I Swear I Still Hate Him (Atlas Lawson) novel Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Emery’s POV

You can do this. You are brave. You are smart. You are beautiful. You are going to ace it like…

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“Hi! I’m Emery!” I said with my brightest smile, maybe a little oo loud, as the door swung open and Coach Garrett stared

at me.

He blinked. “Oh my…”

His eyes widened just slightly before he cleared his throat and pulled himself together. “Lawson?”

“Yes, sir,” I said, standing up straighter and lifting the box of cupcakes like it was an Olympic medal. “I brought cupcakes!”

I shoved the tray toward him, my arms outstretched like a proud little baker on a mission.

He stared at them for a beat, like he didn’t know whether to be impressed or horrified, then finally took the box from me. “Thanks,” he said simply, voice flat. “Follow me.”

I nodded, clutching my bag like it was a shield and following him down the hallway that smelled like chlorine and ambition. My sneakers squeaked on the tiles with every nervous step.

We turned a corner and stepped into the pool area. And boom…

There they were.

The Linchester swim team.

All tall, toned, and terrifyingly unbothered.

Conversations stopped. Heads turned. I felt every gaze land on me like a slap to the face. Not in a “wow, who’s the pretty new girl” kind of way, more like “great, another one to steal my lane.”

Coach cleared his throat. “Team, this is Emery Lawson. She’s just transferred in. National finalist. Olympic hopeful. Let’s make her feel welcome.”

Crickets.

Okay, not actual crickets, just the same cold silence that could’ve frozen the entire pool over.

I cleared my throat and forced a bigger smile. “I’m so excited to be here with you guys! I can’t wait to train hard and hopefully help us win big this year. Also… I brought cupcakes.”

Still nothing.

God, this is worse than walking in on Atlas and his redhead.

“Alright, warmups in the water in five,” Coach Garrett barked.

And just like that, the whole team scattered like I didn’t even exi. Not that I expected confetti or anything, but a little “hey” wouldn’t have hurt.

“Bansal!”

A girl with a long black braid and perfect posture turned at the sund of her name. She looked like she walked straight out of a Nike ad, tall, confident, and way too pretty for someone in just warmups.

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15:02 Mon, Dec 29 GGD

Chapter 10

She jogged over and nodded. “Yes, Coach?”

“Show Lawson to the locker room. She needs to get changed.”

She turned to me with a warm smile, her brown eyes soft. “I’m Meera.”

I returned the smile, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “It’s nice to meet you.”

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She gestured for me to follow. “Your locker’s the last one on the right. Everything you need should be inside. And if you need anything, seriously, just ask. I mean it.”

I blinked, caught off guard by how…genuine she seemed. “Thanks. That’s really sweet of you.”

She smiled again and turned to leave, but paused at the door.

“Oh, and don’t feel too pressured. We’re kind of like a family here.”

I nodded slowly as the door swung shut behind her.

Family, huh? Okay…

I made my way to the last locker and opened it. Neatly arranged inside were a navy-blue Linchester swimsuit, matching swim cap, goggles, a crisp team jacket, and a water bottle labeled Property of Linchester Swim Team. My name was stitched into the corner of the jacket in white.

For a second, I just stared at it all. It looked so official. So real.

I took a deep breath, my palms pressed against the cold metal locker.

“You can do this,” I whispered. “You’re smart. You’re confident. You’re beautiful. You’re not going to pass out during warm- ups.”

I changed quickly, pulling the snug swimsuit over my skin and tying my hair up before slipping on the cap. I caught a glimpse of myself in the small mirror above the sink. My lips were pressed into a nervous line, so I tried to smile.

Too stiff.

I tried again, this time adding a small tilt of my head, a little sparkle in my eyes.

Okay. Better.

“You’ve got this, Lawson,” I muttered.

And with that, I grabbed my towel, adjusted my goggles, and walked out of the locker room like I actually believed my own pep talk.

Sort of.

The second I stepped back onto the pool deck, I caught Coach’s ye.

“There you are. Perfect timing,” he said, then turned to a girl standing beside him. “Emery, this is Sophie, team captain.”

I followed his gaze.

Sophie.

Tall. Curvy. Confident. Brunette waves tied in a sleek ponytail. Her one-piece clung to her hourglass figure like it was custom-made, and her arms were crossed as if she owned the whole damn pool. Maybe she did.

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15:03 Mon, Dec 29 GGD.

Chapter 10

Coach nodded toward her. “Sophie, let’s time her. Butterfly stro. See where she’s at.”

I gave Sophie a hopeful smile.

She didn’t smile back. Not even a twitch. Maybe she didn’t see me?

“Alright, freshman,” she said coolly. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

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I swallowed hard. The word freshman burned more than it should’ve.Still, I nodded, slipping my goggles on and stepping onto the diving block. My heart raced.

You can do this.

Deep breath.

“On my count,” Sophie said, lifting the whistle to her lips.

“Three… two… one…”

Shrill whistle.

I dove.

The water rushed around me like silk…cool, smooth, familiar. Marms moved in steady butterfly strokes, my legs kicking hard behind me. I cut through the water like It belonged to me.

And for a moment, I forgot I was being timed.

Because in the pool, I wasn’t the nervous girl trying to prove herself. I was just Emery.

The world above didn’t matter.

All I could hear was the sound of my breath, the splash of my hands, the steady rhythm I’d known since I was a kid.

I saw flashes in my mind, my dad’s proud grin from the sidelines his fingers forming a thumbs-up. My mom jumping and screaming when I won my first gold medal at eight. The feel of that moment, that pride.

This is who I am, I thought. This is where I belong.

“Slow.”

My head snapped up.

What?!

I pulled off my goggles and wiped the water from my eyes. My heartbeat was still racing from the swim, but those words hit harder than any workout ever could.

I climbed out of the pool, water dripping down my arms and leg. “W-what?” I asked, my voice shaking.

Sophie stood there, one hip popped out, holding the stopwatchke it had personally offended her.

“You were fifteen seconds slow,” she said, not even blinking.

My stomach dropped. “That… that can’t be right.”

Fifteen seconds? That didn’t make sense. I’d never been that slow Not even on my worst day. I opened my mouth to say more, then closed it again..

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Mon, Dec

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