A/N: So this is the first chapter of the English version of my fic. I posted the story in French, a few months ago and some people asked me to translate it, so here it is.

I hope you will enjoy it. This is a 15 chapter story, and it is complete, but I'm still working on the translation. I should be able to post one chapter a week.

Mistakes are mine, but thanks to shipallllltheships who agreed to be my beta reader and did a wonderful job with this first chapter, this shoud be relatively mistake-free.

Please feel free to PM and review!

Chapter1

Emily Fields was late. It had been happening more and more often lately. She had gotten warnings about it from her coach, and her mother. Not that she really cared. These days, Emily made a point not to behave like the ideal student or daughter she used to be - at least, not to the outside world.

Walking quickly, she checked her cell phone for the fifteenth time that morning. Still no texts or calls. She knew she was going to cross paths with Hanna, Spencer and Aria during the school day. But Alison? The blonde had promised to give her a call last night, and Emily had stayed awake very late, almost until two in the morning, before reluctantly closing her cell phone and falling asleep.

Emily grumbled while climbing the steps of Rosewood High School. There were hardly any other students in sight. Classes had probably already started. She was even later than she had thought.

Sighing, she tucked a strand of her silky black hair behind her ear, and shifted her bag on her shoulder. She was heading to the school office to beg for a late pass, when she heard her name.

"Fields!" The girl turned to face her swim coach, Mrs. Fulton, who was looking at her sternly.

"What are you still doing here? All of your teammates are already in the gymnasium. Do I need to remind you that we're welcoming the Oakland students today?" the coach said impatiently.

"I... what?" Emily stammered, confused. What the hell was Fulton talking about?

"The Oakland swimming team!" Fulton said, shaking her head, clearly irritated.

The girl lowered her eyes, trying to figure out what she was missing.

"Really, Emily! You don't even look awake. Nor interested, by the way. Okay, just follow me. I told you, everybody's already there. Aren't you looking forward to meeting your exchange student?"

Motioning the girl to come with her, Fulton headed to the gymnasium. Emily followed for a moment, before stopping dead in her tracks. She remembered now. This stupid swimming exchange. The swim team from a California high school was going to spend two whole weeks in Rosewood. All the swim team members were supposed to host a student who would in turn, host them a few months later, when the Rosewood Sharks flew to the west coast.

The idea had sounded fun to Emily when Fulton first told the team about it. She was very eager to visit California, and sharing her room with a girl who was also a swimmer had sounded great at the time. But that was before. Now, everything had changed. And Emily Fields had other things on her mind - on in her heart - then swimming competitions, and stupid student exchanges.

The gymnasium was filled with the noises of the swim team girls. Following Fulton, Emily saw that all her teammates were already gathered on the bleachers. Several of them were carrying signs that read "Welcome Oakland" and "The Sharks are welcoming the Jets".

"Ridiculous." Emily mumbled, sitting down on the bench. Sydney, a new girl on the team, elbowed her.

"So Fields, you're late? The star of the team sure knows how to make an entrance!"

Annoyed by the comment, Emily frowned at the young swimmer. Though she was a newbie, Sydney always seemed to be incredibly self-assured. Emily felt her cheeks flush red, but before she could answer and put Sydney in her place, the younger girl winked at her and put a finger to her lips, hushing Emily.

Coach Fulton was now in the center of the gym, next to a younger woman, wearing a red and yellow tracksuit. The Oakland coach, Emily guessed. Fulton clapped her hands and, with her powerful voice, ordered the teenage girls to stop talking. The place turned quiet almost immediately, the swimmers raising their heads and paying attention. Emily was the only one with her head down, her black hair hiding her face. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't register the presence of a bunch of girls in tracksuits in one corner of the gym, with bags and suitcases at their feet. She also didn't notice that one of the Californian swimmers was staring at her with intense brown eyes.

"Girls!" Fulton said. "Our school, and especially our team, is proud to welcome one of the best swimming teams in Northern California. This exchange is a first, for both of our high schools. Coach Nordwell and I hope that you will all benefit from the experience, and that the healthy competition will help you to improve your results."

The Rosewood swim team girls clapped their hands, and so did a few California girls, who, for the most part, were wearing wide smiles on their faces. Emily stood by idly, her eyes focused on her shoes. She was feeling terribly uneasy. How could she have forgotten? She remembered more clearly now. Her family was supposed to host a sixteen-year-old California girl. Jessica something. Emily's mother talked about that during lunch last Sunday. Emily hadn't paid much attention to it at the time. What Pam Fields hadn't known was that her daughter's mind had been clouded by alcohol from the night before. Emily had gotten back home at 4 A.M., climbing through her window, which she had let open for the occasion, at usual.

Emily was startled by the noise coming from her cell phone. She feverishly checked the screen. A text from Alison. At last, Emily thought with relief, her heart pouding. "Where are you, Em? Biology is SO boring. I miss my favorite lab partner" Alison had written, ending her message with her usual "XoXoXo."

Emily began to text her back, but was soon cut off by a loud "Ahem!".

She raised her eyes to see Fulton and the Oakland coach standing just in front of her. The Oakland woman was smiling at her, but Fulton was looking at her best swimmer with a frown. Pretty much like always, these days, Emily realized.

"Fields!" Fulton barked. "Put down your phone. Please be kind enough to try looking interested by today's event - at least for a minute. Coach Nordwell, here, has something to tell you."

"I've heard a lot about you, Emily" , the young California coach said in a warm voice. "Your times are really impressive. You're as good as my best swimmers." "Thanks", Emily mumbled. She didn't like to be put on the spot. She knew she was one of the team's best swimmers. She was the anchor of almost each relay. But she had turned down the offer to be team captain. She just wasn't interested. She wasn't interested in swimming anymore. Something she didn't dare telling her coach, yet, let alone her family.

"There's been a slight change of plans, Emily." Fulton said, and the teenage girl raised her eyes expectantly. Maybe she wouldn't have to host a exchange student after all. Please tell me that, Emily thought hopefully.

The Californian coach reached out her arm, and Emily met her kind smile. Nordwell handed a cardboard file to her, and Emily looked at Fulton, confused. Her coach shrugged. "Emily, your family was supposed to host Jessica VanDier. But the poor girl broke her leg three days ago, so she had to stay in Oakland. We had to rethink the hosting. We decided that you will host the Jet's team captain. You will probably... get along well. We hope so, at least."

Emily didn't miss the wink exchanged by the two coaches. Fulton was now wearing a broad smile.

The dark haired girl took a look at the file she was holding, and saw for the firt time the name written under the one of unlucky Jessica. "Paige McCullers." Emily read aloud.

"Here!"

A clear and confident voice startled her. Standing in front of her, in the Jet's yellow and red tracksuit was a tall chestnut-haired girl. Her big brown eyes were staring at her with such intensity that Emily looked away uneasily.

Paige McCullers, for that was clearly her name, seemed very comfortable with the situation. Unlike Emily Fields, who was wishing to be anywhere but here.