Page 14 of Stroke of Fate

There’s no way I’m getting through practice without this dose of caffeine. Not after the shitty night’s sleep I had.

In the hallway, I keep my gaze straight ahead, but resisting the urge to look around and hoping to catch a glimpse of a certain blonde is more challenging than I’ll admit. Like most mornings, we make it to the elevator without seeing anyone. I refuse to acknowledge the pit of disappointment that’s crawled its way into me.

Outside, the neighborhood is devoid of life. The only sound that echoes around us is our sneakers hitting the pavement. Early August means it’s still warm enough to walk to campus, but there’s a noticeable crispness in the air that wasn’t there before.

We’re quiet for the first several minutes of the walk, neither of us being in the mood to talk. It’s too damn early for me to hold a conversation. However, Mack's silence feels different; I can practically sense the tension radiating off him.

When he gets like this, he’s stuck in his head about something. Over time, I’ve learned to let him brood until he’s ready to talk.

Around the halfway mark, he finally decides to break the silence.

“Feel like grabbing dinner somewhere tonight?”

“Do you even have to ask?”

He chuckles, “No.”

If there’s one thing we do better than swimming, it's eating. Never-ending appetites and rigorous training schedules go hand in hand.

“I’ll see if the twins want to join us.”

The twins Mack is referring to are Sam and Austin Paddington. While Mack and I are closer, I’m lucky enough to call all three friends.

The four of us bonded on the first day of practice as freshmen, and our friendship has only grown stronger now that we are sophomores. We’re not just teammates; we’re like one big dysfunctional family. Sam is the hyperactive man-child, while Austin is the quiet, laid-back one. Mack is the life of the party, the guy you can always count on for a good time. Me? I guess you could describe me as the serious one, but I prefer the word focused.

“Sounds good. Want me to pick you up?” I offer.

“Nah, I’ll meet you there, so you don’t have to drop my ass off afterward.”

“You can always spend the night.”

“Thanks, but I can’t stay away forever,” he says, kicking a pebble away with the toe of his sneaker.

Okay, that explains the earlier silence.

I watch the pebble bounce off the sidewalk into the road before responding. “Something going on at home?”

It's a subject we don't usually touch. Not because I haven't tried but because it gets Mack too riled up. He bottles shit up so tightly that one day, I’m afraid it might explode out of him.

I know he hates living at home, but he has his kid brother, Dakota, to think about. Mack practically helped raise that littleboy. Plus, money is tighter for him than he lets on, so moving out isn’t an option either. Not right now, at least.

Aside from our friendship, it’s why I let him crash at my place whenever he wants. No questions asked. The guy even has a spare key at this point.

He lifts a shoulder. “Besides the usual bullshit? No.”

By usual bullshit, he means his mom’s shitty on-again-off-again boyfriend, who hangs around like he pays rent. Which he doesn’t—the dude is some whacked-out alcoholic who can’t hold down a job to save his life. Unfortunately, he’s also Dakota’s dad, which means he's not going away anytime soon—at least not willingly.

Mack shoves his hands in his pockets, avoiding my gaze as he stares straight ahead. I've been around him long enough to recognize his trademark ‘I don’t want to talk about it anymore’ move.

Instead of pushing the conversation, I do him a solid and change the subject. “How about we hit up a party this weekend?”

“No shit, for real?” That seems to perk him up. “The elusive Levi Marino wants to go out and party.” He laughs.

“Jeezus, you make me sound like a hermit,” I say, shaking my head as a smile breaks through.

I don’t party as much as Mack, but I’m not a recluse, either.

“I think there’s a back-to-school party happening at the football house,” Mack says, his words buzzing with excitement now.

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