Elizabeth Ulbrickson is the daughter of Al Ulbrickson, the rowing coach of the University of Washington. That's all you need to know.
"The Boys in the Boat" (2023)
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Second semester was looking significantly better than the first. I didn't have the same astronomical amount of insecurity in me. I didn't have a controlling annoying stupid guy next to me.
I had friends.
I mean, Mars was always there for me, but I was stupid to create distance, space between us, because of some pathetic excuse of a man. Still don't know how she forgave me so easily. That's a lie. I do know. I wouldn't have to think twice before forgiving her if the roles were swapped.
Still... it ached, the guilt of the horrible seven months, that felt more like seven centuries, that I put a blindfold on my face, without hesitation, the very moment he gave me the slightest of attention.
That was not gonna happen again.
"What are we doing now?" Bobby asked. The three of us were walking out of class.
"Do you guys wanna go watch the rowing training?" I suggested. Don't ask me why, please.
"Please don't do this to me again." Mars complained. It was valid. When I started seeing Anthony, I would beg her to come with me.
"Are you still hung up on Sanders?" Bobby asked.
"No. No. And no."
"I can go with you then. I wanna see Coach's face when he sees me." Bobby said.
Bobby was a year older than us. Last year, he was the cox for the boats, which means: the little guy with the weird cone in his mouth who yells at the rowers. That was when I met him.
I remembered he was loud, really loud, which was the point of it all. However, Bobby was also stubborn, really stubborn, and, in a rather important race, he chose his own instincts instead of my dad's instructions and the rest was... catastrophical.
All of this to say that my dad doesn't really like Bobby. There's a little (a lot) of resentment from both sides of the coin.
"You coming, Mars?"
"God, no!" She exclaimed. "But have fun, though."
"Want me to say something to Shorty?" I asked.
"Other than 'go fuck yourself'? No, not really." She kept a serious face. I didn't. And nor did Bobby.
