At practice, Keegan is always the first in the water. Even though it is against the rules of the school pool, Keegan often swims by himself. But no one yells at him for breaking the guidelines anymore: no matter how many times he was scolded, he would only do it again the next day. The team couldn't afford to keep him from swimming in meets as a punishment, so they just began to look the other way instead of reporting it. Keegan is supposed to wait for at least one other member to be present before getting into the water to avoid drowning, but anyone who has ever heard of Keegan isn't worried about that happening to him.

All of the other boys on the team know better than to try getting in without a partner, though, because none of them are like Keegan. They have a fear for the water that he doesn't, but it isn't for a lack of respect- Keegan's reverence of the water is the secret to the freedom that is exerted when he swims. He is on his third warm-up lap before Asher shows up with the rest of the team. The small herd of boys sit down in the bleachers while the Captain goes to retrieve Keegan from the pool.

"Kee," Asher shouts to be heard over the water in his friend's ears.

Keegan turns his head towards him when taking a breath, signaling that he has heard him without having to stop gliding through the water. He continues his strokes and Asher begins to walk beside him as he cuts through the pool.

The Captain recognizes the response and takes his cue to continue speaking. "Hop out for a second, I have to talk with the team." He walks beside Keegan's slow strokes and follows him to the end of the twenty-five meter pool. He bends at the waist and waits with a hand outstretched for Keegan to surface.

Once Keegan reaches the end, his feet find the bottom of the pool and he lowers his goggles around his neck, pulling the cap from his head. He shakes the water from his curls and takes Asher's hand, allowing himself to be helped from the pool. Water splashes off of his wet body but Asher doesn't hesitate in walking through the puddle that Keegan had created as they head towards the rest of the team.

The Captain waits to begin speaking until they have gotten to the group and comes to a stop in front of them with Keegan beside him. Asher looks down at the friend beside him, observing how little his chest rises and falls. Though he had been swimming at a decent pace, he isn't very winded, showing the good condition of his body. Asher smiles faintly and turns his attention back to the group in front of him. "Alright, listen up. The coach is out today and left me in charge of tonight's practice."

The group of boys quit their messing around and perk up, leaning forward to hear their Captain speak. Since middle school the team has gained and lost a few members, and the total number of athletes on the boy's swim team is now eight. But Keegan and Asher remain the same in their relationship, even as their talents sharpen and their abilities grow. The two have an easy way with each other that none of the other boys have quite mastered, but that they all respect. To mess with Keegan means to offend Asher, and anyone who offends Asher has the whole team to deal with. Even the high school's football team has a string of gossip running through it that divides it one way or another, unlike the swim team. They are like a family who looks out for each other, rather than a group of teenagers.

"We'll be swimming against Christian Academy on Wednesday," Asher announces, seeing a few of the boys cringe at the news. As per usual, Keegan doesn't react beyond a blank expression as the Captain continues. "So that means that we'll be up against a pretty tough school. I hear that they've got Michael Bailey on their team this year."

Keegan glances up at the name, having never forgotten it since that night. Is he going to be able to swim with Michael again? His heart quickens a bit at the thought, and he briefly wonders if he has improved enough to beat his rival for a second time. Things were different in middle school- easier. Now they have both grown to be strong swimmers with the same goal: to beat each other.

"Isn't that the kid that Fish swam with in middle school?" One of the boys, Spencer, asks. He was the one swimming the butterfly on that day at the relay, and had witnessed the entire race between Keegan and Michael. Spencer turns to the rest of the team, explaining to the three boys that hadn't been with them back then to see it for themselves. "Hollywood almost beat him- that's the first time I've ever seen someone come so close to matching Fish in Freestyle."

"Wait, s-seriously?" One boy asks, looking unnerved. His almond shaped eyes going wide as he considers the possibility that the Great Fish had almost been beaten in a race in his natural element.

"Since when do you call Michael 'Hollywood'?" Asher asks, brow raising a bit in amusement. Spencer has the habit of making up nicknames for everyone on the team, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that he had given one to Michael, as well. He did have quite the impact on their prized swimmer, after all. After that race, Keegan had started training harder than he ever had, eager to race with Michael again.

"He's always called him that, Boss." A fair skinned boy, whom Spencer calls Squid, speaks up, using Asher's pet name. If anyone would know how long the code name 'Hollywood' has been in use, it would be Patton. He and Spencer have been best friends since the third grade, so Asher takes his word for it with a noncommittal shrug.

"Anyway, that was before Michael- Uh, Hollywood," Asher corrects. "Went to Europe to train for a few months right after the Little Valley relay. He's going to be much faster than he was back then." He adds, casting a glance at the boy beside him.

Keegan looks up at his friend quizzically, having never heard this news before. He was a little disappointed to see that Michael didn't show up at any other meets after that day, even when they were scheduled to swim against Little Valley again. He assumed that he must have moved to a school without a swim team, or transferred somewhere with an even better team that was too advanced for Keegan's group to go up against. Either way, Keegan hadn't heard his name again since that day, and he can't help the spark that ignites in his belly at the thought of racing Michael again. He unknowingly makes a fist around the swim cap in his grasp and turns his face away, suppressing an excited smile.

"Wow, fancy," Spencer whistles, playfully knocking shoulders with Squid, a small grin on his face. " I see why "Hollywood" fits him. Do you think Fish stands a chance against him now?"

Asher glances down at Keegan, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I think he's improved more than you realize. Don't count him out just yet, you guys."

