Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Dozens of swimmers churn the water as warmups begin, sound ricocheting off the cement walls until the whole basement pool hums with it. I tug my parka on and scan the lanes, already cataloguing: which JVers look jittery, who needs a pep talk, who is pretending they're fine.
Kim approaches with her clipboard. “Hey, you two. Thanks again for stepping up as captains and for organizing the pasta dinner last night. It was a huge help.”
I give Kim a quick nod and subtly look over my shoulder to confirm what I hadn’t yet seen—Analiese had pulled up right behind me while I was lost in my thoughts.
“No problem,” she says. Her tone is confident and cool. “Just let us know what else you need.”
My skin prickles at the us, so I step in. Sharing one chocolate cake didn’t entitle Analiese to speak for me. “Absolutely, I’m here to help. The team looks strong today. I have a good feeling about this meet.”
Kim gives us a satisfied look, then turns to tell everyone to get out of the pool so the other team can have a turn to warm up.
I swing back towards Analiese and take a quick, steadying breath. Burning down the bridge I just rebuilt with her would be self-sabotage, but I also won’t let Analiese act like I’m her subordinate captain either.
“Analiese, can you check in with Zoe before the meet starts? She was nervous about swimming fly during the IM.”
Her brow crinkles, accentuated even more by the cap that’s still on her head. “But you do fly, not me. At least, not normally. Shouldn’t you talk to her?”
“Yes, that would usually make sense, but Kim asked me to check in with the JV team today.”
She gives me a dubious look and glances briefly in Kim’s direction. “She did?”
Nope, she definitely did not. But Analiese doesn’t need to know that.
Am I being devious right now? Sure. But while Analiese and I may have given each other a ‘white flag’ and found some common ground over gorging on chocolate, we definitely aren’t best friends and guardrails are needed.
Analiese may get valedictorian and I may have to co-captain with her, but I don’t want Kim thinking she was the go-to captain over me.
Besides, I’d overheard nervous jitters in the locker room earlier among the younger swimmers. Kim would appreciate it, and frankly, the credit would be nice. A win is a win.
Analiese is quiet for a moment while she assesses me. Her height advantage grates on me too—it gives her an upper hand in swimming and in dominating a situation. I tilt my chin higher as if that will give me a height boost.
Eventually she shrugs. “Ok, sure.” Then she walks away.
Regret seizes me. Why was my gut instinct to make everything with Analiese a competition? The fact that she didn’t fight back makes me think she doesn’t see everything with me as a competition, and that… shakes me. Maybe I’ve misread her all this time in multiple ways.
Over the next couple of hours, the arena is filled with the sounds of starting whistles, bodies flying off starting blocks, and cheers from our small audience.
In truth, it’s a tiny space in our basement facility—there are only three rows in the stands and it’s not far from the pool.
The ceilings aren’t that high so it wouldn’t be possible to fit more in there even if the school wanted to.
In between checking in with swimmers and asking everyone if they’re staying hydrated, the time flies. My heart soars the entire meet. Analiese and I operate smoothly together—there’s no return of the earlier friction, and we both fill in any coaching gaps for Kim.
I’m still in the pool after my solo butterfly event, giving the opposing team’s swimmer a handshake in the lane next to me, when I glance into the stands. My mom couldn’t make it today because of a shift, but my dad and Hunter are in the stands. I wave at them. My dad stands and whistles loudly.
Something sparkly just to the side of them catches my eye. I push my goggles up to get a better view.
It’s Jake—in a large white t-shirt with “AVERY JAMES” bedazzled in a rainbow assortment of large, tacky rhinestones. He catches my eye with a huge grin, then turns so I can see the back. It says “MY #1 GIRL” on it, and I can’t stop the laugh that explodes out of me.
My girl.
“Is that your boyfriend?” the girl whose hand I just shook asks.
We both lift ourselves out of the pool and grab our towels, shifting aside for the next wave of heats. She’s still looking at me, expecting an answer.
“Oh, no. Just a friend.”
She glances at Jake, then back at me. “He’s cute. Maybe you should ask him out.”
A flush radiates from my neck down to my chest, and I pull my towel tighter around myself to try to hide it. The sound of the next starting whistle jolts me.
Me ask out Jake?! My perception of him has… evolved… over the past school year, whether I want to admit it or not. Asking him out seems like a leap, and it could blow up everything with Jake and Jenna. Or would it?
“Yeah, maybe,” I reply, turning away to find my parka and a water bottle.
Analiese walks by me to get ready for her next event.
“What’s up with Jake’s shirt?” she asks.
