The Best Year - 51. Chapter 51

I didn’t think Regionals would come, mostly because Emily kicked my ass in the pool. She ironed my breaststroke out, there wasn’t a part of my body that didn’t ache. It only told me that I hadn’t been doing it right, that I still had a lot to learn. Now that I was in the hotel room watching Charlie trying to wrestle the television remote from Drae’s hands while Tara and Shay sat on my bed and laughed, I couldn’t help thinking that I would have liked at least one more week to prepare myself.

The only difference was I didn’t have Scott’s decision looming over me. I was free to just swim knowing I had a place to go after graduation. I was one step closer to getting out of here. I just had to convince Luke that Georgia, or a college nearby was the better option for him rather than staying too close to home without me. With graduation around the corner, a week away, I knew time was running out. I would only have four weeks of summer freedom before Scott would want me in the dorms so he could put his own spin on what I needed worked out. He was already discussing adding longer distances and more strokes to my schedule, that he felt I had the distance and the talent to be better and more well rounded. He had yet to see my stubbornness though, only Emily really and truly got to see that part of me.

“What are you thinking about?” Tara asked just as a pillow hit me squarely in the face. When she let it drop I looked at her blinking.

“Nothing,” I said as I grabbed the pillow from her and squared up to hit her back.

“No, truce!” She hissed as she held her hands up in front of her face.

“You started it, now I’m gonna finish it,” I said as I got up onto my knees as she scrambled to uncross her legs and get out of the bed. When I swung the pillow around though, she was able to duck it and I instantly realized that I put way too much effort into the swing and rolled off the bed.

The room erupted into laughter, even Drae and Charlie had stopped their wrestling match to point at me as I tried to roll out of the covers that followed me. Kicking as I groaned, I finally untangled myself as Tara offered her hand and I took it, but it took both her and Shay to pull me up off the ground.

“Quiet time,” came from Emily knocking on our door. “We’ve already gotten some complaints as it is.”

“Get out,” Drae grunted as he turned to the girls just as he plucked Charlie off him by grabbing him by the waistband of his shorts. All I saw was a flash of bare ass as Charlie squirmed trying to get away. By the time Tara and Shay got to the door they were out of breath and holding one another up for support as they laughed and struggled with the door.

“See you guys in the morning,” Tara said after she opened the door. I gave them a small wave as I picked up the sheets and the covers off the floor.

This was the second night, all of yesterday and today were filled with event qualifiers, which we all qualified for, for the most part. Matt developed a stomach bug and failed to qualify for two of his event finals. We didn’t know if our relay finals were still on for tomorrow or not either, Tony scrambled to get Matt a single room away from Aiden and some of the new swimmers that tagged along as spectators. It was weird seeing our replacements sitting with us, in warm up suits just for the hell of it. It made the feeling that this was it, one of the final milestones I had left, it made it all the more real to me, it was a big part of me wanting to focus. I wanted to leave Tony with a lasting impression, I felt like I owed him as much for all that he and Emily did for me this year. I highly doubted I would be going anywhere without them and I knew Emily’s connection to Georgia is what brought Scott up here to see me in the first place.

We also finally got to sit through Jackie’s diving finals towards the end. I never really got a chance to know their names, they were quite a bit younger than me and competing at a higher level than what they were used to. Jackie had them looking good, at least to me, who knew fuck all about diving. The rare couple of guys that dove though, were interesting enough to watch as well, but mostly Charlie and I had bets on how many times the guys lost their speedos after a dive. It was a surprisingly high amount of times and now I owed him tickets to one of my meets next season. It was either that or an artistic nude picture of myself sent to him on his eighteenth birthday in August.

“I call small spoon,” Charlie said as he slid into the bed beside me. I glanced over to see Drae already sprawled out on his bed, covers pulled over him. He was fiddling with his phone, probably setting an alarm before texting Shay-with-an-e goodnight.

“Good, because your perverted ass kept poking me last night,” I said as I fluffed my pillow and laid down and waited for Drae to flip up and turn the lamp off on his side. Glancing over at him he was smiling and shaking his head, so he was at least paying us some attention.

“Have you convinced your man to go with you to Georgia yet?” Charlie asked as he settled in beside me. I knew he was stripped down into his briefs, I felt his bare legs find mine in the bed. Charlie, much like Drae slept all sprawled out, but I was big enough to keep moving him back to his side of the bed.

“No,” I answered, frowning at the last serious conversation me and Luke had about him coming with me.

We were in the middle of taking all of Luke’s things out of the attic of the community building at the park. We had made a decent effort of trying to make it into a sex attic, but after blowing a fuse after we plugged in the mini-fridge and the Christmas lights, we decided that it wasn’t worth it. We also had to get it all out before anyone else noticed the place didn’t have any electricity on the second floor or above. The nagging uneasiness knowing its original purpose also bothered me in the light of day when my mind wasn’t clouded and coming down from the high of sex and prom. He had used the space for safety and I didn’t want to know how tormented he got while he was up here and me not being there. I still didn’t know how much of him was of the mind that he was somehow a bad person. I didn’t know much about that struggle as I never had to deal with conflicting thoughts. I had always accepted who I was as it came, I never stopped to look around at what all that meant for me. My one track mind of getting out, going to college, and making a go at swimming while having the most fun as I could along the way was all I wanted until Luke.

Now Luke is mostly what I wanted and he had to know I would keep trying.

“Shaye is staying here too,” Drae said as I heard him turn and flip off the light.

“What are you two doing about the distance?” I asked turning to watch him settle back in. He didn’t talk a lot about Shaye, but she also was absent from both Districts and Regionals, her cheerleading squad had made nationals though, so she was busy with that and her true passion of gymnastics.

“We’re not,” he answered and I heard him sigh. “We agreed that we would just keep talking and see what happens, but we’re free to do whatever.”

“Really?” Charlie asked and I felt him rolling over, I glanced over to see him resting on his elbow as he looked past me. The room was dark, but not dark enough for us not to see one another, hotel rooms never truly got that dark.

“Yeah,” he grunted, “it’s just not sustainable for us to expect anything more than that.”

