Sequel: Swimmers Story ›
My 3 Dedications And Me
Moving Up And Out
It didn't seem long until she was back in the call room again and she was adamant to not lose it this time but age knew she had a tough race. It was her own fault for last times race, they called them and she stood at the end and this time when her name came she tried to focus on her lane but the flashes of cameras and the mass of people once again phased her. She went through the right routine and found some form of comfort in it, she stood on the start waiting and dived in.
The moment she hit the water she felt better and everything seemed to go better, as she hit the turn she pushed off and saw the girls in front of her. She tried to catch them and hit the wall knowing she'd not finished well enough, she looked up at her times to see it was 57.28 and she jumped out the pool. She watched the times of the others and realised she had qualified for the final, she watched to see Ryan win his race and get the gold medal.
On the coach back Ryan ran at her brandishing his medal and she smiled at him "Well done back! That was some race!" she congratulated and he grinned. "I know right! Double Olympic champion in 400IM! I'm fucking brilliant" he laughed as she hugged him as he sat at her side. Her phone buzzed and she walked out her room and into the room she'd been told to go to.
She smiled and straight away knew it was wrong, Michael had never spoken to her that way before and she was pretty sure he'd never spoken to anyone like that before. "I improved by just over a second!" she reasoned but that only set him off again and around an hour later he stood up "My mom is meeting them like agreed" he stated coldly before slamming the door behind him.
She walked out towards her room and heard people behind her in the corridor making her wipe the tears from her face. "See you in the morning!" "Where you going?" the girls voice asked "No where" "He's lying! He's going to see that chick he sits with most days" a male voice teased. "Yeah! I'm only dropping in as I walk past! She's a newbie, one must look out for them" "Yeah whatever! Get some sleep won't you" the guy joked "Oh it's not like that!" Ryan argued a smile in his voice.
She heard him shout her and she stopped waiting for him to catch up "You should be in bed!" he scolded and she nodded "What's up, you lose your voice cheering me on?" he joked. "Something like that" she mumbled and he looked at her, "Hey! What's up? Have you been crying?" he asked looking genuinely concerned. "It's nothing" "It isn't! Is it Allison?" he quizzed and she shook her head wiping her eyes again before he grabbed her crushing her against him in a bearhug. "Who is it? I'll punch them if I have to" "My coach wasn't as impressed with my second improvement as I was and they weren't as happy about my place in the final as I was" she explained and he sighed keeping her squeezed in his grip.
"And to top it off you're cheating on me with that girl from before" she attempted to joke and he laughed it vibrating through his chest. "Nah I'm not, you're my one and only! So your coach made you cry?" she nodded "Well that's mean!" he offered and she sighed keeping her arms around his shoulders. "I was in a fast semi final! The winner of the other one was 00.01 faster than me! What more do I have to do?" she asked starting to cry again. "How much did you improve by?" "1.07" she answered and he nodded "Can you improve further?" she shrugged "Well your coach sounds a twat but they wouldn't shout if they thought you were doing your best. Look tomorrow is a brand new day and you can put in a brand new performance, you have to forget the crowd" he reasoned as they started walking.
"So tomorrow you go out and you put everything you have in to that race. You qualified for this race and that means you have the right and the ability to get a medal for it!" he said as they walked, "I just feel like I shouldn't beat them, Dana Vollmer holds the world record and she's flying" "That's not the right mind! You went faster than 3 of them girls already today but I bet they aren't thinking they don't deserve to beat you. You are what you think, think big and win big" he offered as they reached her room.
He grabbed her hugging her, "Coaches can be mean! Listen to the advice and take the anger as motivation. If it was me or your coach out there you wouldn't let us beat you so remember that. Sleep!" he mumbled as footsteps came past "Ryan Lochte you better not be..." "It's a hug! Nothing else, I am not that bad!" he complained as they laughed. They'd left before he let her go and he waited for her to undo the door before he grabbed her leaning into her ear "I got my gold today, just think I could wear it in bed with you if you wanted Princess" he whispered and she smiled at him "Thanks for the joke!" she teased shutting the door as he walked off laughing.
"Your phone went! I'm going to sleep I'm beat!" Missy grumbled half asleep already and Dolly grabbed her phone 'We just got here! It's really pretty here and we wish you were here with us, we'll take lots of photos and we'll talk to soon. Hope everything is going well for you, love you xxxx' she read from her dad and she smiled. It buzzed again and she expected Michael but got Ryan instead 'You know my room number and let's just say all I'm wearing is something gold ;) if you're really lucky I'll let you wear it in bed with me? Princess the choice is yours! Xxx' she tried not to laugh.
