Page 134 of Oar Than Friends

‘Come on, boys. That’s it. It’s working. We’re nearly a full length in front. Let’s go. Let’s go. Let’s go.’

Cheering crowds took us under Barnes Bridge, the final bridge before the finish line, and along past the pubs lining the river, their customers leaning over the railings waving pints of beer in the air as they saw us approaching. Whistles and shrieks provided our soundtrack as we powered on.

The end was in sight.

‘Final stretch, boys. Give me twelve more. Keep together. Keep together. Keep it together.’

This wasn’t a race. This was a gladiatorial fight to the death.

I channelled every drop of sweat I’d lost over the past eight months, every tear I’d shed, every ounce of stress which had balled me up in knots, every news story, every dropped grade and lost night of sleep to get us to this point. I channelled Jake and my family.

But most of all, I channelled Oz.

I looked to my left. I couldn’t even see the Oxford boat.

One last cry of ‘Legs. Legs. Legs.’

And over the finish line we went.

Arthur

I collapsed back onto Charlie, sucking in as much oxygen as I could to quench the burning in my lungs, but it wasn’t enough. My entire body felt like it had been dipped in gasoline and gone up in flames. Every inch of skin, every cell, every nerve ending screamed in pain as my muscles shuddered from the lactic acid pumping through them.

‘Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!’ sobbed Charlie behind me as the boat drifted underneath Chiswick Bridge. ‘We fucking lost. I can’t believe it. I thought we had them. I can’t believe it. I cannot fucking believe it.’

I yanked off my cap, still not getting enough air to my body, and peered up at Pete who seemed to be in a similar state. Anguish was etched over his face.

Eight months of hard training for nothing.

That was the brutality of the Boat Race.

‘Oz, I’m sorry,’ he gasped out.

I sat up, grabbing him by his despondent shoulders. ‘You coxed a fucking good race. Nothing to be sorry about.’

‘I should have pushed the pace harder.’

‘I think I’d have died if you’d pushed harder.’ I managed a grin, though even my face was hurting.

‘I wanted you to win.’

I cupped my hand around the back of his neck, pulling him in closer. ‘I haven’t lost yet.’

He turned to the left where the Cambridge boat was being pulled into the dock. Three of the crew had jumped out in victory as soon as they’d passed over the finish line,and were now kicking about in the water. But there was only one person I had eyes for, and she was currently being hoisted onto the shoulders of Tubbs as her body shook with laughter, except the laughter died when he threw her into the river, instead. Kate’s scream rang through the air and she landed with an enormous splash.

I shouldn’t have found it so funny, given the rest of my crew were still in a state of near collapse, but I knew the look on her face when she finally emerged from the water, and Tubbs should probably run for safety.

As was tradition, the presidents were supposed to shake hands at the end of the race, but Will Norris would have to wait, because as luck would have it, Kate stepped onto the dock at the same time as I did, her feet sloshing underneath her. From the left I could see Imogen and Hannah sprinting over to congratulate her, but they’d also have to wait until I was done. She was so focused on wringing out her jacket she didn’t notice immediately that I was in front of her, but then she finally peered up, and my heart beat so loud it could have been heard over the helicopters, the cheering, the deafening megaphones – all of it.

Except when she glanced up at me, her green eyes wide in surprise, everything else silenced and I forgot we were standing in the middle of chaos, surrounded by hundreds of people.

‘Hello.’

‘Hey,’ she breathed out.

‘Congratulations.’

‘Thank you. I’m sorry you lost.’

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