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Dedication: AdventurousA for the amazing cover! I love it!

Recap:

The annoying thing was, he wasn't even breathless. He just conquered two laps in one of the quickest times I've seen. In person, anyway, T.V doesn't count.

"No. Now back off, you rich little shit."

He physically stepped back and blinked at me. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." I sneered, pressing my body to his, making him step back. "Don't think you're going to drive me out. The worse you treat me, the more I'll want to stay. So go ahead, give me everything you got. I'm not going anywhere."

Pressing my palm to his head, I pushed as hard as I could, so that he went under the water. I ducked under the dividers until I was at the edge of the pool. I stomped, as fast as I could in water, up the stairs.

I've never hated anyone more than I hate Hayden Cameron.

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I groan dramatically and half-heartedly punch the wall beside the flyer.

The swim tryouts, who apparently anyone can sign up for, isn't held until two weeks from now. I have been killing myself for the past week, expecting them to spring it on me any second. I guess the extra time to practise will be beneficial, but I'm impatient and want to be on the team now.

Tonight, there is a swim-off and a few other schools in the area come here to verse the Elite swim team. It's apparently a practise -type-competition for the real ones. I sort of had my hopes up that I could swim tonight.

Looks like that isn't going to happen.

Sighing, I skulk back to my locker, a sour expression planted on my face. Just great. 

"Why the long face?" Harvey greets, leaning against the lockers.

"Swim tryouts aren't for another two weeks," I mutter, jamming my History book far too aggressively into my locker.

"I still don't think it's a good idea," he trails off, eyes pleading for me to understand. "The swim team are the nastiest ones of them all. Hayden and his group," he physically shudders, closing his eyes. "They're not good guys and I don't want to see you get hurt."

"You are very sweet," I reply, slamming my door shut after grabbing my English textbook. "But I need to be on the swim team. I'll be fine."

Exhaling deeply through his nose, he looks defeated. "Okay. Don't say I didn't warn you though."

"Thanks. I have to go or I'll be late. Catchya' at lunch," I say over my shoulder as I briskly walk to R block.

I rounded the corner and slam into someone's chest. Falling back, I land painfully on my butt, tingles shooting up my left arm.

"Watch where you're going, transfer," the girl spat.

It's the one who had been sitting close to Hayden the other day when I approached them. I roll my eyes, getting to my feet.

"Transfer?" I echo. "That's the best you got?"

"Stay away from Hayden and our group. We don't want you. No one here does."

"Oh," I nod, unable to stop the grin forming on my face. "Right. You're into him, he doesn't like you back, you see me as a threat. I get it now."

She scoffs, her face flooding with outrage. "You're not a threat."

"You wouldn't have threatened me if I wasn't," I sneer back, a satisfied smirk on my lips.

"You don't know what you're talking about." She snarls, her pale cheeks burning a shade of crimson. "And as goes for the swim tryouts, you won't stand a chance, so don't even bother."

My smile grows at her insecurity. "Let me guess, you're a swimmer too? Yeah, now I definitely am a threat, aren't I?"

"You're nothing. Just leave. Save yourself the embarrassment."

I step closer to her, loving that I'm taller than she is.

"You wish I was nothing. Watch your back. I'm here to get what I want and a Barbie like you isn't going to stop me."

Her face twists into a furious expression at my words.

Grabbing my books, I shove her shoulder as I stride past her, unable to remove the smirk that is twisted on my lips.

She really shouldn't have done that.

***

"Why didn't you tell me there was a dress-up party tomorrow night?" I asked Harvey as I yank the brush through the angry snarls of my hair.

"Because I don't attend parties," he replies, pouring himself a coke. "Do you want coke or juice?"

"Juice, thanks," I say over my shoulder. "Well, Harvey, that's about to change. I love parties, especially when they're dress-up."

"Have fun."

I glance at him. "You do realise you're coming, right?"

"No, no, definitely not."

"You're acting like you have a choice in the matter."

"I do and I'm not going."

"I have this brilliant idea," I interjected, collapsing on the seat opposite to him, before taking a hasty sip of my juice. "My cousin is a self-taught makeup artist. She's really good. She does all these tutorials on youtube for makeup. I asked her what she was doing tomorrow and she's free - which means we are going to look sick for the party."

"Have you missed the part where I'm not going?"

"I also know who we can go as - she already has the costume and we're the same size. Considering you gave me no notice. I had to find out from eavesdropping!"

"Still not going."

