Cam
Teagan’s cox box was playing up. She kept tapping it, frowning, not seeing numbers when they needed to shift into the next pacing segment.
The guys had been matching him stroke for stroke, but something felt off. “They’re rushing the catch.”
She knew what he was asking. Did he need to speed up his slide into the next push to resynchronize?
Teagan shook her head. “Don’t. Trust the rhythm.”
He would. Because he trusted her.
He kept his pace, eyes trained on Teagan for the next call.
He slid in, knees bent…
“Now send it!”
The boat accelerated, just like she’d said.
“Yeah! We’re moving now!” cheered Teagan. “Halfway point… We’re in the pain cave, guys. Listen up. You’ve got a lot left in you. Dig deep. Dig deep!”
He was digging deep. And it hurt.
Behind him, Josh was grunting. Grimacing, too, probably. Teagan had them rowing at a brutal pace.
His muscles were screaming, but when they matched Westvale, then passed them?
He honestly didn’t care anymore. They’d never catch up to Claremont.
But beating Westvale? That was a much-needed charge of energy.
Josh must’ve got the same second wind. He was matching Cam stroke for stroke as they flew toward the 250-meter marker.
“I can see the finish line now, guys,” yelled Teagan. “It’s the final sprint. Give it all the power because we are crossing that finish line in five… four… three… and that’s it! TAKE ME ACROSS THE LINE!”
He would and he did. All of them.
But the only one he had eyes for, as everyone whooped and shared high fives, was Teagan.
She could be a pain in the butt sometimes, but she had seen something in him he’d never been brave enough to share freely. That he believed in himself.
It felt too cocky. Didn’t match the role he thought he was supposed to play as the financial aid kid, when the whole reason he’d gotten that scholarship in the first place was because he’d earned it.
He was living proof that it was okay for a kid from a blue-collar family to have dreams and put everything into making them come true.
Yeah, it was scary, admitting who you were and who you wanted to be. Making mistakes along the way. Big ones sometimes. But if you didn’t? No one would ever see that bright flame of belief buried deep inside you.
Fire needs oxygen to breathe, to grow. So did self-confidence. He was finally beginning to figure that out. And for that alone? The silver medal around his neck would always look gold to him.
Seeing the medal hanging around his own neck was almost as good as watching the rest of the crew with theirs.
Baloo kept exclaiming over how heavy it was.
Quaid bit his to test the metal, then went into a panic that he’d die of metal poisoning.
Noah set him straight, assuring him that silver was hypoallergenic.
Perry refashioned the ribbon his medal hung on into a choker.
Crabby kept whispering to his that he loved it and would never let it go.
Even Ryder looked happier than he had at the beginning of the race, though he vowed to bring home gold next year. And Josh looked weirdly peaceful.
The second Teagan got her medal everyone swarmed around her. Quaid held her up in an arm press for the team photo. She screamed, but Cam could tell she was thrilled. Just like him.
Coach could barely talk he was so proud, but when the photos had been taken and everyone went off to find their family and get some food, he called Cam over. “I’d like a quick chat.”
“Sure, Coach.” Cam followed him out of the marquee to a quiet spot on the lawn. “What’s up?”
“I owe you an apology,” Coach said.
Errr. “For what?”
“I once told you that Easton kids wouldn’t row for townies like us. That was my baggage. I shouldn’t have dumped it on you. I was wrong. And I’ve never been happier to admit it. You killed it out there today, Cam.”
He held out his hand for a shake, but when their hands hit?
Cam knew this was one of those moments Teagan had talked to him about.
When you had to do what your gut was telling you to, even if it led you into unexplored territory.
So he pulled Coach in for a hug, pretty sure he’d done the right thing.
“I’m so proud of you, Cam,” Coach said before it ended.
He was proud of himself, too. Both of them. Coach for putting Teagan back in cox and for giving him this moment, just the two of them. Small-town guys wanting a bit extra from life and getting it.