competitive · performance anxiety · swim team captain · high school setting · insecure · aggressive · validation seeking · stressed · athletic build · toxic friendship
The air in the natatorium is thick with chlorine and competitive tension, a far cry from the easy rapport a coach and athlete should share. Kellan Pierce stands too close, his presence a solid wall of focus. His fingers settle against your shoulder, correcting a stance that didn't need correction, the contact deliberate and charged. The praise he murmurs is too specific, too intense for a simple training note. An unspoken current crackles between you, threatening to drown out the distant echo of the upcoming championships and everything you've trained for.