Title: Kinship
Summary: An unusual school project throws Emily Fields together with fierce rival swimmer, Paige McCullers. What was supposed to be a simple exercise in team work ends up leaving her second guessing everything she thinks she knows about the other girl…
Disclaimer: I don't own Pretty Little Liars, or anything related to the show.
Rating: M
"Come on Princess, you're going to have to be quicker than that if you want anchor!" Emily Fields cringed at the teasing voice behind her. She had literally just pulled herself up out of the water and she already had her team captain breathing down her neck. It was only a practise, so it wasn't like she had gone all out for the race; and Paige had only beaten her by about a second anyway. The other girl just liked to rile her whenever she could.
"It's a practise race." Emily turned and glared at her team mate with her arms crossed over her chest. "Trust me, I'll bring my A game when it counts." She tried to stare Paige down using the inch of height she had over her, but the other girl wasn't remotely intimidated.
"That's the difference between you and me Princess. I'm always on my game." She was smirking as she walked away, deliberately knocking her shoulder in to Emily's as she went.
The two seniors were Rosewood High's top swimmers, and as a result they always seemed to be vying for the same spots at meets. Emily had never been that fussed about making anchor, but Paige had started being overly competitive in their Junior year; when Coach Fulton had given Emily the anchor position for one of their meets; between that and the prospect of colleges and scouts, their rivalry had just grown and grown.
It was a relief when the coach finally called time on their practise session. It was a Friday afternoon and Emily was in no mood for putting up with Paige's attitude. Unfortunately their lockers were right next to each other, so she had to deal with her for a little while longer as she changed. She winced as she pulled her tank top on over her head. She'd already trained that morning and she was feeling the burn from how hard she was pushing herself.
The Rosewood Sharks had a big meet coming up and she needed to get her times down. It wasn't just about getting anchor or starter though, there were rumours floating about that there would be scouts at the meet. Emily was an average student at best, but she was an excellent swimmer. A scholarship was her best chance in to college.
"Easy there, Princess." Paige smirked from beside her as she noticed Emily faltering. The other girl was standing in just her jeans and her bra, in no particular hurry to finish getting dressed. The young swimmer had an impressive body; her stomach in particular was as flat as a board and her abs were well toned from years of swimming and running.
"I told you to stop calling me that!" Emily kept her eyes glued on her locker as she ignored her and pulled on her own jeans. She was tired and cranky and quickly losing her patience with her rival.
"I know you did…Princess." Paige winked at her as she finished buttoning up her shirt. She pulled her kitbag over her shoulder and leaned casually against her locker, like she had no place better to be on a Friday afternoon, other than standing around teasing her team-mate. "You should take it easy this weekend; put your feet up-"
"Go screw yourself Paige!" Emily snapped at her, finally losing her temper as she slammed her locker shut.
Emily could hear the other girl laughing as she stormed out of the locker room. She was still seething when she arrived at Spencer's. The others had all gone to the Hastings' house to study after school and Emily had agreed to meet them once practise was over. Spencer took one look at the swimmer's expression when she opened the door and knew exactly what was wrong. "What did McMonster do this time?" She rolled her eyes as she stepped aside to let Emily through the door.
"I don't want to talk about it." The other girl huffed. She knew if she started talking about all the ways Paige McCullers pissed her off then she would probably never stop. "Are you guys still studying?"
"We never really started. We're eating ice cream in the kitchen." Spencer led her through to the kitchen where Hanna and Aria were sitting at the table, pawing over gossip magazines. She pulled up a seat beside them as Spencer got her a bowl.
"How was practise?" Aria asked, though she got her answer as Emily slumped down in to her seat and slumped over the table, resting her head on her arms. "That bad, huh?"
"McCullers." Spencer announced from over by the counter, where she was scooping a tower of ice cream in to Emily's bowl. The other girls nodded in unison. It was hardly a revelation that Paige was behind Emily's sour mood.