"Anyway, so what I was thinking: Me, as Harley Quinn. You as the Joker. Pure brilliant, am I right?"

"Hello, strict parents and transfer over here. That's just two reasons why I can't go."

"Being a transfer means nothing," I roll my eyes. "Stop letting them make you think otherwise. We have every right to go."

"It's social suicide!"

"We are going to look awesome, drink heaps and have fun. Come on, Harv, don't make me go alone."

"Please don't force me to do this."

I take a bite out of my hamburger and glance at the time. The swim comp is starting at 6 and it it's a bit after 5 now.

"Eat your burger," I clip, taking another huge bite.

"I'm not going to get out of this, am I?" he mutters, shoving a chip into his mouth.

"Nope," I sing gleefully. "And if you don't eat your burger, I'm going to."

Frowning, he takes a bite. "You're savage."

I grin, despite having a mouthful of burger. He screws his face up at me in response.

After devouring my burger and stealing the last few bites of Harvey's, I quickly step out of my tights.

"Ah!" Harvey cried out. "I'm still here!"

I glance at him, wearing my Nike shirt and underwear. "You're such a baby. Have you never seen a half-naked girl before?"

"Not in person! Put your pants on!"

His cheeks flame red. I laugh, reaching for my black, high-waisted jeans. I wriggle into them.

"Warning, I'm changing my shirt now."

Turning his back to me, I laugh again, pulling a high-neck light pink, sleeveless shirt on. I shrugged into my jacket, rolling up the sleeves.

"Are you done yet?"

"Yes."

He mumbles to himself as he sits down, finishing off the last few chips left on his plate.

"Ready?"

"Why do we have to go again?" he whines, getting to his feet. I grab our plates, placing them in the sink, deciding to wash them later. "I have to see them enough at school, let alone willingly go see them after hours."

"You really don't get how important swimming is to me, do you?"

"Not really," he admits.

I pull the door shut behind me and Harvey clears his throat.

"Aren't you going to lock your door?"

"Damn it," I mutter, quickly going back and locking the front door. "I always forget to lock the door. It drives mum crazy."

Throwing my hands into my pockets, I begin walking in the direction of the school.

"Where are you going? I said I'll drive."

"It's not a very far walk."

"It's like a twenty-minute walk!" He exclaims. "I'm not fit, like you."

I stare nervously at the car. "Can you drive okay?"

"Yes, Grace."

Staring at him dubiously, I edge towards the car.

After the horrible car accident, which killed my father, I have never felt the same about driving. I get a nauseating feeling in my stomach that makes me want to vomit.

"What are you waiting for?" he asks, the window of the passenger side sliding down.

My stomach tightens as I slip into the car. I grip the door, feeling a sense of panic accumulate in my chest. I focused on breathing evenly as he reverses out of my driveway.

"Can you stop gripping the door? You're making me nervous."

I squeeze my eyes shut, my heart hammering inside my chest. 

I've never been in the car without either myself or my mum driving, much anyway, since the accident. If my friends wanted to go somewhere, my mum drove. But she's never home anymore and I've never lived this far from school before.

"Er- Grace?" Harvey asks. "Are you okay?"

Still having my eyes closed, I nod. "Yep."

"Are you going to get out of the car?"

Opening my eyes, I blink. We have arrived at the car park.

"Oh."

Scrambling out of the car, I feel my body relax. Harvey gives me an odd look, as he locks the doors.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

Still looking at me funny, we walk together into the school. My legs still feel shaky.

I'm surprised to see the grandstand already jam-packed with people. I had a feeling the swimming team would be popular. Swiping at Harvey's hand, I pull him after me as I mount the stairs, finding a spot relatively close to the front.

I glance at Harvey, whose cheeks are flushed. I roll my eyes, removing my hand. I forgot who I was dealing with. Folding my arms across my chest, I scowl down at the pool. I'm annoyed that I have to watch. I'm not a watcher. I'm the one who should be down there.

The swim team walked out and I laugh at how professional they acted. They waved at the crowd, as if they were Olympians. They all had their swimsuits on, with a blue and white jacket wrapped securely over the top.

They're nice jackets. I can't wait to wear one.

Hayden walked out and I frown at him. He looks extraordinarily unfazed. He casually walks to his block. I vaguely make out that he has earphones jammed in his ears. He's completely not focused on the crowd. I like that.

He's here to swim. Just like I would have been.

