Faculty today, a new friend was introduced to them. The girl with a pretty face and waist-length black hair. Her greyish-green eyes were so endearing that it was no wonder the drama club had high hopes for her.

 

"Pharm already knows her, so I'm introducing her to Team." Manow held her friend's shoulders.

 

"This's Del, P'Dean's sister. She's a first-year liberal arts student." Team's eyes bulged. The young lady in front of him was friendly, unlike her brother, who had a permanent frown on his face.

 

"Whoa... wouldn't believe it if it hadn't been for the eye colour." Del giggled at that.

 

"And this is Team, my friend. Also, P'Dean is a junior in his club." Team waved halfheartedly. "Please tell P' Dean to take it easy on me."

 

"And this is Pharm..a sister-in-law...ouch, Pharm!! Why'd you do that!?" Manow squeaked at her friend, pinching her arm.

 

"Manow." Pharm's voice turned menacing. Manow rubbed the reddened skin and turned to Del. "See? He's fierce."

 

Del's face turned serious. "Yeah. P'Dean said the same thing."

"Eh?" Pharm was alarmed.

 

When did he turn fierce on P'Dean? He couldn't recall. As his friend looked paranoid, Team felt sorry for him. He grabbed his friend's head and swayed it from side to side.

"Maaann."

 

Pharm looked at the two young ladies exchanging sparkly eyes and Team's smile before he knew he was being teased.

 

"Oh.Del, you..."

 

The laughter ensued. The four of them continued to chat away, as they had no class before Manow and Del got away to get snacks and drinks. Team stretched and dropped his face on the table, yawn-ing.

 

A few days ago, he was gaming; yesterday, he was reading comics. That's why he felt sleep-deprived.

 

"You've sunken eyes. Have you slept well lately?" Pharm brushed back Team's bangs to see his friend's face clearly. The usual happy face was now pale.

 

"Yes," responded a hoarse voice. But only for a few hours.

 

"Sleep earlier today. Your club's closed, right?" If he remembered correctly, Dean said the club cancelled all activities today. Everyone needed a full rest before the tryout.

 

Team glanced at his friend, his lips curled.

"Boy, you know so much about the swimming club these days."

 

Pharm almost choked. He glared at his friend after all his concerns. Pharm made sure to tell P'Dean to give Team the hardest training.

 

The sky at half past six was a faint bluish violet. The natural light was fading, contrary to the faculties where artificial lights were lit and students crowded about.

 

The swimming club, on its day off, was supposed to be completely dark. The standard-sized swimming pool looked empty without people; the water's surface barely rippled. However, the place was illuminated by a pool light and other sources of light, which shone above ground, lessening its creepy atmosphere. Now he risked being caught using the pool.

 

The tall figure who snuck his way in stood at the pool, his empty eyes staring at the light reflected on the water's surface.

 

Team meant to go home, but it was no use if he couldn't sleep. It's better to take an hour or two to train, as it could help him sleep better.

 

The young man stood at the starting point. He inhaled deeply and touched his fingertips on a deck, assuming a ready stance. His mind visualised the tryout, the cheering and the referee's voice.

 

Ready.

Set.

Go!!

 

The sound of the water's surface splashed. The young man dove, arms pulling himself forward, somersaulting at the other end, pushing himself towards his goal.

 

Splash.

 

Once reaching the edge, he checked the time. It made him frown. He slammed his hand against the water's surface, venting his frustration and clambered up a deck to take off again. Plunging into the water, he swam again to get the time he hoped for.

 

Must be faster.

Again.

And again.

 

The cold water pierced his skin. With no sense of time, he swam back and forth. In his mind, he knew he had to be faster, but he was ending up the opposite. The scurrying twitched his swimming pace; frustration got the best of him. As he somersaulted again, pain shot through his leg, stopping his movement, and his body plunged into the cold water.

 

Cramp!?

 

Team's eyes widened, and he focused on bringing himself up to the water surface, but his muscles wouldn't cooperate.

 

"Warm up before you get in the water."

"Why? I'm too lazy for that."

 

"No! You have to stretch your muscles first. It's very important. Got that?"

 

"Yeah, I know. So fussy."

 

A panic attack got him choked in the water. Phii, help me. His vision blurred; his exhaustion from lack of sleep wasn't helping. A familiar flickering shadow flashed before his eyes. He wanted to see him...just one more time.