"You should talk to the coach or something about her!" Aria insisted. She had no idea how Emily tattling on her team-mate would sit with the other swimmers. If she narked on Paige then the rest of the team would turn on her too, and things would be ten times worse.
"No. I can handle it." Emily had already decided on how she was going to get Paige off her back; or more accurately, how she was going to put the other girl in her place. She was going to work her ass off to get the anchor position in the next meet. She would show Paige and the scouts just how much she deserved it.
"I don't get why you two are constantly fighting!" Hanna shook her head as she thumbed through the magazine she was reading. "You two should be like best friends! You've got tons in common! Swimming, girls… swimming!"
"Just because we're both gay doesn't mean we're anything alike!" Emily argued. She had been out since the previous year, when she'd finally stopped trying to pretend she was happy dating boys. Maya St. Germain had turned up in Rosewood and turned her life upside down; being with her had given Emily the strength to come out to her friends and family.
Paige had been out since she was sixteen, though she hadn't really advertised it at school. A few of the girls on the team had known about her, but she'd been a lot more open about it once Emily had come out; especially since the other girl had been so accepted by everyone.
Paige and Emily had never really been friends; though they had been quite amicable to one another in their freshman year. Paige had been a different person altogether back then. She had still been driven and fiercely competitive, but she'd also been quiet and withdrawn. Something of an introvert. That had all changed when she'd come out as being gay. She'd started bonding with the girls on their team a bit more, and she had even made captain in their senior year; though none of that stopped her from being a pain in the ass when it came to Emily.
Hanna was right. They should have been friends. They both knew what it was like to try and hide who and what they really were from the rest of the world. Instead of making them closer though, it just seemed to have driven a wedge between them. "I think I'd do Paige, like if I was gay, or I had to choose one girl to do it with." Hanna mused, making about as much sense as she usually did.
"Why would you have to sleep with a girl?" Aria frowned.
"Why McCullers?" Spencer asked, sounding appalled at her choice.
"She's hot, and she's got that whole sexy confidence thing going for her; and it's not like I can choose Em!" Hanna answered as though her reasoning should have been obvious. "She's totally hot too, but we've been friends since forever!"
"Thanks Han." Emily rolled her eyes at the other girl. She was sure there had been a compliment in there somewhere. "Look guys, I just want to forget about it, okay? Can we just eat ice cream and talk about something other than Paige McCullers?"
"I'm down with that." Spencer agreed wholeheartedly.
"I can't. I promised my mom I'd be home for dinner tonight. She's big on the whole family time thing at the moment." Hanna said her goodbyes, giving Emily an extra big hug before she left.
The blonde was driving home when she spotted a familiar bike chained up outside of the brew. Deciding to take matters in to her own hands, she pulled up outside the coffee shop and marched inside. She spotted Paige straight away, leaning casually against the counter as she flirted with some wide eyed redheaded hipster girl. She looked to be a couple of years older than Paige. She was probably a student from Hollis. Rolling her eyes, Hanna walked straight over to Paige and stood behind her with her arms crossed over her chest. The girl the young swimmer was talking to was the first to notice the blonde, and she shot her a scathing look.
Paige looked over her shoulder just in time to catch Hanna slapping her across the face. It was little more than a light tap to her cheek, but it took the other girl by surprise. "What the hell, Hanna?"
"I could ask you the same thing!" The blonde huffed, glaring daggers at the redhead who had suddenly tried to shrink in to the background. "You swore the cheating was going to stop! I'm not going back to the clinic again! Once was enough-" Hanna burst out laughing, unable to keep a straight face as the student picked up her coffee and made a hasty exit out the door.
"I hate you so much right now." Paige shook her head at the blonde as she watched the attractive young woman she'd been chatting to walk out. She rubbed absently at her cheek. "And you slap like a girl!"
"Would you have preferred it if I'd punched you?" Hanna offered, only half joking.
"What do you want, Hanna?" Paige didn't bother answering her question, choosing instead to ask one of her own.
