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Under the hot and disgustingly humid August sun, sweat trickled down Nicole’s forehead as she jogged to the boathouse. Seeing the building finally appear in the distance brought a smile to her face. It was like a light at the end of a tunnel—a sweet, glorious, air conditioned light, that is. She pushed her sunglasses atop her head before blotting her forehead with a clammy forearm and slipped inside. Instantly, an angelic wave of cold air greeted her, a welcome relief like no other.
In his office, Coach Dolls had been busy reading something on his computer when Nicole popped into the doorway.
"Hey, coach,” she chirped, knocking on the doorframe. “You wanted to see me before practice?”
He looked up and motioned for her to enter. “Hey. Yeah, come in.”
“How was your summer?"
"Pretty good," he shrugged. "How about you?"
Nicole plopped into a leather seat opposite him with a scoff. "That's it? Just pretty good?" she teased.
Normally a man of few expressions, Nicole could have sworn she caught a fleeting glimpse of a smirk. “Wait a minute. Was that a smirk?” she grinned, pointing at his face. “What’re you hiding?”
"I got hitched,” he said nonchalantly.
Nicole blinked. "You what?"
Coach Dolls had been divorced for almost four years, and as far as Nicole and the rest of the girls on her team were aware, he was very single and very happy being so.
"I got married.”
“But who? When? How? Why didn't I know about this?"
He snickered softly. "No one knows about it."
Dolls was quite the private man, tending to keep most things professional. Rarely did he share anything about his personal life, so hearing out of the blue that he’d gotten married over the summer had Nicole floored.
“Wow,” she murmured, still in disbelief. “Congrats, Dolls!”
“Thanks,” he grinned, breaking his serious demeanor for a brief moment.
“So, when do we get to meet her?” Nicole asked, wiggling her brows.
“I’ll get back to you.”
Nicole gave her eyes a playful roll, accepting the non-answer. It had been worth a shot.
“Well, my summer was less eventful,” she sighed.
“You look good,” he casually mentioned. “Proud of you for keeping up with summer conditioning.”
Nicole huffed a breathy laugh. “Working out keeps me sane.”
“Whatever the reason, keep it up. You’re a good role model for the team.”
“Thanks, coach,” Nicole smiled. “Will do.”
Coach Dolls was also a man of minimal words, so compliments from him were like gold.
"We've got a competitive year ahead of us," he said, leaning back in his chair. “And I know we can finish a lot stronger than last year.”
Nicole clenched her jaw, rewinding her memory three months to the NCAA Championships—the final regatta of the spring season and arguably the most important race of the entire year. Nicole’s boat, Peacemaker, had clenched the lead for most of the race. However, just as they were about to cross the finish line first, Ghost River University came out of nowhere and snatched the gold from them.
"That's why I'm counting on you to lead our team this year,” Dolls said.
Nicole’s head tilted slightly in confusion. “What are you...wait, what?”
“I’m promoting you to captain.”
Nicole shook her head as her brain tried to catch up. “Are you serious?”
"As a heart attack,” he deadpanned. “Why else would I call you down to my office before practice?”
“I don’t know,” Nicole huffed. “Maybe to confide in me that you got married?”
Dolls snorted. “You’re our best chance to beat GRU. Unless you think I made a mistake?”
“No! I want it.”
“Are you sure? Cause if not, I can always ask—”
“I won’t let you down.”
“Good,” Dolls smiled with an approving nod.
————
Nicole followed Dolls outside to join the rest of the team. She felt like she was floating, having just found out she’d been named captain of Purgatory College’s varsity women’s rowing team. The rowers had been lounging in the grass, chatting and laughing. It was their first practice of the season, a long-awaited reunion after the summer break, and everyone was thrilled to be back together.
"Ladies, gather 'round," Dolls called out.
“Coach Dolls!” The girls squealed in excitement as they all came together.
"First things first, I’d like to present to you this year's team captain—Nicole Haught."
Nicole blushed as Rosita shouted, “I told you you had it, bitch!” while the rest of the team erupted with cheers and applause.
“Nicole has been a rock for our crew for the past three years,” Dolls went on, not bothering to raise his deep voice through the noise. “I'm confident she'll lead us to victory this year too.”
The clapping continued, accompanied by an enthusiastic “Ow, ow!” from Eliza.
