Dead Man's Float

4:30 AM practice. That's some actual bull right there.

I dragged myself out of bed like a zombie—literally staggering, eyes half-closed, arms reaching for something that wasn't there. My sister said I looked like I'd crawled out of a grave. She wasn't wrong.

"You alive, Leo?" she called from the kitchen.

"Barely," I mumbled, shoving a bagel in my face.

Swimming had been my thing since freshman year. But senior year? Different beast. College coaches were watching. State finals next month. And here I was, swimming through cement while my mind played zombie apocalypse scenarios on loop.

The pool deck smelled like chlorine and desperation. My rivals were already there—sleek, focused, not questioning their life choices like I was.

Then I saw him.

Miller. The same Miller who'd made my life hell since seventh grade. The same Miller who'd locked me in a equipment closet for three hours that time. The bully who'd somehow also become the best swimmer in the district.

He was doing butterfly, looking effortless. Like gravity didn't apply.

I hated him. I also kind of wanted to be him.

Coach blew the whistle. "Warm-ups! Let's go!"

I dove in, the cold water shocking me awake. Something shifted. Maybe it was the zombie delirium, maybe it was just finally reaching my limit, but I stopped overthinking.

I stopped caring about Miller's perfect stroke, about college coaches, about how messed up it was that my bully was also my competition.

I just swam.

And something happened—I actually kept up.

Miller noticed. I saw it when we both surfaced, gasping.

"Not bad, Williams," he said, actually looking at me for the first time in years.

"Not bad yourself, Miller."

We stared at each other. The pool deck echoed with splashes and whistles and Coach yelling something about flip turns.

"Hey," Miller said, almost quiet. "You wanna race?"

The zombie inside me woke up.

"Yeah," I said. "Yeah, I do."

Sometimes you have to face the monster—whether it's in the water, in your head, or standing three lanes over holding a kickboard.