"I'm glad you asked, I need a favour."
"And I should help you because?"
"Because we're lab partners!" Hanna answered as though it should have been obvious. They had been assigned as lab partners for their senior year and they spent a couple of hours a week sharing a desk; but that hardly made them friends and Paige had no idea what the blonde could possibly ask from her.
"What favour?" She sighed, knowing the blonde would never let it drop if she said no.
"I need you to be nice to Emily." Hanna made the request in the same way as she'd asked Paige to do most of the work on their last science project; as if it were completely reasonable.
"Hey, I'm always nice to her! Has the little princess been telling tales outside of class?" She asked, in a dry sarcastic voice.
"What is it with you two, anyway?" Hanna couldn't understand why the two swimmers couldn't just get along. "Please, Paige! Just be nice to Emily for a while, or at the very least get off her case! She and Maya just broke up and-"
"And?" Paige interrupted petulantly. "People break up. It happens." She shrugged without any hint of pity or remorse.
"Please, like you've ever had your heart broken." Hanna rolled her eyes at the other girl.
Paige bristled a bit, but said nothing. "Fine, I'll be as nice as I can be to Fields."
"Nicer!" Hanna snapped. She glared at her to get her point across.
"Okay, okay!" Paige laughed. "I'll be super nice! I've got to run though, I'll see you at school." She walked out of the Brew with Hanna still calling after her to be nice to Emily.
Paige took the long way home to try and get some extra time on her bike. She was just walking through the front door as her dad was plating up dinner. "Hey Kiddo, how was practise?" He called out to her and Paige followed his voice in to the kitchen. She tossed her wet towel and costume in to the laundry basket as she answered him.
"It was great. I'm making some good times."
"That's good. You need to be ready for that next meet if the scouts are going to be there-"
"I know, Dad." Paige tried not to sigh in frustration. She was expecting him to launch in to a full lecture about her responsibilities and what she was expected to do; Paige knew all too well what was expected of her. Sometimes it felt like her whole life was one carefully orchestrated script that she was just blindly following. Every hour of her day, every meal, and every morsel of food was planned out to the last detail.
She had devoted much of her childhood to training in one way or another. First it had been ballet, then soccer and field hockey. She'd joined the swim team her freshman year of high school and, as always, she had wanted to be the best and the fastest. She'd had pretty stiff competition in the form of Emily Fields. The other girl had constantly been snapping at her heels, her times rivaling some of Paige's personal bests.
Things had gotten worse in their sophomore year. One of Emily's best friends had disappeared and her friendship group had pretty much fallen apart. Paige's rival had dealt with her grief, and her solitude, by throwing herself in to her training. She had been impossible to keep up with that year and Paige had been forced to live with being second best. It wasn't a position she liked.
Everything had changed again in their junior year, when Emily's friends had regrouped and she'd first met Maya, her now ex-girlfriend, and the reason she had fallen behind with her training. Maya had been a distraction, something which had led to Emily taking her eye off the prize. Paige had no such frivolous distractions in her life. She had goals to reach and targets to meet; and she wouldn't let some girl get in her way. She moved over to the kitchen table and adjusted a fork that was sitting askew on her place mat. Her father was something of a perfectionist and it had rubbed off on his only child.
"There's some leftover chicken, I'll put it in the fridge for you for later." Nick carried two plates over to the table and sat one down in front of Paige. It was piled with chicken and creamy pasta, full of much needed protein and starch. Paige bowed her head as her father said grace and then they tucked in to their dinner in silence.
The youngest McCullers wasn't feeling all that hungry, so she ended up just moving the food on her plate around with her fork. "Elbows." Her father frowned at her as he looked up and caught her leaning on the table.
"Sorry." She muttered and sat up straighter in her chair. Nick carried on scrutinizing her from the other side of the table as she picked at her food.
"Something on your mind?" He could read his daughter like an open book, and he could tell something was troubling her; even if she tried to deny it.
