Coming Up for Air(7)

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I glance over at Roxy. She's animatedly talking to her host.

The AD introduces me to Sylvia, a small girl still wearing a skirt and tiny top from dancing at the basketball game earlier. She cranes her neck back to look up at me. "God, you're tall!"

"Will that be a problem?" the AD asks in a depreciating tone.

Sylvia shoots him a look and places a hand on her hip. "C'mon, Maggie. We have to go get ready."

"Ready for what?" the AD and I ask simultaneously.

"Uh, dinner in the dining hall. And a night tour of the library." Sylvia grabs my heavy overnight bag, throws it over her shoulder with surprising ease, and yanks me out of the boardroom. "I thought we'd never escape. The AD thinks the dance team is made up of idiots."

"One of my best friends is a cheerleader, and she is definitely not an idiot."

Sylvia smiles. "I like you."

She stops to put on a hoodie over her dance uniform before leading me back to her dorm, pointing out places like the Terrace Café and the bookstore along the way. The quad features a few marble statues surrounded by trees. I could definitely see myself studying there this fall.

It's Saturday night, but campus is busy and bustling. Some people are running around screaming, celebrating the basketball team's win. A group of guys wearing Greek fraternity letters-I'm not sure what they say-come spilling out of the dorms.

"Let's streak!" one hollers.

"Yes!" another replies, pumping his fist in the air. "But first let's get pizza."

I crack up. No matter where you go, guys are still guys, and that means food comes first.

"Don't eat before you streak!" I call out. "You might get cramps."

The boys laugh at my joke, then hustle down the sidewalk, presumably in search of pizza.

Watching these people goof around, I can't remember the last time I let loose. I guess when I went to a bonfire last summer with my friends and stayed out past midnight. It was fun, but you know what's even more enjoyable? Winning. Which means practice comes first. Which means I need rest in order to get up at the crack of dawn and swim my best.

Sylvia swipes her ID card in a door reader and we go inside her dorm. Two students manning the front desk greet Sylvia by name, then look back down at an iPad they're sharing. They must be watching videos while they work. I've never had time for a job, but I like the idea of greeting people as they come home. 

Sylvia leads me to the stairs. "I'm on the fourth floor. You okay to walk?"

"Sure."

"Good. It doesn't matter if you live up on the eighth floor. People will give you shit if you take the elevator in MacDonald."

We hustle up to her floor and she leads me to a door with a little white board for messages. I make a mental note to remember to buy one of those, along with some markers. Inside her room, there's enough space for two beds, desks, and dressers. Pictures of dancers and cheerleaders cover the walls. A collection of medals hangs from a peg above her desk. Maybe I'll do that with my medals next year. And I could hang a bulletin board with pictures of my friends.

It's very clean in here. Much cleaner than my room. I tend to toss my dirty clothes on the floor instead of in the hamper, which drives my mom batty. Levi too. He generally invites me to his place because my room is always a pigsty. Having a roommate for the first time in my life will be different. I'll need to keep my space tidy. Wait. What if she's even messier than me? Hopefully I'll get somebody I'm compatible with. If I'm rooming with another athlete, odds are we'll be at practice most of the time, when we're not in class or sleeping.

"I hope you don't mind an air mattress."

"Not at all," I reply, taking off my jacket. "Thanks for hosting me. I bet it's weird having a swimmer instead of a dancer."

She shrugs. "We'll still have fun. What did you bring to wear?"

I look down at my ripped jeans and long-sleeved tee. "Stuff like this."

"There's a party at the basketball house. They're celebrating. We need to look cute."

I bite my bottom lip. It's not like I'm a prude. It's just, I've never been to a party-party before. I always have to wake up early on weekends, so staying out late is a no-go. What if Sylvia ditches me and I have no one to talk to? What if they only have booze to drink?

I have had a drink before. One time when Levi's mom was out of town, we experimented with her liquor cabinet. Not only did it feel terrible, Coach Josh totally caught us. The next day he knew something was up when we were sluggish. I haven't had any interest in drinking since.