I shoot him a glare and duck under water, pushing off the wall with the balls of my feet. What the hell is it with everyone? Is Adams suddenly not off limits anymore? Has she been uncancelled? Did all it take was one kid from Northridge showing up and talking to her to undo everything we’d established over the last six months? It’s bullshit.
Fucking Heston, I think, switching from freestyle to backstroke in one easy flip. I keep my eyes on the ceiling, counting the little flags that hang overhead so that we don’t crash into the wall. Heston’s a trust fund baby who will spend his freshman year of college on the beaches of Italy at his family’s villa, fucking local housewives and keeping the winery in business. If he decided to get his hands on Gwendolyn, he’d absolutely destroy her.
In fact, I already have suspicions that he’d had some involvement in the set up with her sister at the party. Sky was always known for being so easy to manipulate—like clay in anyone’s hands, really—and Heston’s a lazy fuck. The utter lack of effort necessary to inflict as much damage as possible has his name written all over it. It’s just a feeling, although I don’t really put it past any of the Devils. They’ve just been too quiet about it—too cooperative. They definitely haven’t wanted to talk to me about it, no matter how many times I’ve casually broached the subject.
Slam!
I jerk out of the water, arms tangled, pushing hard. Adams flails in the water beside me, eyes accusatory. “What the hell, Bates! Stay in your own damn lane!”
“My lane? It’s those goddamned gangly arms of yours taking up all the space!”
She opens her mouth like she’s going to say something, but she snaps it shut, drops under water and swims away.
Satisfaction swells within me as she backs down first.
That’s right. Know your place.
Of course, it’s all dampened when I look over my shoulder and see Coach James watching us with a frown on his face.
Shit.
We make it through the rest of practice without further altercations. While everyone finishes their final cool-downs, I grab my towel and wrap it around my waist. Heston and the others in my lane do the same.
“Do you think he’ll announce captains now?” Heston asks, drying off his face.
“I thought so, but... I don’t know.” I look around, stomach dropping. “Maybe not.”
James is standing with a few of the assistant coaches, glancing at the swimmers and taking notes. It’s not unusual. There are new swimmers on the team. People grow over the summer—sometimes a few inches—it can completely change their score. We also occasionally lose a swimmer or two. There are a lot of factors when creating a team roster, but something about the delay makes me antsy and uncomfortable. That feeling multiplies when he blows his whistle and says, “Good first day. I’ll see everyone back tomorrow,” and then adds, “Bates and Adams. I need to see you in my office.”
Heston’s eyebrows shoot to the top of his forehead, mouth spreading into a jaw-dropped grin. He slaps me on my back. “Oh, fuck, this is it! Good luck, bro.”
Rigid with frustration, I pull a pair of shorts over my Speedo before walking over to the office. Gwendolyn is already there, towel wrapped under her armpits, skin pebbled with goosebumps. Her teeth worry away at her bottom lip. Without my even wanting them to, my eyes dart down to her tits. Fucking Heston. He’s totally right. They may be bigger. My dick twitches in confirmation.
“Thanks for waiting,” Coach says, striding into the room. He drops his clipboard on his desk and folds his arms. Coach James is young, fit. He swam at Princeton and made it to the Olympic Trials. I respect the hell out of him. There’s something about him. He just knows how to get the best out of the team. He’s not a dick, either, which is not always the case in competitive sports. “I know you two thought I was going to make the captain announcement today, and you’re right. I was.” He rubs his chin. “But then I saw you two have that little fuss in the lane and I knew I needed to talk to you directly first.”
For the first time since I walked in the room, Gwendolyn looks over at me. I don’t give away the fact that my heart is suddenly banging against my chest.
“What’s going on?” I ask. “Is there a problem?”
“You two are my best swimmers,” he begins. “I think we all know that. Each of you bring a different strength to the team. Gwen, you’re consistent, hardworking, focused. You take the time to encourage younger swimmers and foster a team mentality.” She beams reluctantly at the praise. I manage not to roll my eyes, and look attentive when he looks at me. “Hamilton, you’ve got the right kind of competitive nature this sport requires, strong leadership abilities, and unwavering spirit.”
There’s a ‘but’ lingering in there somewhere. We both know it.
“I don’t like the friction that’s been going on between the two of you for the last year. I know there are extenuating circumstances, but it goes beyond what happened with Gwen’s sister.” It’s like all the air is suddenly sucked out of the room. Our backs go ramrod straight so simultaneously, it’s like we’re two marionettes on a single string. No one mentions Sky. Not even teachers. “I can’t have this kind of division on my team, especially not from my two best swimmers. I need unity and cooperation in the team leader. And I think deep down, you both know I’m right.”
“What are you saying?” Gwendolyn asks quietly. “That neither of us are going to be captain?”
“I won’t deny that the thought crossed my mind, but if I did that, I’d be losing a really great asset for this team. And that’s not exactly fair, is it? So, I had another idea.” He looks between us. “Co-captains.”
“Excuse me?” I blurt.
Gwendolyn’s jaw drops.
Coach holds up his hands. “Do it together or don’t do it at all. It’s your choice. If you can’t work together, I’ll find someone else to do it.”
“I—I—” Gwendolyn seems unable to speak, instead blinking owlishly at the coach.
My vision narrows until I’m seeing nothing but the red of the wall behind the coach. This can’t be happening. It can’t. My hands fist and I feel the tension building in my neck, in the shoulder that’s already smarting from swimming too hard. This was supposed to be it. Things were supposed to get better after this. I was supposed to be captain and make my dad proud and finally, finally be better.