Hey everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't came back for a new chapter in like forever! This last year I have been planning my wedding with my lovely partner and unfortunately this story was put on the back burner. I can't wait to be back though and I promise it won't take me almost a whole YEAR to write more chapters. Anywhoooo what do you guys think so far?? I would love to chat with you in the reviews. I'm glad there are others out there that still love an Emison fanfic. I know I've enjoyed writing it. Much love ~ 3mison
Chapter Three: Out of This Universe
Emily put her headphones in, pressed shuffle on her swimming playlist, and shut her locker. Most of her teammates used talking amongst each other to ease the pre-swim meet gitters. Emily opted to calm her nerves with her music. She felt the butterflies hit her like a Mack truck as the team made their way out of the locker room. Not only was this the first meet of the swim season, but Emily was chosen by her coach last practice to be the anchor in the team's race tonight. Emily was elated when she beat her teammate Paige in practice for the anchor position. Yet, as excited as she was to get the hard-earned spot, somehow, it turned her into more of an outcast on her team. Emily has been on the Sharks swim team for over two years now, and yet she still finds it difficult to fit in. Spencer was definitely a godsend, but there was no denying Emily was an outcast. To make matters worse, after Emily beat Paige, Paige found it her personal mission to demean Emily every chance she got. Emily knew Paige was just competitive and angry that she won the anchor position for the team, but Paige was getting more cruel every single day.
Emily was in the single file line with her team moving around the pool when she broke out of her concentration. She looked out to the spot in the bleachers she knew her parents would be. She smiled when she saw her mother holding up her 'Go Sharks' sign and her dad waving at her. As happy as she was to see her parents, there was one person in particular she continued looking for in the bleachers...Alison. Disappointment flooded her being when she didn't spot the blonde. Emily rounded the pool and began taking off her swim coat for the race. She couldn't help but feel sadness that her new-found friend wasn't here. Emily, caught up in questions of why Alison wasn't there, didn't notice her coach yelling at her to take her headphones out. Spencer nudged her arm and snapped Emily back into the moment. After the pep talk from their coach, Emily dialed in, failing to notice Alison rushing into the gymnasium.
As the second to last Rosewood swimmer closed in on her last lap, Emily stepped up the the podium to jump into the pool. The Rosewood Sharks were in a close race at second place. Time slowed, Emily took deep breaths, and dove powerfully into the pool to finish the race. The cheering and yelling from the crowd became background noise as Emily sliced through the water. Gaining the edge on the swimmer in first place, Emily powered into her last lap. The fans watching erupted as Emily overtook her competitor. While the auditorium filled with joyful cheers, Emily felt a rage fill her insides. There were so many things in her life Emily felt no control over: her family's beliefs...her confusion with her sexuality...her struggle to make friends. However, when she was in the pool, everything that troubled her pushed and fueled her to perform like a madwoman. Emily's frustration in her life was not necessarily on the forefront of her mind while racing; rather, all of her troubles turned into her competitor. Like she was racing to beat her pain than an actual person competing against her. Like she could erase every struggle with every stroke of her arm in the water. Like every gasping breath was a breath of new life.
Emily won. Her teammates helped drag her out of the water, and encapsulated her in hugs and high fives. Whilst her team was celebrating the win, Emily felt a sadness in the pit of her stomach. Everyone who was celebrating her felt fraudulent. She knew that her teammates truly didn't know her, and she knew that her parents didn't either. She felt misunderstood at home and at swim. It wasn't just the people in her life that felt fake, but she felt like a fraud herself. Emily knew her talents, and everyone else did too, but she felt empty despite being the champion.
While the team headed into the locker room riding on the high of their win, Emily glanced out into the crowd. Intending to wave to her parents, her eyes locked onto someone else sitting front row. To Emily's astonishment, Alison was there. Beaming, Alison blew her kiss and waved. Emily smiled more genuinely than she had the whole time after she was pulled out of the pool. Before Emily could wave back, Paige grabbed her arm and leaned in, "Great win Emily," she said cruelly, "Better enjoy being anchor while it lasts." Emily felt all excitement drain...being slapped back into reality of how misplaced she felt. While the interaction went unnoticed by her other teammates going into the locker room, an attentive blonde noticed Emily's smile fade.
After showering and changing, Emily rounded the corner to be met by her parents. "Oh baby I know you would win! I'm so proud of you," Pam said to Emily while hugging her daughter, "Lets go home and I'll make you your favorite dinner." While Emily broke away from the hug, to her horror she noticed Alison approaching. "Mr. And Mrs Fields, hi! I'm Alison Dilaurentis, Emily's coworker at Dairy Queen," Alison greeted. Wayne smiled, "Oh hello Alison, it's nice to meet you. Did you come to watch Emily swim?" "Yes I did. I wouldn't miss it for the world," Alison charmed and turned to Emily, "Congrats Em, you absolutely killed it out there." Before Emily could drag Alison away from her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fields began an onslaught of questioning for her new friend. Emily was stunned watching Alison bravely introducing herself to her parents, answering questions, and doing so like a pro. Emily knew her parents were not easily impressed. She quickly realized Alison was scheming when her new friend ended the conversation with: "I was hoping Emily could come over to celebrate her big win tonight with dinner and a movie at my place? My mother will of course be home." Emily was even more astonished when her parents said yes without any push back. Emily's parents said their goodbyes, "Be home by midnight and text me before you leave," Pam says, "Okay thanks mom." Alison whipped around to the brunette with a shit-eating grin and wrapped Emily in a hug. Emily giggling whilst saying into the blonde's ear, "You're absolutely crazy!" Alison laughs, pulls out of the hug, and says back, "You have no idea!" Alison hand runs down Emily's arm to the swimmer's hand and tugs, "Common, let's get out of here."
