Fuck.
I followed him up the dock, my stomach sinking with every step, this wasn’t going to be good.
***
His office was small and cluttered as usual, his old Olympic medal sat in a case on the shelf, a reminder of what success looked like.
I wanted that more than anything. Hale sat behind his desk and gestured for me to sit in the chair across from him.
He didn’t speak right away. Just looked at me with that same measured expression from this morning.
“You’re wondering why I moved you to the double.”
“Yeah. I am.”
“You won the singles race. You dominated. I was proud of that performance,” Hale said.
“Then why—”
“We talked about you becoming captain... right?”
I nodded.
“But a captain doesn’t behave like that.”
“I was defending Remy,” I said immediately. “Marcus called him a—”
Hale held up a hand. “I know what Marcus said. I know exactly what kind of person he is. And in a different world, maybe he’d deserve what you gave him.”
He leaned forward. “But you’re not just a rower, Liam. People are already looking up to you on this team. Novice and varsity. It doesn’t matter if you’re captain.”
I stayed quiet, not sure where this was going.
“When you threw that punch,” Hale continued, “your whole team followed you into that fight. Evan, Jackson, Tyler—they jumped in because you set the tone. And the tone you set was violence.”
My chest tightened. “I didn’t mean—”
“I know you didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. But they did. And that’s on you as much as it’s on Marcus.”
The guilt settled heavier. I wanted to argue. Wanted to say that some things were worth fighting for, that I couldn’t just stand by while someone attacked Remy like that.
But looking at Hale’s face, I knew he understood that. He just expected more from me.
“Singles rowing,” Hale said, changing tack, “is about individual excellence. Power. Speed. Control. And you have all of that.”
He paused.
“But doubles are about partnership. About tempering your instincts to work with someone else. About knowing when to push and when to hold back.”
“You’re punishing me,” I said.
“I’m preparing you.”
“For what?”
“For leadership.” Hale’s eyes were steady on mine. “You have the potential to captain this team, Liam. The talent, the drive, the fire. But fire without control burns everything down.”
The words landed heavy.
