Hi, guys! Thank you for your comments. You can suggest storylines, don't be shy. Enjoy chapter 5!
ov4arenko: Thank you for your support. Here's Spencer's reaction. I hope you like it.
dayabieberxo: Yeah, Spencer is a little bit paranoid, but she's great. xD
Sab: Thank you very much. Your comment encourages me to keep writing.
Emily's POV
It's Saturday morning and I am sitting in the café with my friends. They want to spend some time with me because in about an hour I'm leaving for the meet. Actually, I am pretty sure they want to talk about what is going on with me and Paige, and I don't blame them. It's been a few days since the fatal night and they are my friends, they care about me, so they deserve to know the truth. Especially Spencer, who will tear down Paige if she keeps on thinking she is a monster who is trying to make my life a living hell. I have been very busy with school and swimming, so I didn't have the chance to be with my friends. They are staring at me, in silence, I know exactly what that means.
"Ok, girls, you are creeping me out. What do you want to know? " – I say. I know they are not going to give up and it's time to deal with them.
"Finally! Every little detail. What did she do this time? – Hanna says moving her hands excitedly. She loves gossip, that's for sure.
Aria and Spencer are waiting in silence, staring at me, with her eyes wide open.
"Well…" – I say, when Hanna interrupts me.
"Did she become violent? She's got a temper, we know that. No, no, no! She cheated on you, right?" – she asks, eagerly.
"Will you shut up, please? Let her explain, Hanna, you are not a clairvoyant." - Spencer adds, driving to despair.
"Spencer, remember you did the same thing. You were the first one who jumped to wrong conclusions and verbally attacked Paige." – I tell her, a little bit irritated with her attitude.
She thinks I am weak and that I need protection, I hate it. I know she means well, but I am not a little girl and I make mistakes too. She hangs her head in shame, she knows that I am right about her attitude.
"Come on Emily, what happened? – Aria asks, drumming her fingers impatiently on the table, almost dropping her coffee.
"Ok. I'm going straight to the point, but don't say anything until I finish, please." – I add, nervously.
"The thing is…ummm… the other night… I kissed Nate." – I say, really ashamed of myself.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaat? Maya's cousin?" – Aria says loudly.
"Do you like guys too? I didn't get the circular about your sudden change of sexuality." – Hanna says, open-mouthed.
"No, I only like girls, I love Paige. I am very embarrassed, I don't like him at all. It just happened and Paige saw us. I had just found out Maya lived in Noel's cabin for some time and I was upset and vulnerable. He was in my front porch and I needed to talk about Maya and unburden myself. I feel safe talking to him about Maya, he is the only one that knew her as well as I did. So, he kissed me and I acted on impulse, I know it was a shitty reaction. I feel terrible, and Paige doesn't want to talk, so I'm screwed…" - I say, almost crying.
"I'm sorry, Em, I thought she was being and asshole and I didn't want to see you suffer. I guess I owe her an apology, I was a dick to her." – Spencer says, disappointed.
"I am sure she will eventually forgive you, Em. She needs time, that's all. You need to be patient. Everything is going to be fine." – Aria tells me.
"Thank you, guys. I feel better now. I needed to come clean, I couldn't stand another day without telling you the truth." – I say, smiling at them.
"So… Do you find Caleb attractive, Em? Be honest. I don't want more competition." – Hanna jokes, grinning.
"Shut up, fool!" – I tell her, laughing.
"Guys, I have to go, the bus is here." – I tell them, and I stand up, getting my bag.
"Did you pack your sexy lace underwear, Em? You need to impress Paige. – Hanna says, laughing loudly.
I laugh at Hanna's comment, she is nuts. Oddly, it makes me feel better. I see Spencer is suddenly approaching.
"I'm so sorry, Em." – she says in my ear, hugging me at the same time.
"It's okay, Spence." – I add.
"Good luck, Em… with everything." – Aria tells me from the distance.
I give them a wave and I make my way to the bus. Almost all my teammates are already there. I am not really sure if Paige is coming. She is having back problems, but yesterday she went to practice, so I hope she's gotten better. If not this trip is worthless, I actually don't care a lot about the meet.