“Sure it is,” Charlie countered as he collapsed back onto his back.

“It is better than building a resentment or dependency on someone that isn’t even going to be there,” Drae said and then I heard him shift in his bed as he turned his back to us. “Goodnight guys.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Charlie whispered as his foot slid against my leg just below my knee. I jumped not expecting the touch.

“I heard that doofus,” Drae grunted as he yawned.

“I wanted you to,” Charlie countered as he too turned away from me and I caught myself staring at the ceiling before sighing and closing my eyes not willing my mind to go anywhere near the two opposing opinions in the room.

“Oh and one more thing,” Drae said after we all fell quiet and settled down to start sleeping. “Be sure to beat Pete’s ass tomorrow.”

“Thanks for that,” I said, shaking my head as I smiled.
“No really, I got money on you,” he said and I turned my head to look at him. Drae hadn’t moved after turning his back to me, but I could almost hear the smile in his change in tone.

“I also have money on you, stud,” Charlie said and I watched as he did turn to look at me. I turned just fast enough to see him smile and turn back around.

“Who the fuck is betting with you two?” I asked as I reached up, it was getting to that time where I flipped my pillow back to the cool side and really focused on sleeping.

“Aiden and Matt,” they both said at the same time and I rolled my eyes and turned onto my side, opting to flip the pillow and ignore them.

I hadn’t seen Pete in any of my qualifiers, he had been in a different set of heats. Only at a distance and I never really got a great look at the guy the few times we shared the pool with his new squad. With the relay in doubt, I didn’t know how much bragging power we had on him unless I was able to beat him head to head in the two events that we shared. It did help though, the bet refocused my mind as it was about to betray me about Luke.

Cindy put her foot down about traveling to Regionals. After skipping school, she wasn’t about to let him drive up Friday night and stay the weekend. He would have had to pay his own way and for his room and I hated her for the missed opportunity for some midnight sneaking around. It was probably a good thing, knowing he was a few rooms down, or hallway, floor, whatever it took, I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself. I didn’t feel like living through that Tony lecture and the embarrassment that followed.

Simon was riding up with Charlie’s parents in the morning, Mom was coming and I thought if she did, Luke would take his shot and come with her. I hadn’t heard from him for a couple hours, but I wasn’t expecting to. He knew I had a lot on my mind and most of it he didn’t want to talk to me about as it was.

The next morning, as expected, started with Tony banging on our door. It came too early and Drae was the only one up and fully ready for the trip down to the lobby. When I heard Charlie groan I rolled up and out of the bed. I wanted to beat him into the bathroom, but when I looked over at him I knew it wasn’t going to be much of a race.

“Right in the middle of a fucking good dream,” he sighed as he flipped onto his back. When I saw the tent in the sheets I turned to see if Drae had noticed, but he was double checking his travel bag.

“Going camping, Charlie?” I asked as I stood and hoped like hell I didn’t have a hardon, I figured I’d know if I did.

“No I hate camping,” he answered and I just laughed and walked around the foot of the bed and bypassed Drae who did look over and laugh.
After brushing my teeth, checking myself in the mirror, and emptying my bladder I opened the door to Charlie waiting, leaning against the wall. His hair was sticking straight out on the left side of his head and when he looked at me, he rose off the wall and shrugged past me.

Knowing we were already late by Tony’s standards I walked over and checked my bag for everything. After finding my nose plugs and extra goggles, I zipped it up and got dressed in my warm up suit and a pair of flip flops. Charlie came out of the bathroom and seeing me and Drae standing in the middle of the room ready to go he grimaced and picked up his pace.

“I hope for your sake the younger guys remember to wake your ass up,” Drae said as he grabbed up Charlie’s travel bag and unzipped it. I watched him move things around, a frown growing on his face as he went. I only imagined how organized Drae’s bag was, right down to the small pockets where everything was supposed to go.

“I’ll pull rank on them,” Charlie said as he slid into a pair of shorts and a wrinkled t-shirt. Like the rest of us he slipped into a pair of easy to remove shoes. “I’ll be big cock of the pool next season.”

“Not even if you were swimming with just the girls, twerp,” Drae countered as he sighed and zipped up Charlie’s bag before handing it back to him. “I think I saw everything.”

“Damn right you did,” he said as he walked past us to the door. Now that he was dressed he was suddenly in a hurry so we followed him out and down the hallway to the elevator.

Also as expected we were the last three to enter the lobby. We received Tony’s signature two finger tap on his watch with a glare. His mouth was moving, but luckily we were too far away to hear him. It must have been good, since Tara and the girls broke from their conversations to giggle and look in our direction.

“Charlie, warm ups better be on by the time we get to the University,” Tony said and I looked over to see Charlie side-eyeing me and Drae.

“Yes sir,” Charlie said as he unzipped his bag and started digging around inside it.

“Girls, maybe I should just coach girls,” Tony countered as he turned on the heel of his sneaker and started walking towards the exit.

“Fuckers,” Charlie whispered as soon as Tony busted through the front doors and into the daylight. I could already see our bus waiting for us with a line of cars behind it. We were probably flirting with getting the driver in trouble for parking there too long.

“I thought you would have figured it out,” Drae offered as he shrugged beside me.

“You give my ass too much credit,” Charlie countered as he pulled out his pants and shoved them into my stomach. Grunting I held on to them as he pulled out his jacket and zipped his bag closed.

Looking forward I was surprised to see Matt walking beside Aiden. He had his travel bag looped over his shoulder and they were talking. It took me a bit to realize that Matt had shot up a couple inches and was now taller than his older brother. Thinner and a little lighter in complexion, but that could have been the rough night he had to have. He had a short day today after failing to make an event final or two.

“Where’s Coach Jackie?” Shay asked as she led the way out of the door. Looking around I didn’t see her or any of the divers.

“Celebrating,” Tony answered over his shoulder as we got to the bus. “The divers wanted breakfast, so they went out to eat. Now get on the bus, we’re already late.”

