Page 23 of Backstroke

Jake:

I tried to warn them, but they laughed it off, thinking it’s just a harmless game. They said someone insisted they sign up, but wouldn’t say who.

I curse under my breath. This changes everything. I need to find a way to protect her, without people thinking I’m obsessing over some chick. I mean I am, but they don’t need to know. I already know Emerson is behind this, which brings to question,how does he know about the surprise initiation?He’s going to try to use her against me. He fits that exact slimeball mentality.That’s why he pushed her in the pool. He was trying to get back at me for calling him out after the swim meet the other day.How far will he go to prove a point?With Fallon on the line, I’m not willing to find out.

Somehow I need to take Fallon’s number out of the bowl so no one can draw it, and I’ll have her all to myself.

Nix notices my distraction. “What’s up?”

“Emerson,” I snap, slipping my phone into my pocket. “The fucker thinks he can mess with me.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Who texted?”

“Jake. He said Fallon and her roommates were persuaded to sign up for the games tonight.” I shake my head, wondering how the hell he pulled that off.

“That’s what this is about?” Gray asks incredulously.

Nix shoots him a look and he shuts his mouth, understanding. “What’s the plan?”

“I don’t know yet, but I do know that Emerson made sure that she and her friends were going to be there tonight. He’s going to try something. That fucker doesn’t know he just messed with the wrong person.”

“He must have left practice and went straight to their dorms. That’s definitely suspicious,” Gray warns.

“How the hell would he know that initiation is tonight? No one would have let that slip, unless he has inside information,” Nix wonders aloud.

I nod, my mind racing with possibilities. “Yeah, maybe we underestimated him. We need to keep a close eye on him tonight.”

Nix and Gray exchange a glance, understanding the gravity of the situation. “We’ve got your back,” Nix says firmly.

“Thanks,” I reply, feeling a bit more at ease. My boys always step up when it’s needed. We’ve been best friends since middleschool, and we’ve seen some messed up shit along the way, but nothing has ever broken us apart.

I stumble out of my Jeep, slamming the door and falling back against it. The cool night air hits me, sending shivers along my skin. I came straight to Phoenix’s mom’s house after I finished my laps at the Kingston Prep gym. Well, I might have detoured to the liquor store, but after the text I received I was seething.

“What the fuck, Remy?” I hear Nix call out. The sound of gravel under his shoes echoes as he gets closer.

“I couldn’t go home,” I bark. Fuck, why am I being a dick to him? He and Gray are all I have left.

“What did he do this time?” Nix asks, pulling my arm over his shoulder as he basically drags me inside his house. He drops me on the couch, then comes back with a bottle of water. I suck it down in one gulp, crinkling the bottle in my hands and wishing it was my father’s throat.

“Need something stronger?” he laughs, handing me a beer.

“Fuck!” I yell. Nix slumps down beside me, pulling out his phone.

“I’m calling Gray.” I nod, knowing I need them both right now.

“I got a letter from the University of Texas,” I mumble.

“Bro! Are you shitting me? That’s been your dream. Why the hell aren’t we celebrating?” Anger at my father’s betrayal threatens to suffocate me. I thought I knew what hate was, but not until today did I realize how much more I could loathe a single human being. The University of Texas trains the best swimmers in America. Most of the USA Olympian swim team members come from there. It was my ticket out of here. A way to get out from beneath my father’s thumb, but the dream blew away like a puff of smoke.

“He called the fucking Dean there and declined the offer,” I curse. I pull out my phone to show him the message I received while I was swimming.

Sperm donor:

You think I wouldn’t find out about you applying to UT? I’ve told you a million times that you will be attending Frampton University. Swimming is a fucking joke and the sooner you realize that, the better. I guess I should say congratulations on being accepted. The Dean was very disappointed to learn that you’d changed your mind and decided to pursue your law degree instead of wasting time in the water. Your ass belongs to me, Remington. You owe me.

“What the actual fuck? Benjamin has taken this shit too far,” he explodes. My friends don’t call him my father because that term is a fucking joke. He is the furthest thing from it. I can only credit him for the sperm he unknowingly supplied my mother. I scrub my hands down my face. The rage I feel is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. It’s like he tries to one up himself with everything he does to me, but I will never be a lawyer like he wants. Once I’m at college, I’ll use my own power to make the staff bend to my will. After all, it’s what he’s taught me best.

Gray storms through the front door, heading straight towards us. “Tell me.” I hand over the phone, letting him see for himself.

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