"How are you, Emily? Are you ready to win? Sit down right here, please. – she tells me, not letting me choose my seat.
Paige's POV
"Hurry up, mom. I don't want to be late because if I'm the last person to get there I know I will have to sit next to Sharon, and she is a weird girl. She's always talking about UFOs, cults, the end of the world and conspiracy theories. I'm not mentally prepared for that kind of strange conversation." – I say, getting my bag and waiting for my mom next to the front door.
"I'm coming, dear. Where are my car keys?" – she asks, looking everywhere.
"I've got the keys, mom. Let's go." – I tell her. My mom is the most unpunctual person in the world.
She starts the engine, turns on the radio and starts singing at the top of her voice. I smile at her, I love it when she's so impetuous, she's totally different from my father, who is very uptight.
"What time is the meet, Paige?" – she asks when the song she was singing ends.
"6 pm. That's why we are staying the night, otherwise we would get home very late. I won't come home until Sunday afternoon. " – I affirm.
"Okay. Call me when you get there and after the meet, honey. I'm sure you'll be the best swimmer, but I'd like to hear it from you." – she says, caressing my shoulder.
"I will, mom. I'm not so sure about my swimming though. The other teams are good and I don't think I am in good shape." – I tell her.
"You are a star, I'm sure you will give the best of yourself." – she adds.
"Thank you, mom. I really appreciate it." – I respond.
I can see the bus and my teammates are obviously waiting for me. Damn! I get my bag and I open the door as fast as I can.
"Thank you, mom. I will call you when I get there. Don't miss me too much. – I say smirking.
"Good luck, honey." – she says, waving at me.
"I'm so sorry, Couch, my mother was late and she was my ride, so…" – I say, apologizing for my delay.
"It's okay, Paige. You are five minutes late, it's not the end of the world. I saved a seat for you, next to Emily Fields. Hurry up. – she tells me smiling.
I didn't expect she would do that. I know she is doing it for the team, but I'm not sure if this is a good idea. I go up the stairs of the bus and I see my seat and Emily smiling at me.
Okay, be cool, Paige. Don't get nervous. – I think to myself.
"Hi! She told me to save this seat for you. Are you feeling better?" – she asks, showing me a sweet smile.
"Hey. Yeah, I'm okay, thanks." – I reply, nicely.
I sit down next to her, avoiding physical contact. Emily's tying her hair into a ponytail and I can smell her perfume. It's driving me crazy, and she knows it, because she looks at me and she sees I'm blushing. I decide to get my iPod and to read a book, I need distractions more than ever.
"Attention, girls. You'll have to share your hotel room with another teammate. To make it easier and to avoid arguments I've decided that you will share the room with the teammate who is sitting next to you, ok? – she says.
I am shocked, with my eyes wide open. I look at Emily and she is smiling at me, she obviously likes Coach's idea.
Are you fucking kidding me? No way! Is she trying to torture me? – I think to myself. There's got to be a way to avoid that awkward moment. I don't want to spend the night with Emily sleeping right next to my bed, because I couldn't control my feelings and I am not emotionally ready to make a step forward. I think I will tell Laura to exchange partners. She's sitting next to Sharon, the weirdest girl in the whole world, so she will accept my offer, I'm sure of it. I will deal with that when we get to the hotel.
I am focused in my book and in my music, suddenly she moves her leg closer to mine, her knee is touching mine. I keep on reading, pretending I didn't notice. Suddenly she places her hand on her knee, touching me slightly.
"Don't, please." – I tell her, moving my leg and concentrating on my book.
I can see she's hurting inside. Okay, maybe that was rude, but I'm nervous about the meet and I don't want to have to deal with this.
After a trip full of emotions and Emily trying to get me more nervous with her leg movements, the bus is finally slowing down and I see the hotel we'll be staying. So, I have to talk to Laura and convince her about my plan to avoid Emily. I stand up and get closer to Laura, Emily is behind me and I let her through so she can't hear the conversation.
