Chapter 25
As to be expected, Wylan Prep was hosting the charity swim for the scholarships. Being back on campus was strange. Everything looked bigger and brighter.
Despite being a beachside school, Wylan Prep modeled its aesthetic after old English schools. The gray-bricked buildings were topped with dark green shingles. There were two large towers at each end of the school. One had been under construction for what felt like the dawn of time. The other held a bell that was rung at the beginning and end of each school day.
When we stepped out of the car, the bell rang now, marking the beginning of the competition. The noise brought along a wave of nostalgia. Nate and I exchanged looks of mutual discomfort. Both of us had a love-hate relationship with the school.
“Feel good being back,” Dad said. I think it was supposed to be a question, but he didn’t wait around long enough for either of us to answer.
“You’d think they’d fix this place up a bit,” Mom murmured while eyeing the construction cones. “I’m sure they do when they host galas instead of using their alumni to raise money.”
She wasn’t wrong. It still annoyed me that she was annoyed. I led the way to the sign-in tables at the entrance of the school. We were given tote bags with maps of the school, limited edition tees, and a schedule with our individual race times highlighted.
I was the only one just swimming in our medley relay. Mom and Nate were doing the 400-meter freestyle. Dad insisted on registering for the 200-meter medley.
Once we got into the indoor swimming building, we were met with hordes and hordes of people. There were a few camera crews positioned at the entrance of the building, catching people coming to and from the locker rooms.
The pool was empty, ready for a day of races. I glanced up at the glass ceiling, recalling how many hours after class I’d spent here watching Nate practice and pretend not to watch Leo.
Stands were filled to the brim with onlookers. The building buzzed with conversation as people hurried back and forth from their places.
A woman holding a thin microphone with a symbol of one of the sports channels on her tee-shirt stopped us to ask if she could speak with my brother.
“We promise not to take too much of your time.” She played with her long, red ponytail as she spoke. “Our fans would just love an exclusive from you and your father.”
Nate and Dad were apparently eye candy for swim fans. I suppose the attraction had a lot to do with Nate’s heavy social media presence and Dad’s “bad boy” status within the industry. If influencers had been invented back when Dad was in his twenties, he wouldn’t have had to do much to amass followers. People loved the disgraced story about him.
Unfortunately, Mom didn’t get to benefit from the same attention. People loved bad guys but bad women, not an attractive hook for a news anchor’s narrative.
“Changing rooms are back here,” I said, trying to hurry Mom off before she noticed the woman had no interest in talking to her.
“I didn’t think there’d be this many people spectating,” she said under breath, falling into step behind me.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was nervous. But Mom only got nervous when the grocery store didn’t have her favorite wine in stock or when her lotto numbers were close enough to earn her the grand prize.
“There’s a lot of ex-Olympians here,” I reminded her.
As if on cue, we passed the Michaelsons. The women were dressed in matching swimsuits. The twins were included in all pictures fans wanted to take with their mothers. They looked like a picturesque athletic family with bodies built perfectly for winning and looking great while doing it.
Ember waved in our direction but didn’t move from the group of young, admiring girls that had surrounded them. Mom made a disapproving noise when I waved back.
“What?” I asked, surprised that I didn’t feel wrong for being friendly in front of her.
“Nothing.” She patted my shoulder, as a gesture to calm guilt I currently didn’t feel unbeknownst to her.
“Let’s get changed so we can show them how it’s really done.” Mom started forward.
I willed myself to follow. Even though the building was packed, there weren’t many people in the locker rooms changing. We found our own empty row of lockers and switched out of our clothes.
Neither of us said anything at first. Mom tied up her braids in silence as I yanked on a fresh pair of sweatpants.
“You’re dating Leo now,” she said, breaking the ice in the way only she could.
I froze for a moment before saying, “I am. It’s kind of new. Did Nate tell you?”
Nate still didn’t approve after our argument. He hadn’t talked with Leo in days. Thankfully, he wasn’t giving me the cold shoulder. He needed time to warm up to the idea of his best friend and his sister. Leo was more than willing to give it to him, also in need of space after their blow out.
“I put two and two together when you started leaving the house early and came back late after babysitting the Ryland girls. Leo’s the only boy you’ve shown interest in.”