"I'm just wiped out from practise. I think I'll finish this and have an early night."
Paige pushed her food around her plate for a little while longer, before finally eating the last of her chicken and declaring she was finished. She quickly cleared her plate in to the garbage disposal before her dad could see how little she had actually eaten.
Paige headed straight up to the sanctuary of her room. It was a welcome relief to be able to drop the tiring act that she put on each day. She peeled off her clothes and folded them neatly before hanging them over the back of her desk chair. Her room was just like every other part of her life, neat and methodically arranged. Everything was all squared away and put in its rightful place; from the alphabetized books on her shelves, to the perfectly straight posters hanging on her walls.
Paige changed for bed and padded in to her en-suite bathroom to wash up and brush her teeth before bed. She hadn't been lying about turning in early; she would be up at the crack of dawn to go running, and the teenager needed a full night's sleep to be able to function properly. By the time she walked back in to her room she found a bunch of texts waiting for her on her phone. A few were from girls that had gotten hold of her number, and she skimmed through those, but one from Hanna Marin caught her attention. It was a reminder to be nice to Emily Fields. She scoffed out loud as she tossed her phone aside and flopped down on to the bed.
So what if Fields and her girlfriend had broken up? It wasn't like the other girl particularly went out of her way to be pleasant to Paige, so why should she try and be nice to her? Paige lay in bed with her hands behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling, contemplating just how she was supposed to be nicer towards her rival. Just thinking about playing nice with Fields was giving her a headache. She let her eyes close over and allowed her mind to drift elsewhere, and before long she drifted off completely.
Paige's alarm seemed to go off only seconds after she'd closed her eyes. She felt like she'd barely had any sleep at all. She dragged herself out of bed regardless. Whether she felt like it or not, Paige always went running on Saturday mornings. That was just how things were. She had a schedule and she would stick to it, no matter how crappy she felt. It didn't take her long to get changed in to her running gear. She skipped breakfast, grabbing just a bottle of water from the refrigerator on her way out. Her dad would have a fit if he knew she'd gone out without eating, but she didn't feel like anything; besides, one small act of rebellion a day seemed to do wonders towards helping her keep her sanity.
The morning air was crisp as Paige headed outside. She hadn't picked up a jacket, but she would soon warm up once she got going. Popping in her earphones and cranking up the volume on her iPod, she started off at a light jog before building up her pace. The teenager was practically on autopilot as she let her feet take her on her usual route through the town. Paige loved to run, almost as much as she loved being in the water. There was an alluring freedom to just pulling on her running shoes and taking off in to the woods by herself. She loved the isolation of it, the way she could be herself for once in her god-damned life; even if only for a few hours.
She made her way to the far side of town and slipped in to the woods. The ground was rough and uneven, but Paige was a pro at navigating the familiar trails. She kept moving, letting her feet pound against the dirt until her lungs were screaming in protest. When she finally reached the edge of the lake she dropped to her knees, panting for breath and trying to ignore the tightening to cramp in her legs. The pain was good. It was a reminder that she was alive and not just some kind of robot, destined to blindly follow the plans everyone else had for her.
She spent some time by the water's edge, stretching out and finishing off what was left of her water. Her walk back through the woods was more of a dawdle, as always she was reluctant to leave the place that she felt so at ease in. She could let her mind wander while walking through the trees. The woods at the edge of town were like a safe haven for her; somewhere she could disappear from her responsibilities for a while.
After her run she would head to The Rear Window Brew, her favourite coffee shop, for her usual Saturday morning breakfast of Eggs Florentine with ham, and a tall glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. It was a little after eight when she walked through the door. The Brew hadn't been open all that long, meaning the place was practically empty. Paige loved the coffee shop at that time of the morning. She was always guaranteed to get her favourite table by the window.
There might as well have been a little reserved sign sitting on it since she was there every Saturday without fail. Someone else who was there every Saturday morning was Emily Fields. Paige nodded at her as she slipped in to her seat and brushed back the stray strands of hair that were falling in her face. She was still growing out the bangs she'd decided to have cut in the previous year and they had a habit of falling in her eyes.
