41. Zeke
DAY SIX OF THE 2024 OLYMPICS
“Coach, we’re supposed to be celebrating—I came first!” said Zeke, wrapping a towel around his shoulders. Zeke could still see his glorious semifinal win playing back on the big screens and hear the sound of the crowd cheering. But as soon as he’d crossed the finish line, Coach Adam had told him to go straight back inside.
“Yes, Ezekiel, you came first, but that’s not what the world is focused on, is it? Why? Because you decided to spend the night before your semifinal… partying,” said Coach Adam as they walked into the changing room.
“We were just celebrating Valentina’s win,” said Zeke.
Coach Adam gave him a stern look. “Valentina can go out and celebrate. Why? Because she has her medal. She went out last night because she did not have a competition the next day. But you, Zeke, you did,” said his coach, shaking his head in annoyance.
“But I wasn’t drinking or getting into trouble or anything,” Zeke said. It was a weak excuse.
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you all. Have fun and enjoy your life, but don’t let it distract from the work!” Coach Adam let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, it’s the race that matters, but do you know what also matters? Professionalism, the athlete code of conduct, your sponsorships, and the whole team’s reputation. The sprint is a solo event, but this is Team GB, not Team Zeke. When you do something irresponsible, it tarnishes the whole team’s reputation.”
“But, Coach—”
“Don’t but Coach me. Do you know who I got a call from at six a.m. this morning?”
Zeke had no idea.
“The Greek City Times, and then the Sun, and then TMZ, and then I was put in a conference call with the Team GB PR team,” said Coach Adam.
Zeke grimaced. That was never a good sign.
“But I kept all that away from you so you could focus on your race, and congratulations—you were great on the track. But look…” Coach reached for his desk and pulled out a stack of papers and his iPad.
Zeke read the headline on the first newspaper cover: A GOLD-MEDAL-WINNING BAR CRAWL.
The photo on the front was a shot of him, Haruki, and Valentina running down an alleyway to escape the paparazzi.
“Zeke and Valentina’s hot, wild night on the town,” Coach Adam read aloud as he flipped to the next paper. “A very Olympic run-in?”
“We didn’t run, just power walked,” said Zeke, trying to defuse the situation.
“I’m not having this anymore, Zeke.”
“Sorry, Coach, I won’t do that again,” said Zeke.
“You know I have to make an example of you, right?” he said.
Zeke just nodded and waited for the verdict.
“You’re not allowed to leave the Village for the rest of the Games. And you’ve just earned yourself a curfew,” said Coach Adam. “I want you back in GB House every single night at seven p.m. sharp, and you’re not allowed back out until six a.m. for your first training session.”
Zeke had known Coach Adam since he was fourteen years old. So, he knew him well enough to know that when he’d made his mind up about something, trying to convince him otherwise was futile.
“All right, Coach,” Zeke said, accepting his fate.
“Right, get some rest. Training starts tomorrow morning at six thirty,” Coach said as he got up. “And, Zeke? I hope whatever made you stay out late last night was worth it,” he added before leaving the room.
Zeke sat down on the bench and drank another bottle of water. Last night was definitely worth it. He’d been texting Olivia ever since he’d kissed her goodbye at the gates of the Village that morning and thinking about her every other moment in between. Waking up next to her left him feeling the kind of joy he’d only felt a few times in his life. He couldn’t stop thinking about how much he liked her, how beautiful she was, how perfect last night had been. They’d kissed like each other’s lips were their only lifeline, gripped onto each other’s bodies as if the world was seconds away from ending, held each other through the night like there was nobody else in the world except for them. It was passionate, it was tender, it was hot, sweet, reckless pleasure.
But then, instead of falling asleep, they’d spent the whole night talking. Telling each other about their favorite memories and the moments that had shaped their lives. The longer he stayed there, the clearer it became that he was falling for her. He wanted to take her to all the places he loved, introduce her to his favorite people, and get to know every part of her mind, body, and soul. He’d seen a flicker of forever. Imagined what it would be like to dance with her in the kitchen and wake up to her on Sunday mornings.
But the fear always came back around again.
Whenever things were really good, his immediate reflex was to start listing every single thing that could go wrong. The euphoria and the anxiety were dancing hand in hand. But the memory of the way the moon lit up her eyes wouldn’t let him go.