Loving Charley

by Casey Peeler

“Yes, sir.”

  Cash takes my hand in his after I wrap my towel around my body, and we walk toward them. I don’t really want to make a scene in front of the other teams, or better yet, watch my team start a brawl. I’m not sure if it is the downfall of the adrenaline or the fact that I know the Sloans are here.

  “Charley, before you say anything, yes, my parents brought me and against the better choice of their lawyer. I needed to be here for your family and be with Tessa.”

  “But why? If they know the lawyers aren’t wanting them to, I mean.”

  “They support me. I’m their son as well. They know that it looks bad for them to have done this, but they also know that I’m a good person. I’m the one that doesn’t break the rules or make our lives a livin’ hell. That’s why.”

  I don’t say anything; instead, I release Cash’s hand and engulf Dustin in a hug. At this point, I don’t have any words. The fact that his parents brought him to my family is monumental. Not that they are admitting Dylan did anything wrong, but it does show that they care about Dustin and making him happy.

  I speak as I pull myself from our hug. “Dustin, when you walked in, I almost freaked. Not because you were here, but because I knew your parents were near. It’s just I don’t know what they would say to me.”

  “I can promise you this, Charley. They are surviving, whether you realize it or not. They know Dylan’s wrong, but they are still his parents. They are doing the only thing they know how to do… be loving parents through thick and thin.”

  Dustin is right. I can only imagine what it would be like to be in their position. I know that parents love their children unconditionally regardless of their actions, but I’m sure it’s rough.

  “Dustin, I’m so sorry that you and Tessa are havin’ to deal with all of this.”

  “Don’t be sorry, Charley. He made those choices. It’s rough on all of us, but we’ll make it. I couldn’t live without Tessa in my life,” he says as he looks at her.

  “You don’t have to say anything else. I understand,” I say as I guide my fingers into Cash’s hand.

  Dad looks at Mama. “What?” she asks. “We might need to have a talk with those two girls.”

  “Honey, I’ve already done that.”

  Tessa and I start to laugh. Does Dad really think that we are that naïve? “Dad, we’re good. I promise,” I say with a little roughness in my tone, and at that point, Cash smirks. Damn him and his wait until we’re married! To change the subject, we talk about the events and then they make their way back to their seats. All of them know that during this time, I don’t socialize… I focus on the task at hand.

  Chapter 18

  The remainder of the preliminary heats continues without a hitch. As time approaches for our 4x200 IM relay, we mentally prepare for the event to come. We make our way to the pool deck when it is time and begin to loosen up the only way we know how. Stretching in a huddle, we begin to sing Miley Cyrus,’ “We Can’t Stop,” and, of course, all eyes are on us. Near the end of the song, we stand and try to relax our muscles by shaking our arms and legs, and then we head to our lane.

  “Hey, y’all. Let’s kick some ass Southern style,” I say to the girls.

  “Hell yeah! Charley, you get us started off right,” Georgia says. “Let’s see if we can really leave those Davidson girls speechless.”

  We put our goggles in place and focus on the event. Glancing in the stands, I notice my family, Cash, and other teammates looking in our direction. I have to say the entire conversation with Dustin was beyond weird, but in a way, I’m relieved. I give them a little wave, jump up and down to get a few jitters out of my system and take a few deep breaths as I wait for the announcer to tell us to enter the water. Then, I hear him.

  “Swimmers 4x200 Individual Medley Relay. Backstrokers, enter the water feet first.” Plunging into the water, I feel my nerves vanish as I grab the start block. “4x200 Individual Medley Relay. Swimmers, take your mark.”

  There is slight pause before the buzzer sounds. Arching my back as I burst off the wall, I kick with everything that I have. There is no holding back like I did in my individual event. This is for the team, and we are going to leave them all speechless if I can help it. Cutting my arms like blades through the water, I make it to the flags with ease and continue to push myself to beyond my breaking point. On the final lap of my leg of the race, I truly let go of everything that might be holding me back and jet half of a pool length ahead of the others. When my fingertips touch the time pad, Georgia jumps in. Tori pulls me from the water, and I’m cheesing from ear to ear. She points toward the time board. As I look at my leg of the race, chill bumps cover my arms. I have just beaten my own personal record as well as Southern’s record, and if all goes as planned, we will be one step closer to Olympic Trials.

