Chapter 25 – Against All Odds

"You all know this is fucking ridiculous, right?" I've been making the same argument for the last twenty minutes. I honestly thought they were pranking me or something, but now that I'm actually in the water with these ridiculous things on, I'm starting to realize they were serious. "Wait! For real, guys?"

"Yes, love. That was the deal, remember?" Her voice is that sickly sweet and insanely endearing tone that can pretty much make me to anything, whether I want to or not. But it's Emily, so I usually want to.

"Em, babe, I've been able to keep myself afloat since I was a toddler and swimming competitively since I was nine. You're seriously suggesting I wouldn't be able to keep my head above water in this pool unless I'm wearing goddamn water wings? I splash around the shallow end before plopping myself down on the step to sulk.

I'm starting to lose my temper with the whole situation, but then I see Emily untie the drawstring of her sweats and slide the fabric off her body to the pool deck. Her pants are quickly followed by her sweatshirt and I spot the light bruise just above her knee and smile at the memory of putting it there. In my distraction I fail to notice the rest of the gang making their way to the pool.

"Spence, why did you not tell us your family had a pool sooner? I mean, this is so much more fun than rolling around in the winter slush outside." I give Hanna a nod of agreement. This place is awesome. I look up at the glass ceiling. I've ridden my bike past this place countless times in my life, but I always assumed it was a greenhouse. It's been two months since the lighthouse and winter is just starting to settle upon us. A very light snow is coming down outside, leaving a dusting of white on the glass for just a second before the heat within seeps through and melts it.

"Yeah, well, there hasn't been any water in this thing since before middle school. It was here when we moved in, but my parents had the deck installed and built the pool house around it after Melissa watched the Olympic swimmers one year and decided she wanted to be one. Never mind that she could barely make it from one end of the pool to the other. I think she really just wanted to be a swimmer so she could hang out with all the guys on the teams." Spencer shrugged it off like it was no big deal. I mean, my parents are wealthy enough, but they'd never have invested that kind of money into a passing whim. I catch her eye for a moment and smirk, raising my eyebrow slightly. "But whatever. It's clean and full of water now, let's just enjoy it!" She gives me a wry smile before jumping into the deep end at the other side of the pool. God, I wish I was allowed to join her.

Hanna, Caleb, and Toby all jump in right after, sending a small wave my way. I try to dip my head under the water but these stupid floaties prevent me from staying under for more than a split second. I reach up to let the air out of the tube on my right arm, but soft hands prevent me from opening the plastic valve. I huff out a breath and let my arms splash down into the water. Emily sinks down on the step above mine and I feel one of her legs on each side of my torso. I lean back into her chest and allow her to wrap her arms around me. She kisses my cheek and speaks lowly into my ear.

"I know you're not happy about the water wings." I scoff. Understatement of the century right there. She nudges me gently with her chin. "But doctor's orders, remember? It's only been 7 weeks and you're healing great, but what happens if you hit your side on something? Or if you slip on the pool deck and fall in? I know you think it's stupid, but we're just testing it out until we're sure you have full range of motion and aren't going to cramp up or…" I turn around and silence her with a long kiss. It's not like I don't know why she's doing this, it's just mortifying. I break away and turn my body fully so I'm sitting on the step with Emily's legs over my body, my arms resting on the top of her thighs.

"Don't try to sell me on this, baby. It's not going to work." She starts to interrupt me, but I hold up one finger, wincing when the water wing around my bicep squeaks with the motion. "Listen, I get it. You're worried about me and I appreciate it. I really do. But I'm a high ranking high school swimmer. I was a top prospect not two months ago. If I don't get back to training hard and get myself ready for the season, I'm going to be screwed when it comes time for scholarships and recruiting for college. I need to do this, and I'm going to need your help." I'm hoping that last part will convince her I'm ok. She thinks I'm too proud and stubborn to ask for help, but she was my toughest competition before all this happened. I'm going to need her to help me get back into top form.