None of us said anything, knowing Tony’s standards of being late differed from actually being late. If that day ever came, I wouldn’t be here to see it and I was thankful for that. Emily was first to board and then the girls filed in behind her as we got into line with Drae bringing up the rear already bobbing his head to music that I couldn’t hear. I didn’t even know what sort of music he liked to zone out with. I tried it once and ended up too zoned out. I needed to know what was going on, but Drae seemed to know the schedule and when to loosen up without being told. If anything he was the swimmer I should be aspiring to be like, but I knew my lazy, frequent diet breaking ass would never make it if I tried. Scott would find out soon enough, if he hadn’t already been thoroughly warned by Emily by now.

When we were all inside, I sat beside Charlie with Drae sliding into the seat ahead of us. He put his back to the window and rested his arm on the back of his seat. He gave us a small smile as Charlie got dressed with me dodging his elbows as he struggled.

“The schedule is done a lot better than those idiots at Districts,” Tony announced as the bus took off with him standing in the aisle. “The first man up is Jackson with the eight hundred meter free, then Tara, Shay, and Kelcie all doing the one hundred butterfly, let’s clean sweep that one.”

“Pete doesn’t swim distance, does he?” Charlie whispered as Tony kept going on down the list.

“I don’t know,” I answered, turning to glance at him. He had messed up his hair from this morning and when he caught my eyes looking up at it he reached up and smoothed it back down with his fingers.

I didn’t see Pete in any of those heats either, but there were only three and I could have been in the warm-up pool. I won mine and automatically moved on to the finals. If he didn’t finish top two, he would have to hope he got in on time. I wasn’t worried about him, I never had the sense of a rivalry with him like they did. I wasn’t betrayed by him either, I was thankful he fucked up. Pete was the only reason I was here, Tony wouldn’t have even heard of me, not enough to pay attention anyway.

With Regionals being at a small University this year, I got a small sense of what my future looked like. Georgia was a massive school though, with deeper pockets than this one. The locker rooms and showers were nice though and it was packed, more packed than I remembered Regionals being last year. The foyer was decorated more with banners than posters announcing pep-rallies and formals. Highland’s school colors were maroon and gold. This University’s colors looked to be silver and black. Their mascot being a Knight, the suits of replica armor stood guard on either side of the front entrance into the aquatic center.

Also unlike Highland, was the large screen that displayed actual live footage. Right now the pool was empty and the stewards were inspecting the lane dividers and starting blocks and the screen was only displaying the countdown to the first race, my race. All of them were dressed in black polos with dark gray stripes down both sides.

“Go get a quick breakfast then go get changed,” Tony said as he pointed towards the buffet. It was in its own little room that looked specifically made for food service. It was likely a concession for local meets. The food was different as well, it seemed like they were given a specific menu to follow instead of a normal breakfast buffet. A lot of fruit, cheeses, and nuts, so I knew the swimming coach here had a say in what was served. The only warm and cooked items being eggs, and build your own omelets the staff would cook for you as your order.

Not thinking I had the time for one of those, I filled my plate with strawberries, a handful of almonds, and some scrambled eggs. I grabbed an orange juice and followed Tara and Shay to their table. They sat the next table down from Matt and Aiden. It surprised me that Matt was actually eating, but he was smiling when he listened to whatever Aiden was telling him. They didn’t seem to mind that everyone elected to sit somewhere else than with them, but the new kids filled out their table as Charlie and Drae sat down on either side of me.

“I’m glad Matt is feeling better,” Tara whispered after taking a small bite of a strawberry. “I wanted to see if you guys could finally beat Pete in the relay.”

“Of course we will,” Drae grunted as he shoveled some scrambled eggs into his mouth.

“I would have filled in,” Charlie said as he rolled his neck. He was one of the few that took the opportunity to eat a full on omelet. He had mushrooms and melted cheese falling out of it and my stomach growled when he cut into it. Looking away I swore under my breath and popped a few almonds into my mouth.

“What swim would you have dropped in order to do that?” Shay asked as she stabbed a cubed piece of cheese before popping it into her mouth. I was never big on cold cheese.

“None of ‘em,” he answered through a full mouth. “I’m fit as fuck.”

A few minutes later and a clean tray, I walked over to where an older lady with a sweet smile waited. When I handed my tray and fork to her, she scraped what little crumbs I left and started loading it into the dishwasher. Walking back through the doors and into the center I saw that it had filled up with more swimmers, some of them already showered and changed into their shorts. Seeing Tony and Emily waiting in our designated section I looped my bag over my shoulder and walked over to them with Shay, Matt, and Aiden following behind me.

As we filed into our designated area, I started gathering up my things ready to head to the locker room. Knowing I was up first, I wanted to clear my head and get a shower in before warming up in the pool. Tony only glanced in my direction to see that I was ahead of schedule and offered me the smallest of smiles as I shouldered my bag. There were arrows on laminated paper pointing out directions and I followed them through other designated areas where swimmers sat. Not seeing Pete, although admittedly only seeing him once, I wouldn’t really know him if I saw him. He wouldn’t have a face that I remembered.

Once inside I whistled as my eyes darted around. Regionals last year was also at a University, but that one had been older and a bit stuffy by comparison. This one looked to have either been recently overhauled or was newer. It was brightly lit, with large mirrors along counter topped sinks. There were stalls for changing, as well as a line of showers opposite for those people that didn’t care. Not being someone that cared, I sat down on the bench seats and sat my bag down around me just as someone sat down next to me.

Looking over, I swore under my breath. It was Pete, so I did remember his fucking face. He offered me a smirk before he unzipped his own bag. Their school colors were a mustard yellow and black combination. I didn’t know what they were, I didn’t really care. Him getting ready right now pretty much told me that he was swimming soon though.

Not wanting to focus on him, I stood and stripped out of my jacket and warm up pants. Then I pulled down my boxer briefs and slid on my racing shorts. Feeling uneasy with him sitting there, knowing Tony’s colors since he wore them only a season ago, I frowned and left my bag nestled just under the bench.

