Page 32 of Volatile King (The Kings of Wayward Academy #6)

N ash

God, this felt good. Water running along my skin, my muscles straining, and the rhythmical splash of my strokes was just what I needed. For just a little while, the pool allowed my brain to shut off and be in the moment.

Holding Ren was the only other thing that brought me the same peace.

When I held her, the world floated away.

But I doubted that she wanted me to bend her over every time I needed to unwind.

I was down for it, but after the fourth round the other night, I thought she was going to push me off the couch and tell me to sleep somewhere else.

Reaching the end of the pool, I did a flip turn and pushed off the wall. I swam hard the final few meters, imagining the rest of the lanes full while fans cheered from the stands. The roar and excitement filled me, and my goal was within reach.

My body ached from not exercising for the last month, but I didn’t care. I loved the burn in my shoulders as much as the one in my lungs. One…two…touch.

I broke the surface and lifted my goggles to look at the clock.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes, and it’s about time I saw your ass in the pool,” Coach Stevens said as he stood up from the bench and walked over. He held a stopwatch in his hand and showed it to me. “Only three tenths of a second off your personal best.”

I smiled, but it slowly fell as I pushed up out of the water.

“I know what you’re going to say.”

“Oh…and what exactly is that?”

“That there’s a competition next weekend, and if I’m in here twice a day until then, I could still go and win,” I said, peeling off my swim cap and goggles. I walked over to the stack of towels and wrapped one around my waist before shaking out my hair.

“Okay, so you know what I was going to say. What’s your answer?” He crossed his arms as if daring me to say no to his master plan.

“I can’t do it.”

“Nash, I know you have a lot going on. Dean Henry filled me in on why you haven’t been at school, which is the only reason I haven’t hunted you down to bust your balls. But you’re so close. This is what you’ve been working toward for four years.”

“I said no.”

He followed me as I walked to my bag, swiped it off the floor, and headed into the locker room. There was no shaking him.

“Nash, talk to me. Why haven’t you answered Coach Richards about the World’s team?”

I opened my locker and dug around for a change of clothes, trying hard to ignore Stevens. He was going to make me say it out loud, and that was the last thing I wanted. Admitting to giving up on what I’d dreamed of my entire life was like hammering the final nail in the coffin.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Nash, he called me directly. Asked me to speak to you.”

“And?”

“What do you mean and? Nash, we are talking about a spot on the World Cup team. Did you not get the letter?”

Sighing, I slammed my locker shut as I faced off with my Coach. “Yes, okay? Yes, I got the invite. No, I’m not going to respond.”

“I don’t understand. Making a team has been all you’ve talked about. It’s the reason you begged me to work with you more and push your guys so hard. You are the heartbeat of this entire program.” He lifted his hands out to the side. “I don’t get it.”

“You don’t have to get it, just respect that I’m done. I won’t be competing again.” I turned toward the showers.

“Nash, I’m not going to let this go. This was your dream.”

Looking over my shoulder, I saw the concern and confusion in Coach’s eyes. But I couldn’t get into it now. I didn’t know if I’d ever be ready to share how this was tearing me apart.

“Coach…some dreams were meant to come true, and others…they were always meant to be dreams. I made my decision.”

He swore as I walked away, but let me go. I turned the taps on the shower and stripped off my jammer. The water was cold when I stepped under the spray, but I didn’t care. With my arm on the wall and my head on my arm, I felt the pull—the urge to say yes and to make it all work.

But the truth was…it was never going to happen. I needed to face facts. That part of my life was over.

I quickly washed off before getting ready for class.

After everything I had been through recently, school seemed like the single most ridiculous thing in my day.

How the fuck was sitting through AP Biology going to help me with anything I had going on?

Maybe I could figure out some new techniques for when I finally got to dissect my father’s brain to see why he was such a fucking asshole.

Other than that, everything was useless.

Coach Stevens was gone when I walked out after packing up my swim gear. It was a good thing, too, because I had no desire to go another round right now—or ever.

