Survival Of The Fittest

The water felt good. The initial cold had been a shock to the system, but quickly wore off, leaving the pool with a merely pleasant chill. Roy Archer drifted lazily through the water, on his back, watching the reflected light dance across the high ceiling. He'd originally planned on doing laps, but lost the motivation shortly after diving in. Sometimes it was nice just to be able to drift.

The pool area, even the locker room, had been empty when Roy first arrived, which was just as well. The quiet of the situation was what helped to make it so appealing. Of course, the boy was breaking the first rule of swimming, in his solitude. But, he thought to himself as he floated across the surface of the water, if I'm not competent enough to be able to swim by myself, I really have no business being on a team, do I? Practice had been cancelled for the day, leaving Roy, who'd already planned to stay after classes, with nothing to do. At least his swim was proving to be relaxing.

Well, maybe not nothing, he thought bitterly.

Closing his eyes, Roy thought of what still needed to be worked on. Papers for Government and English, an upcoming Physics exam. He probably needed to brush up on his Trig, too- math had never been his strong suit. And, of course the SATs were still looming, impossibly tall, in the distance. There was much to worry about. Pushing his head back under the water, he felt the stress of the day slowly release its grip on his muscles. No good worrying about it. Best to just relax, for the time, and deal with it later. All work and no play and that whole shtick.

Allowing his head to resurface, the lean boy felt his toes graze the wall. Lightly pressing off, he continued his lethargic drift back to the center of the pool.

Humming to herself, Aislyn slung her towel around her shoulders, closed her locker, and headed out towards the pool. She had been looking forward to swimming all day, and she wasn't about to let the cancellation of practice ruin her chance to unwind. I still have to finish my reading for English, to work on my Government paper, and figure out what to get Dad for his birthday. Who would have thought that senior year was going to be this stressful? She heaved a sigh as she tucked her hair up into her swim cap. An hour or so of uninterrupted lap time in the soothing quiet of the pool was exactly what she needed.

A splash from the pool got her attention. Aislyn's throat constricted as she spotted the body floating in the far end of the pool. She ran towards the water, muscles tensing to dive, before common sense kicked in. Whoever it is, they're face up. If they're making noise, they must be moving so they're not dead, she silently chastised herself. Curling her toes over the lip, Aislyn leaned forward to get a better view of the person in the water. After a moment, she realized that it was her teammate, Roy Archer. Pursing her lips, Aislyn fought down the stab of irritation she was feeling. I suppose I can't be annoyed with him for having the same idea I had.

Stepping back, Aislyn picked up the towel she had dropped in her haste to check on the person in the water and threw it on one of the conveniently located benches. She got to work stretching, loosening up her muscles while watching Roy drift lazily around the pool. She contemplated diving into the pool without warning to see what Roy would do but decided against it. As warmth spread across her shoulders and down her legs, she settled on a plan.

She tracked the trajectory of his drift and sat down on the edge of the pool, waiting until he drifted near the wall. Aislyn leaned over and grinned down at the prone boy before calling out to him. "Hey Archer! You know they cancelled practice, right?"

The serenity of the moment came crashing down around Roy's ears, as the feminine voice shocked him from his ruminations. Floundering in the water, his concentration broken, it took the boy a moment to find a way to keep himself afloat. Finally, managing to force himself into a more stable position, he wiped the water from his face as the chlorine vaguely stung his eyes. Blinking to clear his vision, Roy looked up at Aislyn McCreery, standing at the edge of the pool.

"Oh, real funny, McCreery." The lithely muscular girl was already in her suit and cap, a hint of a grin playing across her face. Apparent, Roy's teammate had come up with the same idea he had. Roy normally didn't mind Aislyn. She transferred in at the beginning of the year, her outgoing personality making it easy for people to enjoy her company. Seamlessly integrating into the school, she already seemed to be completely at ease. Roy thought it must have been something about having to move around a lot.

"Yeah, I heard," he grumbled, annoyed at the other swimmer's intrusion. Slowing the pace of his tread, Roy allowed himself to return to his back. "Felt like showing up anyway," he said matter-of-factly. "What about you? Bored or something?" Honestly, he didn't care what the girl's reasons for coming were. He'd been having a decent enough time on his own. She could have at least tried not to give him a coronary. His heart quickly resumed its normal pace, as he glided across the water's surface. It wasn't as pleasant as it had been, though. Now, he could feel the girl's eyes on him, tracking his movements. It ruined the atmosphere.