Not a whole lot of guys crowded the locker room yet, so when I walked into the showers I grabbed the first one and turned it on, jumping out of the way of the cold water. I quickly ran my hands over my stomach and down my back as far as I could. Then I bent over and ran my hands down my legs. Then I opened the front of my shorts and let the water fall from my stomach. These rinsing showers before a meet were like coffee to me. They were the most enjoyable thing before the actual swimming started. I had never been shy about my body or showering around guys. Derek, Toby and I showered together a lot as kids, because our parents would fuss at the states we’d come home in. It was either that or hosing us off in the front yard, but mud wrestling never hurt anyone.

“I guess I’ll be seeing you in a minute,” Pete said as he pressed the button for the water to start his shower beside mine. There were open shower heads all over the place and when I glanced around at them, he smirked.

“I guess so,” I said as I watched him adjust the temperature. I never allowed myself a truly hot shower, knowing I would just be getting into cold water right after.

“Good luck,” he said after I hit the button on my shower and turned off the water. Wanting to punch him in his damn face, I just nodded and grabbed a towel from the cubby leaving the showers. Wrapping it around my shoulders until I got to my bench, I dried myself off and grabbed my bag just as Drae, Charlie, and Aiden filed in. Seeing me Charlie smiled and slapped my shoulder. Drae already had his headphones on and Aiden bypassed me looking forward as if he didn’t see my ass standing there.

“I got twenty on you this race,” Charlie said, as I stepped around and held the door open for more guys to enter.

“Shut up,” I groaned as the last guy glanced over his shoulder at me, probably thinking I was talking to him, but I didn’t care.

“Kick his ass,” he said just as I stepped through the door and allowed it to close behind me.

Out here, I took a deep breath. The locker room hadn’t started smelling like old chlorine, soap, and body spray yet at least, but being out here looking at the stands that were quickly filling up. Mom promised to make the trip and part of me wondered if Luke had been able to tag along as well. I hadn’t looked at my phone, it was tucked into my bag and knowing I was up first, Tony seeing me with it would get me yelled at so I left it there and walked back to our station just long enough to drop it off and grab my things.

I had half expected some sort of sabotage, knowing Pete and Aiden were so similar, but nothing had been bothered or stolen from it while I was in the shower. Looking up after zipping it back closed I saw the screen had transitioned from the live footage of the pool to a countdown of the first event. I had less than fifteen minutes so I walked out of our station to the warm up pool.

Being first had all the benefits of a clean and empty pool waiting for me. There were only two other guys, probably swimming the eight hundred with me, already in there. Picking the lane farthest from both of them, I pulled on my goggles, then slid on my cap. Taking a deep breath, I slid on my nose clip and sat down on the edge of the pool dipping my legs in first as I stretched and rolled my shoulders. Shaking them to get some blood flowing I slid into the water, then pushed off the wall as the small bubbles tickled my skin as they rose back up to the surface. Seeing clean water in front of me I fell into an easy pace, feeling some of the lingering soreness from the grueling qualifying races the last day and a half. It came with long meets like these. At least it allowed for some rest, instead of rushing us through qualifying and then an event final later. That still happened, just not for any of my swims. Charlie had already finished off two of his events entirely and only had three left today. They were his longer races, but unlike me, he actually knew how to naturally pace an entire meet to not get as burned out before it ended. It was something I knew I would need from Scott, it was something Emily hadn’t been able to really work with me on since I had added events, and the relay had been dropped when Aiden and Matt showed their asses and threw the race.

After a few laps I surfaced back at the beginning edge of the warm up pool to glance up at the count down. It was down to the last five minutes so I pulled myself out of the pool and grabbed a towel. Walking as I dried myself off with one hand, I pulled off my cap and goggles with the other.

Tony and Emily met me halfway to the main pool, Tony with his clipboard and Emily with her usual smile. I glanced over at the stewards, all lined up and waiting to start the day. I didn’t know what lane assignment I had, but when I glanced back up I saw they had been posted. I saw my name in lane three and P. Hastings in lane eight. It could have been anyone of the ten people in this event final, I didn’t know. Pete could have been a name he went by, but seeing it I sighed. I hadn’t put much thought into my rivalry with him, I never felt any of it, aside from when Aiden and Matt preferred him over me. Since I didn’t care about those two assholes, I really didn’t care about him either.

Now though, I wanted to beat him and this was one of the only chances I would get to do it. I just wished we were closer in the pool so I knew where he was.

“Don’t focus on Pete,” Tony said and I smirked as I looked away from the screen.

“How did you even know?” I asked as I handed Emily my towel and stepped away from them both so that I had more room to stretch. My legs and back felt fine, my shoulders had loosened up a lot in the pool, so I rolled my neck a few times just as other swimmers joined us at the pool.

“You’re not that difficult to read and you’re typically one minded,” Tony answered and I looked at him wondering if that was really true of me. If I wasn’t at least a little mysterious, I figured Cindy would have castrated me by now for bringing her son down to hell with me. The thought always half scared me, half made me smirk.

“Pete is a closer, like you,” Tony said shaking his head, “but he’s not the one to worry about in this event. He’s never been good at distance.”

“Who do I watch out for?” I asked as I glanced back up to the lane assignments. We were down to our last minute so I pulled my goggles on, just as the steward stepped out of my way.

“Lanes four and ten,” Tony answered as I slid on my cap then double checked my goggles. Nodding, I stepped up to the starting blocks and did a last couple rolls of my shoulders.

“Ready up,” the steward said as she motioned for me to step forward. She was an older lady with short gray hair. Tall, almost as tall as I was and when I climbed onto the blocks, I took a deep breath as the first bell sounded. Getting down into my stance, I stared out at the gently rippling water, some of the guys had reached in and splashed themselves. It disturbed the calmness and glassy look it had just a moment ago.

“You have this Jackson,” Emily said from just behind the steward. Hearing her voice I smiled as the second bell rang and I dove into the water.

The first fifteen meters of the eight full down and back laps came on fast. Surfacing I fell into an easy pace knowing I had a ways to go. It was a strategy race, one where swimmers didn’t want to show their cards, unless they were early pace setters that just hoped they would gain enough ground to win outright. The two guys on either side of me weren’t those types of swimmers as they blocked most of my vision whenever I took a breath.

