ROTTEN LUCK
669 Words
AIDEN
That night, I was halfway through my notes when Liam leaned back in his chair, stretching.
“Hey,” Liam said glancing at the ceiling like he wasn’t actually thinking about it. “Did you hear the announcement? Everyone’s supposed to join a sport starting next week.”
I froze mid-pencil stroke. “Sport?” I echoed, trying to keep it neutral.
“Yeah,” he said, eyes narrowing at me. “I don’t know if it’s mandatory , but they said everyone has to sign up. Thought you’d want to know.”
I nodded slowly, forcing my face into a mask of calm interest. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
Liam tilted his head, curious. “You… don’t seem excited. You planning to skip or what?”
I gave a short shrug. “Not my thing. But I’ll figure it out.”
He raised an eyebrow, but let it go, returning to his laptop with a faint, teasing smirk.
And just like that, another rule, another expectation, another layer of normalcy that I had to navigate without anyone ever knowing who I really was.
The next day, I made my way to the sports signup board, scanning the options.
Football. Basketball. Rugby. Track. Martial arts. Every sport that screamed “alpha aggression” and “physical endurance” stared at me like a challenge I couldn’t afford to accept.
Then I saw it: Swimming.
Minimal contact. Mostly individual. Controlled. Quiet. Perfect.
I scribbled my name next to it.
Liam caught me as I stepped back. “Swimming? Really?”
I shrugged. “Least exhausting option. And it keeps me out of everyone else’s way.”
He smirked, shaking his head. “Classic Aiden. Avoid the spotlight without looking like you’re avoiding it.”
I gave him a half-smile. “Exactly.”
And just like that, I’d claimed my sport. Safe. Manageable. Invisible.
The pool tryouts were quick and unforgiving.
Warm-ups turned into races. Races turned into eliminations. No one talked much—just splashing, heavy breathing, and the sharp smell of chlorine hanging in the air.
I kept myself in check. Fast enough to pass. Careful enough not to stand out.
Kaito didn’t bother holding back.
When it was over, the coach called us in.
“Swimming head captain—Kaito.”
No surprise there.
“Assistant captain—Aiden.”
A few heads turned. I stepped forward before anyone could say anything..
“Consistent performance,” the coach added. “That’s what we need.”
Kaito looked at me then, brief and unreadable.
“Guess we’re paired up again,” he said.
“Guess so.”
Head captain and assistant.
Liam didn’t wait long.
The moment we were back in the room, he dropped onto his bed and clapped once, slow and obnoxious.
“So,” he said, grinning. “So much for being invisible.”
I groaned, tossing my bag aside. “Don’t.”
“Oh no, I absolutely will.” He sat up, pointing at me. “You sign up for the quiet sport. The low effort sport. And somehow you end up assistant captain.”
“Bad luck,” I muttered.
“Bad luck?” He laughed. “Aiden, you have the worst luck I’ve ever seen. Every time you try to stay under the radar, boom—Kaito.”
I shot him a look. “That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?” He smirked. “Seven minutes. Dares. Project partners. Now swimming. At this point I’m expecting you to accidentally become his emergency contact.”
I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. He caught it easily, still grinning.
“I’m just saying,” he added, more lightly, “for a guy who wants to be background noise, you’re really bad at staying out of the spotlight.”
I flopped onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. “Trust me. None of this is on purpose.”
Liam glanced over, expression softening just a little. “Yeah. I know.”
- Writer
