This took me waay longer than I thought it would to finish, but that's because it ended up a lot longer than I intended. This was meant to be a one shot, but now it's turned into a multichapter, so I hope you're ready for what's to come XD
Title from These Drugs by Sugar Pine 7
"Tracy! Can I see you for a moment?"
"Sure, Coach!" Gordon called as he rubbed down his wet hair with a towel and made his way to the other side of the pool.
The man was standing near the stands where observers would watch the various swim meets and competitions that the school occasionally held. It was quite an odd place for him to be, almost in the corner of the spacious room and far from the other swimmers who were now making their way into the locker rooms, but Gordon didn't think much of it.
"You did good today," Coach Brown said with a hint of approval in his voice when Gordon reached him.
The statement filled Gordon with pride and a wide grin appeared across his face. He worked very hard when it came to swimming- there was nothing else in his life he worked this hard for- so it always made him feel happy to know that all the effort he put in didn't go unnoticed.
"Thank you. I-" Gordon started, but was stopped by the hand his Coach raised to halt his words. Gordon closed his mouth and dropped the towel around his shoulders.
"But you still have a long way to go to get to where you need to be."
Gordon faltered, and his smile fell. He knew he was far from achieving his dreams, but he really thought he was getting somewhere. Being reminded of just how far away he was from his goals only ever made him feel defeated.
"I know, but I'll work harder!" Something about his Coach's words made Gordon feel like he was about to kick him from the team. He knew that there were some excellent swimmers on his team, and he tended to worry about being the weak link more often than he liked to admit. "You'll see, if you just give me some time I can prove how good I am! Just please don't kick me from the team."
"Kick you off the team?" Coach Brown raised an eyebrow at him in confusion. "Gordon, you're the best member on this team. I'm not kicking you out."
"Oh." Gordon deflated in relief, but then it was him who was confused. "Then, what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Because I know you can be better, and if you want to get to where you need to be soon, then you need help."
At that moment, Coach Brown held out a box that Gordon hadn't even realised he'd been holding all this time. It was resting in one hand, waiting for Gordon to take it.
When Gordon realised that his Coach wanted him to take it from him, he did with a mixture of hesitation and curiosity. He went to open the lid, but was stopped by the sudden voice of his Coach.
"No." The Coach's hand fell onto the box to prevent Gordon from opening it. He glanced around at the now empty pool area and then back down at Gordon. "Wait until you get home, and don't tell anyone about this conversation. Everything you need is in there." He tapped the top off the box.
The curiosity started to become anxiety as Gordon's mind raced to work out whatever it was his Coach had given him that he was being so secretive about. However, he couldn't find the words to ask.
"I'm counting on you, Tracy. Like I said, you're the best on this team and I hope you won't let us down. I can count on you, right?"
Gordon nodded. Not only did he have to prove himself to his Coach, but also his team. He couldn't let them down. Whatever he was asked of, he would do.
"Good lad. Now, go get changed."
Gordon nodded again and left without another word. The box was clenched between both his hands as he hurried to the locker rooms.
Gordon had gotten out of his swim trunks and back into his normal clothes after he had dried down. However, the whole time he was getting changed, he couldn't stop thinking about that box and whatever could be inside it.
He knew what his Coach had said, but curiosity got the better of him and he just couldn't resist the temptation. As he was putting some of his things back into his locker, his eyes caught sight of the box. He glanced around and no one else was looking his way, so he went to take a peek.
He lifted the lid of the box and looked inside, but what he saw caught his breath and had his eyes widening.
"See you later, Gordon!"
Gordon quickly shoved the box to the back of his locker and spun around when he heard his name. Behind him were a few of his teammates, who were all smiling and waving as they walked past him and towards the exit of the locker room.
"Uh, see you later," Gordon waved them goodbye and plastered a smile on his face. He hoped they didn't catch the shake in his voice or could hear how fast his heart was beating.
They sent him a curious glance, but didn't say anything else as they made their way out of the room and headed home. Gordon watched them go, and then he was the only one who remained. After his talk with his Coach, he was the last to get ready and some of his team had already left by the time he started to get changed.
When he heard the door shut and silence filled the locker room, he turned back to his locker and the box that sat within. Now he knew what was in there, he wanted to look again, just to be sure that it was what he thought it was.
Slowly, he reached for the box again. As he picked it up, his hand hovered over the lid. He was almost too scared to look, in case he was right. However, before he could think further about it, he was startled by the sound of his phone ringing.
He almost dropped the box, but managed to place it back on the ledge of his locker before he scrambled around in his bag to search for the device.
He answered the call just before the ringtone stopped.
"Hello?"
"What's taking you so long? I'm outside," Virgil's voice came through, and Gordon was reminded of the fact that his brother was picking him up and must have been waiting a while.
"Oh, sorry. I'll be out in a sec." He hung up with a quick goodbye and gathered his things. He eyed up the box, and without thinking about it much he threw it into his bag. He would take a look at it properly when he got home.
The bag was slung over his shoulder and he hurried outside.
