by Mia Archer
Contents
Copyright
Part 1: Rivals
1: State
2: The Champion
3: Comfort
4: State
5: Prep
6: Winners. Losers
7: Comfort
8: Friendly Dinner
9: Revelations
Part 2: Summer Lovers
10: College Girls
11: Campus Summer
12: Party Down
13: Rescue
14: Opportune Moment
15: Responsibility
16: Hit the Showers
Part 3: Falling
17: Move In Day
18: Lame Party
19: Rescue
20: Falling Down
21: The Hospital
22: Awkward
23: Exhausted
24: Denied
25: Awake
Part 4: Winter
26: Barred Entry
27: Abandoned
28: Sneaking In
29: Distraction
30: Explosive
31: Back to Normal?
Part 5: Spring
32: Back to School
33: Back in the Groove
Wait! There's More!
More from Mia Archer
1: New Boss
2: Family Tradition
3: First Day
4: Blowing Off Steam
5: New Routine
6: New Feelings
Want More?
More from Mia
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A Sweet Lesbian Romance
By Mia Archer
Copyright 2016 Mia Archer
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Individuals pictured on the cover are models and used for illustrative purposes only.
First digital edition electronically published by Mia Archer, July 2016
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Part 1: Rivals
1: State
Sarah:
I stepped into the pool and felt the familiar smells and sounds washing over me. The room was hot and humid. Not that I expected any less. It was probably even hotter than usual because the room which was designed to handle a swim meet between two teams was now playing host to about ten different teams in our school’s conference who’d crammed into the bleachers on one side.
On the other side the bleachers were filled with parents who looked supremely uncomfortable sitting in the humidity with clothes that were better suited for the cold winter weather outside than a pool filled with people.
I grinned smelling the familiar smell of chlorine. I knew there were some people who said they couldn’t stand the smell, but I loved it. I’d been swimming my whole life and smelling that chlorine smell and hearing the familiar tinkle of the pool water lapping against the sides was like music to my ear.
Music that was drowned out by the dull roar of the crowd. It was like an echo chamber.
“So are you ready for the big day?” my coach asked, coming up behind me and slapping me on the back.
I looked up at Coach Todd and grinned. He had a huge grin on his own face.
“I guess I’m going to have to be ready, aren’t I? It’s not like they’re going to cancel the meet because I’m not ready to go,” I said.
“Yeah, well, you enjoy this moment. You’ve worked hard for it. You’re my star. Remember that. Don’t know what the program is going to do without you after you graduate.”
I blushed under the praise, but at the same time I felt a surge of pride at his words. I’d worked hard to get here today. The finals for our sectional championship. Me going up against the best girls that all the schools in our area had to offer. I’d been to the finals every year but my freshman year, and I knew this was the year. This was the time I was finally going to win and get that coveted top spot. This was the year I was going to go to the big game down in the capital and I was going to get “state champion” embroidered on the back of my letter jacket.
Sure it was going to be embroidered on my letter jacket just in time for me to put the thing away forever considering the weather would be warming up by state and I was graduating and wouldn’t be caught dead in that jacket when I got off to college, but still. I’d know that patch was there. It was the ultimate culmination of years of swimming and avoiding a social life and pretty much concentrating on time in the pool.
“I’m going to kick ass,” I said.
Coach Todd grinned even wider. I guess he was so excited at the idea of having a champion swimmer that he didn’t care that I was swearing. I couldn’t blame him. I was an odd duck in our small school. I went to year round swim programs. I focused on it with an all consuming passion. I stuck out in a place where there wasn’t even a summer program to speak of and most people on the team didn’t see the water when it wasn’t swim season.
Our win record reflected that fact. Except for my events, that is.
“So do you see her out there?” Coach Todd asked as we moved over to the bleachers.
There was no doubt in my mind who he was talking about. Her. Alyssa Thompson. The only real competition that I had in our conference. She was the one person in my event, the butterfly, who could unseat me this year. She was the girl who’d won and went to state last year, though she didn’t get that state title which had satisfied me to no end when I heard the news.
This year we both had a chance though. I’d looked at the numbers. This year we were both in the running for that top spot. We were the only ones in the state who could unseat each other, and of course it figured that both of us would be in the same conference so only one of us was going to the big dance.
Damn it.
I looked around but I didn’t see her in the crowd. Not that it was odd. We’d gotten here a little early so we could stake out a spot for ourselves on the bleachers.
It was weird sitting here now with just me and the coach. Everyone else on the team was here just yesterday when we were qualifying for our events. None of them had qualified so none of them were here today. It had been like that every other year too.
It was kinda nice to sit back and stretch my legs.
