Page 19 of Crew Girl

There was that little, teeny problem about the whole team finding out her dad was a wanted criminal last night. And Josh hating her for mixing up the seats yesterday. And telling Cam her father was dead. But apart from that, she had this.

“Right.” Coach rubbed his hands together. He looked like he couldn’t quite believe he was doing this either. “Two boats, four rowers, one kilometer.”

“I’m not doing it,” Liam said.

Coach wasn’t having it. “The losing team has to clean the docks for a month. Pick your team, Teagan.”

“Me?” Hard no. They all hated her.

“C’mon.” Coach gave her a gentle nudge. “You can do this.”

She could. Yes. She could and she would. “Umm… Cam, Baloo, Josh—”

“I’m not rowing for her,” Josh huffed.

A few of the guys laughed.

“Josh,” Coach warned. “She called your name.”

“She can have Ryder,” Josh shot back.

Ryder was good. Teagan shrugged. “Sure.”

Teagan clocked Josh giving his cousin a look warning him to do everything he could to lose. We’ll see about that…

Liam jumped in. “Josh, Quaid, Perry. And Noah. She can have Crabcatcher.”

“Great,” Teagan shot back. “Perfect.” Her entire body was shaking. This was about as far from perfect as it got.

While the guys grumbled and climbed into the boats, Coach came up to her. “You okay?”

“No. They’re not going to row for me.”

“You’re not like any coxie they’ve had before. You see things they don’t.”

“I don’t know how to cox,” she wailed. “I’m a rower.”

“Then you know what it’s like to be in their shoes. You can empathize. Use it. Get in their heads.” He let it sink in. “This is your chance to get in the boat. Do you want it?”

She did. “Yes.”

“Then prove it.”

Next thing she knew she was in the front of the boat with four pairs of eyes glaring at her. It was either sink or swim time. “Okay, guys, I know you don’t want to be on my team, but I’m the one standing between you and a month’s worth of goose shit.” She took a breath. “Right. The first two fifty? We let them set the pace. Josh will burn them out quick. He has too much to prove. When they lag? We’ll make our move.”

No one said anything. She focused her gaze on Ryder. “I know you only agreed to row for me to throw the race.”

He pretended to be offended. Good thing he wasn’t an acting major.

“Consider this, Ryder. You do Josh’s bidding? You’ll spend the rest of your life as his sidekick.”

“Bullshit.” His eyes flared. She’d hit the nerve she knew would hurt the most. Out here anyway.

Too soon the boats were at the starting line, and Coach was sounding the horn.

As predicted, Liam’s team shot off ahead of them.

She could see Ryder itching to push harder. “Stroke pair, hold back.”