I watch as some of the other school swimmers begin stretching. I notice none of them interacted with the Byron Elite swimmers. They spoke amongst each other - but none dared to approach any of our swimmers.

"Who's that?" I ask Harvey, elbowing him to get his attention. "That blonde girl?"

I stare at her in distaste as she parades out, blowing kisses to the crowd. I scoff. She can't be that good if I've never even seen her before.

"That's Mia Granteire," he replies. "The worst of them all."

"I figured as much," I mutter, narrowing my eyes in her direction.

Our gazes lock and I gave her an enthusiastic wave.  She ignores me with brilliant hostility and I bite my cheek to stop my smile.

As if sensing my eyes, Hayden scans the crowd. He looks up at me and I give him a nod. After a moment of hesitation, he nods back.

"Why are you nodding at Hayden?" Harvey frowns. "Don't tell me you're into him."

"No, I hate him. Doesn't mean I don't want him to smash the other swimmers out there."

"You're weird."

"You're just realising that now?"

He laughs, shaking his head.

I notice then, Mike, the guy who openly picks on Harvey, is also on the swim team. He's leaning over the railing, chatting up some brunette who has her back to me. Glancing down at my watch, I begin tapping my foot impatiently. I came here to see how they perform. In the water. Not how they socialise before it.

Coach Brennon emerges from the door and an automatic grin stretches across my face. He walks straight over to Hayden, gripping him on the shoulders, saying something to him. I crane my neck, trying to catch a glimpse of their conversation.

Hayden shrugs him off and leans on the lane four block. I cock my head to the side. For someone who often seems so unreadable and disinterested, he sure looked tense right now.

The team all huddled together, excluding Hayden, as Coach gave them a pep talk. They all nod at what he is saying. My eyes go back to Hayden. He's gripping the block so tightly that his knuckles have turned white.

A loud whistle blowing startles me. The principal appears, a microphone planted in his palm.

"Welcome all, to the Byron Elite competition practise. Glad you all made it here safely. The first heat of tonight, is the male 50m freestyle. All participants of the first heat, please find your allocated lane."

Of course, Hayden is in lane 4. That's the lane I had at my old school. They always put the fastest swimmers in there.

Hayden sheds his jacket, tossing it to the side. He mounts the block and so does Mike and another guy I don't know. The rest of the lanes are occupied by other school swimmers.

"On your marks," the principal calls. "Get set."

A loud beep can be heard and a shiver runs down my spine. I have heard that many times. My body is tense as I watch them dive into the pool. People are cheering and whistling. All I could do is grip my seat, my eyes bulging as I take in their strokes.

It's over in a blink. Hayden's hand slapped the wall first, as expected. Second was from a different school, the guy I didn't know in third and then it was another school swimmer in fourth. Mike came in second last.

Harvey and I exchange a smile at seeing him lose.

The rest of the swim heats went pretty fast. I focus on Mia as she stepped onto the block. We were up to 50m women's breaststroke.

After the beep, she elegantly dove into the pool. I watched with narrowed eyes as she took the lead immediately. By the second lap, she was quite in front. She finished in first place, at least three or four seconds in front of the other girls.

I scowl. That's not what I wanted to see.

Dragging my eyes from her, I meet the eyes of Coach Brennon. He grins, giving me a slight wave. I wave back, unable to stop the smile coming onto my face.

At least there is one nice swimmer out there.

The rest of the night went in a blur. I watched all of the swimmers intently. The only time another school swimmer won, was when either Hayden or Mia weren't in it. Hayden, I understand. I already knew he was amazing. But Mia? I didn't expect her to be that good.

Freestyle, is my stroke. Followed my breaststroke, backstroke and then butterfly. It appeared breaststroke was Mia's forte. I made a mental note to up that stroke in my practise sessions.

"Can we go yet?" Harvey complains. "My butt hurts."

"Stop being such a princess."

He groans. "Should have known you'd make me stay until every last person finished swimming."

"Duh."

Much to Harvey's relief, it was only half an hour later that the practise competition finished.

All the swimmers were milling around, waiting for the timesheets to be printed. There were timekeepers at every lane who kept a record of everyone, so we, or them in this case, could try and improve their times.

"I'm going to try and steal a copy of Mia's timesheet," I tell him, getting to my feet.

"Don't do that!" he hisses, tugging me back down.

"Why not? I need to know what times to beat."

"Just let it go."

"No."

"Grace, please."

Everyone is beginning to evacuate. I'm running out of time.

