Apparently, one aspect of my little Experiment was the development of a death wish.
Tucker’s eyes flared. “What the fuck do you know about it?”
“New Haven Prep beat you in the five thousand and the two thousand meters in two separate regattas.” I shrugged. “Given the glaring weaknesses in their crew, both should’ve been easy wins.”
Rhett chuckled darkly. “I’m starting to like this guy.”
“Whatever.” Tucker puffed his chest. “Pull your weight, Ford, and we won’t have any problems. But if I see you looking at my girlfriend the way you looked at her on Saturday night, I’m going to take an oar and smash every bone in your face.”
“Informing me is premeditation. A bold choice.”
Tucker smirked. “My father is a senator. I can do whatever the fuck I want. You on the other hand…your mom bolted, and your father is a washed-up loser whose brains are turning to oatmeal as we speak.”
A jolt of white-hot rage flooded me, and my hands balled into fists.
Tucker’s smirk became a satisfied smile. “Enjoy your smart mouth while you can, Ford,” he said, walking away with Rhett. “Everyone knows thatbatshit crazyruns in the family.”
***
“You okay?” Dean asked as we walked through the halls after midmorning break. “You made the crew! That’s huge! So why do you look like someone pissed in your Cheerios?”
“Part of Tucker’s little welcome-to-the-crew speech included a few comments about my dad.” I gave him a hard look. “I thought you said he’s a good captain.”
“He is so long as he doesn’t have a personal beef with you.” Dean’s eyebrows rose meaningfully. “Does he have a personal beef with you?”
“No. He has no reason to worry, believe me.”
Emery and I are just friends.I’d been repeating that over and over in my mind like a yogi’s mantra, but it wasn’t bringing me any peace.
“Mmkay,” Dean said. “Just keep it that way. For your sake.”
“Hey, Dean,” I asked after a moment. “How does everyone know my father had some…health issues in Maryland?”
And that my mom walked out. Don’t forget that little tidbit.
“My money is on Delilah Winslow,” he said. “Her mom works for the Pembroke Science Institute at Brown. Delilah must’ve heard it from her.”
“Fucking hell.”
“Sorry, man. They smell weakness like a shark in the water. But don’t let it get you down. Russell Ford is a legend.” He chucked my shoulder and grinned. “See you at practice tomorrow, my friend.”
I nodded absently. Tucker’s threats of physical violence aside, I was looking forward to getting into a shell and rowing out some of my stagnant energy. Nothing was better than being in the fresh air, out on the water.
Well, almost nothing…
Emery Wallace walked down the hall a dozen yards ahead of me. Her long blond hair hung in thick ribbons down the back of a dress that showed the luscious curves and valleys of her hourglass figure. She was Marilyn Monroe remade in a modern era—with the same kind of intangible charisma that made people gravitate to her. And like Marilyn, Emery’s beauty was as far as most people got.
Not me. I knew the heart that beat in her chest and her warmth and her light. I’d told Emery that love was finite, and of course, she disagreed. Her capacity to love and trust and hope seemed bottomless.
But I knew the jagged rocks were down there; I’d been smashed on them before. To ignore the risk was stupid, something I strove to never be.
I continued to my speech and debate class, which was as simple to me as finger painting and served to remind me that the Experiment meant nothing. It was just a time-out before going to MIT, to follow in Dad’s footsteps. If he didn’t solve for a unified theory, I’d finish what he started.
Everything—and everyone—else was just a distraction.
Chapter 14
Emery
