Chapter 26
OCTOBER 02 – THURSDAY 5:33 PM
L iam
Nash hadn’t taken his eyes off Ren since she started talking to some guy in the stands. I didn’t recognize him, but Nash had turned into a statue the moment he spotted the two of them together. Stepping up beside him, I nudged his arm.
“You look like a creeper,” I said, and he turned his head to glare at me. “Who is the guy?”
“Coach Richards, the US National coach. We met him at the banquet, and he mentioned trying to fit in a visit.”
“That’s great that he’s here to see you. So why do you look like someone took the jam out of your donut? You think she’ll talk trash?”
Nash’s jaw twitched. “Did you just quote Snatch to me?”
I shrugged. “Thought it was appropriate.”
“You’re an idiot, and I don’t know.”
“Sure, you do. It’s part of why you feel guilty,” I said. I loved playing the part of Nash’s conscience. There were very few things more satisfying than watching him seethe as I picked at emotional scars. But somebody had to do it because his morals had packed up years ago and hitchhiked out of town.
“Have I told you today that I hate you?”
“Not yet, but the day is young, and pointing out your flaws is one of my favorite pastimes.”
Nash shook his head and mumbled profanities under his breath.
“No, Ren wouldn’t do that. She’ll probably be her annoyingly perfect self and talk me up.”
“Yes, how dare she be nice, what a bitch move. We should definitely take her out back and shoot her,” I drawled, allowing the sarcasm to drip like sweet honey from every word.
“If you’re purposely trying to rile me up for this race, it’s working,” Nash growled under his breath. “And whose side are you on anyway?”
“I’m on the side of logic, and you’re not staring at her because you’re worried. You’re staring because you can’t believe that you fucked up this bad. Ren in your bed could’ve been your prize tonight, but instead, you’re still trying to figure out how to grovel for forgiveness.”
“I don’t grovel to anyone for anything,” he said, turning his back on Ren.
“Not yet, but after everything you said about her….” I sucked air in and shivered to annoy the shit out of him. “I can’t wait to get her alone for the weekend. Wonder what she’ll let me teach her in that tent?” Ren was already packed and ready to leave right after the meet if I wanted. It was impressive.
Nash got in my face. “Shut up. I mean it.”
“Alright, under one condition. The school is on fire with speculation of what happened between you, Ren, and Vicky yesterday. Tell me what happened?”
“Is this really the time? We’re about to race. I need to stay focused, and you’re not helping.”
The clock was right above us.
“We still have ten minutes. Besides, you’ve been racing pissed off all day and swimming faster than ever, so what harm is there?”
“I really don’t think I want you as my best friend anymore,” Nash said, walking away.
I followed him, loving getting under his skin and making him itch like a rash.
“You agreed to marry Vicky, didn’t you? That’s why you don’t want to tell us.”
Nash stopped and looked around before he faced me, his arms crossed.
“First, stop doing that reading me thing. It’s fucking disturbing. Second, I did make a deal with her father.” My eyebrow raised at the phrasing. “No, I can’t tell you any more than that, so let the rumor mill run their mouths. I don’t care.
“So, let me get this straight. You made a deal with her father. Vicky’s involved, but you’re not going to tell me exactly how? What the hell do you have up your sleeve? A joker?”
Nash smirked. “More like a royal flush.”
“Oh my god, save me,” Myles grumbled as he walked up, and the conversation died.
Nash had given me lots to consider. I’d figure it out. I always did.
Myles’s eyes were wide. “They just won’t stop.”
I looked over his shoulder. “Who? That group of sophomores?”
“Don’t look. I don’t want them to think I’m talking about them,” he said.
“But you are talking about them,” Nash countered.
“Fine, I don’t want them to know I’m talking about them. Better?”
“Myles! Myles! Myles! Myles!” The cheering got louder, and I smiled as Myles pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear. Myles plastered a fake smile on his face as he turned and waved. The one girl in the front looked like she fainted.
“You didn’t fuck them, did you,” I asked.
Myles whipped around so fast. I was shocked he didn’t give himself whiplash. He poked me in the chest, and I looked at his finger.
“Balls ta that. Have ya lost yer mind?”
“Figured it was worth asking. They do seem a little obsessive. Look on the bright side. They gave Ren a T-shirt. Now she can lead your little harem.”
“Get ready,” Coach yelled, waving us over.
This was our last heat of the day, and I was taking Theo’s place. He was pretty sure he strained his hamstring during his first race and had been lagging all day. Not wanting to screw up the team event, Theo stepped down. If it hadn’t been for Nash swimming out of this world in the qualifying race, we wouldn’t have moved on. Luckily, the freestyle was my fastest swim. As long as the boys gave me some extra breathing room, this race should go our way.
We walked over to lane seven—the lowest we’d started from in forever—and I glanced at Ren as she clapped and yelled along with everyone else.