The serenity had fled, leaving Roy in a sour mood. Since there wouldn't be anymore quiet self-reflection, maybe there was something else to be had. A small smile crept across the boy's lips. With a quick huff, he righted himself again- without the startled splashing, this time- fixing his eyes on Aislyn. "Hey, if we're both here, it would make sense to get a little practice in for ourselves, right?" He nodded, agreeing with his own sentiment. "Wanna race?"

Aislyn reflexively threw her hands up in front of her face in an attempt to avoid the spray from Roy's startled floundering. She pressed the back of her hands against her lips in an attempt to stifle the giggle that threatened to escape. You know, that really wasn't a very nice thing to do to a teammate, she chastised herself. As Roy sputtered and wiped at his face, Aislyn schooled her gleeful expression into something more sedate. There wasn't any point in irritating the young man unnecessarily. Well, further irritating him unnecessarily.

Aislyn simply flashed Roy a sunny smile as he grumbled at her. With Roy, his bark was usually worse than his bite. At practice, he was always so serious and tense. His aimless floating in the pool was the most relaxed she'd ever seen him. She felt a sharp pang of guilt as she watched him strenuously treading water.

Roy again floated on his back while he looked up at her, a slightly sour expression on his face. Aislyn fought the urge to squirm in the face of his displeasure. When Roy mentioned racing, her first instinct was to refuse. She had been looking forward to a leisurely work-out, but since she messed up Roy's time in the pool it was only fair to accept his challenge. Tilting her head, Aislyn allowed her friendly smile to take on an edge. "Well, I see you're relaxing, but if you think you're up to it...." She allowed her voice to trail off suggestively.

She walked over to the diving blocks, stepped up onto the platform, and curled her toes over the edge for a better grip. "So what are we racing? 100 meter butterfly? 50 meter breast? Or you feeling lucky and want to go all out with a 200 free?"

"Oh, I'm up to it. Don't think I'm cold or anything." Roy nodded, swimming to the edge of the pool. This wouldn't be so bad. Sure, he couldn't relax anymore, but now there was something else to do. Something much more worthwhile. Hoisting himself out of the water, Roy moved to take his place next to McCreery, when she made comment about his luck. The boy's smile quickly disappeared, a scowl taking its place.

He still hadn't gotten over his loss to the girl. Without any real training, he'd been the unquestioned leader in the 200 meter freestyle, the fastest on the team. Sure he couldn't swim the breast or butterfly stroke, but nobody really swam like that anyway. In the style that mattered, Roy was king. Until Aislyn came along. As much as he hated to admit it, she was probably better than him. Hell, no probably about it, she was faster than him. He'd already lost to her twice, in exhibitions.

"Lucky, huh?" he said with more anger in his voice than he'd expected. "We'll see about that. All out, 200 free." Taking his place at the starting block, he lowered himself into position. He didn't even bother with his cap and goggles. "We'll see who's lucky." Muttering darkly to himself, he looked from his opponent to the water and back again. He wouldn't lose. No way. Rocking back and forth on the block, Roy felt the anticipatory heat begin to build in his muscles. Arms and legs grew warm, in preparation for the challenge. "Count of three, alright? Try to keep up."

He counted aloud, each number setting him more on edge. "One…" he pictured himself pulling ahead, spinning and kicking off of the wall, dragging himself through the water, winning. Image training, Roy found, was the hallmark of a winner. He doubted Aislyn tried to visualize winning. The thought didn't sit well with him.

"Two…" his toes curled around the edge of the block. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he prepared for his dive. No way he could lose. He'd show her. He was damn good at what he did. Way better than anyone else. No way he'd lose again.

"Three!"

"Oh, I'm up to it. Don't think I'm cold or anything."

Aislyn rolled her eyes. Of course you're not cold. You've only been floating around in the pool, doing absolutely no warm-up. Oh Roy, you let your pride get in the way of your common sense.