"Hi, Laura. Who is your roommate? It's Sharon, right?" – I ask her, trying to make it short.
"Yeah, I am so lucky." – she tells me ironically.
"Do you prefer sharing the room with Emily? I have to talk to Sharon, so I don't care. - I add, waiting eagerly for her answer.
"Yes, please, she's been talking nonsenses all trip. I actually have a headache, she definitely needs being treated by a shrink. Are you sure you want to be in the same room? – she asks me, looking at me shocked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Thank you, Laura. I owe you a favor." – I tell her, smiling at her.
"Sharon, wait!" – I yell, approaching to her.
"Hi, Paige. How are you?" – she says nicely.
"Change of plans, I'm going to be your roommate. I hope you don't mind." – I say, shyly.
"Thank God! Laura is a very strange girl. She didn't want to talk about all the paranormal and unexplained mysteries that are happening in Rosewood. What's wrong with you? Damn! – she tells me with a surprised look.
"Ok, we can talk about all those mysteries tonight, I can't wait." – I lie to her. She's a nice girl and she deserves to feel loved.
I leave my bag on the bed next to the closet, I get my swimsuit and sit down on my bed. I wait for Sharon, we are going to swim some laps before the meet.
"Ok, let's go to kick some ass." – she says, euphorically.
I dive into the pool, and I feel someone tapping me on the shoulder.
"What is wrong with you? We are supposed to share the room, I won't rape you, you know." – she tells me, really pissed off.
"Not now, please, I need to concentrate on my swimming. We can talk later, if you want. Let's have dinner, ok?" - I say, trying to be nice.
"Perfect. It's a date." – she adds, diving into the pool with a huge smile in her face.
There are a lot of swimmer, and they are really fast. Winning this meet is not going to be as easy as I thought, but my self-esteem needs a victory so badly. There's a blonde girl from other team who is staring at me.
Fuck! My swimsuit is new, maybe I didn't remove the hang tag and that's why she doesn't look away. No, it's not that, so maybe she is trying to intimidate me. Good luck with that, loser! – I say to myself.
I get out of the pool and make my way to the locker room. We listen to Coach's advices and we are ready to go. I can tell all my teammates are very nervous about this meet. I will be the one who swims the last lap, so it´s a big responsibility. I remember my mother's words of support, I can make it, of course, I'm Paige effing McCullers.
We are ready, the race finally starts. The minutes go by very slowly, I want to jump into the pool and make my mother very proud, my dad too, but that's going to be more complicated. Emily is finishing her lap, moving her legs and arms very fast, she's tied with the blonde swimmer who was staring at me before.
"Come on, Emily, you can make it!" – I encourage her silently.
Now it's my moment. I jump into the pool, I have a feeling that today is my lucky day. I start swimming as fast as I can, I can hear people cheering loudly, but I don't know what is really going on. I know I am swimming very fast, I can feel my body is performing at its maximum potential. I'm finishing the lap but I don't know if I'm taking first place, I am very concentrated on my swimming.
I get out of the pool and I look around. My teammates are jumping and hugging each other. I have a broad grin in my face. I needed to win this to prove myself I am a good swimmer, because I don't feel that way when my father says that I need to improve my skills.
Laura comes to hug me, and after she leaves jumping and dancing happily the other teammates come closer to hug me. Emily is slowly coming closer to me and she's smiling.
"You are my hero, McCullers." – she whispers in my ear sensually, hugging me at the same time.
I can't help blushing and smiling at her. I miss her so much.
"So… you are a hell of a swimmer and really sexy. You are a good catch!" – the blonde swimmer says, smiling at me and walking away.
"She's into you, Paige. I don't blame her." – Emily smirks.
"I don't think so, she is being nice." – I tell her.
"Ok, Paige, you need to tune your gaydar." – Emily jokes, walking towards the locker room.
"Are we still on for dinner tonight?" – she asks, with a happy face expression.
"Yeah, see you later, Em." – I respond. I am feeling very excited about tonight.
Next chapter: The meet – Part 2. I have some good ideas on what's going to happen next. It's gonna be very interesting, you'll see. :D