As the first wall came I hit it strong with my hand before I dove and turned under the water. Glancing around, it looked like my two lane buddies and I were all just behind lanes seven and six who had gone out early. They were already turned and approaching their fifteen meters. Not feeling too behind this early, I eased into my underwater kicks and pressed myself just ahead of the other two guys beside me for some cleaner, less choppy water.

Being a freestyle race, it wasn’t as taxing on my lower back or shoulders. This was a race won and lost in the legs, I knew that. Emily pounded that into my thick skull over the season. There was always a balance and a battle to find in every race. Not kicking slows you down, putting all the push in the water solely on your shoulders and arms. Kicking allowed for more speed and some races were faster than others, even at this distance. Having Seven and Six that far ahead already, I had to keep reminding myself there were seven more laps to go as soon as my hand touched the wall and I made my second turn.

They were already surfaced and kicking on into their second lap as I started my underwater kicks. The two guys beside me were still right at my shoulder, I could still feel their momentum and I knew they could feel mine. I had no idea where Pete or lane ten was. As I slowed my kicking to give my legs a quick rest, I sped up my arms so that I could stay in touch with the guys on either side of me and by the sounds of our arms, we were almost in unison with our strokes. I didn’t feel the pressure of the race yet and as I hit the fifteen meters on the other side of another half lap, I started kicking again, just so that I could hit the wall hard and make my turn.

When I did, I dove lower so that I could see more of the pool, making a point to look at lane ten. Seeing Pete’s mustard yellow and black shorts, well ahead of me, and lane ten just off his feet, I kicked under water harder, and surfaced strong just as the two guys on either side of me surfaced too.

Like before I edged myself slightly ahead of them, longing for the cleaner water before I rested my legs for a few meters and allowed them to catch back up to me and as I closed out the second lap and started the third, most of my soreness from the day before had completely vanished as my adrenaline and rest of me started waking up. The guys on either side of me had still elected to stay right at my shoulders and I wondered if their coaches had instructed them to do so. Tony had told me as much about lane four before we entered the water.

On my turn, I kicked harder underwater, we were all still pretty much where we were last last. Lanes six and seven a full fifteen or so meters ahead of everyone else. Pete was just a body length ahead of me, and lane ten was half that. I wanted to see what lane four’s strategy was though, I didn’t want to be surprised in the closing three laps. So, instead of resting my legs on this lap, I kept kicking and sped up my strokes just enough that I was pushing my pace ahead of them. When he came with me, I took a breath and rested my legs, slowly easing myself back down. The burst of speed allowed us to get a shoulder ahead of the guy on my other side, who didn’t come along. I knew though, that he was going to be closing hot the last two laps and I had to be ready for him and hoped lane ten on the other side of Pete had the same strategy.

As we hit the halfway mark, that is when some middle closers started kicking off at a fast pace. Lane two hit the wall strong with me and started kicking rapidly, causing more bubbles and a larger wake as he left. Everyone in the pool had started reeling in the two leaders in the race already, the pace today wasn’t for fast pacers, no one took their bait. Lane four still opted to stay with me though so I edged myself forward now that I was at the feet of lane two as he made his move. I trusted Tony to tell me if he was a threat, not being mentioned. I only watched for any sign that he was in his faster pace for the long haul, but when he started resting his legs I knew he wasn’t. He probably just got tired of the choppy water like I was and wanted some room and clean water. Lane one was completely out of the race, falling way back already and as I started kicking strong into the wall, I felt the wake of bubbles and water from lane two before I turned and started kicking underwater.

Surfacing, I pressed forward, these were the closing three and a half laps that I needed to focus on. Pete hadn’t made any move, neither had lane ten. The only one that had, was the guy beside me in two and he was already starting to fade back to me. Taking a breath, I rested my legs and started hitting the water stronger with my arms, turning my hips more so to lessen the strain on my shoulders. I felt the water slide down my sides, like a second current and when the next fifteen meter marker came into view I started kicking again and pressed forward just behind lane two, having already naturally caught up to him.

Seeing me, he pressed forward again and when I surfaced I felt the splash of his feet, but this was also when I thought lane four would start his move. When he rested on my shoulder, I looked around and saw that we had swallowed up and passed the quick starters, the race was slowly, deceptively getting faster and when my hand hit the wall on the opposite side of the pool, I dove under the water and saw that Pete had been left by lane ten. Kicking underwater, I edged back ahead of the guys on either side of me, and when I surfaced I didn’t let up. This was ten’s move, and I felt lane four moving with me, never leaving my shoulder as he continued to press the pace too.

Not resting my legs on this lap, I opted to slow down my arm strokes and fall into an even more relaxed rhythm. Lane four kept right along with me, slowing his arm strokes along with mine, we both kept kicking and when we completed the sixth lap, I dove and turned. Coming out of the turn, I saw that lane ten had already surfaced, Pete was just making his turn, but this was now a three man race. Tony had been right about them and when I took a couple of meters to rest my legs, lane four erupted beside me and I took a breath and allowed him to get half a body length ahead of me as we approached the half lap, leading into our seventh full one.

Hitting the wall, still half a body length behind the guy in lane four, I kicked strong, watching him for any signs of strength or weakness. He had a strong leg kick and was smooth as we approached the fifteen meter marker and when he surfaced, I was right after him. Our strokes were no longer in unison and as I fell into a quicker one beside him, I edged up to meet him as my breathing quickened and I finally started feeling the strain of the race.

I knew I only had two more chances to see where the guy in lane ten was and when the final lap bell rang for him, I knew I was behind as I tucked my head and hit the wall. Turning into the water, I saw his long, lean body in white shorts gliding through the water, just as Pete was making his turn a meter or so behind me. I had managed to keep up with the guy in lane four, so when I hit the surface I sped up my strokes, taking more time to breathe when I needed to, and kicked faster than I did the entire race.

