Page 71 of The Love Interest

The horn blares again. Trevor dives forward, his arms out in front of him, his body stretched out.

“That was a good dive,” says Juliet.

“Swim, you beautiful boy!” screams Natalie.

I scream with them. In the pool, it seems like everyone is level. The crowd screams and cheers. I cup my hands to my mouth and shout Trevor’s name. The wall is coming up.Go, Trev, go!They all touch the wall. I turn to the screen to see Trevor lift his head up out of the water.

The camera is focusing on him.

“He won!” screams Natalie. “Oh my God, he broke twenty-three!”

I look at his time, which is being displayed in big white numbers on the screen: 22.89.

She tilts her head down and smiles. “My boy did it.”

We clap and cheer along with everyone else as the competitors climb out of the pool. Trevor looks up at the crowd, his dark eyes flitting from left to right. We wave, but his eyes move right by us. He obviously can’t make us out from all the faces in the crowd, but he keeps scanning, looking for us, which makes me grin.

A woman in a tight jacket and an even tighter skirt waddles up to Trevor. She waves a black microphone in front of her face as a cameraman crouches in front of them. “Congratulations,” she says. “Do you realize what just happened?”

The pair of them are on the screen, with Trevor as the focal point. On screen, he somehow looks different. His eyes are clearer and his muscles are more pronounced. His massive chest is covered in droplets of water. He looks like a bona fide superstar.

He runs his fingers through his hair, shaking off the water. “No, not really.”

The reporter clamps her hand down on his shoulder. Her fingernails dig into his muscle. Trev smiles a wide, slightly goofy smile.

“You, young man, just scored a time six-tenths of a second under the previous trials’ cutoff. So I think it’s safe to say that you, Trevor Flagg, are going to compete in the Olympic trials!”

Trev’s smile grows wider, and his eyes light up. “Wow, I mean, I can’t even… Wow. That’s huge. I did it? Oh wow, I actually did it!”

The reporter turns away. “And that, viewers, is the face of an extraordinary young man’s dreams coming true. Remember the name Trevor Flagg: he will be a champion soon!”

A dangerous feeling fills me. If Trev can achieve his biggest, craziest dream, what’s stopping me from doing the same? Why can’t I find a way to stay aliveandmake sure they don’t kill Dyl? I grit my teeth. These thoughts are pointless and make me hate myself for thinking them. I’m not Trevor. He’s free, and I’m a Love Interest. We aren’t the same. Only a moron would compare us.

“He’s done it,” says Natalie. “He’s done it.”

For some reason, her smile fades. Her teeth sink into her lips and she can’t seem to stop staring at Trevor. I go to ask her what’s wrong, but she catches me looking and shakes it off, the smile returning to her face.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-TWO

My phone vibrates, making a sound like an angry wasp. I reach out and grab it from under my pillow. It’s a text from Juliet.

Panic stations. I repeat, panic stations. Come to the park in front of the library. We’re here.

I go to type a response and my phone vibrates again.

Actually, no. Go to Trev’s place. Try to talk some sense into him.

I swing my legs over the side of my bed and sit up. I call her.

It rings twice, then she picks up. “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Caden. What’s up?”

“Trev broke up with Natalie. She keeps saying she’s going to kill herself, and I don’t think she’s being dramatic. Actually, I need to get back to her, to make sure she doesn’t do something dumb. Talk to Trev. Fix this.”

My mouth drops open. “Ummm, oh, okay. I’ll do it. Text me his address.”