Emily nodded back at her as she topped up an elderly man's coffee cup. There were only a handful of customers in the whole place. Most of them were regulars, like Paige. Emily moved behind the counter and in to the back to fetch the plate of ham and eggs that had been sitting in the oven to keep warm. Paige's orange juice was already sitting on her table and she took a big gulp of it, feeling a little dehydrated from her run. She and Emily might not have been anywhere close to being friends, but the other girl was good at her job and treated her Saturday regulars well. Paige seldom had to go to the counter and order, when she walked in her breakfast would already be waiting for her.
"You're late." Emily observed as she sat the hot plate down on the table. She'd carried it over with her apron wrapped over her hand to stop the plate from burning her. Usually Paige would be at the Brew for eight on the dot, but she'd spent longer by the lakeside, catching her breath and contemplating how best to be nice to Fields, like Hanna had asked. Usually she and Emily would exchange few words, but she figured it was best start as she meant to go on.
"My run went a little over." She shrugged as she picked up the salt and pepper shakers that Emily had put on the table ready for her earlier. The young waitress seemed stunned that she had actually replied. Paige could feel the other girl's eyes burning in to her as she went back over to the counter. She silently cursed Hanna Marin and tried to ignore the feeling of being watched as Emily went back to milling around, seeing to her other customers.
She waited until Paige was done before heading back over to her table to pick up her plate and collect her money for the till. Paige always had the correct money on her, so as to avoid having to make small talk waiting for her change. Emily approached her cautiously, obviously still thrown by the other girl's earlier attempt at conversation. "Was everything okay?" She asked as she cleared the table. The part of her job she enjoyed the most was getting to interact with the people who frequented the Brew, and getting to know her regulars; though she'd never bothered to try and engage with her fellow swimmer before. A nod by way of a greeting was usually the best the two girls could manage.
"Everything was perfect, as usual." Paige's response surprised her even more. She was sure her shock was showing on her face as the corners of Paige's lips curled up in to an easy smile. "Don't look so surprised, Fields; I wouldn't come here every Saturday if your cooking sucked that much." She teased, unable to help herself. Emily didn't seem to take offence to it though.
"And here I thought it was because we were the only place open." She shot back with a teasing smile of her own. It was possibly the first time she had ever actually smiled at Paige McCullers. Luckily she failed to notice the colour on the other girl's cheeks, or the way she dropped her gaze down to the table. "I'll get you another orange juice." She took Paige's almost empty glass away with her to fill it back up.
Paige was mentally kicking herself as she stared out of the window and tried to get a grip on her racing pulse. She never should have promised Hanna she'd make an effort to be nice to Fields. She was better off just keeping her distance. "Here you go." Emily put the glass back down in front of Paige. She waved off her attempts to pay her. "It's on the house."
"Thanks, Fields." Paige took a long drink from it, trying to hide her rising discomfort around her team-mate.
She felt an immediate sense of relief as the other girl walked away to see to another customer. Paige finished off her juice in one long drink, desperate to leave. She would usually stay an hour or two while she read the morning papers, but she wanted to get out as quickly as she could. She passed the counter on her way out and tossed some of her loose change in to the tip jar. Emily frowned at her back as she noticed her rushing out.
"How was your shift?" Hanna quizzed later in the afternoon, when Emily had finally knocked off work and shown up at her friend's house to 'study'. Studying without Spencer usually involved watching trash TV, flipping through fashion magazines, and gossiping. Emily dumped her book back on Hanna's bedroom floor, where it would probably remain for the rest of the day.
"The same as usual." Emily shrugged. She flopped down on Hanna's bed beside her and peeked over her shoulder at the very expensive designer dress the blonde was pawing over in the glossy magazine in front of her. "Actually, it was a little different. Paige McCullers actually said more than two words to me today." Emily tried to laugh it off, but something about the other girl's strange behaviour had stuck with her all day.