“I don’t see her yet, but she’s going to be here,” I said.
Coach Todd slapped me on the back. “Well don’t you worry about a thing. I’m sure you’re going to kick some ass this year, as you so eloquently put it.”
He paused for a moment and glanced over to the door. Frowned. I followed his gaze, because I knew what that frown meant. No matter what he said about knowing she was going to show up, I’m sure there was a part of Coach that hoped Alyssa’s car would break down on the side of the road as she was heading out here for sectionals so that I had a clear path to victory.
Not likely, because a moment later in she walked with a couple of friends from her team. Her school had a year round swim program. She didn’t have to wake up at four a.m. every morning so she could drive the half hour to a program in the next county to swim during the summer like I did. Luxury. My eyes narrowed as I thought of how unfair it was that I had to work harder to get just where she was.
She laughed as she talked to her friends and I felt a pang of jealousy. I wished I had some friends to share this day with, but if no one qualified then no one got to sit with me. Then, for a surprise, Alyssa peeled away from the friends she was chatting with. Started walking directly towards me.
; I took a deep breath. Shit. Was she really coming over here? Sure I’d always thought she was my biggest rival, but it was a rivalry from afar. We’d never spoken to each other aside from a few words we exchanged when we went against each other at our school’s swim meets. She won last year and I won this year. I figured that boded well for my chances at winning here at sectionals this year.
Sure enough she was heading right for me. A moment later she stood in front of me with an uncertain smile on her face. She gave a little awkward wave and I did the same before I realized how silly that looked.
Damn. Why was I feeling so awkward around her? What was going on here?
“Um, so hi. Sarah, right?” she asked, though there was something about the way she said my name that told me she knew exactly who I was.
“Yup,” I said. I smiled. “But something tells me you already knew my name Alyssa.”
She grinned and blushed. “Well yeah, maybe I do.”
“You’ve been keeping tabs on me this year, haven’t you?” I asked.
Alyssa’s eyes went wide. Like she’d just been caught. “How’d you know that?”
I leaned forward and gave her shoulder a smack. She was still in a T-shirt, but that would change soon enough. If she was anything like me then there was a one piece competition suit under that. If she was anything like me it would be a suit she’d bought at the beginning of the season that was brand new. A whole season of swimming played hell on suits and it was always best to come to the biggest meet of the year in something brand new that sliced through the water.
I bet Alyssa looked good in her suit, too. Damn good. Then I shook my head when I realized what I was saying. She looked good in her suit? What was that all about? I needed to get back in the moment. What were we doing?
Right. We were talking about keeping tabs on each other and trying to pretend neither one of us were doing any such thing.
“I’ve been doing the same thing all year,” I said. “You’re the reason I’ve been pushing myself so hard.”
Alyssa grinned. “Really? Because this entire time I wasn’t sure what to think of you. I mean you’re the competition and everything and I’m supposed to hate you, right? But that doesn’t seem very nice.”
I was surprised to hear the echo of my own thoughts on the matter. I’d felt the same way this entire season. Alyssa was the competition, but at the same time she’d never done anything to me to make me think she was some evil bitch or anything like that. Was it fair to get mad at someone for being good at something?
No, not really. Besides, with her standing right in front of me with that infectious smile it was really hard to stay mad.
I stuck my hand out. “How about we just say good luck and part as friends?”
Alyssa regarded my hand for a moment before taking it. I had a momentary flash of fear that she didn’t feel the same way I did, but then she gave my hand a firm shake and that infectious smile was back.
“Friends,” she said. Then she winked. “This doesn’t mean I’m going to try any less, you know.”
“I’m counting on it,” I said. “Besides, I want to make sure you’re not pulling any punches when I beat you!”
Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Yeah, like that’s going to happen!”
“Either way, thank you,” I said, my voice going suddenly quiet.
“For what?” Alyssa asked.
“If I didn’t have you to measure myself against all year then I might not have pushed myself to get here in the first place. So whichever one of us wins, thanks for getting me here.”
“Same to you,” Alyssa said.
I giggled. I couldn’t help it. This moment was so crazy. I realized that I was still shaking her hand. I felt warm from that simple contact. Goose bumps rose all over my body and let me tell you it was a damn good thing I wasn’t in my suit because otherwise it would’ve been pretty obvious what she was doing to me.
What was she doing to me? I wasn’t sure. I never really had time for dating aside from my disastrous relationship with Craig who ended up coming out of the closet. That explained why there was never much of a spark there and I’d been too busy to date since. The point is I wasn’t really familiar with all those feelings, but this felt pretty close to the tingly feeling I got when two people got together in a movie or something. I’d never felt that in real life, though.
