This is my first story so be gentle. :P It's based on a idea I had when I was watching the Beijing Olympics. And Michael Phelps.

English is not my native language, so I'll apologies in advance for any Grammar or Spelling mistake that might exist in my text.

Hope it's not too difficult to read. :-D

Reviews are much needed and appreciated.

"Come on, Lizzy!! You can do it!! Come on!!"

Those were the only things I heard and even then I didn't hear them until the end. I had put together what I heard between breaths. And it was soothing me.

Au contraire to what you might think, putting together what the crowd yelled for cheering me up got me more focused on the task ahead. What was the task? To win of course…to win and qualify in the national swimming team.

Umm yeah…you thought right. I was a swimmer. And my dream for the last four years was to be part of the team that went to the Olympic Games next summer.

As I was between strokes, I looked to my right. The girl that always competed against me was there, hard on my tail. But I was ahead. I could see I was easily one stroke ahead.

"Come on, Liz, you can keep the pace like this and you'll win". I found in my short experience that although I found it really idiotic and self centered to speak about you at the third person, it helped me keep me motivated during races. I was beginning to loose my breath, so I turned my head left and got the much needed air.

When I looked to my left, the lane was free. "Hmm did Charlotte passed me by or what?" Just so you know, Charlotte is my best friend and of course we train with the same coach. And usually are adversaries in competitions.

I was keeping my breath underwater and thinking where Charlotte is, when I noticed the T on the bottom of the pool. Finally! It felt like forever. For all you out there, every swimmer knows that the T on the bottom of the pool means there are just a few strokes left before you reach the wall.

But I must've done a pretty lousy job. I started to pick up the pace and in three well calculated and trained strokes, I touched the wall. I was still with my back to the time board but I heard cheers. The stadium that was hosting the competition was roaring with the cheers from the people. I turned and I was speechless – and I must tell you there aren't many things that leave me speechless.

I had finished first. My name, Elizabeth Bennett, not only had the number one in front of it, but if you had the patience to look at my finish time, it had a big WR in front of it. Those letters are what every athlete aspires to, after a gold Olympic medal of course. It was a new World Record for the 200 m freestyle Women race.

I turned to the stands and I saw my whole family there. Like always, the only one cheering was my dad. I knew for a fact that my mother was there just to please my dad and my younger sisters – I have three younger ones and a older one – where there only to spot the guys in speedos.

I looked at the board again just to be sure and I saw that second after me was Caroline. And third had come Charlotte at a good 1'34'' after me.

I could only smile. I felt somebody hugging me and I saw it was Charlotte.

"Goddammit Lizzy, you were like a torpedo. I tried to catch up but you simply were too fast. Jane must be thrilled. Ohh...and check out Caroline…she is so mad."

We both started laughing as we looked at the girl and saw her normally pale complexion red with anger.

"Nice race Caro. You did OK." I told her as I went pass her to get out of the pool. She hated me when I called her Caro. But I did it for a good reason.

"Not as good as yours, Eliza." I heard her mumble in her chin. Oh god I hated people calling me Eliza. Since I was a child it was always Lizzy or Liz or Elizabeth.

We got out of the pool and I heard someone screaming. I turned around and got clamped into a tight bear hug along side Charlotte.

"Charlotte, Lizzy!! I can't believe you two." It was our coach, of course.

"Jane!! You're making it hard for me to breath." I said smiling.

"Oh, sorry Lizzy, but I can't help it!" she said while she let us go, "Did…did you see that? Did you see what you did?"

"Umm yeah…but I like it being confirmed. Did I just set a new World Record? Or was I dreaming?"

"You're so silly. Your sister is…"

"My coach is…" I corrected her.

"Sorry", she said while starting to blush, "your coach is so proud of you. But you did it alone. I didn't help." She looked at Charlotte and me with a loving face. "I'm so proud of both of you. You were extraordinary out there."

That's my sister for you. A very good swimmer until she had her accident, a brilliant coach after that, but so modest and loving the entire time.

"I know it's futile to argue with you." I told her, resisting the urge to stick my tongue out at her.

As I was preparing to ask Jane the dreaded question, I heard Charlotte beat me to it.

"Do you think we made it to the Team? Oh Jane, I so hope we did. We worked so hard for it. Lizzy deserves it more than me."

I looked at Charlotte and this time I let my urge act freely. I punched her in the arm and stuck my tongue at her.

Jane answered though without hesitation: "Well I pretty much believe you two have done it. But don't get your hopes up YET! Ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. We're just heading for the showers and we're gonna have a party there." I responded and started laughing.

Jane gave us a disbelieving look. "What?! Party without your coach?" and before we had a chance to respond she showed us her back while announcing "Girls, I'll see you two in the changing room."

