“I said get back in.”
Coach Bryan shoved the kickboard toward ten-year-old Ellie.
She stood at the pool edge trembling.
“I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“My chest feels tight.”
He rolled his eyes.
“You were fine five minutes ago.”
Ellie looked toward the water.
She loved swimming.
That was the part nobody understood.
She wasn’t scared of the pool.
She was scared of not being able to breathe.
Three weeks earlier, she had begun experiencing sudden tightness during intense practice.
Her mother scheduled a doctor’s appointment.
It was two days away.
Coach Bryan called it nerves.
That afternoon, Ellie stopped halfway through a lap and grabbed the lane rope.
He blew his whistle.
“Finish!”
She climbed out instead.
Now every teammate watched.
“Back in.”
Ellie shook her head.
The coach placed a hand between her shoulders and pushed her toward the edge.
She caught herself before falling.
A lifeguard across the pool stood.
“Coach.”
Bryan turned.
“We’re fine.”
