“She does have a hell of a left hook,” I say and grin at the memory of her punching me in the face when she was thirteen.
“You say that like you’ve experienced it,” Ethan says and looks at me.
“I have,” I respond and Gray giggles. “I was on the receiving end of it.”
“There’s a story there,” Wes says, and I nod.
“He was being an ass,” Gray says and shrugs. “We were working at the bowling alley, Gav and I had just turned thirteen, and he was almost fifteen at the time. We were behind the lanes, clearing the pins for the night, and he made a comment about how us girls should be up front helping mom with the cleaning rather than behind the lanes doing man’s work.”
“Oh shit,” Wes says and chuckles.
“She balled up her tiny little fist and punched me right in the jaw,” I say and rub my jaw at the memory. “Gav nearly fell to the floor laughing, and I never made a comment like that again.”
“After knowing us for eight years, you shouldn’t have made it then,” Gray says, and I grin at her.
“He was baiting you,” Ethan says, and I snap my head toward him. “He wanted a reaction, probably not the one he got, but it worked nonetheless.”
“Rico,” she asks, and I shrug.
“It was a long time ago, Gray,” I say and look away from her. “I was young and stupid and wanted to see how you’d react.”
She shakes her head and rolls her eyes before focusing on Ethan. “Rico, Gav, and I spent a lot of time together when we were younger, but that was a long time ago.”
“Yeah,” I say and rise from where I’m sitting. “I’m going to take off. I have some homework to finish for class tomorrow.”
“I have homework to finish, too,” Gray says and moves to stand, but Ethan tightens his arms around her.
“I’ll walk you out,” he says and nuzzles her neck again. It’s an intimate gesture, and I have to look away. He and I may have gotten to know each other a little, and I may have vowed to not interfere with his and Gray’s relationship, but that doesn’t mean I have to watch them together.
“Let me check to make sure the coast is clear,” Gabe says before I open the door. “We don’t want you to run into Oakley or Greg in the hall.”
“I’m not scared of those two,” I mutter, and Gabe shakes his head.
“Maybe not, but we don’t want you arrested,” he says and opens the door and steps out. When he turns and waves us forward, I grin and follow him into the hall.
“Thanks, man,” I say and hold out my left hand. We bump fists, and I walk to the elevator as Gray says goodbye to him and Wes.
“You like her, don’t you?” I hear Ethan ask softly.
“Doesn’t matter what I feel,” I tell him and turn to watch Gray. “She’s with you, and she clearly likes you, and I won’t interfere.”
“She’s an amazing girl,” he says, and I nod.
“Yeah,” I respond. “She always has been.”
“I’ll treat her right,” he tells me just as she turns to look at us.
“You’d better,” I mutter then step into the elevator. I don’t want her questioning what we’re talking about because I don’t want to lie to her, and I know Ethan doesn’t either.
When she steps in, Ethan wraps his arms around her, and I have to look away again. He’ll make her happier than I ever could, and I have to accept that.
“Rico,” she says softly, and I look over at her. “Thank you for defending me.”
“Always have, always will,” I say as the elevator stops and the doors open. “See you in class tomorrow.”
“See you in class,” she says, and I hear something in her voice I can’t place. I nod, but don’t look at her as I walk through the lobby and to the parking lot. I can’t hang around and watch them say goodbye, so I walk straight to my car and get in.
As I’m pulling out of the parking lot, I see Oakley walk from the building, and I cringe. He doesn’t see Gray and Ethan standing beside her car, and for that I’m grateful. She may be with someone else, but I will always make sure she’s safe, and maybe one day she will look at me the way she looks at Ethan.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Graycen
“Stop fidgeting,” Wes says and lightly smacks my hands.
“I’m trying,” I say and wring my hands. “Ethan’s race is next.”
“Yes, then Gabe’s, then the relay,” he responds and grabs one of my hands. “Then it’ll be showtime for you.”
