Page 37 of Cheater and the Saint
10
Saint
My arms were on fire, as were my lungs as they fought for oxygen.Just a while longer, I told myself, moving beneath the water. Under the surface, I was weightless. Free. I finished my lap across the pool before reaching the end and coming up for air.
Swimming helped clear my head. Helped me let go of my worries and escape for a while.
Back in high school, I’d been on the swim team, but had quit senior year because of the bullying. Walking away from the team was one of my biggest regrets. Losing that sense of family, the one gained from being a part of something with like-minded people, had been devastating.
But Chase and his friends had made sure I knew I wasn’t welcome.
Strange how everything changed so fast. One minute, I’d been on a team and had friends. I hadn’t been popular, but I’d belonged somewhere. Then, with just a snap of fingers—or the snapping of a camera—I’d been cast out by those same friends, by that team who’d once laughed and trained with me. After that, I’d walked down the school halls alone, hearing the whispers and muffled laughs. Seeing the ridicule on all their faces.
When I’d found a gym with a pool, I’d become a member. At first, I’d been hesitant to strip down in front of people in the locker room. Some days, I was able to, if there weren’t many people in there with me. Other days, I went into the stall to change into my swimming trunks. It was a process, and some days were better than others.
The gym was open twenty-four hours, so I could go really early in the morning or late at night. Whenever I wanted. I mostly used the pool, but occasionally, I ventured into the main area and ran on the treadmill or lifted weights.
After resting for a moment, I began another lap.
Leo hadn’t come home the night before. He’d stormed out of our dorm and I hadn’t heard a thing from him all evening. That morning, he’d still been gone. I figured he probably went to some bar or party and went home with someone. That’s just the guy he was.
Suspicion arose, however, that perhaps he’d dealt with some tough shit in his past, too. The way he’d gotten so angry when I’d asked him why he hid who he was… that kind of reaction derived from pain. I should know. Being a psychology major had nothing to do with it, either.
I swam for another thirty minutes before my hands began to prune, and I hopped out of the pool and grabbed my towel.
“Hey,” a girl said, walking into the area. “Have a good swim?”
I’d seen her around before, but we’d never talked. She was way shorter than my five-eleven height and had mousy brown hair and a round face. She was pretty.
“Yeah,” I answered, running the towel through my wet hair.
The girl smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Good. Maybe sometime we could swim together.”
I gaped. “Uh. Yeah. Maybe.” I then mumbled a quick goodbye before heading to the locker room.
Was everyone on drugs or something lately? First, Leo came onto me, and now that girl had been flirting. When I first got to the gym earlier, one of the guys who worked there had been a little overly friendly in asking if I had everything I needed. I didn’t know how to handle it. I wasn’t the guy who had people lining up around the block to date him.
I was the guy who sat in the corner and hoped no one noticed him.
Or maybe you’ve just been oblivious to it until now, inner me pointed out.
Once in the locker room, I took a quick shower and got dressed. A guy walked in as I exited the shower area, and he did thatwhat’s upnod. I returned it before passing him and going toward the large mirror to pat down my hair as best as I could.
I looked in the mirror and scrunched up my face, trying to see what other people saw when they looked at me. My blond hair was short, but longer than I liked. It had always grown fast, and I preferred it off my ears. Blue eyes stared back at me, ones that looked a bit too big for my face. I was pale and had a small dusting of freckles on my nose.
I was average. Nothing special.
Done with the pity party of my insecurity, I grabbed my bag and left the gym. Arriving back at the dorm, I expected Leo to still be gone, so I didn’t try to be quiet as I unlocked the door and shut it behind me.
He was lying on the couch.
“Where have you been?” he asked, poking his head up and looking like he’d just woken up.
“Pretty sure I don’t have to answer to you.” I tossed my keys on the kitchen counter and walked to my room.
He followed me. I shut the door in his face, but he opened it and walked inside anyway. As I unpacked my gym bag, he stared over my shoulder.
“So youdogo to the gym,” he said, as though it were a huge shocker.