As the wall approached, we were both an arm's length from it. We hit it at the same time and both kicked off the wall together. Feeling their power, I hoped they felt mine as I took a glance over at lane ten to see that we had caught him, but we hadn’t put him away. I could hear the roar of the crowd now as people finally woke up from the stupor of having to sit through a long race and that urged me to forget the strain I felt in my shoulders and legs, and the burn of my lungs demanding more and more air. I knew it was going to be close, I wasn’t edging ahead of him and he wasn’t making much on me either and part of me wondered if maybe I should have made my move earlier, but that would have to wait for a film session with Tony next week.

When I saw the final fifteen meters I took a gulp and then as me and the guy in lane four passed the markers, both of us hitting strong in our strokes, I tucked my head. Not letting up until the final colored ring on the marker told me we were in the closing meters, then I dove for the wall and hit it strong with my hand as I surfaced, spitting water out of my face so that I could take in quick breaths of air.

“Clean race,” the steward said as I looked up past her as I ripped my goggles and cap off my head to see a replay centered on my lane. My red shorts and racing cap diving for the wall, just as the guy in lane four, in green and gray striped shorts was also reaching for it. I took in a few more breaths and then smiled as I slapped the water and yelled when my fingers touched just before his, and I knew without a doubt that if he had just one more kick, that maybe the race would have gone the other way.

“Great race dude,” he said as his breath hit my shoulder as he leaned across his lane and offered me his fist. When I hit mine with his, I reached for the wall just as the official race results came across the screen with my name in first. O. Cartley was in second and I watched him pull himself up and out of the water before I left the pool myself. Pete had finished fourth.

“Solid, rock solid,” Tony said as he met me just past the stewards. “Did that feel great?”

“It felt fucking awesome,” I said as I breathed just as Emily handed me a towel. I ran it over my chest, then up around my face and head. They waited for me to take a few swipes down my legs to keep from dripping all the way back to our station.

“I knew you had it,” Emily whispered, but when I looked up at her, rolling my eyes she started laughing.

“I didn’t even know I had it,” I said as she grabbed my shoulder and gave it a light shake.

“Hell of a race for a closing eight hundred,” she said, shaking her head. “Both of you should be proud of that one.”

When I got to our designated waiting area, Drae and Charlie were both folding up what looked like a couple of twenties from Matt and Aiden. Seeing me Charlie lifted his up and kissed it, but Drae shook his head and smiled.

“You made that too fucking close,” Drae said as he clapped me on the shoulder.

“I was well ahead of Pete,” I countered looking over my shoulder to see the next event already about to start. It was the girl’s event Tony announced this morning. We had three in the finals of this event, but when I started walking to watch them, Emily pointed to the warm up pool and I sighed.

“Damn right you were,” Charlie said as he joined me for the walk over to the pool. “Easiest pair of twenties I ever made.”

“Did you bet on every event we have together?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow as I slid my goggles back on just as he slid his on. This time the pool was crowded as the meet got into more of a flow.

“There’s only two,” he answered shrugging. “And yeah, we did, we put double on the one hundred, so you better kick his ass.”

“And if I don't win it?” I asked as I slid into a lane to share with what looked like the guy I just raced against, but he was on the other end of the pool. “What are you going to do about it?”

“You wouldn’t see it coming,” he said as he smiled and dove under the water and I shook my head and did the same.

After finishing the warm-up lap I was on, my breath and legs coming back to me, I surfaced to see all three girls waiting for a lane. Pulling myself up out of the water, Tara handed me her towel, a bit cold and more damp than I would have liked. Accepting it, I slid it over my chest and down my legs.

“How’d it go?” I asked as I noticed Kelcie step slightly behind Shay. I couldn’t remember if I ever heard her speak around me. She smiled when she made eye contact with me though.

“Swept the top three,” Shay answered, her smile growing as she slid on her goggles and shouldered past me. “Like we knew we would.”

“What order?” I asked as I allowed her to bump me out of the way. Tara laughed as the guy who shared my lane pulled himself out of the water beside us. He glanced over at me with a smile before he continued on to the towel station by the warm up pool.

“Shay, Kelcie, then me,” Tara answered and I turned to see her glancing at Kelcie before offering me a small smile.

“Nice,” I offered as Kelcie gently and just as quietly as before, stepped around me to enter the lane to share it with Shay to do her own cool down laps.

“I didn’t get to congratulate you earlier, that was an exciting finish,” Tara said and I watched her brush her fingers through her long red hair a few times. Then she pulled it up and stuffed her cap back over it.

“Lets hope the other fucking ones aren’t as exciting,” I groaned as she slid on a second cap to smooth out the lumps her hair caused in the first one. Most girls wouldn’t have fussed with hair that long, but she seemed fine.

“Come on now, where’s the fun in that?” She asked as the lane beside Shay and Kelcie opened up a slot. Offering me a smile she sat down on the edge and pushed herself into the pool.

“If I fail in my one hundred free, you will help keep Charlie from seeking revenge, right?” I asked as she slid on her goggles and unhooked her nose clip from the top of her suit, just above her left breast.

“No, because I have ten on you myself,” she answered laughing as she disappeared under the water.
“Fuck me,” I hissed as I draped the damp towel over my shoulders and started walking back to our waiting area.

After dropping off my cap and goggles, then sliding into my warm up pants, I followed Tony and Emily to the pool. Charlie was just about ready for his next race, he was bouncing on his tip-toes like a boxer as he rolled his neck. Emily held his towel and goggles and when he held out his hand she gave them to him. Seeing me approaching he offered me a smile just before the steward got his attention.

When he climbed up onto the blocks, the crowd fell silent just as it always did. I didn’t know what event this was, but as I stepped up to Emily she turned and smiled as the first bell rang and Charlie dipped into his stance.

“I’m going to miss all this,” Emily said as she nudged me. “Not seeing three familiar faces in the new season is going to be very difficult for me.”

“Don’t get sappy on me yet,” I groaned, shaking my head. “I could royally mess something up in about thirty minutes and you need your strength to yell at my dumb ass.”

“I probably will,” she said smiling as the second bell rang and we both stepped up to where Tony stood.