"I'm sure Fish could have gone to train in another country too, if he wanted. Right?" Chino, the boy with the almond shaped eyes pipes in, looking determined. "We have the best high school freestyle swimmer in New Jersey, remember?" He reminds the team with confidence, a beaming smile on his face.

"Yeah! Kee's actually gotten tons of offers through the mail since middle school. He always throws them away though, without even looking at them..." Teagan, a small freshman with blond curls adds, looking shyly at his cousin, as if he will be angry at him for informing the team of his disinterest in fancy swimming schools.

Keegan glances at the skittish boy, but doesn't glare. Though many of the other boys don't notice, he has a fondness for his younger cousin, due to the fact that they practically grew up together. The little, curly haired boy has always been riding on Keegan's figurative coat tails, blue eyes filled with admiration. Since he witnessed that meet between Michael and Keegan, Teagan has looked up to his cousin and wanted to be just like him. He ended up joining Keegan's middle school team after he went on to high school, and now swims with him in his freshman year.

"Whoa, for real?" A ginger haired boy exclaims, looking at Keegan like he may be insane. "Why? If I got even one offer, I'd jump at it!"

Keegan turns his face away from the prying eyes of the team and looks over his shoulder at the pool, admiring the way the overhead lights reflect off of the glassy surface. He is now a junior in high school and colleges have been vying for his attention, wanting him to become a part of their swim teams once he graduates. Even two of the countries biggest swimming schools have sent him letters, but Keegan didn't hesitate in tucking them away. He doesn't want to swim for anyone else but Sarah.

"He's got his reasons, and it's not any of your guys' business, alright? If he wants to throw away his own mail, he doesn't have to justify himself," Asher defends, stepping slightly in front of his friend, habitually creating a sort of wall between him and the others. "Now, I have the new training regimens." The Captain says, clearing his throat and looking down at the clip board in the crook of his arm. He proceeds to hand out a sheet of laminated paper to the team to look over, starting with Keegan.

He scans it over with his eyes quickly, not bothering to memorize it since he knows that Asher will be reading it out loud once everyone is in the pool, anyway.

Warm up:

400 free

10x50 @1:00 drills

5 working on freestyle kicking drills like 3p-6k, 6k-switch, shark fin, catch-up with 6k pause

5 choice

8x25 choice sculling

8x300 @4:30 free swim with fins

Descend 1-4 - #4 at very strong effort to be warmed up for main set

Main set:

6x25 @:45 parachutes and paddles, buoy optional, sprint free

1x50 @1:00 fast free from dive

1x50 @1:00 ez free

(x2)

w/fins

1x75 @1:10 dkob / 25 sprint fly or back

1x50 @1:00 25uwdk / 25 sprint free

(x3)

100 cool down

3700

Keegan has no complaints about the new regimen and passes it along to an eagerly waiting Spencer. Once the others see their new work out, there are a few moans throughout the team members.

"Oh, come on guys, it's not much harder than the last one, it's just different. Chino," The black haired boy looks up at the Captain. "You and Red go pull out the fins and paddles, please."

"Yes, Boss." He groans, then hops off of the bench along side the ginger haired boy. The two pad to the storage closet at the opposite end of the pool and drag out a few bins that hold the required items. Several loud slaps echo off of the walls as the boys begin to pull paddles from a box and toss them onto the moist tile of the floor.

Asher turns to address the rest of the team who have finished reading the new regimen. "Alright, get yourselves some fins and start your warm-ups." He hasn't even finished speaking before there is a splash behind him, making him look over his shoulder.

Keegan is gliding through the water towards the end of the pool, the thought of swimming against Michael again racing through his brain. He doesn't pay much attention to the others throughout the rest of the practice, enjoying the heat in his muscles from the new training exercises. He finds himself smiling more than once with eagerness when an image of Michael's determined face flashes into his mind. It's been a long time since Keegan was looking forward to something, and he can hardly wait for the race against Christian Academy.

~

Author's Note

Sorry about the impossibly long update, this story was at a stand-still for a while. Here's a list of the characters, their nicknames and style of swimming:

Keegan Church(Fish)- Freestyle

Asher Atwood(Boss)- Back and Butterfly

Spencer Princeton(Prince)- Butterfly

Jude Simmons(Red)- Breast

Rhea Han(Chino)- Back and Breast

Patton Young(Squid)- Free and Breast

Killian King(Cricket)- Back

Teagan Jones(Git)- Breast

Michael Bailey(Hollywood)- Free and Butterfly

To all of the swimmers reading this, I hope the regimen makes sense... I'm not a swimmer, so if you see any mistakes, please let me know and I'll fix them! I'm actually an awful swimmer who could drown in a wave pool. I personally hate swimming, but I really enjoy watching other people swim. My best friend used to swim for our school, though I never got very into it and wish I had gone to some of her meets. I was inspired by the anime Free! Iwatobi Swim Club (as I see some of you have noticed), and I figured that I should branch out with character hobbies, as well. If every one of my characters does something that I enjoy, then that doesn't help me become a better writer, right? I have to step out of my comfort zone to explore all of what's out there. So, that's a big reason for this story.

I'm glad that it has gotten so much attention, even though this is only the second chapter. It makes me happy that people are interested in this idea, and I hope you aren't disappointed with it as it progresses. I will begin to branch out and away from the similarities between Free! and this book soon, and it will probably get more action involving Keegan's father. Probably. There still isn't a solid plan for this yet, so I apologize. I hope you enjoy as it unfolds and stay seated for the whole ride!

Thank you,

-A.