Mr. Superficial (BWWM)

Chapter 10

Ashton's P.O.V

I blink a couple of times to confirm I'm not asleep and this is not a dream.

Captain of the swim team? Me?

I watch in awe as all the boys clap for me as I earn the title as their captain. I knew this school was famous for its great swimmers and I was wondering if I'd even make it in so to be captain means a big deal to me.

'Congratulations, Ashton!' Coach booms.

'That was some of the finest swimming I've ever seen in all the years I've been a coach. Kid, you were better than the professionals I've trained! Keep it up, you're gonna go far,' he encourages, slapping my back.

Ouch.

He walks away, muttering some other things to himself.

I look around again at the group of guys who are now my fellow team members. They all encourage me with "good job"s' and "well done"s', which I return with thankful smiles.

My bubble of joy suddenly deflates as I set my eyes on Landon.

He's standing there with his arms folded across his chest and looking like he's about to cry and rip off my head at the same time. His jaw is locked and his usual light grey eyes are darkened with rage.

I know I can probably say something witty to him to rub it in his face that I'm captain and he's not, but I decide against it. I know he and I aren't "best buddies" or acquaintances of convenience for that matter either, but I believe everyone deserves some decency. The world is full of too many rude people anyway and just fulfilling their low standards would only fuel that paradigm. Instead, I walk over to him.

'Hey, dude you swam well,' I say awkwardly, refraining from using the word "mate" as I habitually would. He just stares straight ahead, ignoring me.

'Better luck next time,' I say earnestly, gently slapping his back. This makes him turn his head around to face me. His eyes are blazing and he actually looks like a psychopath.

'Don't fucking touch me!' he growls, pushing me away aggressively. I catch my balance just in time before I fall into the pool and walk away, leaving him to himself.

Why can't he ever be happy for someone else? I know he hates me with a passion, but he must realize that not everything is about him! The world revolves around the Sun, not "Landon Reeves, the Great and Powerful".

I sigh deeply, failing to understand Landon and his motives while walking over to my car. As I near the parking lot, I overhear people shouting, or should I say a person shouting at another. I turn around to see Sean running after Landon, his blonde hair flowing behind him like a lion's mane.

'Dude, you said you'll give me a ride!' He yells at Landon who ignores him and continues walking away briskly.

'What the fuck, man?' He says, grabbing him by his shoulder.

Landon shoves him away and unlocks his car before speeding away. Sean yells insults at him and makes his way over to a nearby bench where he slumps down in defeat. He probably has no one to take him home.

I don't even think before I go up to him and ask if he needed a ride. He looks at me questioningly before his face breaks into a huge grin.

'Yeah, that'll save me walking for an hour. Thanks, dude!' He says getting up. I just smile and walk over to my silver Lexus. I unlock the doors and we both get in.

'Where do you live?' I ask. He tells me his address which is quite a long way from the school.

We drive in silence until I run out of self-control and I just have to ask the question I've been wondering ever since the day I first came to the school.