Aislyn had been informed that that before she joined, Roy had considered himself to be the premiere freestyle swimmer on the team. He took it as a personal insult that she had outreached him both times they had swum exhibition races. He probably doesn't even take into account that I'm two inches taller than he is. And he's not even bothering with his swim cap. The resistance is going to slow him down even more than normal. I wonder if I should just let him win. Hold back just a bit. He probably wouldn't notice if I let him out-touch me this time. She flexed her toes and bent over, lightly grabbing the block on either side of her feet while Roy mounted his diving block.

"Lucky, huh? We'll see about that. All out, 200 free. We'll see who's lucky."

Okay, maybe not, she decided, watching him out of the corner of her eye. You know what? If he found out that I didn't give it my all, Roy'd freak out even worse than if he lost again.

"Count of three, alright? Try to keep up."

Aislyn took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before slowly releasing it. She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opening them up again, she fixed her eyes on the far wall of the pool. In her mind, Aislyn could hear her father's pre-race advice. Don't fight the water, Cess. Let it work with you. Focus on your rhythm and dig hard. Don't worry about the people around you. You worry about you and the rest will take care of itself.

"One…"

…for the money. She took an even deeper breath, releasing it in a rush while crouching down, the muscles in her legs tensing as she settling into her ready stance. Just swim.

"Two…"

…for the show. Aislyn rolled her head while taking in air, releasing it slowly this time. Just swim.

"Three!"

Just go! Pushing off with all of her might, Aislyn exploded off the block into a near-perfect racing dive. She cut into the water with minimal splash, her arms fully extended in front of her while her powerful legs churned the water. Focused on her kicks, she waited until her lungs began to burn urgently before breaking the water with the first of her strokes.

One, two, three, four, breathe! She quickly fell into the familiar rhythm, turning her head on every fourth stroke to take in the next critical lungful of air. Nearing the opposite edge of the pool, she tucked herself into a ball to complete her kick-turn. As soon as she felt the balls of her feet brush the cool tile, Aislyn launched herself off the wall. Races are won and lost in the turns, Cess. Use your push as your rest, then dig it out.

Keeping with her four-stroke rhythm, Aislyn quickly covered the second 50 meters of the race. Another kick-flip under her diving block marked the half-way point of the race. Feeling a little cocky, she glanced over at the next lane, sure that Roy would be trailing her. To her surprise, he was nearly even with her. Breaking her rhythm, she counted Roy's strokes. He's going for a six rhythm. Psssh! I can do six too! Taking a quick breath, Aislyn matched Roy's pace with only a slight falter. The two raced neck and neck, one surging forward only to be overtaken by the other. They hit the far wall at the same time, the water churning as both racers somersaulted and catapulted themselves forward on the last leg of the race.

Last 50! Time to go all out! As she surfaced from the turn, Aislyn took as big a breath as she could and altered her rhythm again. Reaching out as far as she could, Aislyn desperately dug into the water, propelling herself forward. Dig, Aislyn, dig! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, BREATHE!

The finish line of the race was rapidly approaching but she knew that meant it was time to work harder, not take it easier. As the lane lines changed from standard red and white to the 10 meter warning green, she stretched out her fingers, feeling blindly for the wall to avoid plowing into it head first. With one final stroke, Aislyn's hand slammed down onto the overflow wall. Her head snapped up and back as she gasped for air, her heart pounding from the effort of the race. Glancing to her left, she saw Roy grab the wall and lift his head. No luck again, Archer, she smugly thought to herself.

Aislyn turned and rested on the lane lane, wrapping her arms around the floating disks. "Good race, Roy," she offered with a grin. Lifting herself out of the water a bit, she held out her hand for him to shake. "You'll get me next time."

Muscles uncoiled, exploding with stored power. Propelled through the air, Roy braced himself as he hit water. Cupping his hands, he pulled at the water with all his might, dragging himself towards the wall. Arms cut through the water's resistance as legs pressed him ever onward. Surfacing, he sucked down as much air as he could manage, his lungs demanding attention.

Strokes slashed through the water as he drew closer to the wall. Flipping with as much speed as he could muster, Roy mentally cursed as his foot slipped. The mistake cost him momentum, the insufficient push giving the lead to McCreery. He wasn't going to lose. Wasn't going to let her win. He needed to go all out. Hold back and you regret it. Victory demands effort. It demands perfection!