“Well, here we are again,” Sabastian from Hawking Shores said as his team stepped up beside ours. “Hope there aren’t any untimely deaths this time. It was a real shame to hear what happened to Austin,” he said, and Myles snarled under his breath.
Nash took a step in Sabastian’s direction.
“Hopefully, there won’t be any false accusations. It would be a real shame if what happened to Austin were to happen again.”
“Are you admitting to something, Nash?”
He cocked his head and smirked as he lowered his voice, so only a few of us could hear him.
“No, never. We’re nothing more than upstanding and concerned citizens of the community. But cheaters are not well-liked, and karma is a real bitch. So, if I were you….” Nash’s voice lowered to a hard growl. “I’d want to make sure nothing like that ever happened again. You know, for safety purposes.”
Sabastian stepped back and smiled. “We don’t need to cheat to beat the likes of your team, Collier. They’ve been holding you back all day.”
“We’ll see,” Nash said, but as he turned and looked at us, we all knew what was at stake. This piece of shit was going to get his ass kicked in a humiliating fashion.
“We will. We will rock you!” The crowd roared, drawing our attention away from Sabastian and the guys from Hawking Shores. It was so loud that you could feel the vibration through your feet.
Myles was already in the water and set. I double-checked my cap and goggles before lining up to go last. A hush spread, and I looked left and right at our competition. Our long-standing rivals, Hawking Shores and Meadow Grove, were in the lanes directly on either side once again. These were the challenges we lived for, and this race would be tough.
“On your marks.”
Buzz
The calm of the moment before erupted into mayhem as the stands went crazy, and we yelled at our teammates. Myles was a strong swimmer, and by the time he was at the halfway mark, he’d pulled a full body length ahead of everyone else. The second he touched the wall, Blake was off, and my adrenaline started pumping. I was naturally calmer than most and kept my heart rate under control—a useful skill at the poker table.
Blake hit the wall and Nash was gone, but Meadow Grove had caught up to half a body length, and Sabastian’s team was right behind them.
“Shit, that sucked,” Blake said as Myles helped him out of the pool, and I got set.
Nash was on fire today. He could’ve been pitted against anyone in the world, and his times would’ve stood up. He pulled ahead again and then some.
My muscles tensed as I prepared to spring and counted down in my head. Three, two, one. Pushing off, I sailed through the air and watched the blue water disappear behind me. Most swimmers loved that first entry into the water, but I loved this part. For the briefest second, you were flying. I could hear the crowd and see my lane. My skin tingled with the anticipation of gliding into the water.
The entry was perfect, and the thrill hit. This might not have been my sport of choice when we first started swimming, but I’d grown to love it. Now, feeling my arms slicing through the water as I powered forward was something only swimmers could understand. Turning at the far end, I pushed off the wall and was just rising to the surface when someone grabbed my ankle.
Sucking in water as I was jerked down, I put my hand over my mouth and coughed, trying to push the liquid out as I turned to see who the fuck was holding me. It was one of the guys from Hawking Shores, but one look at his face told me that this was no prank. He was freaking the fuck out and in full panic mode.
He could drown us both if I didn’t act quickly. I got my ankle free and signaled for him not to grab me as I wrapped an arm around him. We surfaced in a rescue position just as the lifeguard arrived beside me. I coughed the rest of the water out of my lungs but refused to hand him over. It would just slow us down. There was a whistling sound as he gasped for air that I could easily hear since the crowd had gone deathly quiet.
“What’s wrong,” I asked, pulling him backward to the pool’s edge. The lifeguard was lifting the lane dividers out of the way for me.
“Can’t…breathe…asthma,” he wheezed.
“Do you have an inhaler?” He nodded. “Do your guys know where it is?” He nodded again.
“Asthma attack,” I yelled. “Get his inhaler.” Sabastian ran off to the locker room as we reached the edge.
“Name?”
“Trey.”
The lifeguards pulled Trey out of the water, and I rested at the edge, watching as they tried to keep him calm. He turned his head to look at me. I climbed out and grabbed his hand but didn’t say anything. My eyes locked with his, and I purposely took deep, exaggerated breaths, keeping a firm grip on him. As I hoped, he copied me, and the panic lifted some, his eyes a calmer.
“Here,” Sabastian said, handing the paramedic who had joined us the inhaler. Once he got the medication into his system, Trey began to breathe normally again. Clapping started, and people chanted my name, but I didn’t care for the recognition. That wasn’t why I saved his life.
“Thanks, man…I owe you one,” Trey said, releasing my hand. His voice was still shaky and uneven, but there was no more wheeze.
“Don’t offer that unless you mean it. I just might take you up on it,” I said, smiling.
“Seriously, I freaked out. Anything you need, just ask,” he said slowly.
I held out my hand as we got to our feet. “Name’s Liam.”
“Trey Walton, ” he said with a quick shake.
“We need you to come with us to check you over,” the paramedic said.
Trey rolled his eyes but went with them as I filed his name away. If he was related to the Waltons, he was a good person to owe me a favor.