Chapter Six
Gabi
The whole swim team is standing next to the pool. Even though I've already changed out of my swimsuit and back into the school uniform, my hair is still wet because of the lesson we just had. The coach starts his speech, which is essential, but I'm too distracted by thoughts about my neighbor to understand what he’s talking about.
What happened that day? I still don't understand. It’s only been two days since I jumped from the cliff, but it feels like an eternity. I can’t think of anything else but that stranger. His arms on my back, his lips on my skin. The way he pressed my body to his, gently but firmly, and with so much need, as if his life depended on it.
I tried to find out who my new neighbor was but couldn't reach the house owners. They are somewhere in the middle of the ocean on a cruise. It's the twenty-first century. How could they turn off their phones? Especially when I need them that much.
"...that's why I decided to retire." Coach's voice wakes me up from my thoughts.
What?! I open my mouth in surprise.
"Yeah, I'm in shock, too," says Regina, my teammate.
Guess I said that out loud.
"Even though I'm not planning to become a professional swimmer, I'll miss him," she continues. "He's the best coach I ever had. And trust me about that. I changed schools three times before coming to the Elite Academy."
I know!I want to scream, but the words are stuck in my throat. And I feel a huge lump which I can't swallow even though I try to.
"But don't worry," he continues after a pause, "I'm not going to leave you without a good coach. I’ve found someone even better than me."
"Who? Michael Phelps?" Someone says sarcastically as if it's funny. I want to punch them, but I'm too shocked right now.
Who could be better than him? He won a silver medal at the Olympics at the age of twenty-seven. He was a US champion and a world champion. He coached four Olympic medalists. Who could be better?
"Your new coach is going to be Alexander Meyers," Mr. Fitzpatrick finally announces, and the crowd starts to make noise.
Some say it's impossible; others assume it's a joke.
And then an athlete comes into the room, and we all get quiet.
Alexander Meyers, two-time Olympic gold medalist who quit suddenly at the age of twenty-four at the height of his career, walks into the room. He's here for real.
He comes closer to Mr. Fitzpatrick, shakes his hand, and then looks at the crowd from above. He's the tallest person in the room, and of course, the most athletic. Our boys' bodies can't even compare to this man's abs. It's like he's a Greek god who came down to us from Mount Olympus.
Alexander Meyers is going to be my new coach.
I swallow. It's getting harder to breathe.
He's finally looking straight at me, and his eyes widen in surprise, even though he tries not to show it.
He recognized me. Of course, he did. I sat on his lap just two days ago, stroking his skin and rubbing my body against his naked torso.
He shaved his beard and got a haircut. No wonder I hadn't recognized the Olympic champion when I saw him. He'd changed so much since the last time I saw him on TV.
For the last couple of days, I’ve been thinking nonstop about him. I was wondering how he would look without that beard. And what would it feel like to kiss him without it. It was just a fantasy that I knew probably wouldn't ever come true.
But now I know for sure. Even though he shaved his beard, he will never kiss me again.
Because Alexander Meyers is not only my new neighbor. From this moment on, he's my new coach.
Chapter Seven
Alex
I can see how she nervously bites her lip, looking at me with those huge eyes, which become even wider when she realizes who her new coach will be. Of course, I'm in shock, too, even though I try not to show it. Nobody has to find out that we already know each other.