Beth enjoyed the early mornings. Everything was so quiet. There was barely any traffic and most students were still in bed. It gave her a chance to think and the early morning practices helped her to really wake up and feel energised for a day of classes or studying ahead.<br/><br/>However, she was greeted with bad news. She stood in the conditioning room in a red t shjirt and grey shorts, her brunette hair pulled back into a high ponytail, next to Sophie, a fellow freshman who was in a few of Beth's classes. At the front of the room, Kelsi stood with...Brian. Her stomach twisted when she remembered how he'd acted in their biology class yesterday. With Vanessa. She felt her face flush when she remembered the pictures Vanessa had sent her. She'd debated deleting them but they were just to good to erase.<br/><br/>Kelsi explained that Coach Darbus was having to take an extended leave of absence and the men and women would be practicing together for the foreseeable future. Both teams groaned and started protesting, all the sounds merging together.<br/><br/>"That's not fair!"<br/><br/>"There's not enough lanes for both teams!"<br/><br/>"They just treat practice like a pool party!"<br/><br/>Kelsi heaved a heavy sigh. "All great points but this is the situation. We will be sharing the pool until further notice."<br/><br/>Beth glanced at Brian again, her mind flooded with memories of the way he jumped in the pool, his muscles rippling as he kicked the water and curled his arms over his head, the way he twisted his head to take his breaths. He was a good swimmer, even she knew that. But she suspected he got the role of captain by being everybody's best buddy, not because he was the best on the team.