Falling out of his rhythm, Roy picked up his pace. Slapping the water with brutal efficiency, he counted his six strokes, powering forward to catch up. Another spin. Cursing to himself, Roy prepared for the turn. He needed to do better than before. He needed perfection. The sudden disorienting twist came as he planted his feet and launched himself forward. A much better push brought him closer to the lead. His faster rhythm brought him closer to victory.

He drew nearer, pulling nearly even with his opponent. I can do it! I can win! To his surprise, Aislyn suddenly changed her pace, mimicking his own. Pushing himself harder, he fought to keep even. The two matched one another stroke for stroke, churning water as they fought for the lead.

They hit the far wall at the same time, both racers somersaulting surging forward into the last leg of the race. The last 50 meters were where the real fight would take place. Who could last the longest and who had the deeper reserves of willpower and strength would always sort the greats from the wannabes. Muscles screamed, burning sharply as Roy pushed himself harder. He wanted to be great. Abandoning his rhythm, he tore at the water, digging with all of his might.

Almost there. Closer. 10 meters. He stretched, reaching for the wall. Searching for the win. The slap of cement stung his hand as the race came to an end. Snapping his head from the water, air rushed for his lungs. His temples pounded as he gasped, oxygenating his blood and muscles. His eyes snapping to the right, he caught the grin gracing Aislyn's fair features. God DAMN IT! He'd lost again! The first time could have been a fluke, sure. And, he might have just been psyched out, the second time. But, what about the third? Was she really better than him?

"Good race, Roy." Her hand reached towards him. "You'll get me next time." Grumbling, the boy shook it. At least he could be civil in defeat. There was dignity in that, at least. "Yeah. Maybe."

(Pregame debut! Hope you guys don't mind.)

Aaron had left his home in a rush that day, and as a result his eyes were barely open as he rounded the corner of the hallway leading to the pool, the chlorine-scented air stinging at his pores and forcing him to make a sharp and abrupt wake-up call. He closed his eyes tight and blinked a few times, adjusting to the familiar sting of the pool vapour as he made his way into the complex, closing the door behind him.

Having slept through the majority of the day as a result of complete and utter exhaustion, Aaron had made a frenzied dash to school in an attempt to make it to his last period class on time, but had arrived with only five minutes to spare. His heavy AP workload and equally heavy plate of extra-curriculars had begun to take its toll on his sleep cycle, and with today being his only day off this week he'd decided to take the opportunity to relax.

This was of course an idea propelled by his mother, who strongly suggested that he either drop one of his instruments for the time being or take a hiatus from Karate, both of which he'd flat-out refused. He enjoyed both pass-times far too much to give either of them up now.

So, instead, he made his way to school in futility, ducking through the crowded hallways as the bell went off and making his way to the aquatics center, hoping to catch a few laps in before the swim team came out for practice. He'd always preferred swimming to running. It provided the same amount of exercise, but felt infinitely more refreshing, in his opinion. That combined with the fact that he didn't have any pocket change to play DDR at the mall led him to the familiar cyan walls.

As he entered the pool area and made his way towards the changing room, however, Aaron realized that his hands were completely free, and immediately rummaged through his backpack.

He'd forgotten a towel.

...And his deodorant.

...And his swimming trunks.

"...Shit," he muttered uncharacteristically, curious as to how that slip-up had occurred. Aaron actually had a great memory, but in his haste he'd forgotten all of his essentials. "Maybe mom's right..." he thought internally, zipping his backpack up in disappointment before turning to glance towards the pool. He hadn't noticed before, but two of his classmates were apparently racing against each other. As the female gracefully turned and kicked her way off the opposite wall, heading into her final stretch (and followed closely behind by a male - whom he immediately recognized as Roy Archer), Aaron made his way towards the bleachers, sitting on the front-most of them to watch the finish of the intense race.

Seconds later, Aislyn McCreery's head burst out of the water, declaring itself the victor. Roy was a mere second or so behind.

Unsure of what else to do, Aaron clapped a few times as the two shook hands.

"Photo finish!" he exclaimed, a warm smile painted across his face.

Melissa didn't know what she was doing. School was over and she should have been heading for home, but instead she was wandering around in a daze. She could think, she could see, she could walk, but she just couldn't bring herself to leave. A cold fist of fear had gripped her heart tight and just wouldn't let go. She had received her grade for the AP Chemistry test and had gotten a B+. Good, but not for her parents. She probably could have done better, but she had been so nervous and stressed so much during the test that she had changed several answers out of paranoia. And as luck would have it, her new answers were wrong.

