No camaraderie

An: Chapter 200! wow, this is insane. Thank you all for the support!

"Ok, now that you are comfortable having your heads underwater, we will move on to the next phase. Kicking. Kicking is used as a propulsion method to move the body forward along the surface of the water and as a way of staying buoyant. Think of a metal ball being tugged by a boat. When the boat isn't moving, the metal ball will sink until it touches the bottom of the pool. But if the boat movies forward, the ball will be dragged to the top of the water again.

Your feet are the boat, and the rest of the body is the ball. With that in mind, I want you to, while still holding onto the wall, to start kicking your legs. I want quick taps on the water surface not long-drawn-out strokes because that won't do. To make it easier, I'll demonstrate." I said before making my way toward the four girls.

I arrived next to them and grabbed onto the wall before straightening my body and elevating it using my core until it was on the water surface. Then, I kicked with both legs in small but quick and repetitive motions. Like slapping the water with your hands at a fast pace. A small splash was being formed as water flew into the air.

The girls instantly understood and began to copy my actions. I stopped and distanced myself back to my floating noodle to watch them.

An hour passed by like this. we progressed to kickboards that they used to propel themselves forward from one end of the pool to the other. We did that for half an hour because I wanted them to have a good grasp of the fundamentals before leaving the board.

The whistle rang out piercing into our ears signalling the end of the class. The four girls looked slightly dejected as they didn't want to leave just yet. I took this time to observe the other groups only to find most of them with annoyed or dawned unhappy faces. It seems it didn't go as well as it did for me.

We gathered by the steps to the side of the pool and quietly waited for the teacher to begin talking.

"I have to say, for people who know how to swim, you taught terribly. But that is to be expected. Some of you did extraordinarily well though." She paused to look at me.

"The goal was for the students and the instructors to learn something. Can anybody tell me what you learnt?" she asked loudly.

Everyone sported confused looks as their turned left and right trying to find someone to get answers from. I contemplated the answer myself before promptly raising my hand.

"Mr Knight, do you have an answer?"

I nodded slowly, "I do, the students learnt to swim, and I learnt that being a teacher consists of constant vigilance, and the ability to keep the students motivated in order to maximise the gains they receive. I also learnt that we all start somewhere and that it is only through hard work that we can excel and improve."

There was a silence as the students contemplated my answer.

"Very good, that is one of the many possible things you could have derived from this experience. Some of you may not have learnt anything and are still clueless. That is your homework, to review this experience and figure out something you learned. Maybe you don't know it now, but I'm sure you all learnt something here today. No matter how trivial.

Sadly, that is all we have time for. I will see you again in a couple of days. Until then, study hard, play hard and enjoy your youth for it is fleeting and never to come back." She said with a charming smile before disappearing into the depths of the pool.

We were all left there sitting down for a moment before everyone awoke and slowly exited the pool area. We walked back into the change rooms and promptly got back into our school uniforms. The showers had high pressure which gave a nice massage, soothing the muscles I didn't use. The thought made me chuckle slightly.

We had history as the last class of the day, but there was an hour break in between where we could get something to eat. The day rolled by quickly after that, a nap during history before reading the mind of a student who was listening oh so dutifully and I got everything I needed. I pitied them for having to stay awake through that torture.

By now, it was 7 in the afternoon, and we were sitting on the couches by the fire. The last wisps of light from the orange sun hid behind the horizon signalling the beginning of the night.

"What did you guys think of the swimming lesson?" Percival asked as he came back with two cups of tea in his hands. I extended my hand out but to my shock, Percival frowned and backed away before shaking his head.

"Not for you man." He said. I squinted slightly and focused on the small smile attempting to reach his lips. My gaze naturally shifted to the lady standing by the massive bulletin board with a world map on it that Percival was looking at. Jenna extended her hand out and received the cup of tea before thanking Percival softly.

I couldn't help but scoff slightly, "he gets a little success, and he forgets all about me. how ungrateful." I clicked my tongue in reproach, but a happy smile tugged at my face. It was good that he was succeeding.

I looked over at the silent Fred reading a book on werewolves from England I had sourced for him. I shifted over slightly and put my arm around his shoulder.

"Seem it's only you and me buddy. single till the end."

Fred turned his head towards me with an odd expression on his face.

"Ahh, no, sorry, but I already have someone I like. And she likes me back. But she's from my village, so, for now, I can't see her. Guess it's just you." He said with a playful smile.