I Swear I Still Hate Him (Atlas Lawson) novel Chapter 94

Chapter 94

Chapter 94

Emery’s POV

We were back at Linchester.

Back to lecture halls that smelled like old coffee and stress, back to pop quizzes and midterms no one warned you about,

your brain finally shuts up. back to early-morning swim practices where your body hurts but

And honestly?

It helped.

Being around Atlas, being alone with Atlas, had completely scrambled my head. Kissing him, sneaking touches, pretending we weren’t playing with fire every single time we were together… yeah, that messed with me.

But reality?

Reality snapped me back.

This wasn’t some epic love story. It was proximity. Lust. Two people stuck in the same space for too long with way too much chemistry. That’s it. That’s all it was.

I didn’t love Atlas.

What we had was just infatuation-built on late nights, stolen kisses, and the thrill of doing something we absolutely shouldn’t be doing. And like Laila said, once the wedding happened, it had to stop. Because after that?

It wouldn’t just be complicated.

It would be wrong.

An abomination.

Still…

Even as I repeated the words in my head like a mantra, I couldn’t ignore the dull ache sitting heavy in heart was quietly calling bullshit on everything my brain was saying.

my

chest. Like my

I don’t love Atlas.

I can’t.

It wouldn’t even make…

“Time’s up.”

Crap.

I blinked, staring down at my test like it had personally betrayed me. Half-finished answers. Scribbled thoughts. One question completely blank.

Yeah. Love that for me.

“Shit,” I muttered, dropping my pencil and leaning back in my chair.

So much for being back in control.

Chapter 94

The classroom was pure chaos. Pep

dropping, Groans everywhere. The quiet stress turned into loud panic real quick. Then from somewhere in the back, a guy yelled,

“C’mon, Prof! Just give us some extra time?”

I think his name was Tim. Or Tom.

Whatever. My personal hero.

”

Todd?

Everyone froze, eyes snapping toward the front like we were watching a live bomb defuse. Professor Warlord…yes, Warlord, because the man legit ran this econ class like it was a battlefield, adjusted his glasses and stared him down with all the warmth of a tax audit.

1 braced myself for a full verbal takedown. But instead….

He sighed. “Fine. Fifteen more minutes.”

Gasps. Literal gasps.

1 blinked, stunned. Did that just… happen? Some dude in the fist-pumped like he’d just won a Grammy.

Thank you, Tim/Tom/Whatever-your-name-is.

CO

I scribbled through the rest of the test like a maniac, my handwriting was giving “cryptic ransom note,” but hey, I finished. Not perfectly, but I was pretty sure I secured myself a solid B.

As we walked out into the hall, Jazz let out a dramatic groan and flung her arms over her head like she was in mourning.

“I swear, Warlord needs to chill with these tests. I’m trying to pass, not become the next Adam freakin’ Smith.”

I laughed, shifting the weight of my bag higher on my shoulder as we stepped out into the quad. “Tell me about it. If it wasn’t for Tim-or Tom, whatever-we’d both be drowning in academic regret right now.”

Jazz pressed a hand to her chest. “We owe him. I’m talking free lunch, homemade cookies, naming our future kids after him level of gratitude.”

I snorted. “Okay, don’t push it.”

s

We walked across the lawn, weaving between groups of students flopped over picnic blankets or lounging with iced coffees. The air still held that early semester buzz-stress, caffeine, and the faint scent of hope.

Jazz nudged me with her elbow. “Anyway, on to more important things. How’s practice going for the big swim-off?”

Oh yeah. Did I mention I had another meet coming up?

This time against Northbridge University.

And if I told you I wasn’t freaking out, I’d be lying. Straight-faced. Bold.

I was just really good at hiding it.

My stomach flipped just thinking about it. I didn’t want to barely scrape by again. I wanted to win, not by luck or someone else messing up, but because I earned it.

I took a breath. “It’s going good, actually. Sophie’s been a huge help.”

Jazz tilted her head, brows up. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I nodded, letting myself smile. “We’ve been practicing together a lot, and I think I’m starting to find my rhythm

again. Like, my mojo is slowly crawling back from the dead.”

She grinned, “Knew it would. That pool misses your drama”

I laughed under my breath, but the moment slipped into something quieter. Something heavier. That voice, the one that always crept in when things were going too well, was whispering again.

What if I choked?

What if I couldn’t do it this time?

What if last time was just a fluke?

stopped walking and to

Jazz must’ve caught the flicker of doubt on my face, because she me fully. Her expression softened, serious now, no trace of sarcasm.

“Hey. You’re gonna kill it. I’ve seen you in the pool, Em. You don’t just swim, you you’re gonna wreck Northbridge.”

I looked at her, heart tight, but in a good way. “Thanks, Jazz.”

She grinned, looping her arm through mine. “Anytime, Emmy Bear.”

own it. And I’m a hundred

percent

certain

“Okay, that was great,” Sophie called out as I surfaced, water dripping down my face, goggles still snug around my eyes.

“Really?” I asked, breathless.

“Yeah. Might I add, your best.”

She turned the stopwatch toward me, and my jaw nearly dropped.

My heart gave this full-on, stupid swell at the proud look on her face. It wasn’t even the actual meet yet, and yeah, things could totally go sideways, but for the first time in a while, I actually believed I might be able to pull this off.

After another ten minutes in the pool, Sophie and I headed into the locker room, still dripping. The heavy chlorine smell clung to everything, but my nerves had started to chill out a little.

“Honestly,” I muttered, slamming my locker shut with a soft clang, “if I ace this meet, I owe you my entire life.”

Sophie chuckled, twisting her dark hair into a ponytail. “Instead of your life, how about a favor?”

“Anything,” I said without thinking. I meant it too.

Sophie wasn’t just our team captain, she’d been patient, kind, and endlessly encouraging. She didn’t roll her eyes when I messed up, didn’t act like she was too good to help. She’d invested real time in me.

I owed her.

“Well, um…” she hesitated, fingers fidgeting with the zipper of her jacket, “do you think you could maybe ask Atlas to come watch a movie with me?”

I blinked.

My smile froze, then slowly… slid off my face.

Did she just say…

Chapter 94

My hand, still damp from practice, curled into a fist so tight my nails pressed into my palm.

theater. Side by Sophie and Atlas. In a Maybe laughing. Maybe….kissing.

side…all

Cozy

Her teachi

for the

popcorn

while he

made

some

sarcastic

comment.

Something sharp twisted in my chest.

Nope. No.

thank

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