I dip my toes in-feels ice cold. Suddenly, my stomach drops and I feel an overwhelming sense of nervousness as the cold water overtakes my body. I take a deep breath. Then, all of the noise around me is silenced abruptly. The sharp sound of the loud echoing of voices, the splash of the water, and the spirited encouragement from the coaches are hushed into mere muffles as I dive into the water. I remember the words of my coach as I quickly submerge myself into the water. "Visualize Andy. Visualize the win." But for a moment, time seems to stop and I begin to visualize things other than winning as my intense concentration quickly withers away.

  First, I see my parents Jon and Anita Martinez. I remember how they looked when they took me to my first swim meet 11 years ago. They stood next to the pool with uncontainable grins as they watched me win my first competition. They knew that I had an incredible natural talent so they did their best to cultivate it at a young age. But it was at that age, a mere 7 years old, that we all found out what it feels like to win, what it feels like when all of your hard work suddenly rewards you with a victory. And I had been winning ever since.

  After emerging out of the thin layer of water in desperate need for air, I then clearly recalled the day that my brother joined the marines and the conversation that we had right before he left. I could see the pride he had in himself when his eyes lit up as he explained to me his reasons for joining the marines. He had great love for his country and he was very proud to serve his beloved country. It was then that I realized my dream to represent my country as well. But I wanted to represent this country in a different way, yes I wanted to go to the Olympics. The thought of the Olympics brought a smile to my face as I submerged back into the water after coming up for air yet another time.

  A few days prior, it had been announced that there would be a competition at the end of the week. I knew that this was the only competition that I needed to make it to the Olympics. I only needed one more win and this was my chance. But I also knew that the upcoming competition was the last chance for someone else. William Smith. William was the exact opposite of me, he was 6" tall with long blonde hair, pale skin, and bright blue eyes while I was only 5"9 with dark tan skin, short black hair, and dark brown eyes. But the biggest thing that set us apart was the fact that I had natural talent and he didn't. I see the edge of the pool approaching and as I pop my head out of the water, I see a tall figure hovering over me. I take off my goggles to get a better look and sure enough, it was William.

  I had been doing my best to avoid William ever since the competition was announced, but with every passing day, the tension between us builds gradually. He kneeled down beside the pool, "Looks to me like you're slowing down Martinez. What? Is the competition getting to you? Maybe you should just drop out now, and save yourself the embarrassment." I just shake my head and hop out of the pool. Then I start heading to the locker rooms because I don't want to cause any conflict, I know that I just need to stay focused and not let Wiliam get into my head. But William had a different idea. He realized that with the competition only a day away, there is no way that I was going to drop out now. I wanted this opportunity just as badly as he did.

  I hear his footsteps following closely behind me as I think to myself, "why won't he just leave me alone, I don't want to cause any problems. Then as I reach to open my locker, I hear the door lock. But I know that the door can only be locked from the outside. "He must have someone else in on this" I think to myself. Then I turn around to see that no one else is here with us, it's just William and I. He wants to settle this right now.  "Look William, I don't want any trouble. Let's just let the swimming do the talking, ok? It's only fair that the best of us should get the final spot on the Olympic team" I could hear his voice shake with anger as he said, "Don't talk to me about fair! Everything has just been given to you! You have no idea how to work hard for the things you want. You've always had the best coaches and private lessons. But you know what? I have worked so hard for this! I have invested all of my time and all of the money that I have! And don't think for one minute that I am going to stop fighting for this, I'm not going to let a stuck up little rich kid get in the way of this! Not when I have come so far." "William, please... just calm down, okay?"

  William then reached behind his back and pulled out a gun that had been concealed under his shirt, tucked into the top of his jeans. With hands shaking, he pointed it right at me. As I looked down the dark barrel of the gun, I had another flashback. I recalled all of the times that we used to play together as children, and all the ways that William resented me for having money. I never thought that that same boy would grow up and let the resentment grow in his heart up until this moment. At this point, it's evident that there is no way to talk him out of what he's about to do.

  I lunge towards him as the gun fires. I try to maneuver the gun from his hand. As we wrestle, I push him to the floor. His head smacks the bench next to us. He died instantly. I step back, and take a deep breath because everything happened so quickly. As the blood seeps out from his head and forms a puddle on the floor, I hear banging and pounding on the door. I go to unlock it, and a few of Williams friends from the swim team come barging in. They must have heard the gunshot so they rushed inside. When they saw William's lifeless body laying on the floor they all started to panic. "This isn't how it's supposed to go!" It wasn't supposed to happen like this!"

  At this point I am still in shock. The next day, I still can't completely comprehend what had happened that day. I think to myself “He is gone. He is gone forever.” Strangely, I have no feeling of guilt or even sadness. "He started it. It's not my fault, it's his." I walk down the stairs with my swim bag in hand. My parents look at me with utter shock on their faces. I hear them ask, "Where do you think you're going?!?" But I continue to slam the door and get into my car.

   When I arrive at the swim meet, I quickly realize that none of my other teammates are competing today but I still continue to prepare for the competition. Nothing will deter me from reaching my goals. I walk into the same locker room where the incident happened just a day prior. Again, the room is empty and completely silent. But even though I am alone, I still feel the presence of William. I sit down on the bench where the incident happened. I close my eyes, and attempt to visualize the win. I hear my coach's voice. "Visualize Andy. Visualize the win." As I open my eyes, I jump back. William is there, standing right in front of me with a gun pointed to my head just like before...