"To kick off the season, we have a scrimmage against GRU coming up in a few weeks,” he revealed.
Mention of GRU, Ghost River University, triggered scoffs and snarls from the team, still bitter from the previous season.
"Will it be at home or away?" Mercedes asked.
“We're hosting."
The girls erupted in cheers.
Everybody loves a home-field advantage.
"Now, even though it's not a formal regatta, I still want us to bring our A-game, okay? Let’s start the season on a high note."
With a clap of her hands, Rachel shouted, “We've got this!" drawing more applause from the team.
“Circle up and stretch, and then we'll hit the water,” Dolls instructed. “We'll be splitting up into pairs for the small boat regatta."
The small boat regatta was a Purgatory College tradition—a friendly in-house competition held at the beginning of each season, where team members competed against each other in small boats of one, two, or four rowers. The course started at the boathouse, included a 180-degree turnaround, and finished back at the starting point, with the first boat to return deemed the winner.
If Nicole were to be honest, she dreaded the small boat regatta every year. It was a lengthy affair with lots of boats, and maneuvering the turn could be a real pain in the butt.
The race began as normal. The water was a bit choppy, but nothing too worrisome. About halfway through, however, the winds started picking up, causing the water to grow rougher. And then, over the loud whipping of wind, Nicole strained to hear Coach Dolls utter the dreaded words no rower ever wanted to hear in the middle of the water.
"Ladies, we've had a lightning flash. Please head back to the dock safely."
Right on cue, a big flash of lightning filled the sky, causing Nicole to gasp. A booming crack of thunder followed seconds after. The race had to be cut short, and the boats returned to the dock. Thankfully, everyone made it back safely, albeit drenched. Despite being soaked to the bone, the team remained in high spirits as they gathered back inside the boathouse.
"Due to the thunderstorm, we’ll have to postpone the small boat regatta,” Dolls announced. “First priority—get warm and dry. I'm letting you out of here early.”
The girls huddled up, placing their hands in the center.
“Peacemaker on three," Nicole prompted. "One, two, three..."
“Peacemaker!”
In the locker room, Nicole wrung out her hair with a towel, her teammates doing the same as they all tried to dry off.
"Thoughts on your first practice as captain?” Shae asked.
“We almost died…” Nicole chuckled breathily. "So, there's that."
"But we didn’t,” Rosita pointed out with a smirk.
“Anybody up for trivia night at Shorty’s?” Eliza asked. “If we leave now, we can make it."
"The HBICs are back, baby!" Rosita shouted, clapping her hands together.
Nicole snorted. “Best trivia team name ever.”
————
Stepping into Shorty’s, Nicole was instantly hit with the familiar scent of beer and nachos. Accompanied by her fellow rowers Rosita, Shae, Eliza, Mercedes, and Beth, they perched at a high top table and glanced around the room, sizing up the competition. Teams of trivia enthusiasts from other local colleges gathered around their tables, sipping their beers while waiting for the event to begin.
Nicole locked eyes with a girl from the GRU rowing team, holding it for no longer than a second, before the emcee's voice commanded everyone's attention. "Alright, folks, let's get started!"
The trivia questions flowed, challenging the college students in a broad spectrum of categories. Ever so competitive, the HBICs were eager to show off their collective knowledge, racking up points with their rapid-fire answers.
Naturally, the HBICs found themselves in direct competition with GRU, equally determined to outshine the other. The tension in the room thickened as both teams battled back and forth, tied by the time the final question came.
Cutting through the suspense, the emcee asked, "Who coined the phrase 'hot girl summer'?"
Nicole's heart raced as she racked her brain for the answer. She then studied the unsure faces of the GRU team, and with a smug smile, confidently said, "Megan Thee Stallion."
The bar seemed to fall silent as the emcee confirmed her answer, followed by an eruption of cheers from her team. The HBICs had emerged victorious.
“Enjoy the win now, ‘cause in a few weeks, we'll crush you just like we did in the NCAA's,” a member of the GRU team quipped in passing.
Nicole clenched her jaw as she turned to her teammates. “We need to destroy those bitches in that race,” she declared. “Let's train harder, push ourselves further, and show them that we’re the best.”
Fueled by their trivia night triumph, the HBICs left Shorty's ready to put in the necessary work in order to come out on top.