She had to think of something to say. Maybe she could say she had fallen sick. They probably wouldn't believe it, but it could possibly work. She had to think of a better one, though. One that would stop the inevitable argument. She stopped in her tracks in the middle of the school hallway and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. The lies would come to her in time...it always worked out like that in the end. Panic was the best motivator.

She found herself standing outside the school's indoor pool and shrugged. It was as good a place as any to sit down and compose her thoughts into something coherent and not so cynical. The swim team was probably practicing there, but she was sure they wouldn't mind a single person listening to music on the stands.

Melissa pushed open the doors and was surprised to see that only three people inside. Two she recognized from the swimming team and the other was Aaron Boismier, from the school band. She smiled when she saw him and waved a little, glad to see that there was one person she actually knew around. Sure, it was really only from band, but he was nice enough and as her parents always liked to remind her, better than she was.

She had to admit that he was better than she was, at least in the area of music. He had taken the first chair clarinet from her (not that she minded. Playing the piano as much as she did along with being saddled with the responsibility of being first chair would have almost been too much) and his playing really was something to behold.

She found an empty bench to rest on and dumped her backpack onto the ground next to it. Stifling a sigh, she lay down on the bench and just stared at the ceiling of the building. Disjointed thoughts and words ran through her mind as she turned her head to look through the windows that lined the walls of the building.

'The sun's so bright...it's pretty.'

"Photo finish!"

Roy felt his body lock up, as the new voice sounded from the edge of the pool. Turning to the source of the noise, Roy hoped that he had simply imagined the enthusiastic cry. When his eyes settled on Aaron, he knew that he hadn't. Cursing silently to himself, Roy clenched his fists. Not only had he lost to Aislyn (again), but he'd even had the pleasure of being humiliated in front of an audience. Fan-fucking-tastic. Don't freak out. It's not that big a deal. Just let it go.

Doing his best to push the embarrassment and anger aside, Roy struggled to give a cavalier smile. It might not have been entirely convincing but, considering the circumstances, he didn't mind if he seemed a little disingenuous. "Yeah, it was pretty close, wasn't it?" he managed, with some effort, struggling to sound unaffected by the outcome. Losing might have been embarrassing but, throwing a tantrum would be simply disgraceful. If he had to lose, he would always choose to lose with dignity.

Taking a moment to assess the boy at the pool's edge, Roy took notice of Aaron's distinct lack of swimming attire. Seizing the opportunity to change topics, he cleared his throat. "So, uh…what're you doing here? I mean, you don't look like you're ready to swim or anything." Waiting for Aaron to answer, Roy took notice of a girl entering the building and making her way up the bleachers. For practice having been cancelled, there were far more people present than Roy had expected. At least she hadn't seen him lose, too.

"Photo finish!"

Aislyn swung around at the familiar voice. Grabbing the edge of the diving block, she lifted herself up to greet the newcomer. "Hey Aaron," she called, wobbling a bit as she let go with one hand to wave at him. "C'mon in, the water's fine!"

"Yeah, it was pretty close, wasn't it?"

Aislyn dropped back down and fought the urge to splash at Roy. The boy seriously needs to learn to let go and embrace the zen of swimming. He'd be a lot happier if he did. She studied Roy for a moment as he struggled to keep up his nonchalant façade. There was a moment of silence that had the possibility of becoming awkward before Roy cleared his throat and addressed Aaron.

"So, uh…what're you doing here? I mean, you don't look like you're ready to swim or anything."

Aislyn looked back at Aaron in surprise. She hadn't even noticed that he wasn't prepared to hop in the pool. Feeling a bit foolish for her earlier comment, she tried to hide her blush by quickly ducking under the water. Wow, way to be observant, she chastised herself. Just open mouth and insert foot.

Regrouping, Aislyn popped back up and looked at the two boys. "Well, obviously you can't join us, Aaron, if you don't have your trunks, and it would be really rude of me to take back the invite to join us so I guess we'll just have to do something else." Planting her hands on the lip of the pool, Aislyn kicked her feet swiftly while lifting herself out of the water so that she sat on the edge of the deck. She peeled off her swim cap and shook out her hair before flashing the boys a sunny smile. "So, gentlemen, the question is: What would we like to do?"

