Narrator's pov

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The stars were the fireworks in the velvet dark, the blaze that dared to light up the night. The cold breeze danced through the packed cars in the wide lot, goosebumps crawled against the girl's warm skin when the cold breeze of the night touched them. The moon wasn't full but it still managed to shine it's ghostly grey light onto to parking lot where the girls stood, ready to enter the venture.

"AQUAAAA" Elena squealed as she approached the girls coming out of the car

"Lennaaa" Aqua giggled and she hugged the girl tightly

"I had no idea you were gonna be here"

"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise" Aqua said as she glared at Allie who smirked

"Atleast I'm here now"

The backdoor of the building was pushed open to reveal a tall but muscular brown skinned man with furrowed brows, his eyes scanned the entire lot until it landed on the girls.

"Allie! Get your ass over here!" someone yelled, it was the red hair girl's coach

"Yes sirrr" Allie smirked, her hand patted the back of Aquamarine

"I have to go now" she said

"Good luck, we love you. Make sure you go out there and crush every single person that tries to come between you and first place" Aqua said

"I need you to go out there and give it your all, this is what you've been training for" Josie said

"This is what you've been fighting for" Elena added

"And this is what you're made for" Beverly finished, her arms hooked around her cousin as she held her in a tight hug

"We've got your back no matter what, but there's no one here that deserves this more than you do" Aqua said

"I know it's a competition, but don't get into your head out there. Don't over think, don't second guess yourself. Just be you, that's all you need. Because you are a warrior and you're ready for this. So go have some fun" Jackie said as she approached the red hair girl

"Hey" Allie smiled, her eyes seemed to soften when they landed on the dark skinned girl

"Hey tiger" Jackie smiled

"Gosh, y'all are gonna make me look like a bottom" Allie groaned as the water dropped from the rim of her eyes, she quickly wiped it away, not wanting anyone to see it

"Hey, don't hide that. You have to embrace it, you have to feel everything right now. This is your moment and you need to take it. Don't be afraid to show your pain, your nervousness, it makes you, you" Jackie said

"And right now, you've got a journey ahead of you so it's okay to let it out" Aqua said, her hand rested on the girl's shoulder

"Th-Thank you gu-guys so much. You all mean alot t-to me" Allie tried to say through deep breaths, her voice was shaky and her bottom lip quivered.

Jackie gave a small smile as she cupped the girl's cheek, using her thumb to wipe away her tears.

"We're always gonna be here whether you like it or not" Jackie whispered

"It's what you've been working for, for so many years. So much pain, anger, tears, everything went into this moment, it's how you've made it here. You're Allie Marie Hills, the best swimmer that this country has seen and no one's gonna take that spot from you" Jackie said

"I- I'm so fucking scared" Allie whispered out before going weak, her head rested against Jackie's collar and she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend in a tight hug

Jackie smiled and wrapped her arms around Allie's back, smoothing over her soft skin. Jackie then nodded for everyone to pile into the hug

The girls smiled and all wrapped their arms around Allie and each other, having the tightest group hug they've ever had.

It was a hug that showed love, a hug that made you realize how much you're worth. It was a hug that Allie needed.

Jackie's eyes glanced in the direction of Adam who had his hands in his pockets a proud smile on his lips as he looked at the girls

"Get in here too" Jackie chuckled

The boy furrowed his brows and looked around, searching for who Jackie was talking to

"Who me?" Adam asked

"Yes you, you're apart of this family now" Aqua chuckled, Adam's cheek turned red

The boy smiled and wrapped his arms around the girls, he chuckled when their arms hooked around his back. Their embrace lasted for a while, nothing but their energy and support was poured into their gesture. It was a powerful moment between them that was never shared, a moment of vulnerability, a moment of support. The world around them melted away as they squeezed each other, not wanting the moment to end.

"I hate to ruin the moment but Allie's on in five minutes and she hasn't warmed up yet!" the coach yelled

The group immediately pulled away, Allie sucked in a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes, giving the group a small smile

"I'll see you guys in there" She whispered

The stadium was packed with people from all over, the girls and Adam sat at a seat low that was near to the pool so they could see clearly.

The pool seemed to be 160 feet long and 86ft wide, the lanes were 2.5 meters wide, each rope was still as it separated the lanes.

The Referee stood at the head of the pool with his black and white shirt, the official judges were seated behind on a long table that had a white table cloth. The inspectors of turn were lined on the lanes of the pools, ready to ensure the swimmers abide to the rules.