I picked up a towel and turned to go change and wait for the award ceremony where I would also find out if we did in fact made it to the Olympics or not.

I was looking after Jane and I saw her talking to one of the male swimmers that looked really nice in his LAZR whole Speedo swimsuit, but at the same time he looked familiar and I was trying to figure out where I know him from – you have to understand that if the guys or girls aren't from you swim club, or you haven't met them at competitions then you sure as hell don't know them – when I walked straight into a wall. I fell backwards grabbing my nose and I felt human arms catching me before I hit the ground.

Confused, because as far as I know there aren't any walls in the area and even if there were, walls don't have arms, I opened my eyes and I was speechless for the second time in 15 minutes – a record breaking day for me indeed.

In front of me was the most spectacular torso I had ever seen. He was a swimmer no doubt. He wore the new LAZR Speedo swimsuit, but the pants-only model, leaving his toned, and tanned I might add, abs, with a small waist line and broad muscular shoulders, discovered for all the girls present there to admire. I felt his hands leaving me and I looked up at him.

That's another thing that astonished me. He was much taller than me, and I'm not someone that people would call short. He had short black hair, that looked almost too black to be true, and blue eyes. My heart stopped. He was totally my kind of guy.

"Where have you been hiding?" I almost asked out loud. The guy Jane was talking to was nothing compared to the tall greek statue that was in front of my eyes. And since my mouth must've been open and looking a bit odd, I checked myself and said: "Hi I'm Lizzy. I just finished a race."

I extended my hand for a shake and to make it clear I expected an answer, but all he did was look at me for a bit – trust me, for me it felt like ages and I could feel the rage building in me because he didn't seem to be bothered much by the silence – then he said in a cold, british accent: "You should watch where you're going and you wouldn't bump into people."

And then he turned and left me shocked, mouth agape at a peculiar angle. That guy, whoever he was, had managed to leave me speechless in a matter of minutes, not once, but twice. Who the hell did he think he is?

I started to feel my cheeks burning with rage and the words coming back to me. The bastard!! I was following him with my eyes when I heard Charlotte by my side "Liz, whoever he is, drop it. He's not worth maybe getting disqualified because he's a jackass."

It took a while for her words to penetrate my thinking but when they did, I saw her point: "Umm yeah. Guess you're right."

"Let's go and change the swimsuits." Charlotte pulled my arm towards the changing rooms.

"Umm yeah, let's." I followed her obediently, thinking I better not have another opportunity to show that moron a piece of my mind.

Who died and made him king over the swimmers and give him the right to treat people like that? It would turn ugly if we met again. Trust me. Don't you hate people that don't bother to get to know others? They just judge based on first impression? I know I do. It's like you already start in second place and try hard and fail to advance to first place.

As we were changing, Jane walked in, a happy smirk on her face. "Girls, you should get ready. They said it won't be long and they'll begin the award ceremony. The last race, 200 butterfly Men, just ended."

I looked with a raised eyebrow at her while I was trying to get my hair to obey me. I swear it has a life of it's own. It never sits like I want it to. I have below shoulder length red hair. I inherit after my father. The rest of the family has a rather Cajun color hair. Except Jane, she has a superb brown blond. The problem with my hair is that when it get it contact with the pool's water, it gets too curly for my taste. And it get's that way every day of the week.

"Yeah, yeah. They wouldn't start without us. Although I'm sure Caro…" I say as I look at Charlotte and roll my eyes, "would be really happy to get my medal too. Anyway tell me details about the guy I saw you talking to."

Jane's face turned red for a moment and her eyes expressed a smile, but then she was her own self, hoping that no one saw her little slip. But I was her sister. Which one of you have brothers or sister know what I'm talking about. You can feel your sibling emotions.

She asked with a faint smile. "What guy?"

I rolled my eyes and poked Charlotte. "Can you believe her? You saw her too Charlotte didn't you? The tall guy, with his auburn hair, that couldn't take his eyes off of her?"

Charlotte started laughing "Sorry Jane, but you better confess. Lizzy doesn't appear to give it up and the guy looked so familiar, like I saw him before."

"You two are unbelievable." She already sported a deep red on her cheeks. "You have eyes like a hawk. And you bet he seems familiar. He's Caroline…or as you two call her…Caro's brother. His name's Charles Bingley."

"WHAT?!" both I and Charlotte asked at the same time. "The Viper" - just so we're clear, the animal, not the car - "has a brother?" Charlotte rolled her eyes theatrically as I continued: "For the sake of mankind I hope he's not like her."