Despite Roy's best efforts, Aaron could sense the tension in his voice as he made his best attempt to steer the conversation away from his apparent defeat. Aaron's clairsentient nature was often something he gave himself credit for, but bringing that up in conversation would only enhance Roy's embarassment, and that was the last thing either of them wanted.

"So...uh, what're you doing here? I mean, you don't look like you're ready to swim or anything."

Thus, when Roy addressed him, Aaron attempted to find a perfect way to segway into a compliment.

"Please. I could never swim like you guys," he began, making sure to offer a sincere smile as accompaniment. Aislyn corrected herself soon afterwards, and as she suggested they find a way to interact, Aaron's stomach seemed to provide the answer with a well-timed audible growl.

"Uh...excuse me," he chuckled abashedly, embracing the embarassing moment and laughing about it. "Why don't we head to the mall, then? Looks like I could use some dinner..."

Turning to Melissa, Aaron approached her and made a gesture with his hand, suggesting she remove her headphones so that he could invite her out with them.

'Hmm...what should I do? Maybe I could just hide it...if my parents don't know about it, then they wouldn't argue about it. That could work...Ignorance is bliss, after all!' Melissa smiled slightly as she continued to muse about her situation. Soft classical music filled her ears as she breathed a sigh of contentment. Times like these meant that the world was right.

She changed her gaze to the other three people in the pool building and wondered what they were talking about. Aaron walked up to her and motioned with his hands, motioning for her to take off her earphones. They weren't that loud, but Melissa took them off anyway and placed the earbuds on the bench, getting into a sitting position. "What's up, Aaron?"

A real smile tugged at the edges of Roy's mouth; giving the forced, hollow thing he'd been putting forward a semblance of sincerity. Whatever could be said about Aaron, he knew how to ease some of the tension out of the air. Letting go of his embarrassment by clutching to the compliment, Roy followed Aislyn's lead, lifting himself out of the pool. Trailing water behind him, he made his way to the benches at the poolside.

Snatching up his towel and drying his hair, he caught Aislyn's question and Aaron's response. Roy's own attention dropped to his gut and the vague emptiness that lingered there. He hadn't eaten anything since lunch. Not that lunch was anything special, consisting of only half a sandwich and a bottle of water. Food sounded good. He said as much as he finished with the towel, hanging it on his shoulder. "Alright, I'm cool with that."

Starting towards his locker, Roy was surprised when the girl who entered earlier decided to speak up. For a moment, he'd forgotten she'd been there at all, the kind of girl who just sort of faded into the background while you weren't looking. Roy felt he should know her, for some reason, but found himself coming up blank. Shrugging he looked to Aaron while thrusting a thumb at the Bleacher Girl.

"Friend of yours?"

Aislyn scooted over just a bit to avoid the surge of water caused by Roy's exiting the pool. She idly watched the muscles in his back bunch and shift as he lifted himself out in one smooth motion. Water coursed down his back, running in rivulets down his lean, powerful arms and legs. Her eyes tracked him as he walked over to the bench and bent over to pick up his towel. Aislyn bit down a disappointed sigh, pulling one leg up to her chest and resting her chin on her knee as she stared as discreetly as possible at Roy's butt. And what a nice, firm butt it is too. Too bad he's so hell-bent on taking this ‘competition' so seriously. He'd be so much fun to be with if he just learned to relax a little. I wonder if his butt would be so nice and tight if he pulled the stick he hides up there out for a while? Ah well. You can't make a leopard change his spots. Especially when the leopard holds on to them as tightly as Roy does.

She watched impassively Aaron walked over to their spectator in the bleachers and began talking to her. Again, she took a moment to appreciate the view provided by Roy's Speedos as he moved towards the boys' locker room. Swim team always provides the best eye candy, she acknowledged with a twinkle in her eyes. I really should get up and go get changed, since it looks like feeding the guys is on the agenda. Maybe they'll have all the details all worked out by the time I get back. I wonder who the girl is? I hadn't really thought about making our trio a foursome, but I suppose the more, the merrier.

Cognizant of the slippery nature of the wet concrete, Aislyn carefully made her way to the girls' locker room. I'd better hurry so they don't have to wait on me.