  Focusing back on the water, we all cheer as our teammates glide through the water, keeping the distance between the other teams. On the last leg, we begin to jump up and down as Sarah brings it home. When she taps the time pad, we all turn straight to see the official time.

  We don’t say a word; we grab each other and begin to scream like little girls with excitement. OMG! 9:22:46! Keeping our composure together, we make our way from the deck and toward the stand. We are still beyond excited. We broke not only our record but also Southern States.

  Coach meets us at the entrance to the stands with open arms. She is one proud mama bear of her cubs. “I believe a little Ben & Jerry’s is in order. What y’all think?” We hug a few more seconds before going to our seats.

  When we get there, the guys from Howard tell us congratulations, give us high fives, and ask if we can join their team. We all cut our eyes and tell them no. One guy looks heartbroken as he places his hand over his heart and pouts. It is beyond adorable. I look at Tori, and she is definitely taking him in. I nudge Georgia, and she laughs.

  “I bet she gets his number or meets up with him in the locker room before this day is over. Whatcha think?”

  “I’m not taking that bet because we’d be on the same side,” I say as someone’s arms wrap around me from behind. Cash.

  Turning around, I hold on to him tightly, hearing a teammate yell for us to get a room in the background. I just turn and grin.

  “That was beyond amazing,” he says.

  “I know, but not as amazing as you. Thank you for everything.”

  “I know I shouldn’t be over here with the teams, so can you come over here for a few?”

  “Yeah, just let me let Coach know.” I tell her and make my way to my parents, Tessa, and Dustin.

  “Ohmygosh, Char! That was freakin’ ah-maz-ing! You kicked ass!” Tessa exclaims.

  “Tessa! Watch your mouth!” Mama says.

  “Well, it’s the truth. Anyways! I wish you could have heard everyone up here. They were all running their mouths beforehand, and then they shut up quick when you left them all behind. If this is just preliminaries, I can’t wait to see what y’all do tomorrow.”

  “I know. I hope we do this well again. We really need those times in the actual events instead of today, but hey, it was worth it, regardless.”

  “We’re so proud of you,” Mama says as she pulls me in for a hug and gets soaking wet.

  I excuse myself from everyone and go back to my teammates. We take turns going to change as our events come to a close for the night. I shower quickly before returning and watching the final two events.

  As the preliminaries come to an end, we gather our things and make our way to the van. Our first stop is Ben and Jerry’s. Who needs supper when you can have ice cream?

  Chapter 19

  We enjoy our ice cream and then check into the hotel before ordering in pizza. We all pile into one room for a little fellowship and food. I text Cash when we finish eating. He lets me know they are in the hotel half a mile down the road. He says that Mama and Tessa are in one room and he, Dustin, and my dad are in another. That should make for an interesting night. My dad with the two guys that hold
his little girls’ hearts. I’d love to be a fly on the wall tonight. We talk for a few minutes, and I tell him I’ll see him tomorrow. He knows how important this meet is for all of us. He also knows that he will hold me in his arms tomorrow night.

  I share a room with Tori, Georgia, and Sarah. We relax, talk about anything and everything, turn on a movie, and finally fall asleep. We are exhausted from the adrenaline rush that we have all felt today.

  When the alarm buzzes in the morning, I want to chunk it across the room. That sound gets worse and worse each time I hear it. We gather our items and meet the team downstairs for a continental breakfast of champs. I devour a boiled egg, bacon, and a bowl of oatmeal before leaving for Southern States.

  The arena is already beginning to fill with people in the stands this morning. It is very evident that today is going to be a lot wilder than yesterday. We repeat the same events from yesterday, even down to where we sit. I guess you can say we are all a little superstitious.