 

Hia...

Splash!!

Before he blacked out, he felt strong arms around him, pulling him up to the surface.

 

"Team!"

 

Even before the CPR, the drowned man opened his mouth gasping for oxygen by instinct.

 

"Huff! Cough."

 

"Ok, breath, breath. Yeah...breath in, breath out. Good."

 

Team choked out water until his face changed colour. His cramps weren't as bad as before. As his breathing returned to normal, his bloodshot eyes looked up at his saviour.

 

"..Cough...Hia."

 

Win was in his soaked uniform. His tight samurai bun disarrayed, the usual smiley face now hardened.

 

"You know it's a club's day off." His voice strained, two hands balled into tight fists.

 

"..." Team couldn't look him in the eyes.

 

"Using the pool without permission will result in probation and scholarship revocation." The aggression in Phawin's eyes turned his junior's face pallid. "If I didn't happen to see the pool light and come by, what do you think would happen?"

 

Phawin was frozen to his core. He thought there was nothing to it; he just needed to turn off the lights. He did not expect a drowning body in the middle of the pool. He hated to think about what would happen if he were even a second late...

 

"Answer me, Team. Why?" Win clamped on Team's shoulder, forcing the junior to look at him.

 

"I just wanted to train."

 

"What?"

 

"I just wanted to train, so I'd get a good score tomorrow!!"

 

"What the fuck!?" The man roared. His eyes turned redder than the drowned junior. 

 

"You almost drowned, you idiot!! You almost died in front of me. Don't you realise that!?"

 

Bam!!

 

A punch was directed at his face. Team yelped, feeling the blood in his mouth as his face turned. He was about to say more, but shut himself once he saw the other's expression.

 

"Hia,!.."

 

"If I were a minute late. No, if only thirty seconds, you might have ended up at the bottom of the poo!!!"

 

"..."

The junior wrapped his arms around himself.

 

Win was right. He almost....

 

Team gasped when he was pulled into a tight embrace. Win's body shook like a terrified animal. Guilt washed over him; his words were forgotten, and all he could do was hold the other back and pat the other's wet body in consolation.

 

"Don't ever do that again..."

 

"Okay..."

 

"I almost had a heart attack."

 

"Hhm." Team held the other back tighter, warm tears gathered in his eyes. Not just him, but Win was equally hurting.

 

The atmosphere in the Japanese car, where the owner wasn't driving, was tense, as usual. Team held an ice pack against his cheek to help the swelling. The ice was bought along with medicines and some simple meals from a convenience store Win stopped by.

 

"How's your leg?"

 

"No longer hurts." Team gave his thigh a light massage. It was a bit sore but manageable.

 

"A warm, damp washcloth will help loosen your muscles. You didn't warm up before swimming. You deserved cramps."

 

Team turned dejected, ears already numbed from all the reprimands today.

 

"Did you get any sleep?"

Slightly stunned, Team muttered. "Yes."

 

"How many hours?"

"Five..."

 

"'I'll let you speak again." The senior's voice got harder. "Your eyes are as black as a raccoon's."

 

Team avoided eye contact and feigned wiping the melting ice on his shirt. "Three or two."

 

Phawin clenched his teeth and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to calm his irritability. He mentally swore hundreds of times. What a stubborn kid. God damn stubborn kid. And what should he do about it?

 

When the traffic light turned green, Win steered the wheel the other way instead of going straight. Team raised his eyes at the unfamiliar street before turning to Phawin in confusion.

 

"Hia, where are you going? Our dorm's right ahead." The young man agitated; he couldn't possibly know what the other was thinking now.

 

"I changed my mind. Let's get you a hot bath first. Then tomorrow you must have lots of good food. So, you'd do better in the tryout."

 

"And what does that have to do with us not returning to our dorm?"

 

"Of course." The senior responded with a straight face. "Because you're sleeping at my house."

 

"What!?"

 

The swimming club's vice president's house is a modern-style house, contrary to what Team had in mind. Team thought about the houses of Chinese descendants, like what he had seen from dramas: heavily ornamented, decorated with dragons, large expensive vases and lots of red stuff. But in reality, it wasn't any of that. The most Chinese-looking thing in the house was a round dining table and Ti Zhu Aia, made of white marble, which blended well with the house's tone. Truly, the hotel owner's house.