I shrug, but it’s an effort to repress the smile forming. For the rest of the meet, my eyes feel drawn to the stands like a magnet. And every time I look, Jake’s eyes are locked on me.
After the post-meet team huddle and showering, I walk out to meet my dad and Hunter upstairs in the main hall of the school.
The humidity of the lower level disappears as I climb the stairs.
The chlorine smell lingers, but it’s not unpleasant.
There’s a small crowd still here, and the gentle hum of conversation meets me as I get closer.
Out of habit, I pull my phone out of my bag as I walk and check my texts.
There’s one from Braden. Though we haven’t hung out in person since our talk before New Year, we have texted occasionally.
Very occasionally. He avoids sticky topics and has sent me memes or music recommendations.
Horrifically, one song he sent was one Tricia recommended, and he wanted to pass it along. I didn’t respond to that text.
Braden: Hey, hope your meet goes well today! I am still following the school swim schedule. LMK how it goes.
I tap out a quick response—It went well, thanks—and put my phone away.
We will never be what we once were, but I don’t want to cut him out of my life completely.
Maybe one day we can be true friends again.
Maybe. For now, I’ll keep him at a distance and put the same energy into our relationship he put into it all fall. So basically: not much.
My stomach does a small swoop when I see Jake standing with my dad next to the sports award case in the front entryway, head thrown back in a laugh.
His hair is shorter like he recently got a haircut, but it looks good.
If anything, it makes him look older. Among the crowd, Jake is one of the tallest—about the same height as my dad.
“I’ll pay you to make me one of these,” my dad says while he briefly reaches out to tug on Jake’s bedazzled shirt.
“It’s seriously the best shirt I’ve ever seen.
Though I have to say, I’m more than a little curious about when you took up bedazzling as a hobby.
I remember the Star Wars obsession, but this is new. ”
Jake grins. “Maybe you should try it. You might enjoy it.”
Dad swings his arms around me when I reach them and kisses the top of my head. “Good job tonight, Avey girl.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I lean against his shoulder. “But don’t let Jake trick you into thinking he’s suddenly into arts and crafts. He lost a bet, and he’s being a champ about it.”
What I don’t mention is that I totally forgot I was supposed to make the shirt! It slipped my mind while my entire life plan imploded.
Jake's eyes sparkle. “Or maybe I would have made the shirt anyway. I guess we’ll never know now.”
“You can make one for my dad, but I refuse to wear one of those,” Hunter adds, his nose crinkled in disgust.
We make our way through the exit, and my dad invites Jake to stop for ice cream with us. He declines, stating that he needs to get home and that he will talk to me later.
I throw my bag in the back of my dad’s truck and hop in the front seat. I flick on the seat heater as soon as my dad starts it, eager to feel a little warmth. Going from the warm basement to the cool nighttime air is always a shock.
“So,” Dad says as he starts the engine, then navigates the school parking lot. “You and Jake, huh?”
I choke on my spit. Dad pats me on the back.
“It’s ok, Avey-girl. Jake’s a good egg. I know the Braden thing went down not too long ago, but… I’ve always had a soft spot for Jake. And he always had his eyes on you.”
Hunter leans forward from the back seat. “Wait, Avery and Jake are dating? I thought they were just friends who did math or something.”
“We are!” I clear my throat one more time, still struggling to breathe. “Dad, we’re just friends.”
Dad purses his lips, then blows out a breath. “If you say so. But for the record, I would totally ‘ship’ you two. Am I using that word right?”
I whack him lightly on the arm. “Stop trying to be cool.”
He laughs and then changes the topic to ice cream flavors, which Hunter pounces on immediately. They go back and forth debating the merits of combining flavors versus savoring an individual flavor.
Street lights blur past the window as I tune them out.
We pass Jenna and Jake’s house on our way to our favorite ice cream shop, and I can’t help but imagine Jake arriving home, then maybe flopping on the couch in their den.
Or maybe he goes up to his room and works on some school work.
Or maybe goes to bed because he’s tired and has hockey practice tomorrow.
Or maybe he’s sent me a text, but I can’t check it because my phone is in the back of the truck.
His eyes tonight… they watched me, my every movement. He seemed fully invested in me. I’m pretty sure Jake couldn’t care less about our school swim team. Admittedly, swimming doesn’t have the same ‘team spirit’ atmosphere as a hockey game, so I can’t blame him too much.
We pull into a spot in front of the ice cream shop, the sound of the truck being put into park jarring me.
Hunter’s chatter comes to an abrupt stop when he hops out and shuts the door.
My hand pauses on the seatbelt when I realize…
I can't stop thinking about him. About Jake.
Is it because he was there tonight, or because I have feelings for him?