“I’m more nervous about the races than what happens after,” I say and look out at the swimmers as they walk out. Ethan is easy to spot in his orange swim trunks. He turns and smiles at me from the edge of the pool before he pulls his swim cap over his head and jumps into the water. He told me last night that he liked to sink to the bottom of the pool before a race so his body could get accustomed to the water temperature, so when he does this, it doesn’t surprise me at all.
“Oakley is in this race, too,” Wes points out, and nods to where the other guy is climbing back out of the pool. “He and Ethan are the strongest butterfly swimmers on the team.”
I watch Oakley for a second and can’t help but compare him to Ethan. He’s about three inches shorter than Ethan but weighs just a little more. He’s not overweight by any means, but he isn’t a lean as Ethan. I shift my gaze back to Ethan as he climbs out of the pool and slips his goggles in place. I can tell he’s in the zone, and I smile. He’s so focused, and I can see from here how happy swimming makes him.
“I didn’t realize how happy swimming makes him,” I mutter and Wes chuckles.
“Yeah, swimming for him is like bowling for you. It’s his way to release all the bullshit going on in his life.”
“He told me about his dad, and step-mom number three,” I say and look away from my guy for a second to focus on my bestie. “And I told him about my mom, and what she’s going through right now.”
“You two are really becoming close, aren’t you?” Wes asks and I look back at Ethan as the swimmers step onto the starting platforms.
“I like him more than I thought possible,” I tell him.
“More than you like Rico?” He asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Rico and I are just friends,” I tell him, for about the thousandth time. “There’s too much history there for us to be anything other than friends.”
“I just don’t want you getting hurt,” he says, and I smile.
“I know, and that’s why Rico and I will never be more than friends,” I respond and focus on my boyfriend just as the buzzer signals the start of the race.
Ethan dives into the pool cleanly and takes off without a hitch. He’s beautiful as he cuts through the water, and I can’t take my eyes off him.
“He’s beautiful,” I mutter and Wes chuckles.
“Pretty sure he wouldn’t appreciate being called beautiful,” he says, and I shake my head.
“There’s no other word to describe him right now,” I say as he reaches the edge of the pool and flips around to come back to the starting platform. He’s half a body length in front of the person closest to him, and he’s pulling ahead even more as he approaches the wall.
He tags the wall six seconds before the competitor from Alabama, and I grin. He won his heat, and I couldn’t be prouder.
“He just set a personal record,” Wes mutters and I look to where he’s pointing. He out swam his fastest time by nearly two seconds, and my smile widens. “Pretty sure he was trying to impress his girlfriend.”
“He impressed me the first time we met,” I admit. “And it had nothing to do with his being an athlete.”
“I know,” he says, and I shift my gaze from the digital board, back to Ethan. He’s out of the pool now and talking to one of his coaches.
His goggles are off, and his smile is so bright the room doesn’t need the lights. When his coach steps away, he looks up at me and blows me a kiss before following the other swimmers to the edge of the pool.
“Now it’s time for Gabe’s race, then they’ll take a fifteen minute break before the four by one hundred meter relay,” Wes tells me, and I nod. We’ve been over this more than once, and I know exactly what I’m supposed to do.
“Once the relay is over, they’ll post all the scores, and then the swimmers will head to the showers. That’s when I need to make my way down to the Gator locker room and wait,” I say and Wes nods as I fondle the necklace I’m wearing. The pendant isn’t actually a pendant at all. It’s a minicam that’s set to start recording as soon as I touch the little Sapphire in it. “I’m nervous about the race, but not about what may happen after.”
“That’s because you know that no matter what happens after, we have your back,” Wes tells me, and shoulder bumps me. “The race is something you can’t control, and you hate that.”
“Even with bowling, I have some semblance of control. With Ethan’s races, I don’t have any.”
“Exactly,” he responds and takes my hand as Gabe walks out to the pool. “He’s damn fine in his little Speedo.”