"Thanks for coming tonight. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Don't you need a lift home?" he questions.

"I'll be fine."

"I'll wait for you. Meet me at the car when you're done."

I smile at him and he shakes his head at me with a frown, rising to his feet. "I warned you."

"Yeah, yeah," I wave him off, jogging down the steps.

"What did you think?" Coach asks me as I reached the pool.

"Would have been better if I was actually competing." I reply.

"You will, soon enough."

"Is there any way to move the tryouts closer?" I asked hopefully.

He shakes his head, much to my dismay. "Not really."

I"Great."

"Hey," he smiles, nudging me. "You get more time to practise now."

"I guess."

He laughs in amusement. "You're an impatient girl."

"I get what I want, when I want it," I snip jokingly.

"I'm sure you do."

His gaze lingers on mine a heartbeat longer than necessary.

"Ashton," I say slowly, deliberately addressing him by his first name. "I need a favour from you."

"And what's that?"

"I need a copy of Mia's timesheet."

He blinks at me for a moment, before frowning. "Why do you want that?"

"I need to make sure my breaststroke is faster than hers."

"Freestyle is your stroke, isn't it?" he questions, folding his arms across his chest.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't want to beat her in her own stroke. Come on, please? For me?"

He arches a blond eyebrow at me.

"Please? I'm your favourite, after all."

He chuckles. "Is that so?"

"Don't try and deny it," I grin. "Or could you just tell me the times? If that's easier."

"I can't do that, Grace," he finally says, shaking his head. "I don't think that's fair for Mia."

Pouting slightly, I nod. "Right. Yeah."

"Why Mia?" he asked.

"Because she threatened me," I mutter. "I just wanted to get back at her. Doesn't matter. Thanks anyway."

I turn away from him in annoyance.

"Grace, don't be mad," he urges, grabbing my arm.

"I'm not mad."

"It's against the rules."

"I know, I shouldn't have asked. Sorry." I step out of his hold and give him a tight-lipped smile. "See you tomorrow, Coach."

I walk away from him, my shoulders feeling heavy. I guess I will have to beat her all on my own.

I slide into Harvey's car. In a matter of seconds, the feeling I get before I hyperventilate begins to well inside my chest. Inhaling deeply, I force myself to relax by rubbing my palms into my pants.

"Hey," he says, starting the car. "How'd you go?"

"Not good."

"Ah well," he shrugs. "You can probably beat her without knowing her times."

"You've never seen me swim."

"I can only imagine you'd be good. You think you are, anyway," he jokes, punching me lightly. "Hey, I have something to ask you."

"Shoot," I mumble, staring moodily out the car window, my hand involuntarily gripping the passenger seat.

"Mum wants you to come over for dinner on Sunday."

"Okay."

"Okay?" he repeats. "Cool. We're having a roast."

My stomach growls in hunger. "That sounds yum."

He laughs. "Want to stop and get a snack?"

I nod, feeling my mood lighten slightly at the mention of food. "Yes please."

"Stop being cranky. You'll be able to beat Mia, I'm sure."

"Maybe."

We pile out of the car and head to the 24-hour take-away shop. I ordered myself a hot chocolate and chicken nuggets. Harvey rattles off what he wants as I eye the menu.

I slap his hand away as he tries to pay. I wave my card over the pay pass machine before he has time to react.

"Hey!"

"Hey yeah?" I reply, shooting him a grin. "Consider it petrol money."

He rolls his eyes. "Whatever."

We sit down at a booth while we waited for our food to cook. The place has a rustic vibe which I kind of like.

"So, I have to warn you, my parents are kind of weird."

"How so?"

"My mum is really traditional and my dad's a journalist. He is super invested in his job. He's a nerd."

"I figured at least one of them would have to be a nerd," I joke.

"Funny."

"I don't care, Harv. I'm sure they're great. What time is dinner?"

"Six."

"I'll be there," I nod.

My phone dings and I glance down in surprise. A new email had been sent to my school email. That's weird. What teacher would be emailing me at 9 pm on a Friday night?

I open it. It's from Coach Brennon. Not a teacher, then.

It's a photo of a piece of paper. Opening it, I zoom in, feeling a little shocked.

Mia Granteire - Time Sheet.

A smile stretched across my face.

I'm going to take that bitch down.

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What do you guys think of Harvey?

And what do you think of the Coach sending the timesheet to Grace?

Please vote if you liked it and comment your thoughts!

Thanks for reading. :)

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