  After warm-ups, we take our place in the stands and wait until it is time for our events. My family, Cash, and Dustin arrive and give us a wave. Ten minutes later, I see Piper and Joe. It dawns on me that I didn’t see them much yesterday, and then I realize that Piper is having her own version of a walk of shame in front of my parents, even though it’s not really a shame. She smiles and has a glow about her. Glow! I know what they did last night! The last time she looked like that was a night she let Justin go a little too far, and she liked it! Joe says hey to my parents, and he and Cash give each other a welcome and take a seat. Piper looks my direction, and I press my lips together and smirk. I can’t wait to talk to her tonight!

  Georgia must be reading my mind because she gives her eyebrows a raise, and I giggle. For someone who still has her V card, she sure knows when someone else has done it. I grab my iPod and focus, because today is a day for giving everything I have and more.

  The list of events is pretty close to the same as yesterday. Today’s meet will fly by due to there only being one to two heats of each event, unlike yesterday, when there were five to six. I wait patiently for the 200-meter backstroke.

  When it’s time for me to make my way to the pool deck, I am caught completely off guard by several signs being held up in the fan section. They all read #TeamDylan. I get sick to my stomach just looking at them. I feel the blood drain from my face, and I hurry to the trashcan to lose all the contents within my stomach. That sick bastard is still trying to scare me. The problem is, I’m not going to let him.

  Instead of getting sick, I pull all the fear, anxiety, heartache, and nervousness to my core and walk to stretch with my head held high. What I’m not prepared for is Joe to turn around and yell at those people. I see Cash stand, and all I can think of is him getting in trouble. There is little time to think about what is going on, especially when I see my dad stand and turn as well. He takes a step up the bleachers, and even though I can’t understand what he is saying, I know it has to be epic, because after about thirty seconds, they sit. They still hold their sign, but they are quiet, which is what I need to continue to focus on the prize at the end of the race.

  As the announcer calls the event, I realize that it is now or never. It’s time to make them all stop talking for once and for all. I relax my body and listen for the moment to enter the water. When that happens, it’s game on.

  Pointing my toes as they enter the water first, I come up and grab the start block. Once the buzzer sounds, I tunnel my thoughts and body toward winning this race, but not against anyone in this pool; I focus on beating myself.

  With each lap, I dig deeper for more strength to continue to pursue my goal, and by the final lap, I know that if anyone is anywhere near my time it’s nothing short of a miracle from the big man upstairs. As the tips of my fingers tap the time pad, I pop my head out of the water and look directly at the time board. Throwing my arm in the air, I yell with excitement. 2:11:02! Holy freakin’ cow! I just beat my record, Southern College’s record, and Southern States’ record. Pushing myself up out of the lane and water, I’m greeted by my coach and teammates. They embrace me, and we all squeal with excitement.

  Once our freak-out moment is over, I look toward the stands to see my entire support system on their feet celebrating. Then, I look to the #TeamDylan crowd, and they have their sign hidden and are no longer saying a word. All I can think to myself is mission accomplished as we make our way back to the stands.

  My fan club stays where they are this time, even though I know it is about to kill them. They realize if they move, then their fabulous seats will be taken since the meet isn’t over, and there are still events to win. We can celebrate later.

  Grabbing a towel, I turn to sit down and take my phone from my bag. Of course, there is a text from Cash.

  Cash: You were unbelievable! Those ppl shut up quick after turn one! Love u!

  Me: :) Love u 2! I’m glad they shut up, & I’m going 2 give them more reason 2 be quiet soon!

  We spend the remainder of our time cheering on our teammates and preparing for the relay. We are seated beside Davidson again, and we all look at each other. Nothing like a repeat of last night.

  When the individual medley relay is called, we all take our places and blow them out of the water again. This time it is almost too easy. As we glance up to see the clock, I hear that bitch from the locker room making a smart-ass comment. We all turn to look at her.

  “Are you still talkin’?” Tori asks firmly.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says with an eye roll.

  That’s when Tori looks at me and has that I’ll whoop her ass look.

