Chapter 45
Nash
Only Princess could get me to agree to this.
Sabastian had hardly said a word since getting into my truck. He held his backpack on his lap and stared out the passenger side window unless I asked him a direct question. Normally, I wouldn’t care, but considering what we’d just learned about his father, it would be nice if he gave me something.
How many kids like Zigzag had Christov taken under his wing and helped over the years? Did he even know that his father did this? Did he know about Zigzag? Because it was obvious that Zigzag hadn’t known about Sabastian until he started digging.
Edmundo was right, Christov was a sneaky kind of dangerous.
He wasn’t like my father, who came at you with guns and fists, threatening to rip your heart out.
No, Christov played the long game, setting pieces up like little sleeper cells.
Players who didn’t even know what they were until it was too late.
“So, you’re okay with me going to this?”
Sabastian slowly turned his head in my direction.
“You mean the training camp? Why wouldn’t I be okay? You got an invite, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, but you mentioned that without me there, your spot would be a lock. Just thought you might be annoyed.”
“Thought, or hoped?”
“Maybe both,” I said, smirking.
He snorted. “If I want to be on the team, then I need to beat the best.”
I looked at Sabastian and smiled.
“Are you admitting that I’m the best?”
His eyes narrowed into a glare.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s a figure of speech.”
“Uh huh.”
“What made you change your mind anyway? When I saw you in the pool, you were adamant that you weren’t coming.”
“Ren.”
“That’s it? Ren.”
“Yeah. She made it work. At least, for now,” I said, and knew I owed her for all that she’d done.
Ren had figured out everything that I’d been scratching my head over for weeks. She called people and asked for favors, and she even read over the resumes submitted for an additional manager at Volatile. Ren and Liam had narrowed down the top three choices for me to interview.
On top of all that, she forced me to speak to Edmundo. He said that as long as I could manage forty percent of the responsibilities at Collier, he would take care of the rest. She was fucking incredible, and I certainly didn’t deserve her, but I would never give her up either. Not a fucking chance.
“Tell me what you know about Zigzag,” I said a few minutes later.
“That asshole? He is trying to steal my girlfriend,” Sabastian growled.
This was the first time that I honestly believed he liked Ivy. I’d been convinced that he was using her to get to Ren, but the look in his eyes wasn’t fake. I knew that look.
“Okay…but what else?”
He turned in his seat and stared at me.
“I don’t know much about him. Why are you asking? And don’t say no reason.”
“Seems your daddy knows him really well,” I said, and watched him closely. “So well, in fact, that he became his guardian, so he didn’t end up in prison.”
Sabastian laughed. “Bullshit.”
I didn’t crack a smile as I turned my eyes back to the road.
“If you say so.”
He stopped laughing and was quiet for a long time.
“You’re serious?”
“Of course, I am.”
“Is this just some other ploy to get me to turn against my father?” He grumbled and looked out the window. “Knew I should’ve driven myself.”
“No, it’s not a conspiracy to get you to flip on your father.
But maybe you should open your eyes and examine the things we are telling you.
He has a lot of dark secrets that have either been kept hidden or twisted to his own benefit, and the longer you take to realize this, the more likely it is that you’ll get caught in the crossfire.
And trust me, karma is coming for him,” I said as we pulled off the freeway.
The training center was halfway between Wayward and Portland.
That was the other thing Ren had organized.
She sat down with Dean Henry and sorted out my classes so that I could leave early or arrive late on the days I had training.
Then, she even went so far as to pick dates for makeup tests and exams. She was a miracle worker.
“Did he seriously help Zigzag? Don’t feed me any crap, just tell me straight up,” Sabastian said.
“Yes, he did. I’m telling you this in confidence because I just found out, and I don’t even know what it means or how deep it goes,” I said.
This could either backfire or get Sabastian to help us.
Our destination was up ahead. Flags lined the parking lot, including one with five rings that announced its affiliation.
The building itself was massive, and for what seemed like the first time, I was genuinely nervous.
Not about competing but letting down myself and everyone who helped get me here.
I pulled into a parking spot and stared up at the gray walls and massive windows.
I was here. I was actually fucking here.
“Are you getting out or are you planning to sit here all day,” Sabastian asked, opening his door.
Don’t punch him in the face. Don’t punch him in the face. Don’t punch him in the face.
Sabastian climbed out and slammed my truck door. Okay, maybe just one punch to the face. I grabbed my bag from the back and met him on the sidewalk.
We walked inside with Sabastian leading the way. He stopped at the entrance to the men’s locker room and pointed to a set of doors further down the hall.
“If you want to talk to Coach first, he’ll be in there,” Sabastian said, and then disappeared to change.
Sure enough, Coach was sitting at a desk furiously tapping on a tablet. I knocked, and he waved me in without looking up.
“Yeah, what is it?”
Pulling out my signed acceptance letter, I set it down beside him.
“Sorry, I’m late. Needed to get a few things organized first.”
Coach Richards slowly looked up at me.
“Who says I haven’t already replaced you on the team?”
“Sabastian.”
He snorted and crossed his arms.
“I was holding out hope that you would show up, but my patience was waning. So, are you saying that you can commit to the team now?”
“I am.”
“And what school are you attending next year?”
“I…uh…I haven’t decided yet,” I said, not realizing that it would even be a requirement.
“Little late, don’t you think?”
I crossed my arms. “Apparently, it’s my thing.”
Richards picked up the paper and looked it over.
“As long as you’re not late to the starting blocks.”
“Never, Coach. I want this.”
He stood and looked me in the eyes.
“Yes, but do you really want it,” he asked, emphasizing the words.
I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to say, so I stood there and waited for him to continue.
“Nash, let me be very clear. In six months, if I let you on the team, I don’t want you to pull out, saying it is too much for you to handle.
This has to be the most important thing in your life.
Is it? Is this what you live and breath for?
Will you sacrifice anything to show up, not only for yourself, but for your teammates? ”
The window in Coach Richard’s office looked out at the Olympic-sized swimming pool. I watched the other swimmers warming up while I processed his question.
The scent of chlorine was heavy in the air, and the humidity felt like an old friend.
For so long, standing on a podium and winning gold had been my only motivation.
A dream outside of the insanity of my life that kept me away from my father and gave me an outlet for my anger.
But dreams shifted as our lives changed, and so did the responsibilities that surrounded them.
“No,” I finally said.
“What?”
I turned back to Coach Richards.
“All I can promise you is that I will always do my best. I will be at every competition. And I will never intentionally let you or the team down. But if I’m being one hundred percent honest…
I’m juggling a lot. And that includes a new marriage.
My wife, who you’ve met…she is my world.
So, if you’re telling me that I need to put you and this pool over her…
it won’t happen. Maybe everyone else out there will do that, but I owe her my life, and I can’t and won’t.
So, you can either take me, knowing that fact, or tell me to leave, and I will. Your choice.”
He rubbed his chin and then shook his head like he was grappling with the decision.
“You’re going to be a royal pain in my ass, aren’t you?”
“Most likely, Coach.”
“At least you’re honest. Go get changed,” he ordered, and a smile spread across my face. “And wipe away that grin, or I’m going work you twice as hard for giving me gray hairs,” he grumbled.
I yanked open the office door and stopped.
“Thanks, Coach.”
“Yeah, yeah, get out of here.”
With a smirk, I marched down to the locker room.