Though, as the training season progressed, their enthusiasm quickly began to fizzle.
900 meters into a grueling 2K session on the ergs one morning, Nicole found herself struggling, carrying the weight of a big issue on her shoulders. While she tried to focus on her own activity, she couldn’t ignore the wheezing and panting from her teammates over the whir of erg fans.
They were all out of shape.
And Nicole wasn’t the only one who’d noticed.
"I think we should take a five-minute break," Dolls abruptly announced. "Nicole, can I talk to you?"
Wiping the sweat off her face, Nicole joined Dolls while the girls dispersed to get some water.
"What's up, coach?"
"Times are looking slower than expected,” he expressed, furrowing his brow.
Nicole frowned.
"I'm not talking about you," he clarified quickly. "But everyone else..." He cleared his throat. "I don't think anybody kept up with their conditioning over break."
"We'll work on it," Nicole affirmed. “We’ve got time before the scrimmage. We can do it.”
Skeptical, Dolls nodded.
————
Huddled up in the locker room at the end of practice, Nicole addressed the team's declining performance, voicing concern shared by both her and Coach Dolls. Some girls shrugged it off, unconcerned with the impact of their lack of preparation. However, settling for mediocrity was not an option for Nicole. As varsity team captain, she refused to.
Nicole ramped up the intensity of their off-water workouts, organizing long-distance runs, strength work, circuit training, conditioning drills, and relentless erg sessions. As the days turned into weeks, tensions simmered within the team as fatigue wore them down and doubts started creeping in. Yet, despite her anxiety and frustrations, Nicole remained hopeful.
One sunny early September afternoon, Dolls decided to give the small boat regatta another chance, this time with boats of four instead of pairs. Nicole, along with Shae, Rosita, and Eliza, had been the first to cross the finish line. While the win was satisfying, what mattered more to Nicole was that all the varsity boats had demonstrated competitive numbers during their little competition, boosting morale and sending their confidence skyrocketing.
Maybe all the hard work had been paying off. And maybe they did have a shot against GRU after all.
With the race against GRU around the corner, the team’s confidence reached an all time high. They’d finally found their rhythm and were actually looking like true varsity athletes.
Two days before the race, Dolls took the starting eight girls slotted to row in Peacemaker against GRU out on the water for final race prep. Practice had been looking flawless—the water calm and smooth, their motions strong, steady and aligned.
They were on the last drill of the night, just before heading in, when Nicole suddenly heard a blood-curdling scream from a few seats back.
“Check it down!” Rachel barked from the coxswain’s seat, ordering the girls to square their oars in the water to stop the boat immediately.
Dolls had been trailing behind in the coaching launch. Realizing something was up, he urgently steered it closer. “Mercedes, are you okay?”
Nicole twisted around in her seat to get a look at Mercedes. The pain on her face was visible—in her gritted teeth and tear-filled eyes.
“My hamstring,” Mercedes groaned. “It feels like it popped.”
“Can you move it?”
“No.”
"Okay,” Dolls nodded. “Girls, let's return to the docks. Mercedes, sit easy. Don’t move a muscle.”
“Wasn’t planning on it,” she quipped.
Mercedes' injury loomed over Peacemaker like a rain cloud as they slowly paddled back. The air that was once light felt heavy with uncertainty. Nicole understood the gravity of the situation. She knew it was serious. Mercedes was tough. She wouldn’t cry wolf over nothing.
The last thing Nicole wanted to do was think about how this would impact their performance against GRU.
On land, Dolls and the team doctor assessed the situation.
If you could only hear the string of curses that came pouring from Mercedes’ mouth in reaction to the diagnosis.
“It’s a hamstring strain.”
“How long does she need to rest?” Dolls asked, mister cool, calm and collected.
“Two weeks, at least. Possibly longer.”
It was a worst case scenario.
Nicole could see the disappointment in Mercedes’ eyes, silently apologizing for letting everybody down. It wasn’t her fault, though. It was an accident.
As discouraging as it was to be down a rower against GRU, there were still seven other girls who had prepared equally as hard over the weeks and were ready to bring it. They’d made leaps and bounds, and that alone made Nicole a proud leader.
"Take care of yourself, Mercedes,” Nicole gently reassured her. “You focus on resting up and recovering, and we've got this. Right, girls?”