"I had no idea you were that good Emily!" Alison said as they hopped into the blonde's car, "Like seriously! Why didn't you tell me you were the best on the team?!" Emily tossed her bag into the back seat, laughing, "I'm definitely not the best but I try," she says shyly. Alison noticed Emily's eyes focused on Paige walking across the parking lot, "You're definitely better than that bitch!" Emily gently slaps the blonde's arm, "Oh yeah? And how would you know? If I remember correctly you said you try to avoid all sporting events possible!" Alison challenges her, more seriously, "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know you're better than her. Why would she be bullying you if you weren't?" After that comment Emily went silent and looked away. "I'm not being bullied by her Ali, it's just that I won the anchor spot over her and-" "Don't tell me you aren't being harassed by her. I saw her say something to you after the meet. You won that spot because you're better than her and if she has a problem with that I will handle that bitch myself." Emily smiled slightly and looked away again, "Ali I promise it's not a big deal..." hanging her head. Alison started to feel bad that she brought Paige up, but she had a feeling Emily wasn't being honest about how she felt. "Hey," Alison touches the top of Emily's hand gently, getting the brunette to look at her, "I'm sorry I brought it up. I just want you to know you have someone in your corner." Emily smiles and looks through her soft brown eyes into the blue eyes looking back at her. Alison lets go of Emily's hand and goes to change the mood, "Let's forget about it and go do something fun! What do you want to do?" Emily looks surprised, "I thought we were going to your house for dinner and a movie?" The blonde laughs, "Oh god no! I just said that so your parents would let you come hang out with me. Plus, my best friend Hanna has her boyfriend at my place. They're probably in my room right now doing the nasty on my bed...even though I told her I'll kill her if she does." Emily's eyes widen and she giggles at the blonde, "Oh okay...um, well...I don't know-" "You know what," Alison cuts off the brunette again, "Let me take you to a cool spot. Technically you're still new to Rosewood!" The swimmer smiles, "Okay. As long as you include food because I am starving!" Alison laughs, "Of course superstar, anything you want."
The blonde drove her new friend to get fast food burgers and fries, and started driving up a dirt road Emily has never been on. Munching on fries in the passenger seat, Emily turns to Alison, "Ali where are you taking me? You're not going to kill me in the woods right?" Alison laughs, "Oh yeah! I've totally gotten you comfortable with me so I can drag you into the woods and kill you, Em," she says looking over at her passenger and winks. Emily laughs along while feeling major butterflies. She secretly loves when Alison winks at her, but it makes her stomach flip every time. Emily thinks to herself: "Don't get a crush on the second friend you've made here Emily. Jesus." Alison noticed Emily's face redden in the light glow of the car lights. Deep down Alison knew Emily gets flustered and shy when she winks at her. She knows she shouldn't purposefully make Emily flustered, but she secretly liked feeling that power over the brunette. Not in a malicious way, but in a way Alison herself couldn't put a finger on. Emily broke the silence between the two, "Seriously though, where are you taking me?" Alison grins while Emily is still finishing her fries, "Em, just wait for it. Trust me."
