“Coach called for a practice on a Saturday?”

“No. This is just me. No official practice or anything.” My stiff shoulders let me know that I needed to work on conditioning them more. Swimming easy, like DJ had suggested, no pressure.

“You don’t have any homework?”

“I finished it yesterday during free period.”

Her eyes took in my wet hair. “But you just showered.”

“I know. I should’ve waited until after, but I didn’t shower last night.” I wasn’t sure why I didn’t tell her about my shoulders, that I had needed the heat and pounding water to help them feel better. Maybe because I was worried she’d tell me to take a break. I didn’t need a break. She wouldn’t understand that.

She looked at my hair again as if she was going to tell me no just because I’d showered too soon, but then she said, “That’s fine.”

“So I can borrow your car?”

“Sure.”

I checked my phone as I headed out the door. Amelia hadn’t responded to my text and fake Heath Hall hadn’t responded to my message. Guess I was playing the waiting game.

Four

A shadow fell across my face as I turned my head to breathe. I stopped midstroke and looked up. DJ stood over my lane, gave a small wave, then pushed his black-rimmed glasses up his nose. He often wore contacts, but his glasses made his brown eyes look even bigger.

I pulled out my waterproof earbuds and the music that had been blasting in my head became background noise.

“I thought we agreed you were supposed to take a break from this.” DJ said “this” as if swimming was just some sidenote and not my life. “Especially on the weekends. You know there’s an entire ocean with waves and sand and people just five minutes away.”

I glided to the wall, where I could support myself. “People? You want me to people?”

He smirked. “Is that asking too much?”

I smiled back. “That’s not at all what we agreed to. You told me to swim easy. I’m swimming easy.”

“I meant take a break occasionally.”

“Is that what you’re doing? Taking a break?” I gestured back toward his office.

He ducked his head. “I left my book in the office last night.”

“Reading. Is that how you people?”

He shrugged and blushed a little. “Um . . . no . . . Well, I just left off right in the middle of an important part.”

“Because you had to ice my shoulders?”

“How are they feeling?”

“Really good, actually.” And that wasn’t a lie. I was flushing out the lactic acid that had built up the night before.

“Good.” He lowered himself to the cement and his keys fell out of his pocket. He scooped them up and shoved them back in. “You think Coach is going to let you swim all four races?”