Twenty-seven

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"Come on, Sennels!"

"Wuuuh, you can do it!"

"You're almost there!"

"You have him, Colton; come on!"

The yells are reverberating around the room, bouncing off the tiled walls, making it seem like there are way more people here than just the sixty or so swimmers and divers crowding the pool, cheering at the top of their lungs. I only catch about half of the encouraging words either directed at Colton or me because my head is under the water the other half of the time.

We only have fifty meters left. Today they lowered the wall, usually separating the fifty-meter-long pool into two sections so that we could compete in an actual Olympic-sized pool.

Our coaches decided that it would be good for the guys and me to have a 'real' practice run as a medley team, so they constructed another team out of four other male swimmers from U-M and made us compete against each other.

Soon, Mitch, Davis, Saltz, and I will have our first real medley relay, so this fake race is good practice. And as the last swim before Thanksgiving, it's the perfect time.

Saltz started out strong, but only with a slight lead in front of the other backcrawl swimmer. Davis kept up the small advantage, and of course, Mitch completely obliterated the other guy at butterfly. When I jumped in the water, we had a pretty solid lead.

So that brings us to now. Colton and I are locked in a battle of wills as we swim the best we have learned. Besides Kimmy and me, Colton is the best freestyle swimmer on the team, and right now, he's smoking my ass.

Fucking shit.

On the first lane, half the race, I managed to lose our team the entire lead we'd gained. Now I'm doing my very best to make up for it and failing miserably.

We throw our hands against the pool's edge, almost in sync. I'm a few hundreds of a second ahead of him, but that's it.

I glance up to find my team looking down at me, clapping along with the rest of the room, but all of them are wearing matching expressions.

Worry.

It's in the crease between Davis' brows, in the tight set of Mitch's lips, and in the uneasy look in Saltz's eyes.

We won, but not thanks to me, and next time, when we're competing against a real team - a team of guys who, like us, have had months to train together - my performance today won't be enough.

The other team is patting each other on the backs, looking slightly disappointed but secretly throwing looks my way, their curious gazes seeming to say; what happened to Jayden Sennels?

Yes, indeed. What the hell happened?

The rest of the people in the room break up, heading into the changing rooms, the divers finishing up their practice. In the commotion, I notice that Colton is still lingering in the water, too. He's already removed his cap and goggles. He knows that his team lost, but in the one-on-one competition between the two of us, he won. Big time. There's a smug look all over his face, his lips curling up into a smirk.

"How the mighty have fallen," he says, grinning, before he pulls himself out of the water, sauntering away, not a care in the world.

My hand had been curling around the iron bar at the block in front of me, but now I let go, releasing my air as my body disappears under the water to help me sink better.

I do some of my best thinking down here, and right now, I need to think.

In a few weeks, we're heading to our first sectional, where we'll compete against several other well-prepared medley teams, and we need to rank in the top three. If we have any hope of making the swimming world aware of us before nationals in six months' time, we have no choice.

And with my performance today, we won't get there.

I need to make a good comeback; show the agents lurking out there that I'm worth betting on. If I could score us first place at sectionals and then again at nationals, it should make up for what happened in Paris.

And I'll fight to my dying breath.

But the thing is, I'm not alone on this team.

Saltz and Mitch and Davis, they all want to win too. They have their own reasons for needing this win.

And maybe... maybe, in the end, I'm just weighing them down. The Wolverines registered with a men's medley team, but we can still make changes in the lineup.

I could give my spot to Colton.

Everyone would protest, but maybe they would be relieved too. He would hang it over my head, of course, but I could live with the shame.

Maybe I should just stop.

I break the surface when I can't hold my breath anymore, and I find that everyone but Davis has left. He holds a hand out to me, pulling me up. We walk towards the changing room quietly.

Should I say something?

I have to make my choice soon. Either I decide that I can do this, or I choose to prioritize my team. And they'll have to know sooner rather than later.

In a few hours, we'll all be gathered for Friendsgiving, and I know I'll need to have made up my mind before that.

And I have no idea what to do.

🏊‍♂️

"Jay." Sophie smiles as she opens the door for me.

After dumping my gear at home, I changed into a button-down for the occasion and headed over to Sophie's place. We agreed to just hang out for a bit before going to Davis' house together.

"Hi, Fie," I say, leaning in to kiss her.

She moves closer to me, her perfume that smells like roses lingers in my nostrils, and for a moment, everything rights itself.

It's hard to feel like the world is tumbling down around me when I have Sophie's lips pressed against mine.

"Come on in; I was just making coffee." She gestures towards the kitchen and starts walking.

I remove my shoes, taking a second to admire her backside; maybe it's the way she's swaying her hips, but it takes me a while to realize that something is different.

She's in jeans.

I don't think I have ever seen Sophie wear jeans.

And not even a fancy pair or anything, but old, faded denim jeans. Of course, they look great on her but matched with the loose red t-shirt draped over her torso; it looks like she's mid-paint-job or something else that requires you to wear clothes you aren't all that fond of.

I find it really fucking hard to believe that she's wearing that to Friendsgiving.

"You look... different," I say as I take a seat at the kitchen island.

Sophie has her back turned to me as she pulls two mugs out. "Is that a compliment?" she asks, her voice not betraying anything.

"It's a statement." I narrow my eyes, my gaze burning a hole into the back of her neck, urging her to turn, but if she notices, she doesn't let on. "Are you wearing that tonight?"

She programs the fancy coffee maker. "Just black, right?"

