Chapter 15
We Go on Three
Maisie
When I resurface, Coach is already yelling about knowing where I am, using my spots, pulling harder for my entry.
All stuff I know but can’t seem to get my body to implement.
I’ve been working hard on my strength in the gym, but I still can’t get this dive.
If I keep at it like this, I’m not sure I’ll maintain my spot on the team.
I shiver thinking about having to relay that news to my dad.
I walk out of the water via the steps below the platforms and look around for my shammy. On my way to grab it, my eyes ping up to where Connor is sitting in the stands. He shoots me a double thumbs-up, his smile infectious.
I wonder what he really thinks about his suspension.
He seemed so casual about it. Shouldn’t he be worried?
If it were me, I would be taking it to the athletic director.
His punishment seems pretty steep, considering they let Karsen off with a warning.
I need to let it drop from my mind for the remainder of practice.
If I start thinking too hard about Karsen, it won’t end well for me.
My teammates, Lola, Jamey, Finn, Dublin, and Janique, are all practicing various skills on different apparatuses.
Dublin and Finn are at the three-meter boards working on their synchro.
Lola is after me on ten-meter, and Janique will follow her.
Jamey is over on the trampoline, working some twisters in the harness.
They’re all great. Truly. But I can’t say I’ve gotten to know them much outside of practice.
I watch as Lola’s long red braid slices through the air, and she rips her dive’s entry.
She gracefully exits the pool, and Coach Megan showers her with praises.
She was recruited from a top club in South Carolina.
Both her parents were Olympians, so in other words, she was made for this. It seems as easy as breathing for her.
“Coach was pretty worked up about that last one of yours, huh?” she asks when she reaches me, her mouth quirked to the side.
“If by worked up you mean she basically thinks I’m pathetic and won’t ever get enough points to make that dive worth even trying in my competition list, then yes.”
She flinches. “It wasn’t that bad. Short, yeah, but keep working on the mechanics and your strength, and you’ll have it in no time. You’ll see.”
She’s a sophomore and already team captain. I don’t think she understands that I’m barely supposed to be here—or, worse, she does and she’s just placating me. I grimace at the thought.
Seemingly unaware of my internal turmoil, she pats my shoulder, then starts climbing the tower again before I can say any more. I head to the one-meter platform to overthrow some back somersaults, hoping the practiced motion will help me when I’m up thirty feet higher.
When my eyes wander over to Connor again, he’s looking toward the swimmer’s pool. What has his attention?
Oh. It’s not a what he’s looking at, but a who.
She’s gorgeous, of course, with a tall, athletically curvy body.
Her plump lips are drawn into a toothy smile, and even with her swim cap and goggles blocking her face, I can tell she has that make-men-dumb kind of beauty.
She waves at Connor and, when she knows she has his attention, cups her hands around her mouth and shouts, “You comin’ to the party tonight, Connie? ”
Connie? What is that about?
“Probably not tonight, but thanks for asking, Veronica!” He shakes his head for emphasis, but he seems mighty chipper about the attention from Veronica, in my opinion.
Something pulls tight in my chest. Before I let another thing contribute to my already anxious body, I launch myself and fly backwards through the air again, cutting my feet through the water. While still submerged, I let out a scream no one will hear.
I feel like a blanket with threads fraying at the seams. Why am I the way I am? Why can’t I get my dives in order? Why am I reacting to a girl smiling at Connor? I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know!
When I re-emerge, Coach Megan blows her whistle, informing us that’s time for the day.
“See you all at Dryland bright and early tomorrow. Don’t be late!” She punctuates the order with a set of claps.
I climb out of the water and head straight for the locker rooms. I don’t look back to check who Connor might be looking at now.