She grabs my hand and kisses it quickly before giving me a sad smile. "Paige, I just…"

"No." I interrupt her. "No. Please just listen to me." I breathe deep and take a moment to compose my thoughts. "I am so, so grateful for everything you have all done for me. But I need to be able to do things on my own. I can't keep relying on other people to make things happen for me." She opens her moth to protest, but I continue before she gets a word out. "Don't think I don't know that all of this" I gesture around to the incredible pool house "was put together by your mom. I heard her in the yard the other afternoon with Mrs. Hastings asking if cleaning this place out and filling the pool was a possibility so I could rehab comfortably over the winter. She even offered to pay for it!" I huff out the last part. It's absurd how quickly she's gotten over her reservations about me and started championing my recovery. "Mrs. Hastings jumped in without a second thought and was on the phone in minutes with the pool guy setting things up. She didn't know I was a swimmer! I'm living in her back yard and she barely even knows me. I love that you and your mom, your friends and their families are all pitching in to help me out of a bad situation, but I need to start working back to being self-sufficient. What I really need to get better – more than a pool to practice in, or a place to stay, or your mom cooking us dinner almost every night – is to be well enough, stable enough, that I can take care of myself."

She wants to argue, I can see it on her face. I plant a kiss on the top of her thigh to reassure her. "I don't mean that I want to be alone again or that I don't want anyone around to help me out – I want that. I want you here with me always. But I also want…no…I need to know that when it comes right down to it, I can be independent and stand on my own two feet. Do you get it at all?" I look up, only now realizing the number of words I just threw at her, and see tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. "Don't cry, Em. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't" sniff "upset me." She gives me a watery smile. "I just have been so focused on taking care of you that I didn't stop to consider that you might not need me to anymore." There is a strange look on her face and though it takes me a minute to decipher, it's something akin to sadness mixed with pride. "I'll make you a deal, ok?" I raise my eyebrows at her, letting her know I'm listening. "Let's take…" she grabs one water wing and removes it before reaching for the other "…these off and if you can do one lap of the pool, complete with turn, in a full backstroke, I'll never mention them again." She cocks her eyebrow in challenge.

"Absolutely." I almost leap from my spot on the stairs now that I'm free of the irritating squeaky floats. Emily's firm grip on my hand keeps me from venturing too far, however, and she pulls be toward the centerline of the shallow end. I carefully stretch my back and shoulder muscles; they're tense with nerves and idleness. I'm so ready for this.

"You good?" she asks with a grin. I nod at her with enthusiasm, noticing that the foursome in the deep end is now watching and cheering me on. Even Aria, who refused to get in the water but is lounging in a deck chair nearby, has put down her phone and is clapping excitedly.

I turn to face the wall and breathe deep. I know why she picked this challenge. It'll be easier on me because I can take shallow breaths as often as I need instead of having to hold my breath while I exert myself. But it'll be much more strenuous on my healing body - the full form stretch of the arms and torso, the complete body twist before the turn. She wants me to be comfortable, but is testing the limits of my body. I have to do this, for the sake of my dignity if nothing else. I grasp the lip of the pool and pull my legs up until my feet are resting on the pool wall. I'm ready. I can do this. I have to do this.

Emily's voice cuts through my thoughts. "Ok on three. Set? Three. Two. One. Go!" And I'm off.

The initial kick off is stiff and just a tinge of pain courses through my side as my muscles remember the motions and my body adjusts to being in such fluid motion again. I let the full length of my body roll in a few steady dolphin kicks before I bring my face above the surface and extend my arm over my shoulder in my first full swim stroke in two months. This. Is. Amazing. The water is cool and comfortable and I finally feel like I'm becoming myself again.

Six strokes in, the smallest of aches begins to grow near my healing ribs. I know it's probably just sore and protesting from lack of use, so I keep on. Fourteen strokes in and I'm nearing the edge of the pool. On the fifteenth, I twist my body around fully, relying on habit more than skill to make the turn and nearly choke in a mouthful of water as the pain intensifies suddenly. Maybe I'm not ready for this.

No. No. Fuck that. I'm ready. Not ready to compete, but I'm damn sure ready to get back in here and work my way back to where I was before. I realize I've stopped at just about the same time everyone else has. I hear their voices start to pick up but can't hear their words clearly as I dive back under the water, execute a sloppy and uncomfortable turn, and dolphin kick my way back toward the center of the pool. The stitch in my side is better now that my body isn't contorted as much as it was during the twist, and I fall back into a comfortable stroke and slowly finish my lap. Emily's arms are around me as soon as my fingertips touch the wall.

