Hunter pulls off his ball cap, wipes the sweat from his brow, and secures it back in place. He cleans the baseball off on his pants and stares the batter down.
“Are you okay with that?” Shelby asks.
She’s been honest with me, so I decide to do the same. “I’m not sure.”
“Do you not want to do the long-distance thing either? I mean, you’re going to California, and he’ll be in Texas. That’s huge.”
I shrug a little. “I’ve thought about how much I’ll miss him, but I haven’t really thought about making a long-distance relationship work, to be honest. It’s not like we’re together.”
Levi was right—things were intense between us. Yes, I’m going to the pajama party with Noah Thompson, but it’s not like I picture myself kissing him. When I was getting lessons from Levi, there was no other guy I was practicing for. It was only him.
But if you’re truly interested in somebody, you wouldn’t let coaches or parents or the fact you’re on the same team stop you from dating, right? I was ready to have that talk. He wasn’t. I need to accept that and move on already.
“I think if Levi and I were together,” I say slowly, “I’d deal with the fact we’re in different states.”
“Somebody’s in love,” she sings with a smile.
“We’re not in love. If he’d truly wanted me, he would’ve talked to me—instead of pushing me away. He would’ve been mature about it.”
“Maybe. Maybe not,” Shelby says, cleaning her sunglasses on her shirt tail. “Guys do dumb stuff sometimes.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Did Hunter tell you how he pretended to deliver a pizza just to visit me? I was joking when I suggested it. I never imagined he’d actually do it!”
Shelby and I crack up.
Out on the field, the count is 3–2. Hunter winds up and hurls the ball right down the middle of home plate.
“Strike three!” the ump calls, and the stands erupt with cheers.
Hunter grins as he runs off the field and waves up at us again. I peek at Shelby out of the corner of my eye. Her smile is trembling.
Sacrifice sucks, but sometimes it’s necessary to get what you truly need.
? ? ?
The Atlanta Classic swim meet will take place over three days, and one of them is my birthday.
I’m turning eighteen.
Coach Josh checks us into our hotel and gives us the usual lecture about not doing anything stupid. No sneaking out after nine. No parties in our rooms. No ordering so much Chinese takeout you can barely move the next day. (He looked directly at Jason with that one.)
So when somebody starts banging on my door after midnight, I am incredibly pissed. Susannah didn’t go out for once and was fast asleep hours ago, so she’s mad too.
“Go away!” she hollers, burrowing under her covers.
I pad to the door in bare feet and look out the peephole to find Levi and Jason.
I open the door.
“Happy birthday!” they yell.
Jason passes me one of those big balloons you buy at the grocery store. It’s the pink Power Ranger.
“Thanks, Jason.”
He playfully punches me on the shoulder and goes to jump on Susannah’s bed, flopping all over her to be annoying, making her screech. I cringe. Her screams may wake up the whole hotel.
Levi sets the gift bag he’s carrying on the floor, embraces me in a long hug, and gently kisses my cheek in a friendly way. “Happy birthday.”
Being in his arms feels so nice I let go of the balloon, and it floats to the ceiling.
“This is going to make me sound like a dick,” he starts, “But hear me out. I got myself something for your birthday.”
He reaches inside his T-shirt and fishes out his chain with the Make Waves pendant. He’s added a second one—a small silver disc. Looking more closely I see that it says Maggie, alongside an etching of a bear. That’s the Cal mascot. I grin really big.
“Thanks,” I say quietly, touching the pendant with a fingertip. “That means a lot to me.”
“I got you this too.” He gives me the gift bag, which I open to find the soft gray sweatshirt with his name on it in cursive. Lucassen. I bring it to my nose, loving its smell of cedar and his aftershave.
I cuddle his favorite shirt in my arms. “You’re sure?”
“I want you to have it when you’re at college.”
Jason chooses that moment to start a pillow fight with Susannah. She picks up her own to clock him on the head. “Get out of here, asshole!”
“Sorry,” Levi says to me. “I didn’t want to bring him, but he really wanted to give you that balloon.”
A loud knock pounds on the door. I open it to find Coach Josh standing there looking equal parts pissed and tired. He even has his visor on.
“Coach, do you wear your visor to bed?” Jason asks.
He sets his hands on his hips. “What are you all doing?”
“It’s my fault,” Levi replies. “I wanted to bring Maggie her birthday gift.”
“Did you forget I was staying right next door?” Coach asks.
Jason takes the opportunity to bop Susannah on the head again with a pillow.
“Jason. Keller,” Coach says. “Get your butt back to your room.”
Jason tosses the pillow back on the bed. “Cooaaach,” he whines like a fourth grader. Coach points at the door. Jason mopes out without another word.
Susannah smiles smugly and crawls back under the blankets and shuts her eyes.
“C’mon, Lucassen,” Coach says.
“Happy birthday,” Levi tells me, and pats my arm.
When he’s gone, I slip his sweatshirt on over my tank top. It’s so cozy soft and warm and smells like him. Almost as if I’m in his arms.
Going to sleep after that is easy.
The next day, Levi is on fire.
If he hadn’t already committed to Texas, every college scout in the country would be all over him at the Atlanta Classic.
It all starts with 100 breaststroke. He wins his prelim a full length ahead of his competitors! Then, in the final, Levi leads the lanes.
Coach Josh grabs my elbow as we watch the race, both of us staring at the clock. 1:03.69 is the time he needs to make his cuts. He is totally going to beat that time. When he sails in at 1:02.90, I am jumping up and down, screaming my butt off. Coach Josh is squatting down, covering his face. Ten years of working with Levi just paid off in the biggest way.
Now Levi gets to compete in two races at trials! Both 100 and 200 breast. Two chances to make the Olympic team!
When Levi turns and sees the scoreboard, he rips off his cap and goggles and climbs out of the pool. He’s shaking as he folds his arms around me in a long hug. I’m so proud of him.
Once we’re off the pool deck and out in the foyer, he digs in his bag for his phone.
He wraps an arm around my waist, and I listen in as he calls his mom, Oma, and Opa to tell them. Their screams pour out of the phone.
I don’t get my cuts during the meet, but it’s okay because my best friend got his.
Sink or Swim
Levi drops me off at King’s Royal Engagements after weight lifting one afternoon.
I wave hi to the receptionist and head back toward Mom’s office, but I don’t make it there because I hear laughing and arguing coming from the dining room where my parents do tastings for prospective clients.