"Weird…were they nice words though?" Hanna probed, failing miserably to be subtle about it. Emily's suspicions grew as she frowned at her friend.
"When is McCullers ever nice to me?"
"Maybe she's turning over a new leaf?" Hanna suggested with a little half shrug. Emily wasn't buying her little-miss-oblivious act though.
"What did you do Hanna?"
"What? Nothing! Why would you possibly think I'd said anything to Paige about you?" The blonde tried to act contrite, but it fell flat. She was a terrible liar and her guilt was written plain across her face. It didn't take much more than a stern look from Emily to get the other girl to spill her guts. "Okay, okay! I asked her to be nice to you! I told her you were having a hard time with the whole Maya thing and-"
"What!" Emily snapped, her anger deepening as she realised what her friend had done. "Why would you do that? Maya and I broke up, it's done! I don't need pity from anybody; especially not Paige McCullers!"
"You were so riled last night and I thought if I just talked to Paige…she's actually not that bad. You two just rub each other the wrong way; in a totally none sexual kind of way!" Hanna quickly added, in case the other girl mistook her meaning. "I was only trying to help!"
"Well you didn't." Emily snapped harshly. No wonder Paige had practically ran out of the Brew earlier. She had probably sickened herself by being nice to Emily for more than five seconds. "Sorry, Han." Emily sighed as her friend sat on her bed looking deflated. She knew the blonde had been trying to help in her own kind of way, but she would rather have Paige carry on being a bitch to her than have her pretending to be nice out of some kind of pity.
Monday morning saw Emily purposefully walking in to the changing rooms as she sought Paige out. The two girls rarely used the pool to practise at the same time, outside of their scheduled training with the rest of the team, but Emily had a reason to go looking for her. She wanted to set the record straight and undo the damage that Hanna's misguided attempt at kindness had caused. Emily had timed it just right as she caught Paige pulling her jeans on.
Her hair was still wet and hanging loose around her shoulders as she looked up to meet Emily's eyes. She almost seemed to frown for a second, before she caught herself and offered the other girl a smile that was clearly forced. "Hey, Fields. A little late for practise isn't it?" The first bell was due to go off in less than twenty minutes, hence why Paige had pulled herself out of the water to change. She pulled on a t-shirt, finally covering her top half.
"Hanna told me what she asked you to do." Emily didn't waste time on pleasantries like saying hello. She crossed her arms defensively over her chest. "I'm here to tell you not to bother. I don't need your pity and I don't need you pretending to like me! So cut the act!" The young swimmer said her piece and waited for Paige's reaction.
"Who said it was an act, Princess? Maybe I really like you." Paige's tone was scathing as usual as she stared the other girl down. She felt an enormous sense of relief at having been found out. She wasn't sure how long she could have kept up being nice to her rival anyway.
"As if you like anyone other than yourself." Emily shot back angrily. Hanna was right about the other girl rubbing her the wrong way. Paige McCullers was somehow able to grate on her last nerve without even trying; a single scornful look from her could set Emily off.
"I like plenty of people, Fields. Just not you!" Paige snapped, finally confirming what Emily had long believed.
"And why is that Paige? Afraid of a little competition? You've had it in for me ever since Coach started giving me anchor-"
"I've 'had it in for you' since you thought it was okay to just swan back on to this team like you never left! We were all working our asses off last year! While you were mooning over your little pot head girl-" Paige was abruptly cut off as Emily's hand connected with the side of her face.
Her fists instantly clenched at her sides as she recoiled from the slap. She felt her whole body tensing up. Paige had never been very good at controlling her temper and she could feel it bubbling up inside of her, threatening to explode. She was almost relieved as she took a menacing step forward and heard Coach Fulton barking at the pair of them. "McCullers! Fields! My office, now!" Paige managed to swallow her fury back down as she hefted her backpack over her shoulder and stormed ahead of Emily, following the coach in to her office.