The moment she hit the water she felt better and everything seemed to go better, as she hit the turn she pushed off and saw the girls in front of her. She tried to catch them and hit the wall knowing she'd not finished well enough, she looked up at her times to see it was 57.28 and she jumped out the pool. She watched the times of the others and realised she had qualified for the final, she watched to see Ryan win his race and get the gold medal.
On the coach back Ryan ran at her brandishing his medal and she smiled at him "Well done back! That was some race!" she congratulated and he grinned. "I know right! Double Olympic champion in 400IM! I'm fucking brilliant" he laughed as she hugged him as he sat at her side. Her phone buzzed and she walked out her room and into the room she'd been told to go to.
She smiled and straight away knew it was wrong, Michael had never spoken to her that way before and she was pretty sure he'd never spoken to anyone like that before. "I improved by just over a second!" she reasoned but that only set him off again and around an hour later he stood up "My mom is meeting them like agreed" he stated coldly before slamming the door behind him.
She walked out towards her room and heard people behind her in the corridor making her wipe the tears from her face. "See you in the morning!" "Where you going?" the girls voice asked "No where" "He's lying! He's going to see that chick he sits with most days" a male voice teased. "Yeah! I'm only dropping in as I walk past! She's a newbie, one must look out for them" "Yeah whatever! Get some sleep won't you" the guy joked "Oh it's not like that!" Ryan argued a smile in his voice.
She heard him shout her and she stopped waiting for him to catch up "You should be in bed!" he scolded and she nodded "What's up, you lose your voice cheering me on?" he joked. "Something like that" she mumbled and he looked at her, "Hey! What's up? Have you been crying?" he asked looking genuinely concerned. "It's nothing" "It isn't! Is it Allison?" he quizzed and she shook her head wiping her eyes again before he grabbed her crushing her against him in a bearhug. "Who is it? I'll punch them if I have to" "My coach wasn't as impressed with my second improvement as I was and they weren't as happy about my place in the final as I was" she explained and he sighed keeping her squeezed in his grip.
"And to top it off you're cheating on me with that girl from before" she attempted to joke and he laughed it vibrating through his chest. "Nah I'm not, you're my one and only! So your coach made you cry?" she nodded "Well that's mean!" he offered and she sighed keeping her arms around his shoulders. "I was in a fast semi final! The winner of the other one was 00.01 faster than me! What more do I have to do?" she asked starting to cry again. "How much did you improve by?" "1.07" she answered and he nodded "Can you improve further?" she shrugged "Well your coach sounds a twat but they wouldn't shout if they thought you were doing your best. Look tomorrow is a brand new day and you can put in a brand new performance, you have to forget the crowd" he reasoned as they started walking.
"So tomorrow you go out and you put everything you have in to that race. You qualified for this race and that means you have the right and the ability to get a medal for it!" he said as they walked, "I just feel like I shouldn't beat them, Dana Vollmer holds the world record and she's flying" "That's not the right mind! You went faster than 3 of them girls already today but I bet they aren't thinking they don't deserve to beat you. You are what you think, think big and win big" he offered as they reached her room.
He grabbed her hugging her, "Coaches can be mean! Listen to the advice and take the anger as motivation. If it was me or your coach out there you wouldn't let us beat you so remember that. Sleep!" he mumbled as footsteps came past "Ryan Lochte you better not be..." "It's a hug! Nothing else, I am not that bad!" he complained as they laughed. They'd left before he let her go and he waited for her to undo the door before he grabbed her leaning into her ear "I got my gold today, just think I could wear it in bed with you if you wanted Princess" he whispered and she smiled at him "Thanks for the joke!" she teased shutting the door as he walked off laughing.
"Your phone went! I'm going to sleep I'm beat!" Missy grumbled half asleep already and Dolly grabbed her phone 'We just got here! It's really pretty here and we wish you were here with us, we'll take lots of photos and we'll talk to soon. Hope everything is going well for you, love you xxxx' she read from her dad and she smiled. It buzzed again and she expected Michael but got Ryan instead 'You know my room number and let's just say all I'm wearing is something gold ;) if you're really lucky I'll let you wear it in bed with me? Princess the choice is yours! Xxx' she tried not to laugh.