Emily sits in awe looking up at the stars, "I haven't seen stars like this since I was in Texas. They're beautiful." Alison is sitting by her on a rock at a lookout in Rosewood. A place out of the towns lights where you could see the stars so clearly. "I know huh? It's like you could almost just reach out and grab them," Alison says looking at the brunette beside her. While Emily was in awe of the stars, Alison was in awe of the way Emily was looking at them. Like an excited child in a toy store. Still looking up at the night sky, Emily continues to talk quietly, like if she spoke loudly it would scare the stars away, "You know, sometimes I'm jealous of the astronauts up there. They're all the way up there, out of this universe, and away from everything here on earth. I wish I could be that far away from my problems." Alison directs her eyes to the stars, "Yeah... I get what you mean. I wonder how powerful they feel just looking down at earth. Like they're worried about sciency shit while being billion miles away and I'm worried about passing my math test next Monday." Emily looked away from the sky grinning looking at Alison beside her, "Sciency shit?" The two break out in laughter, and until they're both left smiling, faces inches away from each other. Alison grins with dimples adorning her face. Emily felt the blood rush to her cheeks and quickly looked up to the sky again. Alison laid her head on Emily's shoulder, looking up with her. Before Emily could process that Ali just laid her head on her shoulder, the blonde broke the silence, "What problems do you wish you could be so far away from Em?" For the first time, Emily felt completely safe to speak about everything going on in her life. Even more so than Spencer. In truth, she barely knew Alison, but from the moment she met this exciting, bold girl she had never felt more comfortable and at peace. So, with little hesitation, Emily sat and told Alison about her life story. She told Alison about her families strict religious beliefs and how she's been questioning them, her choice to homeschool, and her struggle with her swim teammates. "-and I've just felt so alone because of these things I'm feeling..." Emily stopped speaking out of no where. Alison noticed the abrupt change in Emily after the brunette had just opened up about so many things in her life. "Because of what feelings Em?" Alison pried. Emily was wringing her fingers together anxiously. Alison reached out and put her hand across the nervous brunette's. "Nothing. Ali I'm sorry I've been talking so much about myself you probably think I'm crazy." Alison responded firmly, "Don't ever apologize for speaking your truth. And don't ever say you're crazy for doing so. To be honest, I feel like no one knows the real me either. I might seem superficial, but I'm more than what I let people see. That's my power Em. I keep all of the real parts of me to myself so no one can use it against me." Emily took her eyes off of the night sky and directed them to the blonde beside her, "Why would you keep all of the best parts of you to yourself Ali? You can't assume someone will use those things against you if you don't ever put yourself out there. I think you're great and I've barely known you for longer than 78 hours!" Emily pulled a laugh out of Alison and the blonde turned her face to the brunette, inches away again, "Well you're different Emily. Different than anyone else I've ever met." A silence hung in the air. A tense silence. A charged silence. A stare was held by both girls. Emily's eyes quickly flickered down to Alison's lips. Alison smiled softly at Emily. Before either girl could think about what was happening, a car drove by on the dirt road, breaking them out of the intense moment. Alison was first to recover from the moment, desperate to deflate any awkwardness, she brought back the conversation, "So, what do you think of the kissing rock?" Emily was taken aback, "The kissing rock?" Alison sat up and gestured to the rock Emily was still sitting on, "Yeah you're sitting on it! People have been coming up here for ages trying to get it on!" Emily giggled nervously as Alison continued, "Who would you want to bring here Em? Has any guy at the school caught your eye?" In that moment Emily felt so stupid. Stupid for almost telling Ali about her questioning her sexuality. Stupid for letting herself feel a crush on Ali tonight. Stupid for even thinking it was reciprocated. Stupid for thinking that a few moments ago they were about to kiss. "Umm no I can't really think of anyone," Emily replied shyly, "The only guys I see from the school are the boys from the men's swim team." Alison sat back beside Emily, "Well maybe I can help you find someone," Alison glanced at her phone, "Hey we should probably get you home so your mother doesn't kill you!" Emily got up from the rock, "Oh yeah you're right, it's almost midnight!"
The two girls gathered their things and got back into the car. Alison turned up music and started taking her new friend home. While Emily was trying to seem upbeat on the ride home, she was silently kicking herself. "What if Ali saw me look at her lips? Oh my god Emily you dumbass! She's never going to want to hang out with me again," Emily thought. Emily's thoughts were interrupted by Alison turning down the music and pulling into the brunette's driveway. "Thanks for hanging out with me tonight Emily," Alison said and turned in her seat to face her, "If I had to third wheel with Hanna and Caleb again I would literally die." "I had a great time," Emily said unbuckling her seat belt, "Thanks for coming to my swim meet and showing me around Rosewood." "Of course, I never knew swimming was so exciting," Alison said laughing, "I will definitely be at your next one too!" "Oh you don't have to-" Alison reached out and put her hand on the swimmer's thigh, "I want to." Emily looked down at the dainty fingers adorning her thigh, internally freaking out yet again. The hand was moved just as fast as it was put there. Emily turned to grab her duffel bag from the back seat and went to open the door before Alison stopped her, "Omg Em I almost forgot!" Emily watched the blonde pull out something from her purse wrapped in a brown paper bag, "I got this for you," Alison handed the gift to Emily, "For your big win." For the first time, Emily picked up on some shyness from the blonde. "Ali you didn't have to get me anything," she said slowly grabbing the book from the hand that was once on her thigh moments ago, "Thank you." Alison smiled, dimples showing, "It's no biggie. The best swimmer for Rosewood deserves it," winking at her, "It's not a rocket ship but hopefully it take you out of this universe for a little bit." Emily giggled while blushing, "Well thank you Ali, you really didn't have to-" Alison interrupted her yet again, "Em, I wanted to. Have a good night." The brunette leaned down when she got out of the car, smiling, "Drive safe Ali."
As Emily watched Alison back out of her driveway, Emily couldn't help but run inside to go open her present from her new friend. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that her attempts to stop her feelings for the blonde were utterly failing. Emily had a new crush. "I'm screwed," she thought on her bed as she was looking down at her new poetry book, brown paper bag wrapping on her bed, "I'm completely screwed."