The sky was already getting dark as winter approached and the early evenings set in. Gordon quickly climbed into his brother's car before he could get cold.
"Sorry," he apologised again as he shut the door behind him and settled into the passenger seat. "Coach just wanted to talk to me after practice."
"That's fine. What did he want to talk about?"
Gordon stilled in his movement of doing his seatbelt up as he scrambled for something to say. It was only for a moment, so he hoped Virgil hadn't noticed.
"Just about some upcoming meets," Gordon shrugged nonchalantly in the hope that Virgil wouldn't question him about it further.
Thankfully, Virgil didn't ask anymore about it as he soon started the car and drove out of the parking lot. He did ask him about the rest of his day at school, and Gordon didn't have to lie about that as he told his brother about his classes that day.
The conversation distracted him from the looming object that sat in the bag next to his feet. Although, that distraction only lasted until they got home. As soon as they were out of the car, Gordon was reminded of just what it was he had brought home.
"I'm gonna have a shower," he said to Virgil and he hurried up the stairs as soon as they entered the house. He didn't even bother looking at his brother to see his reaction, he just wanted to get away quickly.
"Alright. I'll call you when dinner's ready," Virgil called up the stairs behind him, but Gordon had already disappeared over the landing.
Sitting on the edge of the bath after his shower, Gordon looked down at the box that sat in his hands once again. The lid was gone, and now the contents within were on full display.
He hadn't been mistaken. It was exactly what he thought it was.
A number of small vials, syringes and needles. Only one quick glance at the labels told him all he needed to know of what was in the vials.
Anabolic steroids.
He knew why his Coach would give him this, he wasn't stupid. He knew all about performance enhancing drugs and how people took them to be better faster. Gordon also knew how bad they were and how almost every sporting organisation that existed frowned upon them. He could be banned for life just for looking at them.
Why on Earth Coach Brown thought it was a good idea to give him this, Gordon had no idea. He knew about Gordon's dream to compete at the Olympics. There was no way he would make it onto the team if they knew he had been taking steroids.
Gordon would have just tossed the box back at Coach Brown's face next time he saw him, and scoff at the idea that he thought Gordon would stoop to this level, but the Coach's words from earlier echoed through his head.
I can count on you, right?
His Coach was counting on him. His team was counting on him. He was risking letting them down if he didn't do what his Coach wanted, and despite the man saying otherwise, Gordon wouldn't be surprised if he kicked Gordon from the swim team if he didn't do as he asked.
There was probably a reason behind Coach Brown giving him this. Maybe the consequences wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps the man had a plan to avoid them getting caught. It would make training easier, and would get Gordon that much closer to achieving his dreams...
His train of thought was cut off by a knock at the bathroom door, and just as he had done in the locker room, Gordon scrambled to find a place to put the box. He threw it under his towel that he had dumped on the floor next to the bath, and then he straightened up and faced the door.
"Yeah?" He called to whoever was on the other side.
"Dinner's ready," Virgil said, and he thankfully didn't come in. Although Gordon had hidden the box out of sight, he didn't think he could hide the panic from his face.
"Okay. I'll be down in a minute," Gordon said back, and he waited until he heard Virgil's retreating steps as he headed back downstairs.
When he knew there would be no one else around, Gordon grabbed the box and placed the lid back on top. Then, he hurried from the bathroom to his bedroom before someone could see him and ask what he was doing.
In his room, he searched for a place he could hide the box from any prying eyes. Any one of his family could enter his room, especially his Grandma who could go in there to clean whilst he was at school. He couldn't let any of them find this.
He fell onto his knees next to his bed, and reached under the bed to push aside some boxes. He placed the little box as far back as he could, close to the wall, and then moved the other boxes back in front of it.
When he was pleased with his work, he made his way out of his room and downstairs before anyone could question why he was late.
At the dining table, his brothers and dad were already sitting and waiting. Their Grandma was placing plates of food in front of them, and Gordon tried to hide his grimace when he realised she was the one who had done the cooking.
He slipped into the empty seat and a moment later a plate appeared in front of him. He thanked his Grandma with a smile, as he was still raised to be polite even if what was on the table in front of him didn't even look like food.
Throughout the meal, Gordon was quiet. His mind was too occupied with what his Coach had given him and what was expected of him. He had no idea if he should go through with it, if it was worth it or if the consequences were too much. He hoped his family didn't notice and if they did, he hoped they would put it down to him trying to eat their Grandma's meal without visibly gagging.
When they were finished, John and Alan washed up, which meant Gordon was free to spend the rest of the evening how he wanted. He decided to head back up to his room. He knew if he was around his family there was a chance he could let something slip, and to be honest, he wasn't much in the mood to be around other people anyway.
In his room, Gordon was ever aware of what was sitting under his bed. He didn't want to think about it and wanted to put the problem off until he had time to think about it.
He grabbed the portable games console that he'd left on his desk and threw himself onto his bed. He loaded up the latest save file of the game he'd been playing and lost himself in a world to distract himself from the one he was currently living.