Liam was waiting for me outside, with a cigarette in his hand. I shook my head. He stared at me, waiting for me to say something, but I just kept going.

“What? No comment,” he asked, pushing away from the wall and stepping up beside me.

“Nope.”

“Just say it. I know you want to.”

“Is this why you’re stalking me? To see if you can get a rise out of me for your poor choices,” I asked as we trudged down the path to the front doors of Wayside Hall.

“It’s only half the reason,” Liam said.

“Can we hurry the conversation on to the second half then?” I glanced at Liam, and he acted shocked.

“You really don’t want to give me shit,” he asked, taking a drag.

“Liam, you’re making me wish I had my gun.”

He laughed and stopped long enough to put it out. I still hated that he smoked, but I was done with swimming, and my deal had always been not while on the team. So, he could do whatever the hell he wanted.

“Did Coach say when practice was?”

“He didn’t,” I answered as Liam put the butt in his little metal case.

Liam looked at me and crossed his arms. “You’re serious about quitting the team?”

“You can keep swimming if you want. I won’t stop you. But I’m done.” He stared at me. “Do you have something to add, or can we get on with our day now?”

“Have you talked to Ren about this?”

“No, why would I talk to Ren? It has nothing to do with her, and I think she has enough on her plate to worry about without this. Besides, it wouldn’t matter what she said. I’m not changing my mind.”

“Wow.” Liam looked down and then chuckled.

“What?”

“I just never thought I’d see the day that Nash Collier gave up.”

I stepped into his personal space and glared at my best friend.

“Don’t you ever fucking say that to me again. This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. I’m not giving up, but I need to be a realist.”

“Actually, it should be a team decision. But I guess you don’t care what we think. Even though you are the reason we are on the team in the first place,” Liam said, his voice far too calm for the anger in his eyes.

“You’re a fucking asshole,” I snarled.

“No, you are. You’re doing it again. Making unilateral decisions that affect all of us and not giving it a second thought.”

I stomped away from him, happy that it was early and no one else was outside.

“Fuck!” I spun around. “Do you think this is easy for me? Do you think I want to do this?”

“No, I don’t. But the least you can do is have a conversation with everyone who has had your back for the last four years and finish out the season.

The finals are still doable since they aren’t until the weekend after Thanksgiving.

It gives everyone on the team, not just the five of us, a boost to finish out the year.

For some of us, that will be the last time we compete for the rest of our lives. ”

Placing my hands on my hips, I shook my head, frustrated and annoyed. I couldn’t argue with Liam’s logic, which only infuriated me further.

“What do you want from me? Tell me,” I said, defeated. “I’ll fucking do it for you.”

Liam took a step toward me.

“Finish the season, Nash. Take us to victory, and if you still want to quit and not go to the Worlds…then don’t. At least you won’t remember this last year and wonder what would’ve happened if you hadn’t walked away. You’ve never been a quitter, don’t start now.”

Looking away from Liam, I focused on the trees and the rising sun, casting an orange glow on everything.

“Fine. I’ll do it.” I turned to face him again. “But if you light one more of those fucking cancer sticks near me again, I swear I’ll take it and shove it up your ass.”

Liam smirked. “I didn’t know you were so kinky.”

“I hate you,” I said, making him laugh hard. “Now, can we get on with the other reason why you hunted me down so early?”

“It’s about Sabastian.”

That had me on high alert. “What about him?”

“Apparently, he is transferring in to be with Ivy,” Liam said.

“Like fuck is that the reason,” I said, stomping away.

“Where are you going?”

“To talk to the one person who can stop this from happening. That fucker is not coming here,” I snarled.

“What do you want me to do,” Liam asked as I pulled open the large front door.

“Find out everything you can about what he’s been up to. I don’t care who you have to pay to get the information. I want to know what his real motives are.”

I had a feeling I already knew. It was one thing to deal with Christov, but if Dean Henry let that snake inside our walls, then I’d take matters into my own hands.