Changing Tides 《COMPLETE》

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Sleep evades me. By the time my alarm clock shrieks to life, my eyes are already wide open. I stare up at the ceiling with a heavy pit in my stomach. I have zero desire to see Roland. I have even less desire to speak with him.

My body starts moving of its own accord. I get out of bed, tossing my swim items into my gym bag for early morning practice. I stop by the bathroom to take a piss and grab for the mouthwash after washing my hands. It's empty. Of course.

I open the medicine cabinet and eyeball Roland's bottle of mouthwash in the corner. It's over half full and aligned neatly with the rest of his morning toiletries. I grab for it and gurgle around a hearty mouthful, swishing it around while simultaneously dumping out the rest into the sink.

I put the empty container back into place and close the cabinet. My reflection stares back at me, an expression of turmoil on a face that is just starting to heal. Tufts of dark hair mat to my temples and around my ears while the rest sticks up haphazardly.

This is what a broken heart must look like from the outside.

I grit my teeth and slap off the light switch. The smell of coffee fills my nose as I make my way towards the front door. Normally it's a comforting smell, but right now it's churning around the same ill-feelings that were festering inside me all night.

A kitchen chair scrapes across the floor, and a second later, Roland's head pops around the corner. Our eyes meet.

"You're up early," he notes, smiling cautiously.

I tear my gaze away from him and walk towards the front door.

"Hey – where you headed?" he calls after me.

Just hearing his voice sends prickling anger across my skin.

"To swim."

"Practice isn't for another half hour," he argues and starts walking towards me. "And I thought we were riding together. What's goin' on, Trey?"

He gently touches my arm and I jerk away. How the hell am I supposed to pretend like nothing is wrong? Like everything is normal? I know about Roland and Annie now. They're together – and have been – for probably longer than I'd care to know.

"I wanted to get in there early," I answer icily.

Roland studies my face. His brows furrow with concern, and he runs a hand through his neatly combed hair.

"Alright..., well, I can hurry," he says after a short pause. "Just let me grab my bag and I'll meet you out in the car in two."

"No. I have shit I need to get done afterwards. I'm taking my car."

"Oh, no problem," he says, either ignoring or not registering the 'piss off' tone in my voice. "I'm cool with tagging along."

"No. We're taking separate cars."

Roland's shoulders sag. He knows this is out of character for me, and truthfully, it is. Normally I'm the one who is late. To everything. He's usually the one prodding me along, making sure I stay somewhat on schedule. I'm also typically the one who is more than fine with carpooling in the morning if it means I can get a few extra minutes of shut eye.

Maybe if I wasn't so pissed off, my punctuality wouldn't raise concern. But as it stands, I'm not just pissed. I'm furious...and it shows.

Roland's frown deepens. "What's going on, Trey?"