Chapter 25
OCTOBER 02 – THURSDAY 8:10 AM
R en
Myles and Blake were relentless with the questions about Nash, but I didn’t say a word about what happened between us or what I’d learned about him and Vicky. It wasn’t my secret to tell, and if he didn’t want them to know, then he would have to deal with the fallout. Everyone knew that we’d argued, it was far too public with Vicky showing up for people not to know, but she seemed to be keeping her mouth shut as well. I still couldn’t believe it, and yet…he didn’t deny it.
“You okay? You’re off in space,” Ivy said, and I looked between her and Chantry who wore an equally worried expression.
“I’m fine. Just didn’t sleep well last night. It’s nice of the dean to give us all an extra long weekend so we can watch the meet,” I said, smoothly changing the topic.
“Yeah, it’s rare that they allow this big of a sporting event on campus. They have to take so many extra precautions that they only offer once every two years. Same with all the sports,” Ivy said as she flicked the navy and gold striped scarf over her shoulder.
“You do know that it’s hot at the pool, right,” I asked.
“I know, but I didn’t have anything else other than my uniform in our school colors.” She spun the two ends, and I smiled. “And I wanted to show school spirit.”
The lineup of buses parked in the lot and all the way down the driveway was mindboggling. Each one had a sign in the window with the school’s name and image of the mascot.
“They really go all out,” I said as I looked at the food trucks. My stomach growled even though I’d already eaten breakfast.
“Sure do. For a couple of days, we get to feel like normal kids,” Ivy said and pointed. “There’s the cotton candy truck,” she squealed with excitement. Chantry and I giggled at her exuberance for spun sugar.
There was a buzz in the air as soon as we got close to the pool. Groups of people in team tracksuits were huddled together, and I quickly realized that there were more than just my guys and there were girls. I didn’t realize the swim team was so large.
“I didn’t even know our swim team has girls,” I said, and Ivy nodded.
“Yeah, there are like thirty people total. The coach has them divided so they train separately.”
“How did I not know this?”
Ivy and Chantry shrugged as we stepped inside the building. No matter how much time passed, the overwhelming scent of chlorine would always remind me of Nash.
“Wow, it’s insane in here.”
The normally dead-quiet hallway hummed with voices. My mouth dropped as we entered, and I stared at the packed bleachers running the perimeter of the pool. Extra corner units had been erected, so there was seating all the way around. They’d also brought in a waist-high wall that the crowd had to stay behind. The school’s championship banners hung overhead while navy and gold valances with large ribbons and sparkly streamers draped from window to window. Music was playing, adding to the background noise, and I suddenly wanted to run back outside. I’d always found this Olympic-sized space too big, but today it felt small and almost claustrophobic.
“There’s room over there.” Ivy pointed to a small space that would just fit the three of us.
Volunteers wearing fluorescent green shirts were everywhere, with clipboards in hand and stopwatches around their necks.
We quickly weaved our way to the spot Ivy had pointed out just as the first set of swimmers stepped out onto the deck. The crowd went crazy, and I would’ve sworn we were at a hockey game. Ivy jumped up, swinging her scarf like a mad woman. There were so many people that I couldn’t even see who was there. Myles had said they were starting with the youngest age groups and working up.
Ivy flopped down beside me, her face glowing with excitement. “You have to get into it. It’s so much fun. We get chanting at each other, too, especially for the team medley. You’ll see.”
I glanced at Chantry, who laughed.
“You look horrified,” she said.
“I think I’m just in shock. This is not what I pictured with the words swim meet.” She giggled again.
The first race was a heat of girls, and I had no idea what I was cheering for other than the girl in lane three was ours and we wanted her to finish first. For each race, they announced the distance, stroke, and then each athlete individually. The energy never died down, and I knew the moment when Myles stepped out onto the deck for the first time.
Down the bleachers, a group of girls were screaming and chanting, “Team Myles.” I recognized the blonde who had been following him around at the lacrosse practices. She had a whole section wearing white T-shirts blinged out with Team Myles across their chests.
Getting up, Ivy grabbed my arm. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll be right back.”
The poor girls froze when I walked down to their row. They were all tense and seemed prepared for me to scream at them. Instead, I smiled.
