Free Mind the Gap (In Too Deep) by Casey McMillin

was good with that.
    Anyway, getting back to the results of the trials as they pertained to my boys. Collin did what everyone knew he would do. He would be swimming in five events at this year's games… more than any one else on the men's team.
    Zack wo uld be swimming in four events, and for two of them, he'd be alongside Collin. During one race, they'd be teammates on a relay, and the other, they'd be opponents in an individual race. They would be going against each other on the 400 Individual Medley, and while Collin was the favorite, Zack would definitely be giving him a run for his money. There were no relays in the Trials. They just made up the relay teams from the swimmers with the fastest individual times. Collin would swim in three individual races and two relays. Zack would swim in three individuals and one relay, and Ethan would swim in two individual races and one relay.
    Ethan and his coach were both beyond excited at the outcome of the trials. At this year's games, he would swim in both the 50 and 100 Free and because of his time in the 100 Free, he'd swim the 4x100 Free Relay. The icing on the cake was that he went all week without losing to his long time rival, Anthony Davis. Anthony made the team, and would be competing both against and with Ethan, overlapping just like Collin and Zack. Even though they were rivals, and a little less friendly about it than Collin and Zack, they would have no problem putting their differences aside to compete as a team in the 4x100 Free Relay in this year's Olympics. The whole team would be like a family.
    Joel and Gretchen were grinning like Cheshire cats all week. Joel knew having Collin endorse his goggles was a good move, but having that confirmed was a nice feeling for him… I could see it all over his face this week. I was happy for both of them on a personal and professional level.
    Gretchen came to the Trials even though she was seven or eight months pregnant and Joel acted like a crazy person when it came to her and the baby's safety. She wasn't going to miss the trials when the Olympics were out of the question. Even if Joel hadn't been overprotective (which he was) Gretchen would have known an international flight just two weeks before your due date might be a little risky.
    Joel offered to stay home, but after some coaxing from Gretchen, decided he would be going to the Olympics without her. The only reason he could be talked into it was because should she go into labor, he could be home quickly. When you're richer than sin you charter private flights that can leave immediately, and Joel was richer than sin.
    A ll in all it was an ideal week. Everyone was stoked about the results of the trials, and excited at the thought of bringing home some Olympic hardware in a few weeks.

 
    Chapter 9
    Brit
     
     
    I stood in the cereal isle and stared blankly at the box of Wheaties in front of me. I couldn't believe little Rachel Coleman, who used to make homemade retainers out of paperclips, was married to a guy whose photo was on a box of cereal. Collin Blake was the most popular American Olympic athlete this year. A female gymnast named Molly Hayes hit it pretty big, and a female swimmer named Sabrina or Serena something—but no one's face was plastered in the media like Collin's. It was truly surreal to be staring at my childhood friend's husband on a freaking box of cereal at Price Chopper.
    Amazing .
    I didn't go to the Olympics, but Rachel and most of the friends I'd met through her were there. I recorded everything. My DVR was almost completely full of Men's Olympic swimming coverage, and I replayed the races several times, watching the guys I knew personally as they set records and won medals. It was like a dream, and I was so proud to know them.
    Collin won gold in four out of five of his events, making him a total rock star. He won silver in one of the relays, but gold in the one he swam in with Zack. That was an extremely exciting race to watch. I replayed that