"Come on. You two are mean! I don't see anything evil in the girl. She's just too shy and you have to get to know her."

"OK Jane! You sound like an 60 year old grandma, defending your small niece." I stuck my tongue out and with one last hand through my hair to give it volume, I declared I was ready.

"Anyway, Charlie is a great guy. He asked me if I was a swimmer because I looked very familiar and he didn't know where he had seen me before."

I gave Charlotte a meaningful look and proceeded to imitate my sister: "What guy?"

Charlotte started laughing at the sight of my little performance, but Jane was not amused. Or at least, if she was I can't explain the below waist attack she directed against me.

"Ohhh…youuu…", it was a cowardly attack because she started tickling me. and I can't respond to that.

"Nooo Jane!! Stop! Please. I can't take it any longer. Have mercy on your little sister."

"More like little devil. I'll stop only if you promise to stop imitating me. And Charlotte is the witness."

"NEVER! I'll never give in to the mental pressure you're putting on me." The brave heart in me replied.

"I can go like this all day trust me."

When I felt I can't breath because I was so tensed, I surrendered to her.

"Ok, ok! I give up! You win!! I take Charlotte as my witness and I swear."

"Good." My sister said in a triumphant tone.

Mel Gibson would've been so disappointed in me. But I can't stand to be tickled.

Two minutes later, we were called for the ceremony. I must confess that as I was getting closer to the podium, my knees started shaking. 'Oh God. What am I going to do if I don't get selected?' a voice kept ringing in my head.

After a while it started to get a rhetoric answer: What are you going to do if you get selected?

My mind was having a debate on its own, inside my head.

When I got in the back of the podium and looked and saw my dad there cheering and the rest of the family, although reluctantly, they had come. A voice started ringing 'NOOOOO Lizzy!! Stop!! You'll start to cry.' For the first time I did not listen to the voice. I hoped I could cry.

I was furiously blinking now, but no moisture was forming. I wanted to cry because I realized I had never wrote my name in the World Record holders. And that for the first time I was really close to getting dreams fulfilled. Getting to the Olympics.

I heard Charlotte's name. I saw her climb on the podium and get her third place award. I saw her parents next to my family, cheering and clapping. The Lucas's were always a cheerful family.

I heard Caroline Bingley's name being spoken and I saw her climb on the podium and get her second place award. She wasn't showing any emotion. Her face immobile. People cheered like on all competitions. I love the crowds. They have the true fair play spirit.

And then I heard my name. As I climbed the podium, I looked at my parents, at my dad, and I waved at him. I caught my sister, sorry coach, eyes and she was crying. I closed my eyes and it was like I saw her here on the podium. She once did it. Two years ago. She had everything, but God decided she had too much.

I got a flowers bouquet and a symbolic medal. The president of the comitee congratulated me and whispered that after the men's ceremony they will announce the Olympic Team.

I thanked him and of course I hugged Caroline – a short demanded hug – and Charlotte – a warm, tight hug. Then we got off. I went with the bouquet and gave it Jane. I hugged her.

"Oh Lizzy, but it's yours."

"Don't be silly. You earned it training me so well." I kissed her cheek and turned to look at the guys that had won the races.

"So tell me, is your guy, umm Charlie was it, on the podium?"

"Lizzy, he's not my guy. But he's on the podium of course. Another swimmer got first place I think, though."

"Well your guy or not, coach, if I may say so, he looked rather good in those LAZR suit. But I need to talk to him to give my approval." I looked cheeky at her.

"If I remember correctly, you were my athlete. I was the coach. COACH as in the person that knows more than the athlete he's preparing."

"I thought you were…"I looked at her wide eyed.

"Now shut up and lets see the guys getting their awards." She put her hands on each side of my head and turned me to the podium. I hate it when people act like I'm a five year old.

We watched in silence and soon we heard the proof I needed to believe Jane about Caroline having a brother. They had the same last name: Bingley. So unfortunate. My sister, sorry coach, started clapping and cheering for the guy. He looked so innocent. Not like his sister at all. He had a nice, warm face and he was smiling with all that he got.

He got his second place awards and then the announcer said:

"And now, the young hope at the upcoming Olympics, William Darcy."

To my total surprise, I saw the jackass I had met earlier, climb the podium to occupy the first place. Damn it! I had been speechless three times, in one day, because of this guy. This was too much.

This time it was a bit different as I watched the swimmer, apparently named William Darcy – what kind of American pompous name is that? – get the same things I received. I looked at the time board and the last race results were still there. His name was first and as I looked further on his line, I found the fatal WR letters in front of his time. The presenter's words rung in my head: "…young hope at the upcoming Olympics…"

My only response to that was "CRAP!!"

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