The team nodded in agreement, smiles all around.
In the locker room, Nicole summoned her team for pep talk. What mattered most at this point in time was their unity and their ability to bounce back.
"Nothing about the past few weeks has been easy. We knew it wouldn’t be. But we've faced obstacles, and we've overcome them. We can’t let this setback define us. We have the strength and the talent to excel, with or without Mercedes. So, what do we do? We adapt. We push forward. Let’s go out there and give this race everything we've got!”
The team rallied together, adjusting their race plans. In Mercedes’ absence, one of the second-string rowers seized the opportunity to fill in on her behalf.
On race day, nervous energy rippled through the waves as Nicole and the rest of her teammates sat ready at the starting line.
"We’re not just racing for ourselves. We’re here to show GRU what we’re made of!” Rachel’s voice pierced through the boat, firm and strong, from stern to bow. “Let's do this for Mercedes!"
As the starting horn blared, the girls dug deep, driving Peacemaker forward with power. Nicole could feel her muscles straining and burning as the meters passed by, trying her best to concentrate on the rhythm of her strokes as she set their pace.
Peacemaker put up a valiant fight from start to finish, cutting their blades through the waters as one collective, cohesive unit. Crossing the finish line behind GRU, adrenaline blended with exhaustion. As Nicole hunched forward, cradling her oar handle into her stomach while steadying her racing heart, her heart swelled, hearing the cheers for Peacemaker coming from the banks.
In the back of her mind, Nicole knew she should have been feeling disappointed. Peacemaker lost. Nobody liked to lose, especially Nicole Haught. However, looking at her teammates, their smiles were a reflection of a win they’d still managed to pull off in the end.
So what if they hadn’t come in first? It was just a scrimmage. It’s not like the race had actually counted or anything...
With a grin, Nicole stretched forward and gave Rachel a high five.
“Nicely done, Valdez.”
They’d come out to prove Purgatory College was a force to be reckoned with, and Nicole believed they did just so. Come the first official regatta of the season, with Mercedes Gardner back in action, GRU best watch their backs.
————
In the comfort of her bed, Nicole lay sprawled on her back, eyes closed and hands tucked beneath her head. Her muscles ached from the afternoon’s scrimmage; although, it felt good to finally relax.
She groaned at the knock on her door, yanking her from any kind of nap she’d been trying to manifest.
“Almost ready, Nic?” Rosita asked.
Furrowing her brow, Nicole rolled out of bed and plodded to the door, swinging it open. “Ready for what?”
“The freshman information session? Remember we told Coach Lucado we’d join her since Dolls can’t make it?”
“Oh, crap. That’s tonight? Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
“I figured you already knew, el capitán,” Rosita winked.
Nicole rushed into the bathroom, glancing at her disheveled reflection before slinging her hair into a messy bun. “I look like shit!”
“Yeah, okay,” Eliza chuckled, joining Rosita in the hallway.
“Tick tock, Nic,” Rosita lilted, tapping on her watch.
“Give me a second,” Nicole groaned, darting back into her bedroom.
Deeming the Adidas joggers she was already wearing good enough, she slipped on her sneakers and threw her burgundy Purgatory College bomber jacket over her t-shirt before hurrying to join her roommates by the door.
“Where to?” Nicole asked.
“Garden auditorium,” Eliza answered.
Nicole nodded. “Let’s go.”
————
Nicole scanned the auditorium from the stage, clocking maybe 30 to 40 girls seated before them. She stood with Rosita and Eliza, laughing quietly at a story Rosita was in the middle of sharing, when Coach Lucado hovered by the wooden podium a few feet over.
“Come on in, ladies, take a seat. We’ll be starting in just a minute,” Lucado announced, gesturing for those still standing to sit down.
If anybody could command a room with ease, it was Jeannie Lucado. As much as Nicole loved Dolls, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss having Lucado as a coach. The woman was a hardcore boss, plus, she had a passion for rowing that was infectious.
Glancing out, Nicole happened to make eye contact with a cute brunette standing about halfway back. She smiled and winked, internally kicking herself as the brunette quickly looked away before dropping into the nearest seat.
“Hi ladies, I’m Jeannie Lucado.” The audience fell quiet. “I’ll be the head coach of this year’s freshman novice team. We’re thrilled to see so many of you here tonight. I already know this is going to be a great season, right girls?”