“I have to agree with you there,” I say and chuckle. “He’s not really my type though.”
“Thank God for that,” he says, and I chuckle again. “Now, let’s watch my man kick some ass.”
We watch as Gabe wins his race, then wait while they get set up for to relay. There are four teams in this meet, and each team has four strong swimmers in the relay. Gabe starts for UF, followed by Oakley, then a senior named Neo, and Ethan swims the last leg of the relay.
“Gabe needs to be at least a second ahead before Oakley goes in. Then Oakley needs to be at least two seconds ahead before Neo goes in. If they do that then Ethan will have no problem clinching first place for them.”
“And if they’re not?” I ask as I wring my hands again.
“Then Ethan will have to swim harder. He’s the strongest swimmer on the team, and he can do it without the lead, but having a lead will make it easier on him.”
“Shit,” I say as they all walk out to the pool. Oakley and Gabe look like they’re about to kill each other, and Ethan is pacing off to the side, away from his teammates. “Something happened.”
“Yeah,” Wes responds and grabs my hand again. “We’ll find out what after the race. For now, let’s cheer for our guys.”
“Yeah,” I say and grip his hand as Gabe steps onto the starting platform. As soon as the buzzer sounds, Gabe dives cleanly into the water. The race is close when Oakley dives into the pool, but Gabe has at least a second lead on the second place team. As Oakley flips and heads back to the starting point, Neo steps onto the platform. Oakley lost Gabe’s lead, but they’re neck and neck as they tag the wall and the next swimmer dives into the water.
I watch as Neo cuts through the water like a dolphin and regains the lead Oakley lost. They’re only a couple seconds ahead when Ethan dives in, but his body is like an eel as he moves through the water. He’s graceful, and you can tell by watching him that he let’s all the bullshit go when he’s in the water. He flips and heads back to the start a good three seconds before the second place team, and I smile.
When he tags the wall, his head bobs out of the water, and he turns his eyes toward the board as the race results pop up for everyone to see. They’ve done it. They won their first meet.
“They won,” Wes breaths out and I grin. He was holding his breath, and I’m really surprised he didn’t pass out from lack of oxygen.
“Yes,” I respond and pat his leg. “Did you doubt they would?”
“Honestly, from the looks on their faces, yes,” he answers and nods toward the guys. Ethan seems to be fuming, and Gabe looks like he’s about to punch someone.
“Think we should keep to the plan?” I ask and he nods.
“Unless Ethan or Gabe texts us and tells us to call it off, yeah,” he answers, and I nod.
We watch quietly as the team gets their individual and team scores, then we stand and head down. We wait together just out of sight as the team passes into their locker room, then we step into the hall and wait with the others. We don’t say much as the team trickles out of the locker room.
“Dude, you may want to go in there,” Mario, the team’s backstroke swimmer, says when he steps out of the locker room and spots Wes. “Gabe has flipped out on Oak and Greg.”
“What about?” Wes asks and I step closer to him as I hit the button on my necklace.
“Her,” he answers and nods toward me. “Oak said something just before the relay about her, and I thought Ethan was going to kill him. Gabe had to hold him back, so the team didn’t get disqualified from the meet.”
“What did he say about me?” I ask.
“Something about him wanting what was left when Ethan was finished with you,” Mario answered. “And Greg said something equally snide, and Ethan flipped on them. We all know you’re Ethan’s girl and off limits, so I don’t know what those two are thinking.”
“They’re thinking with their dicks,” Wes remarks and I shake my head. I’m causing issues within this team, and I hate it.
“Where’s Ethan?” I ask. Mario said something about Gabe, but not Ethan.
“He’s in the office with Coach Wells,” he answers, and I nod. “Come on, Wes.”
“She’s coming with me,” he responds and takes my hand. “She’s Ethan’s girl, and needs to be part of whatever happens in there.”
“Fine,” Mario responds then pushes the locker room door open. As soon as we step inside, we hear screaming.