  “Exactly, you don’t know what you’re talking about. You know nothing about the situation. Dylan is a piece of work, and if you think your comments bother me, they don’t. In fact, I feel sorry for you, because not only are you insecure, you can’t put your mouth where the pool is.” I walk past her to the stands with my head held high. I take my bag, shower, change, and watch the rest of the meet.

  Southern College places first overall in girls. Coach is ecstatic and wants to celebrate, but all I want to do is get back to Southern so I can celebrate with the Kluft girls and Cash Money! Before we leave, I tell my parents bye, and inform Tessa, Dustin, and Cash that I have to ride back with the team.

  “Char, I think we’re just going to go back to Grassy Pond. Piper can drive your car,” Tessa says.

  “Why would y’all wanna do that?” I question.

  “Probably ‘cause I can’t get in to Hank’s, and even if y’all can sneak me in, there’s no way they’re going to let Dustin in.”

  I’m surprised that I hadn’t even thought about that. I don’t want her to leave, but I have no choice really. “Well, that sucks!”

  “Charley!” Mom says. “What am I gonna do with you two?!”

  Tessa and I just look at each other and shrug our shoulders.

  “I don’t want y’all to go, but that does make sense. Piper, will you take the Honda?”

  “Yeah.”

  I give Tessa and Dustin a hug before they leave with my parents.

  Cash, Piper, and Joe stop to eat on the way back, and it’s going to be a fun night at Hank’s Tavern tonight.

  We stop to eat on our way back to Southern, and we are able to sit back, relax, and enjoy the time as a team. Coach is the finest lady I know besides my mama. She is classy at all the right times and a little redneck when needed. She knows each of us, and regardless of our pasts, she loves us all. I guess she’s like our mama away from home. She is a little cooler than my mama, if I do have to say. ‘Cause there’s no way my mama wouldn’t give me crap if she knew I partied and was hung over. Not to say, she wouldn’t fix a killer breakfast to get me over it, but I’d pay one way or the other.

  Once we finish eating, Southern picks up the tab, and it’s time to get back. I can’t wait to be back in Cash Money’s arms, let alone spend the night dancing in them. I must be staring out the window when Georgia
breaks my thoughts.

  “Char, whatcha thinkin’‘bout?”

  “Just that I can’t wait to go to Hank’s tonight.”

  “Yeah, I bet not!” Tori pipes in.

  “Y’all, hush! I mean, I know y’all are jealous of my Cash Money, but he’s mine.”

  After a handful of eye rolls, Georgia asks the question they all wanna know the answer, “So…um…are Piper and Joe an item?” Not really sure how to answer this, I take a second, but that’s a second too long because Tori puts in her two cents.

  “Oh, they’re an item all right! I don’t know how exclusive, but they are for sure to-geth-er!”

  “Y’all, I don’t know the official answer, but I do know they have it bad!” I say.

  “Well, let’s just see if she does a walk of shame in the morning.”

  We all chuckle because we know beyond a doubt that is going to happen.

  Before we know it, we are pulling into Southern. Coach parks at the gym, and we pile out. She informs us that she will see us for a team meeting next week to discuss off-season workouts and plans for next year, and then she tells us to enjoy the night and to call her if we need a ride.

  I text Cash as we make our way back to the dorm. He informs me that they are in Joe’s room, and he will come that way. Walking to the dorm, we can hear the party has already begun on campus. Music is being played from dorm to dorm, we can hear people talking, and the stoop is packed with people sitting there with cold ones in their hands already. As we walk up the steps, we are all greeted with congrats, hoots, and hollers. I get the most attention from everyone. We stop and talk for a minute before making our way to Kluft.

  Once we are upstairs, we notice Caroline and Hayden waiting on us with Caroline’s famous PJ in hand and empty cups. Knowing we can’t disappoint them, we each fill a Solo cup and chill for a minute before we head to our rooms and get ready to continue our pre-game before Hank’s.

  Tossing my bag and coat onto the ground, I honestly want another shower because the smell of chlorine is still very evident on my skin, but I don’t know if I have time. Taking a sip of PJ, I toss the thought aside. I begin to look through the closet when there is a light knock on my door. “Come in!” I holler.