 

"Pa went to Hong Kong for work. Ma comes home late at night. Now there are only my older and younger brothers at home. I think they're in their rooms now."

Phawin explained as he pushed the confused junior to sit in the living room. He then went to the kitchen to warm up some food.

 

Team tensed in his seat, looking around the room. On the wall, a large photograph of a man and a woman, presumably Win's parents, was displayed. A cabinet full of awards. He sat with his legs pressed together, hand clasped for a long moment before he realised he was alone. He then could relax and lean back on the sofa.

 

What the hell am I tensing for? I haven't met anyone in Hia Win's family. Idiot.

 

The young man closed his eyes in exhaustion. He looked back on the events that had happened that day. Almost drowned, Hia Win was pissed at him, punched him, and finally dragged him to his home. Once he was calm enough, fear gradually returned to grip him. Team's heart beat against his ribcage.

If Win hadn't shown up...

 

"What's wrong?"

Gasp.

 

He jerked from the sudden cold on his forehead. Team's eyes widened, looking up at Win standing above his head. In Win's hand was a new ice-wrapped cloth. On the other hand, it was a warm box of food.

 

"Does it hurt? Use this first. After you finish eating, take some meds. Think you have a fever. For lip ointment, you can apply it after showering and teeth brushing."

 

Team nodded, taking a pack of ice and pressing it to his cheek, but Win didn't let him take the box of food.

 

"I'll feed you."

 

"No way!" Team's eyes bulged. His cheeks sored from a punch, his legs sored from cramps, but his hands were perfectly fine, mind you!

 

Phawin ignored the outburst. He scooped up a morsel of fried rice with sausage in front of Team, urging him to open his mouth. "Keep refusing me, and we'll never finish eating. If you just eat as I say, we'll finish quickly."

 

"Oh, right." Team's face went attained enlightenment.' He'd better hurry and eat just to get it over with. Decision made, he opened up like a little bird waiting to be fed.

 

After soaking in warm water and taking the medicine, the confused young man now lay confused on a large, soft bed. Everything happened so fast that there wasn't even a chance for him to explore Win's room.

 

Team rolled over, he sniffed into the nightgown he wore and buried his face in a pillow, comparing the smell. It had a similar smell to Win's dorm room. A fresh scent put him at ease.

 

"Be good and make some room for me."

 

Phawin came out of the bathroom and nudged Team with his feet. When he lay down next to the junior, he touched Team's forehead.

 

"Your temperature is normal now."

 

"Oh, I panicked. Maybe that's the reason." Team tried to feel his own forehead, it was no longer hot.

 

"Good, if you have a fever. I won't let you in the tryout tomorrow."

"Hia." Team drawled weakly.

 

"Quit it, this is just a qualifying competition. If you get a pass to compete with K-University? How far worse would you get?"

 

Phawin's expression turned solemn. He lightly ruffled Team's hair.

"Do you panic every time there's an official competition or qualifying?"

 

Team pursed his lips tight, looking away. This condition, he hid away even from his family; no one ever knew. His greatest fear was that if somebody did, his dream of swimming would be ripped away, and he'd have nothing left in his life. What about Hia Win? If he knew, would he end his dream?

 

Phawin heaved a big sigh. He was well aware he shouldn't be pushing. But if Team's condition led to a terrible consequence, he couldn't look past that. He'd need a doctor.

 

Team clenched his fists tight and slowly raised his head at Win, whose brows were still tightly drawn together.

 

"You're special to me."

Could he believe that?

 

"Hia", Team tugged at Win's shirt.

"Hmm?"

 

"After the exam.'I'll tell you about it."

Could he believe Win?

 

Phawin gently patted the younger man's back, like how he'd lull a small child to comfort. They kept their steady gazes, feeling the outer shell of their hearts cracking open.

 

Team straightened up to press his lips on the other's eyebrows, then rubbed them with his fingertips to unknot them.

 

Phawin had a faint smile before pressing his forehead against the stubborn kid's forehead.

 

"Sweet dreams."

"Sweet dreams, Hia."

 

They didn't have to do much. No sweet words were needed—just the understanding and being by each other's side in times of mental and physical exhaustion. It was the comfort pushing them to move on.