Changing Tides 《COMPLETE》

Chapter 28

"Thanks, Coach. Sorry again."

He holds up a hand and shakes his head. "Now, that's alright. Things happen. Just glad to have you back. I, ah, trust your situation is all taken care of?"

I nod and roll my shoulders before kicking off my flip-flops and reaching down to fill my swim cap up with water.

"Yea. Found a place just last night actually. I'll be moving in there today."

"If you need to take off afternoon practice, let me know."

"No, it should be alright," I respond quickly. "But thanks, Coach."

He claps my shoulder and nods a single time before pulling the clipboard out from under his arm and barking that I can start with an easy 1000 freestyle warm-up. I shake out my arms a few more seconds and then jump into the pool. Cold water sears my skin as I plunge deeper, and I kick as hard as I can to get back to the surface.

I secure my swim cap in place and slide my goggles over my eyes. The locker door sweeps open, and Roland walks out a second later. His dark hair looks thicker and fuller than normal. My eyes skim down his naked chest. He looks thinner than the last time I saw him.

Despite being tucked behind a starting block, his dark eyes somehow manage to find me. Our gazes collide and my stomach bottoms out. His eyes are blank, bleak even, and his expression immediately becomes guarded.

Our last few moments together flash back in my mind – the discussion about Weston just as Bennett pulled into the apartment parking lot. He hasn't tried talking to me since. How does he feel about that night? What has he thought since?

My jaw tightens and I tear my gaze away from him. Now isn't the time to think about that. I've lost focus enough. So now? It's time to swim.

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I finish practice before anyone else. Cameron is still a good 200 yards behind me. My lungs burn when I reach the end of the lane. Whether it's because I want to prove myself or because the nerves are driving me forward, I swim faster today in practice than ever before.

With trembling arms I pull myself out of the pool. Beads of water travel across my chest and down my stomach. I can tell my skin is blotchy with red from being overworked, and the air outside the pool does little to stave off the sudden heat.

"Good swim, Trey."

I glance in the direction of Coach's booming voice. He nods when I meet his gaze, and I give him a wave of acknowledgement. He's right, though. That swim was better than even some of my better ones from years ago. My muscles are tight from the workout. Even my arms and calves are tingling with a burning fatigue.

I quickly make my way over to the bench and swipe up my towel. The sound of hands and feet kicking through the water cuts through the heavy air. Somewhere in the pool Bennett is swimming. So is Roland. The knowledge sends a different kind of heat searing through my cheeks.

Without looking back, I head towards the locker room. My stomach knots into a ball of nerves as I grab my gym bag and throw on my shirt. I'll shower when I get home. The idea of being cornered into a conversation this early in the morning isn't something I prepared myself for.

I hoist my gym bag out of the locker and slam it closed. The florescent lights buzz above me, and their pressuring hum makes me walk faster towards the exit. Noises from the locker room fade to the softer, pad of my fip-flops echoing down the hallway. I jog over the tile and push through the doors to the parking lot.

The morning sun is peeling itself from bed, its rays glossing over the cars and bringing with it a blistering heat to start another summer's day. I start digging through my gym bag to find my keys, but a shadow catches my attention from a few cars away.

My feet slow when I glance up and familiar, dark eyes meet with mine.

It's Annie.

I can feel the scowl forming on my face before either of has a chance to say anything. She must see it too, because her expression becomes pleading.

"Trey, please."

She pushes off her car and her fingers curl around my elbow. My entire body becomes rigid to her touch. She timidly chews on her bottom lip and swallows hard before dropping her hand.

"What do you want, Annie?"

She's silent for a moment before sighing. "I heard about Jessica."

"Alright."

Another beat of silence.

"We need to talk, Trey."

I whirl around to face her, and my scowl deepens. "Annie, just stop. Whether what she said was true or not, it doesn't matter. I'm over it. Anything between us is gone and has been for a long, fuckin' time."

Clouded hurt fills Annie's features. A film of tears move across her deep brown eyes. Just a few months ago that look would have melted me, but now I don't feel anything. I stare back at her, unblinking.

"Be that as it may," she says through a trembling voice. "I'd like to talk to you about a few things."

"Why?"

My question doesn't sound as angry as I hope for it to be. Instead I sound exasperated. Exhausted even.

"Roland is miserable, Trey."

Her voice softens. I try to harden my emotions against his name, but hearing it makes me twitch with longing. He's miserable?

"Don't care."

Annie lets out a bitter laugh and shakes her head. "Yea, you do."

And she's right; I do. As much as I want to ignore the feelings when I hear my best friend's name, I can't. The emotions are already warring within me, yearning to know if he's alright.

"What does that have to do with you?"

Annie looks down at her hands before bringing them up to her face to cover her eyes. "He's hurting, Trey. After all that's happened, the least I can do is fight for some of your time...even if it's on his behalf."

I glare down at her, narrowing my eyes. "You have half an hour."