Page 32 of Crew Girl

It wasn’t even a normal wall.

It was a towering brick wall with two ropes hanging from the top. Presumably to hang on to as she scampered up like some kind of human squirrel.

On the plus side, at the base of the wall were three stepping stools. One shaped like Josh Regis. One shaped like Ryder Regis. And one shaped like Cam.

He was the only one smiling at her.

“Holy shit!” Cam grinned at her. “You made it.”

“How the hell did she get here?” Ryder asked.

She pointed at her feet. Cam snorted.

Josh just glared.

Asshole.

She caught the burst of anger and channeled it. She’d made it here to prove to herself she had what it took to cox the rowing team and, as importantly, to win the team’s respect. Because, yeah. She was going to find her inner squirrel and climb this freaking wall.

It was going to be hard.

So was rowing. It made your body ache the way hers ached now. It demanded commitment. Daily training. Hitting the water no matter the weather. Rolling out of bed when your friends were sleeping off a binge watch.

It was the best thing in the world. And she didn’t want to live in a world without it.

She walked up to the wall, gave it a pat (her mom probably would’ve hugged it), wrapped her hands around one of the ropes, took a deep breath in, and began to climb. One hand after the other, one step at a time, she climbed that wall, then slid down the other side. Gasping for breath, she stumbled the final handful of steps to the finish line where the astonished crowd waited. And she rang the Easton Bell.

She could hear her mom’s cheers above everyone else’s.

The bell sounded again and Teagan turned to see Ryder.

Wow. Good for him.

Cam was right behind him. He gave the bell a clang, then searched the crowd until he found her. The hit of connection was better than sunshine. The next thing she knew she was in his arms and he was spinning her around and around, not caring at all that he’d come second to Ryder. He looked at her like he’d won, and she was the trophy. One to be proud of. One to—

The bell clanged again.

Josh.

Cam put her down.

Josh gave Ryder and Cam the guy chin-lift, acknowledging a job well done. When his eyes landed on her, he winced, like seeing her there, being cheered by the crowd, gave him actual, physical pain. There was a blankness to his expression she couldn’t interpret. Britney ran up to him with a wicker basket full of energy drinks, but Josh’s eyes stayed glued to Teagan’s, like he was trying to burn a message into her. Too bad she didn’t speak Regis.

Her mom bounced up to her, waving a pair of pom-poms. “I knew you could do it, Teags.” She pulled her in for a tight hug and whispered, “I know this is normally Dad’s job, but I’ve always been just as proud.” She pulled back, emotion glassing up her eyes. “I am so, so proud to be your mother, Teagan Tao.”

Before she could get her brain to work, Coach Hayden appeared beside them. “Good work, Teagan. Impressive. You really proved yourself today.” He nodded toward the lake, where the team was throwing Ryder and Cam in. Josh had probably been whisked away by Britney in a helicopter. “You figured out what motivates them.”

“Daddy issues and spite?” Teagan quipped.

“Grit,” Coach said. “You coming to the school barbecue?”

She grinned up at Ella, who still hadn’t entirely released Teagan from their hug. “Nah. I think I’m going to hang with my mom.”

“Okay. Rest up. See you at practice. Good to catch up with you, El.”

“You too, Matt.” Her mom gave a weird fluttery giggle. “So good catching up.”

Okay, what was up with her mom and Coach? “Did you guys know each other when you lived here?”