Drowning With You

CH. 14 💋

LOUIE'S POV

"Hurry, y'all!" Coach Naomi yells at us, huddling our group up and shooing us into the big bus. All of our suitcases and duffels are under the bus, so all we have our small purses or backpacks. All of us are basically zombies since it is only 4am.

Coach Naomi always stresses about time, always panicking that we'll be late, despite the drive only being four hours and the meet starts in seven hours. We have more than enough time.

I'm one of the last people to hop on the bus, so there are only a limited number of options on where to sit. Two girls see me and move one of their back packs onto the open seat next to them, a guy gives me a smirk and eyebrow wiggle, creepy and weird, so I continue until I'm all the way at the back of the bus.

It's only two seats in the back, instead of the usual three, and only one person sitting there.

Winter Montgomery.

Fuck. Is she better than the weird guy or the two girls who tried to block their seat. Maybe. Do I hate her? Yes. Do I love being around her. Also, yes.

I sit next to her, not saying anything as she scrolls through her phone and ignores me. She's always moody.

Blasting my music through my earbuds, I let my head fall back and rest on the seat, then close my eyes.

My relaxing time was abruptly interrupted by the blonde beside me, plucking out one of my earbuds and putting it in her own ear. I pause the music and look over at her, who has already situated herself with my earbud.

"Winter. That's mine," I tell her the obvious.

"Well, I want to listen. You have good taste," she says, reminding me of when she joined me for swim lessons last week and I gave her my music on the way back.

As much as I despise Winter, fuck if that wasn't the one of the most fun times I've had in a while. I loved watching her help out with the kids, no yelling or glares or hateful comments. Just nice, calm, and... loving.

It was weird and I loved it. Without everyone else on the team around, it was like she just... let down her guard. She even laughed a few times.

Not only that, but it also was another reason she'd do great in athletic training, even if not for youth. She was a good teacher, able to easily change her vocabulary with the different age groups when needed.

"Hmm," is all I say before resuming the music and attempting my nap again. It's impossible not to miss Winter's leg that is right against my own. It makes my skin tingle in a jittery way; a nice heat warms my stomach and I know that feeling a bit too well.

Fuck. No.

I focus my attention on the music and sleep, yet my mind continues to wander back to the one person I'm trying not to think about.

+++

I wake up once I feel the bus stop and I hear the rest of them running through the aisle to leave. I definitely didn't sleep for that long, so we must be at a gas station. Coach Naomi had to start having us take many pit stops ever since she got annoyed by our consistent complaints of being hungry or having to pee.

Winter follows me out, handing me my earbud back with a smile. Why do I want that smile to live in my brain forever? Why can't I stop thinking about it?

Most of the girls are already in line for checkout or the bathrooms by the time we walk in, therefore the candy aisle is empty, other than me and Winter.

I grab a Milky Way bar and watch as she is only looking at me, not the candy bars or bags of chips. She's avoiding the food so much that she'd rather stare at me than try not to give in to the temptations of food? Goodness.

I grab a bag of sour gummies as well before joining the others at the drink coolers. I grab a soda there and see Winter, who isn't grabbing anything other than a sugar-free sports drink. The fuck?

"Winter," I say, remembering our conversation during our ice-cream trip.

"Hmm?" She looks up, her eyes unworried and unbothered. It's just her normal diet, all this supposedly healthy shit in order to keep up with her athlete status? Goddamn. It's hard to watch, I won't lie. I understand where she is coming from, I know nutrition is important for athletes, however this mindset seems to have become unhealthy.

I don't eat the best, I actually kind of eat pretty shitty, but I am still able to stay fit, especially as a swimmer. Our workouts are rigorous, and I know that whatever she is eating right now is not enough, even if her goal is not to undereat. We swim for two and a half hours; we could eat a pint of ice cream and it would be a snack.

"Never mind." Why bring this up here of all places? I shouldn't have even started.

She shrugs it off and go to the end of the check-out line. I end up behind her, watching as she waits patiently while looking at all the people and things around her. She's faces away from me, giving me a great view at her perfectly sculpted ass. Damn.

Stop, wait. Why am I looking in the first place? I've never had the urge to do so, why now?

Part of me wishes I could even wrap my arms around her from behind, lean in, and... Fuck, I think I'm just deprived of physical touch, because thinking of the ice queen is too far.

After she checks out, she still waits until I am done, too. Why is she waiting for me? She hasn't even been talking to me much. She's moody, but this is a weird moody. I don't mind the small glances though. Or the staying near me, because just being around her, she makes me... feel something different. Something good.

Even getting back in our seats, this sense of comfort washes over me. I love the feeling. I relish in it, knowing I am not letting whatever I am feeling right now happen after this trip. I'll let myself enjoy her presence right now, but then I'm done. Nothing more than this.

I hand her an earbud, knowing she'd just take it from me anyways, and let my eyes close again.

A/N: GUYSSSS I have a free day so I will post again today (probably)!!

Watching ted bundy tapes during this and contemplating a different book idea AGAIN. I am in an idea slump and have multiple books and movie ideas that I want to use as a base but mix together into some other idea IDK. dying, so if you have any ideas, let me know :)

LOVE YOU ALL AND THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS MIGHT BE MY FAV TBH