“You don’t happen to have an extra T-shirt, do you?”
The ringleader smiled so wide that it looked like her face would split. She dropped the banner she’d been waving and dug around in a bag before handing me a T-shirt.
“Name’s Alex,” she said.
“Thanks, these are amazing.”
Taking my new shirt, I went back to my seat. Ivy looked amused but confused. I peeled off my hoodie and pulled the t-shirt on over my tank top.
“Now that’s much better team spirit,” she laughed. “I’m surprised you’re okay with all of them drooling over your guy.”
I shrugged. “I know who he loves. Besides, the day that I’m as insecure as Vicky is the day I need to reevaluate my life. What they did was sweet, and I just got a kickass shirt out of it.”
The bejeweled letters sparkled when I moved around.
Myles glanced over and smirked before he got that super serious look on his face and stepped up to the block. Like all the other races, the crowd didn’t make a noise when the swimmers were in position. The buzzer sounded, and I jumped from the bleacher with everyone else, screaming as Myles and his competition cut through the water.
He’d told me that he normally swam the backstroke but had added a second one this year. This had to be it because I was positive this one was called the freestyle. He was in the lead when they somersaulted, pushed off the wall at the end, and started back. But there were two guys quickly closing in, and I screamed like crazy, cheering him on. When they touched the end everyone got quiet.
“Please hold while we confirm the touchpad results,” the announcer said.
Myles pushed up out of the water, and I had no idea why I’d never been into this sport before. Holy hell, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He’d pulled off the tight cap and goggles and stood staring up at the electronic display over the pool as he waited. His muscled body was nothing but streams of water that accentuated every delicious cut and dip. The dark tattoos stood out among the other competitors, while the thing that Myles called a jammer left nothing to the imagination.
The results flashed and Myles had come in second. The winning school was across the way, and they jumped up, cheering. He shook hands with the other guys, and so it went. Blake finished first in his individual, and so did Liam, but Theo came in third. Nash took first in the butterfly, and as hard as I tried not to watch or cheer him on, I couldn’t help it. I blamed it on the enthusiasm of the crowd. I still didn’t understand the heats, but I knew that they had to swim the same stroke more than once, and each time, the groups were whittled down to the best of each, like a round robin.
“Are you hungry,” Chantry asked.
“Famished,” Ivy said.
“Yeah, I’m starving,” I said, realizing that hours had passed.
“Why don’t you stay here and save our spots while Ivy and I get some food for all of us?” She nodded to the deck. “We don’t have anyone specific to cheer for,” Chantry said as if expecting me to argue.
“Okay. Bring me whatever. I’ll eat anything at this point.”
They’d no sooner taken off when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I expected it to be Vicky, but when I turned, I blinked and then composed myself.
“Coach Richards?” I held out my hand, even as my stomach flipped with the instant reminder of Saturday night and all that was amazing before it wasn’t.
“Ren, it’s great to see you again,” he said, shaking my hand. “Nash is killing it. He’s crushing his times like a man possessed.”
Smiling and nodding, I’d never wanted to step out of a conversation so badly in my life.
“He really is. He’s been training extremely hard. Nash wants to be on the national team more than anything,” I said, knowing the intense schedule he kept.
“I’m excited to see the team medley. Tell me, do you think he has the dedication it takes to compete at a higher level? He’ll be traveling all the time and spending months away from home.”
I honestly had no idea how Nash would handle that with everything else, and it was no longer my problem. Hell, it technically never was. One night together didn’t make us a couple, no matter how I felt.
“That is a question only Nash can answer. But what I do know is that you won’t find anyone more passionate or hardworking.” I looked at the pool and the teams beginning to file out to cheers. “The pool is his peace,” I said.
Richards smirked before nodding and pointing at my shirt.
“Who’s Myles.”
“My other boyfriend,” I said with a big smile. “I have four. You can never have too many these days.” The slack-jawed look I saw before I turned around was priceless.
I felt eyes on me and should have known it was Nash. My heart raced faster, but I managed to stay composed and act unfazed as I looked away. It wasn’t in me to toss him under the bus or make him look bad with Richards. Regardless, nothing had changed, and I still couldn’t find it in me to forgive him.
Some pain you just couldn’t easily sweep away.