Diving Deep by Edward Raines (books suggested by bill gates txt) 📕

He nodded. “Coach said you were the best in your county. We’re all pretty decent here, but nobody else was ‘best in the county.’”

“Oh, that,” I said. “It’s a small county,” I shrugged.

“Jefferson County?” Blake said. “Nah, it’s pretty big,” he continued.

How does he know what county it was? I thought, before assuring myself that he must’ve simply looked at my home address. It was probably listed on some roster sheet that the coaches and the captain had had access to.

“Um, that’s right, Jefferson,” I said. I cocked my head and squinted, unable to help myself from prodding. “How exactly… did you know that?”

“Because I’m from Jefferson County, too,” Blake said.

My jaw would have fallen to the floor just then, if I hadn’t been so careful to practice perfect self-control from the moment I stepped foot on campus that week. I was wound tighter than a roll of tape but I knew at any moment it call all be undone.

I must’ve broke character just a bit and cracked an incredulous grin, though, because Blake had a smile on his lips, too.

“You’re messing with me,” I then said, fearing to be the butt of some Freshman prank.

“No way,” Blake grinned. “I went to Ridgley High, in Mooresville,” he said.

“Holy shit,” I blurted. “Wh—what year?” I asked, still in shock.

“17’” he said.

“Oh, well that makes a bit more sense,” I said. “Being class of ’21, and all, I was wondering why I’d never seen you at any of the tournaments.”

“You wouldn’t have noticed me even if I’d been at any of them—I didn’t stand out too much back in High School,” Blake confessed.

“I doubt that,” I muttered, nearly unable to keep myself from biting my lip and looking him up and down.

I would have noticed you the moment I saw you in your tight little swim trunks and I wouldn’t have been able to take my eyes off your… Ok, stop it, Caleb, come on… I’m straight, as far as they’re concerned, I thought.

My eyes continued locked with Blake’s, and every dirty thought in my mind left a tremor of fear that I might accidentally start saying what I was thinking. So, I quickly turned my eyes away and gave a quick, albeit nervous, chuckle.

“Small world, huh?” Blake said.

“So, you’re a senior?” I asked.

Blake nodded. “I’ve been on the team for three years, now. This is my second as captain, though,” he explained.

“So, you’re not really going to ride my ass, are you?” I said, with an awkward, silly smirk on my lips. It dissolved quickly it and I nervously chewed my lip when I realized that I’d said such a ridiculous thing.

Blake stood like he was about to leave, but eyes remained downward, locked on mine. “We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?” He said quietly, before starting toward the center of the locker room.

“Ok, guys,” he shouted, trying to raise his voice above the noisy conversations and laughter. “Guys, let’s get seated and quiet for a minute,” he said, immediately commanding the attention and quiet respect of the rest of the swimmers.

“Welcome to the new year of Arvine University Swim. As most of you already know, I’m the captain, Blake Samuels. If you have any issues or problems on the team, you come and speak to me, all right? Coach Thomas is going to be in shortly and then we’ll start our first practice of the new year,” Blake continued.

This last revelation evoked a series of moans and scoffs from the lazy college boys. Blake laughed and shook his head. “I hope you’ve got more fight in you by the time we face Larson State next week,” he said, before clasping his hands together and turning his cool, brown eyes back toward me. They might as well have been pinwheels, mesmerizing me into them, as they zeroed-in on my inner-most thoughts and fantasies and seemingly saw straight into my deepest secrets.

“We’ve got two new members to the team. I want you all to welcome Caleb Best,” Blake continued, motioning toward me. I blushed slightly and gave a nervous little wave to the dozens of boys who were jeering and launching their individual greetings towards me.

“And we’ve got Eric Bonny,” he said, and motioned toward a teen with fiery red hair and freckles peppering his forehead and cheeks.

The team, myself included, welcomed Eric just the same, and I was happy to have the attention taken off of me for a moment.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Blake’s confidence and poise. As he spoke, everybody in the locker room seemed to pay close attention; the banter and jocular restlessness that had pervaded the area had completely faded in the midst of Blake taking center stage. I felt myself in a sort of daze as he spoke. And it was only when the locker room gave a round of applause and a middle-aged man with greyish-brown hair and a salt-and-pepper goatee took the floor, did I realize that Blake had left the room and our new Coach had replaced him.

“I want to welcome Bonny and Best; I’ve heard a lot of good things about these two swimmers, and I’ll bet you both fit right in around here. Now, as you know…”

As Coach Thompson began to speak, I admittedly zoned out, still far-too entrenched in thoughts and fantasies about Blake, the tall swimmer with the rock-hard body and cool, maple-brown gaze.

I looked about for him but no luck. And by the time I was finished looking, Coach was already dismissing us.

“Let’s hit the water and get ready to win against Larson!” he charged. The team applauded him, and I clumsily joined in, slapping my hands together a few times as he flashed a quick and disaffected grin toward me and started toward the exit.

“I’ll see you all out there; Bonny and Best, you’re going to be working under Samuels to get a good feel for the routines around here. He’ll meet you out by the pool.”

“Thanks,” I said, though I wasn’t sure