I already could tell it was a sprint swim by Charlie’s hard leg kicks and violent surface after fifteen meters. He fell right into a butterfly, the water rippling down his back as he lifted out of the water. It was beauty in every sense of the word to see him, his muscles flexing and easing as his arms rotated up and crashed into the water. Glancing up towards the screen, seeing the entire race from above I could tell he already had an easy lead going into the turn. The boy had talent, more talent that I think I ever could have.

“Why does he have a perfect butterfly, the little bastard,” I sighed then smiled when she laughed before clapping her hands, cheering him on.

Looking back up to the screen he was just behind the marker that was the Regional record. I wondered if he had a lighter schedule if he wouldn’t have broken it entirely. Maybe even shredded it so unapologetically that I doubted it would be broken for some time, unless it was by him again next year.

“You like my ass in high definition?” Charlie asked as I lost myself in a slow-motion replay of him coming into the wall. There wasn’t an exciting finish by fingertips, he had more than a half of a body length lead over second place.

“Get off it,” I countered as Tony and Emily already geared into the next race as I walked beside Charlie, watching him attempt to restyle his blond hair after drying it. His towel was draped around his shoulders, he still had light pink rings around his eyes from the sealed goggles. He was barely winded, but Tony would have told him to take a few laps anyway. “I have the most glorious ass.”

“Keep telling yourself that my guy,” he said as he clipped his nose clip onto his nostrils and continued the rest of the way to the warm up pool. I stood there until I realized I was looking at his ass as he left me since I had no reason to follow him all the way over. Shaking my head I turned and walked back to our station to see Tony hovering in the middle of everyone.

“Relay in ten, guys,” he said as he glanced over at Matt. “You up for it Matt, let me know if you’re not.”

“I am,” Matt answered as he leaned forward in his chair. He was paler than usual, but he didn’t look all that bad.

“I’ll scratch you out if you’re not, there’s no pressure,” Tony said as he held out his clipboard, but Matt only shook his head and looked over at Aiden. He was still slightly quarantined away from the rest of us, with Aiden giving him a wider berth than he would normally. I wished I felt more sorry for him, part of me did a little. Having a stomach bug hit you in the middle of a championship meet wouldn’t be something I would wish on most anybody and Matt was the lesser of the two assholes, seeming to follow Aiden’s lead mostly.

“He’ll get his business done,” Drae said as he pulled out his ear buds only long enough to say what he wanted before putting them back. “If not we’ll pick up the slack.”

“Fine,” Tony said as he slid his clipboard back under his arm. I saw the smile as he turned and left the center of the circle and I looked up at the screen to see the race before the relay coming to a close on the screen. It was a girl’s event and when I glanced around, not seeing Tara I looked up again to see her name flash across the screen in first place, followed by Kelcie. Shay was standing beside Emily clapping her hands and when both girls pulled themselves out of the pool I watched them group hug, Emily not caring at all that she was getting soaked in the process.

Knowing we were up next and not really having time to do any warming up, I stripped out of my pants and jacket. Replacing them with my goggles, cap, and nose clip in my chair. I clipped my nose clip into the waistband of my racing shorts and started stretching out my neck and rolling my shoulders. Seeing me start, Drae pulled out his ear buds and stood. I watched him strip down to his shorts and grab his things.

“I didn’t think I had it,” Kelcie said as she led the way back to the group, but her voice fell once she broke the circle of chairs. “I didn’t think I had that strong of a breaststroke.”

“You did today,” Shay said as she flipped her hair and smiled up at me as they passed, only to backtrack and playfully swat me with her own towel. When it popped against my ass cheek, I watched her eyes get wide as I jumped and refused to rub the sudden sting.

“That was loud,” Tara said as she closed her mouth trying not to laugh as I scowled at Shay as her hand went to her mouth.

“Jackson,” she said and I could hear the laughter in her voice. “I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, you’re getting paid back for that,” I said, trying not to smile.

“Come on guys,” Tony barked as he sped by us, seemingly unaware of what just happened.

“Good luck,” Shay offered as Matt and Aiden stepped around me to fall in line behind Tony. Drae was already poolside and I hadn’t even realized he had left my side. “Matt looks like he’s sleep walking.”

“We’ll get it done,” I said as I turned and started walking to catch up to the rest of the guys, but not fast enough that I would close the distance between me and Matt. We were still a few hours into this meet and I didn’t want to spend it hovering over a toilet.

After I arrived Tony only looked a little put out with us sauntering up last minute as the steward called us to ready up. Matt started the race and slid up onto the blocks after a few tentative stretches. I could hear Tony behind me, mumbling something to Emily. Whatever it was, she didn’t answer him as the first bell sounded and Matt got down into his stance.

“I should have scratched out of this,” Tony said as he stepped around me to stand as close to the starting blocks as he could without catching the glare of the steward. We had pulled lane five, the magic lane. Pete was with his relay team in lane three, right beside us. He was lined up to anchor, like I knew he would and when I glanced behind me I saw Drae smirking as he measured him up. Pete wasn’t looking in our direction though.

Sliding on my goggles, then my cap after the second bell sounded and Matt dove into the water, I slipped my nose clip on as Aiden scrambled onto the blocks. Tony, to his credit, was clapping and cheering for Matt already, hoping to encourage whatever Matt had left in the tank. Like with every relay, the crowd was more tuned into the action. All ten lanes were churning and all ten lanes had three more swimmers waiting anxiously for their turn on the blocks, and in the water. Aiden was already down in his stance, but looking out Matt had faded significantly on his way back. The guy on Pete’s team was already spreading the lead out, and I heard a sigh from just behind me.

“If the dude leaves an oil spill in the water, I’m quitting swimming for life,” Drae muttered and I grimaced already picturing the aftermath that would come from something like that.

“Finish strong,” Tony bellowed just as Pete’s teammate charged off the block. I watched as the first swimmer pulled himself out to wet high fives and hugs as he made room for the next person up. Lanes ten, eight, and seven all erupted around the same time, followed by Aiden as Matt finally hit the wall.

“Clean,” the steward announced as Matt struggled to pull himself out of the water.

