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***
Walking to the bar where a room had been hired for the party, I took in the fresh air. The gym was great, but it wasn’t outdoors.
Entering the event room, I was hit with the smell of beer while my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Scanning the room, I looked for people I recognised. Before I could find anyone I knew, I caught a glimpse of a girl I didn’t know. She stood in a group of swimmers in my squad. It looked like she must have been their friend. Something about her called out to me. My heart told me it was the right move to go to her.
Approaching her across the room, I took in her appearance; chest-length wavy light brown hair flowed down her shoulders to where her dress started. The figure-hugging bottle green fabric emphasised her curved waist, and her shoes only made the muscles in her legs more pronounced. This wasn’t a girl to be toyed with. Maybe I could convince her I was worth the risk.
Making my way across the room towards my target for the evening, I plastered my fake good-boy grin on my face. She wasn’t one of the swimmers, I’d have recognised her. She must be a friend so she was a perfect opportunity for me to take. That was if her friends hadn’t already warned her about me and my fuck ‘em and dump ‘em ways. Sleeping over wasn’t even something I would accept.
Before I reached my goal, I was intercepted by Reece. “Hey dude, come and meet Coach Hughes.”
I groaned as he placed his hand on my shoulder and began to direct me in the direction of the man who I hoped would be supporting me on my way into the national team. “Reece, I’m on my way to my target, can’t this wait?”
He reasoned with me. “If you meet him now, you’re free to pursue whoever you would like for the rest of the night, but if you wait and move on your girl now, you might not meet him and then he’ll be mad that you skipped out on the event without even bothering to say hello.”
“Crap, you’re right. Why are you always so logical about these things?”
“Because I think with the head at the top of my neck. Something you should learn to do from time to time.”
I rolled my eyes at his jab. The women I fooled around with knew exactly what they were getting into before I took them home with me. If they didn’t pay attention to what I was offering, then who was I to be made out to be the bad guy. Yes, I had a reputation, but I wasn’t a big enough name to be bothered by it. Once I made it to the national team it could become a problem, but right now I don't care. It was good for me to unwind, and if I preferred to do it with one-night stands, then that was my business.
Reece stood in front of me with raised eyebrows. “Get out of your head quickly. I’m about to introduce you to Coach Hughes.”
“Sorry, I’m ready.” I smiled, hoping I was convincing him that my stomach wasn’t actually churning with nerves.
“Good.” He tapped the shoulder of the man standing with his back to us. “Hi, me again, I thought I would bring Tyler Anderson to meet you.”
The man, who I now knew to be Coach Hughes, turned to face us. He was in his mid-fifties, I guessed. His dark hair was peppered with greys. I couldn’t help myself giving him a quick once-over; he had a slight belly but still had the body shape typical of a swimmer with wide and partially hunched shoulders. I greeted him. “Good to meet you, sir.”
“Nice to meet you too, son. Please don’t call me sir, it’s either Coach Hughes or Terry,” he told me sternly.
“Of course, Coach Hughes.” I’d learnt from all my years as an athlete that it was always best to have a good relationship with your coach from the word go.
“That’s better. Never change your manners though, no matter what happens in your life.” He patted my shoulder in a fatherly way.
My whole body relaxed, thankful that the new coach seemed like a decent enough man unlike some of the arseholes we’d had in the past. Although he could be a nice man outside of the pool, I didn’t care, as long as he was a good coach.
“Thank you, Coach, I hope to never lose my good manners,” I told him truthfully. I’d seen many people change their attitude as they gained their fame.
“Great. Thank you for coming to introduce yourself, Tyler. Go enjoy the party, but not too much as I expect to see you on the poolside at five tomorrow morning,” he said sternly, reminding me of my father once again.
“Yes, I will be there.” I walked away with a smile on my face, glad that our new coach was a friendly but fair man.
Walking away, I attempted to find the girl who had caught my eye before Reece’s ambush. I couldn’t see her, but I knew she was still here somewhere, so I began my search for the mystery girl.
3 Cassie
Meeting a few of the girls I’d competed against as soon as we arrived, I was reassured that this wasn’t going to be as bad as I’d initially thought. They were all welcoming and immediately took me into their bubble so I didn’t have to hang around my dad all night. Claire and Libby had been the first ones to make me feel welcome. Apparently they were the ones who had organised this party to greet us to the area and the club. The start time was so early so that the younger club members could come along too. Even though my dad was mainly going to be coaching the higher squads, they still saw the opportunity to get everyone involved. I loved that community feel.
Standing in the group, I’d lost count of how many glasses of wine I’d had, but I didn’t care. I felt like part of the group and was enjoying myself. I checked the time while I went to the bathroom, it was almost eleven at night. I’d usually be long asleep at this time, considering training the next morning. Leaving the bathroom, I was greeted by my dad.
“I’m going to head home. You stay out, enjoy yourself. Make friends, kid. I’ll see you in the morning for training. We’ll need to leave at half four.” He wrapped me in a one-armed half hug.
“Okay, Dad, I probably won’t stay out too late,” I told him as he released me and headed for the door.
Returning to where I’d left Claire and Libby, I found them stood waiting in a larger group with their jackets on. “Are we going somewhere?” I asked, chewing my lip slightly.
“Yes, we’re going out to the club to dance. Do you want to come?” Libby asked.
