My Crush Has Always Been Me novel · Chapter 23 of 24
Chapter 23: Keys
The arena was louder than anything Jesse had ever heard.
He sat in the twelfth row with Cal on his left and Hank on his right.
The final of the men's 200 freestyle was moments away.
"I can't watch," Cal said.
"You're watching."
"I'm watching through my fingers."
"Put your hands down."
"I can't. They're stuck."
Eight swimmers walked out along the deck in the bright white light.
Nate was in lane five, wearing a Halbrook cap, and he looked small from this far away.
Jesse had never seen him look small.
Jesse gripped the rail in front of him until his knuckles hurt.
"Take your marks."
The arena went silent.
The horn.
Nate was fast off the block, faster than Jesse had seen him, and for the first fifty meters he led.
"Too early," Cal said. "He's going out too early."
"Wait."
At the second turn, he was third.
At the third, he was fourth, and Jesse's heart stopped.
"Come on," Hank whispered, and nobody told him to put away the phone.
Nate came off the wall.
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–12 of My Crush Has Always Been Me are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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