I'm breathing hard, but I don't care. Any other day and I'd be embarrassed about how slowly I just swam that one lap, or how much energy it took out of me to do it. But today this is the absolute best thing I could have hoped for.

Emily is clutching me in a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you" she whispers in my ear, before pulling back and catching me in a tender, chlorine flavored kiss. I smile at the familiarity of the taste of pool water on her lips and enthusiastically kiss her back until my lungs begin to burn. I reluctantly pull back, chest heaving, with a smile so big my cheeks hurt. "How was that?" She asks seriously.

"It was perfect, love. Just…exactly what I needed." I answer and she seems to understand that I'm being entirely honest with her. I know I'm not fooling anyone – I almost stopped midway through after all – but being back in the water, working through my pain, is precisely what is going to help me recover.

Her smile is bright. She hugs me close and presses a kiss to my temple. "I'm glad to hear that" she says quietly before her lips are on mine again. I wrap my arms around her waist and bring her body solidly against my own, opening my mouth against hers and reveling in the feel of her. I feel the tip of her tongue brush quickly over my bottom lip and thread one of my hands in her wet hair. Before I can lose myself in her touch, however, there is rush of water across the side of my face.

"What the hell!" I pull away from Emily quickly and look around me, only to receive another face full of water – this time it's direct hit. I duck my head under the surface of the water and look in the direction of the attack. Spencer. I should have known. I reach my hands out and grab her knees, pulling her legs out from under her and sending her crashing to the bottom of the pool. For someone so smart, she sure didn't see the most obvious route of retaliation.

I surface again; this time hiding halfway behind Emily's laughing form. Spencer is back above the water now, sputtering and moaning about the unfairness of it all. Everyone is smiling broadly, clearly enjoying the afternoon. I grasp Emily and turn her to face me again, putting my arms around her waist and resting my head on her shoulder. Another splash of water is directed our way, this time hitting Emily's back. I give up and detach myself from my girlfriend to face Spencer again. "What's your deal?" I ask her, smirking.

"Just making sure you're ok after that little hiccup in the deep end."

"Yeah? You're checking up on me, making sure I'm still breathing alright, by splashing water in my face so I can't breathe. Good plan, Spence."

She laughs and blushes a little. "The splashing was mostly so you two would remember that there are other people in the pool with you. I wouldn't want you getting too carried away with these guys watching." She gestures to Toby and Caleb, who both chuckle.

"Screw that, I'm all for them getting a little hot and heavy. Carry-on ladies, we'll be over here." Hanna pipes in, earning a glare from Spencer and a nervous laugh from Caleb before a grin works its way over her features. "Geez, prude, just kidding." Spencer's glare does not let up. "I'm glad you're feeling better Paige, you'll be back in full shark mode in no time."

"Thanks, Han. I think I will be too."

"But seriously, you two get a room. I know chlorine is some sort of freaky swimmer aphrodisiac or something, but to the rest of us it's just something we have to worry about washing out of our hair."

I give Emily a side-eye glance and see her lips twitch upward. "You want us to get a room?" I ask.

I look around the pool and see 4 firm nods, Aria is engrossed in her phone again but offers up a quiet "yep". Laughing lightly, I turn back to Em, grasp her hand and start pulling her back to the stairs. I wrap her in a fluffy warm towel before doing the same for myself. I step into my boots, and though she is momentarily confused, Emily does the same a second later. I pull the towel a little tighter and tie it off at my chest, grab her hand again, and head for the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Hanna calls out after us.

"We're getting a room!" I yell back over my shoulder before opening the door and stepping out into the snow flurry with Emily in my arms. Suddenly the cold closes in on us and I pull her body into mine. Her warmth is quickly fading like my own and without a word we both take off toward the barn. Running through the snow in only a wet bathing suit, damp towel, and snow boots isn't my best plan ever, but as we burst through the barn door into the cozy living room and make our way to my soft, warm bed, I know it's definitely not a bad plan either.