She turned to Nicole, Rosita, and Eliza, who clapped and hollered in response. With a grin, Lucado motioned for them to come closer, and they happily flocked around her—Eliza and Rosita on one side, Nicole on the other.
“Unfortunately, our varsity coach, Xavier Dolls, had a conflict and couldn’t be here tonight. However, a few of our beloved senior varsity team members have graced us with their presence. Joining me, we have Eliza Shapiro, Rosita Bustillos, and Nicole Haught—our varsity captain.”
Nicole flashed a smile to the crowd, catching the brunette’s eyes on her legs. With a dimpled grin, she followed her gaze as it slowly lifted higher until they met once again.
Busted.
Her heart fluttered as the girl shyly looked away again.
“Our first practice of the season will be tomorrow night at 7 o’clock,” Lucado went on. “It’ll be a swim test over at the Athletic Center pool where you’ll be expected to tread water for 45 minutes. Don’t show up without a bathing suit. Once we’ve formally validated that everyone can swim, then the more exciting stuff will follow. You’ll get a more detailed rundown tomorrow of what you can expect during winter training over the upcoming weeks.”
A girl raised her hand. “Do the novice and varsity teams practice together?”
“Coach Dolls and I manage our own separate schedules. We’ll typically stagger our time spent in the gym and the pool to avoid working out on top of each other. But our practice schedules will still occasionally overlap, so it’s common to run into each other.”
“Like during morning sessions out on the lake!” Eliza said.
“Bright and early,” Nicole emphasized. “On weekdays, plan to be at practice by 5AM. I hope y’all are early birds.”
A few groans echoed through the room.
“That’s right,” Lucado said. “We expect all team members, novice or not, to be in bed early during the week. No late night partying. There’ll be no sympathy for anyone who shows up to practice hungover.”
“Or any no-shows,” Nicole added.
Lucado nodded. “Especially no-shows. Everyone will have a designated seat in a boat. If you don’t show up to practice because you’re hungover or you’re too tired, that’s an empty seat we’ll have to scramble to fill, and you’ll be ultimately letting your boat mates down. It’s one thing to have a valid excuse not to attend practice. If you’re actually sick, that’s fine. Stay home. But we’ll have no tolerance for anyone who intentionally skips out on practice because they don’t feel like it. Doesn’t matter that this is a novice team. We’ll be working and competing just as hard as any other experienced team. If you aren’t willing to put in the effort, then this might not be the right fit for you.”
“Maybe try golf or ultimate frisbee,” Eliza teased.
Nicole snorted.
“But if we haven’t scared you off by now, we’d love for you to give it a shot!” Rosita chimed in. “This entire team really is like one big family.”
“Thanks again for stopping by tonight,” Lucado said. “We’ll stick around up here for a few minutes in case any of you happen to have some more questions for us. I’ll see the rest of you tomorrow at the pool. 7 o’clock!”
They waved to the freshmen as they started filing out of the auditorium, offering their thanks.
“Good turnout, don’t you think?” Lucado commented.
Nicole nodded. “Yeah, for sure. They seem excited.”
“Oh, freshmen, so innocent,” Eliza said, chuckling softly.
“Let’s see how excited they are after their first practice,” Rosita smirked.
Out of the corner of her eye, Nicole watched the brunette exit out the doors.
“Are we good to head out?” she asked.
Lucado nodded with a smile. “You’re free to go. Thank you again for coming.”
Following Rosita and Eliza toward the exit, Nicole hesitated, chewing on her inner cheek as she glimpsed in the direction of where the brunette had gone.
“Y’all go ahead. I’ll meet up with you in a few.”
Unfazed, Rosita and Eliza shrugged and kept walking. Meanwhile, Nicole scurried ahead until she caught sight of the brunette and a blonde slightly further up.
Her lips pursed in thought, trying to figure out how she could talk to the girl without creeping her out.
She decided to play it cool and keep it simple.
“Hey, have a great night guys,” she casually murmured as she strode past them. “Hope to be seeing you around,” she added, glimpsing over her shoulder with a smile and wink to the brunette.
Tucking her hands in her pockets, she continued onward, grinning as a cheerful, “See you around!” chirped behind her in response.