I don't say anything. Finally, the machine stops brewing, and she turns around, placing a mug in front of me. I don't look at it, keeping my eyes fixed on Sophie.

The uneasy feeling from last week is back. Something is up. "You didn't answer my question."

"What question?" Sophie asks, raising her own mug to her lips.

It's a Disney mug. Jen collects them, and they're all different, portraying various well-known characters. The one Sophie is using right now depicts a woman with black and white hair, wearing a knee-length coat and grasping a long cigarette holder in her hand, puffing out a ring of smoke.

"Are you wearing that outfit tonight?" I repeat, watching Sophie closely.

"Why? Is anything wrong with it?" she deflects the question yet again. I fight the urge to pull at my hair in frustration.

Sophie is leisurely leaning back against the counter behind her, her head tilted a bit, watching me with a pleasant smile on her lips.

What does she have planned?

I drop my head in my hands. The truth is, I don't have the mental capacity to argue with Sophie right now. Whatever it is, I'll probably end up going along, so why even bother worrying about it?

"Is everything okay?" Sophie asks quietly, and as I lift my gaze again, she's watching me with concern in those brown pools.

"Do you think I'm selfish?"

Her head jerks back, confusion covering her face. "Selfish?" she asks. "Jayden, you're the least selfish person I know - well, except maybe Jen, but she's too self-sacrificing for her own good. Why are you asking me this?"

I scratch my brow. "Wouldn't it be right for me to step back from the medley team if I'm the weakest link?"

She blinks, the wheels turning in her head. She takes another sip, all the while holding eye contact with me.

Placing her cup on the tabletop in front of her, she lifts an eyebrow at me. "I didn't pick you for a quitter."

"I'm not." I get to my feet, taking a few steps back from the island between us.

"Aren't you considering quitting?" she asks calmly.

My nostrils flare. "For the good of the team."

"Or because you're scared?"

I tug at the collar of my shirt, loosening it a bit. It feels too tight, like it might choke me. My face is heating up as I stare at Sophie defiantly. "I'm the captain, Sophie. I can't just think about myself; I need to do what's best for my team."

"And the best thing is for you to leave them without a captain? That doesn't seem right." She's unaffected by the anger I can feel reverberating off me in waves.

"You don't understand! I can give my spot to someone better."

At this, she leans forward a bit, bracing herself against the island, fingers drumming on the surface. "Let me ask you something, Jayden. Is there no chance you guys can win if you compete?"

I pause, frowning. "Well, of course, there's a chance. There's always a chance." It might be small, but it's there. I have shown that I'm capable of more.

She nods, straightening up again. "Drink your coffee before it gets cold."

She picks up her own cup again, nodding at the mug waiting for me. I hesitate. There's still a lot of restless energy running around my body after that argument, but Sophie just looks cool and collected, like it was nothing. My anger has dissipated, though, and I figure there's no reason to keep standing here.

I do as she says, sitting down at the counter, grabbing the mug. It's a Disney cup too. This one is light blue, with bubbles drawn all over it. I turn it a bit and find the picture of a regal blue fish with yellow fins smiling at me. Fish can't smile, but this one does, and beside her, the words 'just keep swimming' are written in bold letters.

I glance up at Sophie, and she smiles at me, her eyes softening a bit.

I take a deep breath, lifting the cup to my lips.

Alright then.

🏊‍♂️

"So, what are the other guys doing now?" Sophie asks. Her tone strives for indifference, but I sense a bit of anticipation lurking.

"Uh, just chilling before tonight, I think... Why?"

Sophie brushes her hands against each other, her eyes running around the room a few times before they land on me, and a smile curls her lips. The smile in and of itself might be slightly terrifying and matched with the wicked gleam in her eyes; it's honestly scary.

"I have a little favor to ask."

Oh, shit.

I know Sophie well enough not to ask questions as I slip into the passenger seat of her car. She borrows my phone, sending a text with an address to Mitch, who'll be driving the others to our destination.

I have no idea where the hell we're going, except that it's within the city of Ann Arbor. My leg keeps bouncing, my gaze restlessly taking in our surroundings but then cutting to Sophie, hoping for any indication of what's going on.

She's the picture of calm. A pair of sunglasses cover her eyes, and a smirk on her mouth as she steers the car with one hand.

We leave the tall apartment and office buildings behind, the houses we pass get bigger and farther between. Eventually, Sophie turns into a driveway, passing through two stone pillars, and then parks in front of a house.

It's a two-story villa with a garage on one side. On the other side of the house is one of Michigan's many lakes, and big elm trees surround the property. Mitch's truck is parked in front of us.

I follow Sophie out of the car. My three teammates exit the truck. Davis' eyes are burning with curiosity as he comes to stand beside me. Sophie rummages around the trunk of her car.

"What's going on?" Saltz whispers, looking excited.

I shake my head. "I have no idea."

Finally, Sophie emerges with a black tote bag and a toolbox. She places them on the ground and faces us, standing with her back to the house.

"Thank you for showing up, guys." She licks her lips, locking eyes with each of us in turn. "I know you're probably wondering what we're doing here."

She's pulling out the suspense, and she knows it. A sinful grin lights up her face, and it's no longer just a wicked gleam; her expression is straight-up evil Disney villain.

"This is Darren's house." She gestures to the house behind her like she's presenting us with a fancy price. "And we're going to get revenge." 


A/N: 
You didn't think she'd forgotten about Darren, did you? 😏

How do you think they'll get revenge? ➡️

- Hanna 💙


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