My arms propel me forward, each stroke more powerful than the one before it.
There’s this sense of urgency thrumming inside of me. I want to win. No. I need to win.
The water parts before me, a liquid highway that urges me to go faster.
The wall approaches, and I kick harder, my body driving toward the ledge. The seconds tick away, but time loses its meaning. All that matters is the final stretch.
With a surge of power, I reach out, my fingertips brushing the wall. I lift my head from the water and look around, counting the seconds until the next fastest swimmer reaches the wall.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Holy shit.
Five.
Six.
Another girl touches the wall. She breaks the surface, a wide smile on her face until she sees me. She turns to her side, taking note of the other swimmers whose times she did beat. But she didn’t beat mine.
Triumph floods through me.
I smile to myself and use the ledge of the pool to lift myself out of the water. That was … exhilarating. I want to do it again.
Only my excitement is short-lived. As soon as I take off my goggles, I catch a familiar face pushing off from the wall across the room.
Parker Benson.
What is he doing here? I glance at the clock. Soccer practice must have just ended, but it doesn’t explain why he’s here. Or why he’s heading straight for me.
His expression is dark. Angry. My stomach drops, and I quickly scan the room. No one seems to have noticed his arrival. Either that, or they don’t care.
He’s dressed in a pair of loose-fitting jeans and one of the University’s navy blue hoodies. A wolf is outlined in white andneon green, with the school’s crest taking up most of the center. His hair is damp. Freshly showered. Which means he came here immediately after leaving the locker room. But why?
What can he possibly want with me?
My breath catches in my throat, panic rising up inside me with each step that brings him closer. I try to get my legs to move, to run the opposite way, but they refuse to obey me.
Frozen in place, I hold my breath as Parker draws closer, his dark blue eyes locking onto mine.
His lips curl into a sinister sneer, and a shiver runs down my spine. A thousand questions swirl in my mind. What does he want? Why is he so angry? How do I get myself out of this?
Despite all of my questions, I have no answers.
My heart races, and my palms grow damp with sweat. My chest tightens, and all of a sudden I feel exposed in my conservative one-piece swimsuit. The urge to cover my body, to hide, sweeps through me, but worse is the desperate need to run fast and far away. Only, I can’t. My feet refuse to move. It’s like the wires have short-circuited inside my brain.
I feel like I’m drowning on dry land and any moment I’m going to black out and Parker will be free to do whatever he wants to me.
The memories of that night come rushing to the forefront of my mind. I can’t escape them.
What. Does. He. Want?
As he approaches, his voice reaches my ears, a low and mocking tone that sends a fresh wave of fear down my spine. “Forsomeone so small,” he snarls, his words dripping with malice. “You’re turning into a big fucking problem.”
