Page 81 of Crew Girl

There’d been a flash of something in Josh’s eyes when Cam’d laid into him. A bolt of terror. Like the one thing he’d been trying to keep hidden from the rest of the world wasn’t a secret anymore. Because if Cam had seen it? Other people could, too.

TEAGAN

Right! She could do this. They could do this. They were a team. Off the water? They were a big hot mess of teenage angst and power moves, but they were almost on the water. So… time to forget about the other stuff.

“Crabby! You’ve got a good glow on. How’s your cardio training been going?”

His grin was triumphant. “Haven’t puked in two weeks!”

“Nice.” It was a barometer. A gross one, but a barometer nonetheless.

“Right, everyone!” Coach Hayden called. “Count us in, Coxie.”

Ten hands piled on top of each other. “Easton on three: One, two…”

“EASTON!”

“Crew?” Hayden instructed. “Go get your boat.”

A few minutes later, Josh was inches away from her in the eight seat. Not so much as a hint of the vibe the two of them had been rocking a few hours ago. He was in the zone. Right where she needed him.

“Good to be back in the saddle?”

He nodded, pure focus. “Let’s do this.”

“Paddle up, boys!”

They started strong, working as a unit. This was good. This was how Easton was making its mark. Strong, solid— What the—

“My oar!” Josh stared at the handle he was holding, then the spot where the rest of his oar should’ve been. “It—it just snapped.”

The race was over.

Five strokes in and they were done.

JOSH

Numb was one way to describe how he was feeling. His body shook from too much cortisol flooding his system, telling him what he already knew: game over.

He’d had one thing to do today and had failed.

Bad heart.

Bad oar.

Not quite as lucky as Cam thought he was.

The guys looked shell-shocked. Out of their racing gear, they slumped around the boathouse in sweats, looking like their world had ended. His really had.

He’d tried calling his dad about a hundred times. Wouldn’t pick up.

He was toast. Tephra.

“Okay, guys,” Coach Hayden said, striding in. “I know this isn’t how we wanted this to end, but sometimes it’s just not your day. But look, the regatta’s over. Tomorrow we start fresh.”

“We should’ve had that race…” Josh started, hadn’t realized he’d spoken out loud.

“It’s not end of days yet, okay?” Coach reassured them. “We still have a chance at making the Haverford Cup. We just have to wait for the other teams’ results to come in.” The guys perked up a bit at this. Josh was glad there was someone in the room who could pull their plunging spirits out of the abyss. “You’ve all been working hard. Making strides throughout the season. So have a good time tonight. You’ve earned it.” Coach gave them a warning look. “I don’t want to know what you’re planning—but if anyone needs bailing out? Don’t call me!”