Until now. What did that mean? Or was this all part of some plan to psych me out before the big race?
“What’s so funny?” Alyssa asked.
I reluctantly pulled my hand away. That did feel good, but it was also awkward and it brought up questions that I wasn’t sure how to answer. Best to put that aside until after the race. Not that it would matter after the race since I’d probably never see Alyssa again after I beat her today and she went back to her school crying while I went to state holding my head high.
“It’s just weird. I came here thinking I was supposed to hate you and now you’re being so nice and everything. It’s nothing like what I imagined,” I said.
I’m not sure what I was imagining. The two of us clawing at each other on the pool floor? Trading barbs at each other like we were a couple of mean girls trying to get in each others’ heads before the big race? To be honest this nice routine was doing a better job of getting in my head than any of that.
“Same to you,” Alyssa replied. “Good luck. You’re gonna need it.”
Alyssa surprised me again by pulling me into a hug. It was a brief hug, but it was even more confusing than the handshake. Her body pressed against mine and we seemed to mold together for one confusing and incredible moment. I felt her hot breath against my ear and all I wanted to do was forget about this whole race thing and stay in that hug forever.
And with that she was gone. She turned and melted back into the crowd surrounding us and I was left standing alone. Or almost alone. Someone cleared his throat behind me.
“I’m proud of you for that,” Coach Todd said. “I don’t know many girls who would be able to talk with the competition like that.”
I turned and smiled. “I figure I might as well be nice to the first runner up. Now let’s get going. I need to get ready for the biggest race of my life!”
2: The Champion
Alyssa:
Water all around me. I turned my head to breathe and for a moment I heard the roar of the crowd all around me. It was louder than any crowd I’d ever heard before at one of these events. Everyone was getting into it even if they didn’t have a kid in the race.
She was out there somewhere in the water next to me. Doing the same thing. Turning her head to breathe and hearing the roar. Plunging back into the water where there was the different roar of water moving past your ears.
I concentrated on putting one arm in front of the other. Over and over. My body was on fire. It burned with a familiar sensation that I’d come to welcome and love even though it kicked other peoples’ asses when they got in the pool. I knew it was just lactic acid building up in my body thanks to a lack of oxygen getting to my muscles, but it always felt like the pain of victory to me.
And I knew even as I did my final turn and sliced through the water for what could very possibly be the last twenty-five yards I ever swam in my high school swimming career that this wasn’t the end. I felt the tingle that heralded anticipating a victory. I knew this wasn’t going to be it. I’d be swimming competitively at least one more time.
At the state finals.
That thought gave me one final burst of speed as I pushed myself into the wall. One last frenzied pull. One last set of kicks with every ounce of power I could push into it from the lifting I’d done to give myself more of an edge even though I got weird looks from the football types who inevitably hung out in the school weight room trying to get big beefy arms or whatever the hell it was guys were going for in the weight room.
I slammed into the touch pad at the end of the pool. The plastic gave way ever so slightly in a familiar way. I pulled up and the sound from t
he crowds cheering around me was deafening, but I had no way of knowing if that deafening cheering was for me or for some other girl who’d hit her pad just a fraction of a second faster than me.
That was the thing about swimming. It was a solitary sport and you were completely on your own in the water. There was no way to really know if you’d won until you were up and looking at the scoreboard. I did that now, and my breath caught when I saw my name at the top with the fastest time.
I felt stunned. I’d done it. I’d won. I was going to the state finals and if how other swimmers looked on paper was any indication then I was going to win.
Damn. I felt lightheaded for a minute. And not the sort of lightheaded that I occasionally got after swimming. I’d won. It was incredible. All those years of swimming coming together for this perfect moment.
I pulled myself out of the pool and I was immediately surrounded by girls from the team slapping my back and giggling and smiling and jumping up and down and generally acting so excited for me.
I also saw a couple of jealous glances. A couple of those girls probably had their own dreams of going to state, but none of them had worked as hard as I had so they could take their jealousy and stuff it.
Coach Scott appeared in front of me with a huge smile on her face. Sure she’d had a few swimmers go to state before, but she always acted like it was a big deal even if she had been to the dance before. She wrapped me in a huge hug that pulled me off the ground, not caring that I was still soaking wet and covered in chlorinated water that could seriously bleach her team polo shirt.
I guess that sort of thing was an occupational hazard if you were going to be a swim coach.
“Congratulations Alyssa!” she squealed as she set me down. For a moment Coach Scott looked just as excited as the other girls surrounding me. The excitement was infectious.
I took a step forward and that’s when it hit me. I suddenly felt a lightheadedness that had nothing to do with winning and everything to do with how I sometimes felt when I’d really overdone it.
