I Swear I Still Hate Him (Atlas Lawson) novel Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Emery’s POV

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Water rushed past my ears as I pushed through the final stroke. My lungs screamed, but I didn’t stop, not until I touched the end of the lane and popped my head out, gasping.

Sophie stood at the edge of the pool, grinning like a proud mom. She held up the timer and wiggled her brows.

“Okay, you just broke a record,” she said, eyes sparkling. “Twenty-eight seconds!”

I blinked. “No way.”

“Way.” She smirked.

A slow grin spread across my lips as I tugged off my goggles, letting them hang around my neck. Water dripped down my face and shoulders as I pulled myself out of the pool.

Not bad, Emery. Not bad at all, for a 50-yard sprint, that was almost Olympian. My chest lifted with pride, and for once, I let myself feel it. Maybe I was getting good at this.

“Wanna go grab something to eat?” Sophie asked, still beaming. “I’m famished.”

“God, yes. If I don’t eat soon, I’m gonna pass out dramatically and ruin the vibe in here.”

We dried off, changed in the locker room, and twenty minutes later, we were seated at a greasy little burger joint off campus, fries between us and our swim bags dumped at our feet.

I took a massive bite of my burger and groaned. “Food is life.”

“Clock it, sis. Clock it,” Sophie laughed, dipping her fries into a ridiculous amount of ketchup.

I slurped my milkshake, leaned back, then looked at her.

“Wanna hear something crazy?”

She raised a brow. “Hit me.”

“I actually thought you hated me when we first met.”

Sophie choked a little on her soda. “What? No way.”

I held up a hand. “I might’ve….kinda….nicknamed you in my head. Ice Queen.”

Her eyes widened, then she burst out laughing. “Ice Queen? Wow. That’s brutal.”

I laughed too. “To be fair, you were super quiet and had this whole ‘don’t talk to me’ aura.”

15:17 Tue, Dec 30

Chapter 72

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“I’ve been called worse. But no, I didn’t hate you. Never did. I just… I get shy. I know it doesn’t always come off that way, but I get super awkward with new people.”

She shrugged, wiping her fingers. “It’s fine. I’ve been called worse. And I don’t hate you. Never did. I just get… shy, I guess. And when I do, I come off as… well, icy. But truthfully, my first impression of you? I thought you were really pretty and super outgoing.”

I blinked. Okay, unexpected.

“Wow, thanks. My first impression of you was extremely cool, pretty, badass swimmer, and…”

“And an Ice Queen,” she teased.

We both burst out laughing.

I rested my elbow on the table and stirred my shake. “You’re actually super chill once you let people in.”

She gave me a small smile and nodded. “Thanks. It’s hard sometimes, but I’m trying.”

“Well, consider this your official de-throning from Ice Queen to Cool Queen,” I said with a wink.

She raised her burger in a mock toast. “I’ll take it.”

We clinked burgers like weirdos and burst into laughter again, and suddenly her tone shifted a little. Not tense. Just… curious.

“Okay, I’m just gonna say it because it’s been on my mind and if I don’t get it out, it might actually kill me…” Sophie leaned across the table, eyes wide with anticipation. “Is Atlas seeing anyone?”

My heart? Yeah, it straight up jumped, like Olympic dive level. But on the outside? Cool as a cucumber. I gave her my best casual shrug and even managed a small sip of my milkshake without choking.

Oscar-worthy. I did slay as Juliet in the school play, thank you very much.

“Oh, no,” I said, forcing my voice to stay breezy. “I don’t think he is… I mean, he hasn’t brought anyone home.”

Sophie’s lips curved into a small, thoughtful smile, her fingers tracing the edge of her cup.

“So, what’s his type?” she asked. Then, immediately backtracked. “Wait-don’t answer that. I sound like one of those crazy high school girls, don’t I?”

Yes. But cute crazy. I wasn’t going to say that, though.

I let out a small laugh, resting my chin in my palm. “No… okay, fine, maybe a little. But it’s totally fine. You’re a friend, and I don’t mind being your personal matchmaker for my soon-to-be stepbrother.”

The words burned coming out of my mouth.

God, I hated that label.

“Really?” she asked, her eyes lighting up.

15:17 Tue, Dec 30

Chapter 72

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“Yeah, Soph. That’s what friends are for.” I gave her a smile, hoping she couldn’t see how tight it felt.

She reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “Thank you. So much.”

I nodded, even though my stomach was twisting into knots. “It’s fine,” I said, voice softer this time.

“Whatever you need to know,” I added, “just ask.”

“You’re the best, Em.”

Another smile. Another performance. I was getting so good at pretending.

“So…” she leaned in again, eyes dancing. “What’s his type?”

“Um… well…” I hesitated, fingers tightening around my cup.

His type is you, Emery. You’re the girl he likes.

The annoying voice in my head wouldn’t shut up.

Shut up, I snapped back internally.

I cleared my throat and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. “I don’t think he has a specific type. It’s more about personality, you know?”

Sophie nodded like she was filing it away in a mental notebook. I wouldn’t have been surprised if she pulled out a checklist labeled Operation Win Atlas.

We spent the next thirty minutes talking about him, his favorite music, the way he scrunched his nose when he was deep in thought, how he hated olives but loved mint chocolate chip ice cream. Every word felt like a needle, pricking my heart one tiny jab at a time.

And yet, I smiled. I nodded. I laughed in the right places.

Because that’s what friends are for. Right?

Even if it’s slowly killing you inside.

****

The midterm break came faster than I expected.

At first, I thought about going home… but Daisy had already moved in with Dad to help with the whole pre- wedding prep thing. And while I was genuinely happy for him, I also felt… off. I didn’t want to sit at the dinner table pretending to be okay when all I could think about was Atlas.

Ugh. I really needed to deal with this stupid crush and get my head straight.

Option two? Laila. But she texted earlier that she was off to meet her boyfriend’s grandma.

What am I, a backup option?

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Chapter 72

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I sighed and considered Aunt Vicky, Mum’s older sister. She was sweet, had the fluffiest house slippers, and always smelled like warm cookies. It wasn’t a terrible plan.

I was still mid-“maybe I’ll go, maybe I won’t” internal debate when two hands landed on my shoulders.

I looked up, and boom, bright blue eyes and a ridiculously excited grin were hovering over me.

“Emmy bear!” Ford practically sang.

Where there was Ford, there was Howard, and…

When I looked up, staring right at me was… Atlas.

After our bittersweet confession, things had been weird between us. It was like that day never happened, but we both knew it did.

Atlas smiled at me, talked to me, and we’d even watched Vikings together again. But the tension was still there… My heart still skipped for him, just like now.

I looked away and was met with another smile…Howard. I smiled back.

Gosh, we hadn’t talked since our date… the one where I pulled away from kissing him and ended it with the world’s lamest hug.

Ford dropped into the seat next to Sam, grinning like the chaos goblin he was.

“So, ladies,” he said, leaning back dramatically. “Any wild plans for the break?”

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