“What the hell’s going on here?” We hear Coach Wells yell before either of us can say anything.
“Shit,” Mario says and looks over to where Ethan has Oakley pinned to the wall.
“Let him go, Hartley,” Coach yells as he pulls Ethan off Oakley. “What the hell is going on here?”
“Ask pretty boy here,” Oakley says as he rubs his jaw. “I have no freaking idea what his problem is.”
“My problem is you, douchebag,” Ethan responds and glares at Oakley. “And the way you keep running your mouth about my girlfriend.”
“So, this is about a girl?” Coach asks as his eyes dart around the room. When his eyes land on me, he narrows them then looks back at Ethan. “Is this her?”
“Coach, it’s not about her,” Gabe says as he walks toward me. “It’s about Oakley and Greg cracking jokes about things that should never be joked about.”
“Like what?”
“Like raping her,” Ethan answers. “And gang bangs, and sloppy seconds.”
“Rape?” Oakley asks, shock filling his voice.
“Yeah, asshat,” Gabe responds and shakes his head. “Your drunk talking last Saturday night got back to us.”
“The little fuck from the party,” Greg says and looks at me. “He knew you.”
“Yeah, since she was like five,” Gabe tells them. “But even if he didn’t, what you said was out of line. Especially being said about your best friend’s girl.”
“I’m done with you two,” Ethan says, and I walk closer to him. “Stay the hell away from Graycen and stay the hell away from me.”
“Dude, you’ve lost it over a little whore,” Oakley says and pushes off the wall.
“Whore?” Ethan asks, his eyes narrowing as he takes a step closer to Oakley.
“Wait,” I say and lay my hand on his arm. “What he thinks about me doesn’t matter. It’s what you think that I care about. His opinions don’t mean jack shit to me.”
“Ethan, bro, she’s fucking with you, just like Meghan did. And she’ll end up fucking one of your friends, just like Meghan did,” Oakley says and glares at me. “Just like all girls do.”
“She’s nothing like Meghan,” Ethan snaps and shoves Oakley into the wall again, before shaking his head and grabbing my hand.
“You’ll see, bro,” Greg says with a smirk. “All women are alike.”
Before Ethan can say anything, Gabe lunges and punches Greg in the face.
“Leave Gray the hell alone,” Gabe
says before he turns and walks to the door.
“Coach, I’m putting in a request for a new apartment. Until then, I’ll be staying at my dad’s.”
“You can stay with me,” Gabe speaks up. “It’s just Mario and I, so we have an extra bedroom.”
“I’ll see that the transfer gets made,” Coach says and shakes his head. “Oakley, Greg, my office.”
Once he walks off, Ethan tugs me toward the door. “Come on, Graycen. You can come to my dad’s house with me while I get my stuff.”
“Okay,” I whisper and look at him through my lashes.
“And I’ll tell you about Meghan,” he adds, and I nod. “We vowed to not have secrets, and this is something I should have told you about already.”
“Okay,” I say again, and tighten my grip on his hand. I’m not sure I want to hear this, but I know he needs to tell me, so I will listen.
Once we’re in his car, he leans over and kisses me gently. “I’m sorry you had to see and hear all that.”
“Ethan, I know you had a life before we met,” I tell him softly.
“Yeah,” he says and runs his hand down his face. “Not one I’m proud of.”
“You don’t have to tell me about it,” I tell him softly.
“Yeah, I do,” he says. “Not here though.”
“Where then?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“You’ll see,” he says and starts the car.
“Ethan,” I say softly as he pulls out of the parking lot. “No matter what you tell me, it’s not going to change how I feel about you.”
“And how do you feel about me, Graycen?” He asks as he navigates through the streets of Gainesville.
“I’m falling in love with you,” I admit to him, and myself.
“Good, because I’m starting to fall in love with you, too.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rico
“Shit,” I mutter as the video feed starts. “This can’t be good.”
Changing Lanes (Lake Park University Book 1) Page 16