“Get him a towel,” Tony barked, but when I started moving towards the towel racks Drae grabbed my shoulders and pushed me forward. Seeing Aiden churning the water, attempting to catch up, I realized my dumb ass wasn’t on the blocks. Climbing up, I waved my arms out and away from my body a few times, then checked my goggles before getting into my stance. Matt was just out of the way, accepting the towel from Emily in the corner of my vision. We were the only team not erupting with energy as swimmers came out of the water, our lane was quiet aside from Tony going more hoarse with every yell.

It did look like Aiden had made up some of the lost time on the middle of the field and was charging down the lane. My competition in Pete’s lane hadn’t hit the water yet, but there was still about a body length separating Aiden and him and I grimaced and lowered myself on the blocks when he did launch.

“Don’t kill yourself guys,” Tony said as Aiden hit the closing meters and tucked his head. I held my breath watching for his fingers to touch. When they did I launched off the blocks and hit the cool water. Falling into my dolphin kicks as the bubbles dissipated around me, in the churn of the water, I saw clean water ahead of me.

When I surfaced after fifteen meters, I took a few breaths and settled into a face pace, feeling the waves crashing against me as they always do in a full pool during a sprint race. The freestyle, I always thought was the more violent of the swims. The butterfly was smooth, almost elegant, and the breaststroke barely broke the water. A fast backstroke looked like a cruise in comparison. It took me a long time to learn not to punch the water, but to slide my arms into it like a hot knife through butter. To work with the water, but I learned that a long time ago with Rick at the YMCA in worse water conditions than this. I missed him in my ear at times like these, where I wanted to feel more at home, but time only allowed for that and Tony and I never got to get there.

Still, I heard the crowd’s roar, barely, but present just before I hit the wall strong and flipped under the water for my turn. It was instantly drowned completely out by the onslaught of hands hitting the water, never truly rhythmic, with the backdrop of a constant almost white noise of ten pairs of legs propelling bodies in water. Dipping low, I looked around and saw that I had caught up to, and passed more of the field, but Pete’s lane was still well out ahead of me.

Surfacing I took a breath and fell into a quicker pace. I could just see the feet of Pete’s teammate the next lane over. I knew if I could get up to his waist before he touched the wall, that maybe Drae had a chance at this. Tucking my head, breathing less I focused on keeping my quick arm cycles even, and my legs constant despite the growing strain of the muscles in my thighs and calves.
It was a slower progress than what I felt we needed as I met the guy’s knees, then his thigh as the closing fifteen meter marker came into view. Breathing a few gulps of air, I tucked my head and as I gained on his hip I lunged for the wall and when my fingers touched, I surfaced, gasping for air.

“Clean race,” the steward announced as I grabbed for the edge of the wall and pulled myself up. Once clear of the edge of the pool, I pulled my cap and goggles off, blinking at the sudden invasion of water just as Emily handed me a towel.

“We’re back at the beginning of the season,” Tony growled and I watched him throw his arms into the air, then whirl to look at me.

“I’m good,” I said as my chest heaved and fell as I breathed trying to bring life back to my legs.

“That was the fastest split so far,” Emily said as she offered me a tight lipped smile. “You better hope me kicking your ass all year has paid off, despite your fixation with Cheetos.”

“How the hell do you know about that?” I asked as I glanced over at her, willing my legs not to buckle with her watching me. I hadn’t even glanced around to see how Drae was doing, by the sound of Tony’s hoarse voice, and muttering it didn’t sound all that encouraging.

“I’ve had conversations with your mother, she threw you right under that bus,” Emily answered as she patted my shoulder and half turned me towards the pool. “Drae is on his way home.”

Turning I saw that he wasn’t going to overtake Pete, who looked smooth and easy in the water the next lane over. Like always, Drae looked like he was a killer whale charging the beach hoping to catch a seal off guard. Clapping my hands, as he hit the closing meters, I saw out of the corner of my eye that Pete was pulling himself out of the water, being helped by his teammates before being enveloped in their hugs.

Glancing over my shoulder Aiden stood awkwardly alone, there was no sign of Matt, but I didn’t blame him for not being there and when Drae hit the wall and surfaced, I stepped forward. When he took my hand I braced myself as he pulled himself out of the water and wrapped me into a hug.

“Sorry,” he said as cold water from his arms and stomach slid in small rivers down my sides and back. Feeling a shudder as he broke the hug, I offered him a smile.

“We did our best,” I said as I reached up and nudged him as Emily handed him a towel and took his goggles and cap so that he could dry himself. His short hair, curly when it was wet, came back to life as he caught his breath.

“Cool down laps, all three of you take them seriously, or so help me, I’ll pull you out for the rest of the event,” Tony said as he corralled the three of us halfway between our designated area and the warm up pool. “Aiden, you’re up next, but you have time to take some laps and eat a little, I know you three did all you could do with what you were handed. Don’t give Matt any trouble, I’m to blame for this one.”

“You’re not,” Drae said and Tony nodded once to acknowledge him before he turned and left us where we stood.

“I’m going to go check on Matt,” Aiden mumbled before he took off towards the locker rooms.

“Just beat Pete’s ass in the one hundred,” Drae said smirking as his team walked in a line to the warm up pool. Seeing them crowd the lanes, Drae and I made our way as well. With the heart of the meet fully underway, it was crowded with people coming and going. When we arrived, Pete was in the water already cooling down. The lanes were starting to clear, Drae and I ended up sharing after a pair of girls on the same team finished together. Hitting the water, I sighed already feeling some of the strain leaving my body. I let Drae push off the wall first and when he was on his way back, opting for the left side of the lane, I checked my goggles before pushing off the wall.

Meeting him halfway, feeling the gentle jostling of the water he displaced, I took a slow and easy stroke, barely kicking, slowing my breathing down. Cooling down was always easier, and more peaceful after a win. It didn’t feel like a loss though, I didn’t feel the sting of it. It was almost poetic, to close the year like we started it. We had a good few relays between then and now and this time I felt Matt and Aiden had tried and came up short along with me. The only thing that stung was the fact there would be no true redemption, no chance at a last second rally to finally beat Pete. I knew Drae felt the injustice of that the most and as we took more and more laps together, I started to finally feel a little bit of that too.