Emily brought up the rear, timidly closing the door behind her. She was in a state of shock from slapping Paige. Emily had never slapped anyone before. She had never lost her temper with someone so much that she felt the need to physically lash out; but Paige had struck a raw nerve and Emily's hand had just seemed to take on a life of its own.
Fulton took a seat behind her desk and looked at the two girls expectantly. "Well?" She asked, waiting for an explanation as to what she had just seen. She'd heard their rising voices coming from the changing rooms and had walked in just in time to witness Paige advancing on the other girl. She had missed the slap and mistook the redness of Paige's cheek for anger. "Do either of you want to tell me why two of my best swimmers are standing in the locker room screaming at each other?"
"It was nothing Coach." Paige grumbled. Emily was a little surprised that she hadn't ratted her out for slapping her. She agreed with Paige when she told Fulton that it had just been a simple disagreement and it wouldn't happen again. The middle aged woman didn't seem convinced as she stared at each of them in turn. Emily was practically squirming on the spot. She had never been in trouble at school before, especially not with the coach. Her whole future depended on her getting in to college on a swimming scholarship; she couldn't risk messing that up by being kicked off the team for fighting.
"This isn't exactly a one off." Fulton frowned at the pair. "You two have been at each other's throats for most of the year. We're halfway through the season and we've got scouts coming specifically to see the both of you! You can't afford to screw this up by fighting with each other. You're part of a team, and it's time you started acting like it! Especially you Paige. You're Team Captain, for god's sake! You, more than anyone, need to set an example!"
Emily felt a pang of guilt at the telling off that the other girl was receiving. She had been the one to provoke her. Emily should have been the one getting most of the blame. She tried to speak up, but Paige cut her off before she could get a word in. "I know, Coach. I'm sorry. I'll do better." She hung her head, keeping her gaze down low as she hid her shaking fists behind her back. It was clearly paining her to keep a lid on her attitude, but she would never disrespect her coach by arguing with her; her father had taught her better than that.
"I'm glad to hear it, because I've got the perfect opportunity for the two of you to prove you can work together and be part of the same team." The coach's expression smoothed out in to a knowing smile as she crossed her arms over her chest. She'd already been considering her two stars for the two week extra credit project before she'd walked in on them arguing. What had happened in the locker room had simply cemented her decision. "Report to Ms Montgomery's class after last period. She'll let you know about the assignment and give you the equipment." Neither girl argued about taking on the extra credit. They knew they were both lucky to still be on the team and not be up in front of the principal.
They walked out of the office together, missing the knowing smile that was playing on Fulton's lips as they closed the door behind them. Once they were far enough down the corridor Paige went to storm off, but Emily caught hold of her arm to stop her. The other girl recoiled like she'd been struck again and turned to glare at Emily. "I'm sorry I slapped you." Emily got out a hasty apology as she took a step back from her. "Thanks for not telling Coach, you could have really dropped me in it back there."
"I don't snitch." Paige's scowl seemed to be engraved deep on her face as she stared the other swimmer down. They were around about the same height, give or take an inch, but Paige had more lean muscle on her than the other girl. She took a step forward, getting right up in Emily's face. "I take care of my own problems!" She growled at the shell shocked teen, and allowed the unspoken threat to linger before storming off down the corridor.
She shoved open the door to the girl's bathroom and walked in to one of the stalls before slamming the door behind her and locking it. She slumped down the floor, her back leaning against the side of the stall as she she sat cradling her still stinging cheek. She clenched her eyes shut and counted to ten, trying to keep a lid on the mess of emotions welling up inside of her.
She should never have tried to be nice to Fields. Paige had spent the better part of three years pretty much ignoring the other girl and it had worked out just fine for her, even if Emily wrongly assumed that she hated her. Having her think that was safer than risking her finding out the truth; than having Emily find out how Paige really felt about her. Hate was the last thing on her mind whenever she thought about Emily Fields, and she thought about the other girl all too often.