"Don't they sell food in here? Sheesh I'm starving" Aqua groaned

"Probably have hotdogs" Josie said

"What? WHERE" Aqua yelled as her neck looked around in search of the snack

"Outside" Josie snickered

"Bitch" Aqua hissed

"Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the one and only Aquamarine!" the announcer said, the wide screen then refectled an image of Aqua sitting in this crowd

"Oh no" Aqua chuckled, the cameras all turned to face the girl, she gave a small wave as the crowd went crazy

"I guess you're a celebrity now Aqua" Elena chuckled

"Aquamarine, how's it going over there?" The announcer asked

"I'm starving" Aqua yelled

On cue, the people around the girl reached their hands out and handed her various items of food. Some held burritos, some had soda, burgers, it was like a free buffet

"Nevermind!" Aqua laughed as she kindly took the food items after thanking the people

"Y'all want anything?" Aqua giggled

"Pizz-" Beverly started but was cut off when someone shoved a box of pizza know front of her face

"Oh, thank you" Beverly giggled

"Being your friend sure has it perks" Josie laughed

"So Aquamarine, is there any specific swimmer competing today that you're rooting for?" The announcer then asked

"Of course, my best friend ALLIE HILLS, NUMBER 9, LOOKING LIKE A SNACK OVER THERE IN THAT SWIMMING CAP" Aqua yelled and her eyes landed on Allie

In all honesty, the girl looked like an uncooked egg. But then again, that could be considered as a snack

The red hair girl playfully glared at Aqua from the stands, her black swim cap covered her hair, the girl slipped on her goggles as she walked closer to the edge of the pool. Her red one piece hugged her body tightly, Allie reached to her board, taking her position in lane 9 with the other swimmers lined across.

"They're about to start" Jackie whispered

"God I hope she wins" Beverly whispered, Aqua glanced and her girlfriend and noticed she was talking her feet rapidly

She sighed and intertwined her fingers with Beverly, bring the girl's knuckles to her lips and placing a soft kiss on her skin

"She'll make it, don't worry" Aqua whispered, Beverly took a deep breath in and leaned her head against Aqua's with their fingers still intertwined

Aqua kissed the side of the girl's head before returning her attention out towards the swimmers. In the corner of her eyes, Aqua noticed the Olympics coordinator walking into the building.

The man scanned the entire crowd before his eyes landed on Aquamarine, he gave a small smile and waved at the girl before taking an empty seat. Aqua smiled and waved back at the man

"On your marks" The Referee said, The swimmers took their position, arching their back.

"Get set" The Referee said, the swimmers then dipped their knees, ready for their kick off

Allie took in a deep breath as her eyes stared out to the velvety blue water before her in lane 9, her heart started to pound rapidly and the world seemed to move in slow motion as she waited for the permission to go.

A whistle then went off indicating that they had to dive, Allie applied pressure to her heels as she kicked out and pointed her arms out, diving into the water with a perfect arch

She dove in cleanly leaving no splash and cleave the water with powerful rhythmic strokes until she reached the other end, her muscles flexed and her head bopped up every few seconds for air. The girl seemed to be in control of her breathing, she took the longest to resurface compared to the other swimmers

"YES ALLIE, LET THEM BITCHES SUFFOCATE" Adam yelled as he stood to his feet clapping

"Is he allowed to say that?" Elena asked with a chuckle

"I don't know, but Ima join him. GO ALLIE, GO ALLIE" Josie yelled

"IT'S YA BIRTHDAY, WE GONNA PARTY LIKE IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY" Aqua joined as she stood to her feet

Allie moved with robotic precision but organic fluidity, stroke after stroke nailed to perfection. After years in swim club she wasn't going to compete anymore, but the pool was her therapist. She was so in control with everything, Allow allowed her limbs do the thinking for her. She was so good now that she cruised along the lanes for two hours with barely a reduction in speed even at the end.

"That's my fucking GIRL YO" Aqua hissed and she clapped hard, the adrenaline was coursing through her veins as she hopped slightly, exited that her friend was on the best streak she's ever been on

It was then coming to the final lap, The other swimmers seemed tired, almost drained as they took a few seconds break from pulsing and flexing their muscles through the tough water.

But Allie was a beast, she hadn't stopped for anything and she wasn't planning on either. Each stroke that she made had the crowd pumping, even those who came to support other swimmers were cheering for Allie.

"Oh my God!" Beverly yelled

"There's no way she could do that" Josie's jaw dropped

"If she makes it back in time, it means.... she'll break the world record" Elena gasped

Allie's feet pushed off with a force as she flipped from the edge of the pool, making it back to the starting to finish the race. The other swimmers weren't even close to flipping the corner, the crowd went wild, rags were waving in the air and the screams filled the entire stadium

"ALLIE, ALLIE, ALLIE, ALLIE" They screamed

"Oh my God, she's gonna make it"

"SHE'S GONNA MAKE IT!" Jackie yelled

Allie's hands tapped the board and she was locked in on her time. The entire stadium then went silent, stunned with disbelief of what they had just witnessed. Mouths went dry and hearts raced as they waited for the official time to appear on screen.

Allie pulled herself out the pool and was immediately engulfed with a big hug by her coach who lifted her off her feet and spun the girl around, his smile was wide. Allie still didn't realize what happened.

"Ladies... And Gentlemen.."

"AND NON BINARY PALS" the girls and Adam yelled at the announcer

"Sorry, and non binary pals" the announcer corrected

"You got it!" Aqua smiled

"I think we have just witness history" the man said, Allie furrowed her brows when her coach leaned down to whisper in her ear

Allie's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped when she realized she had just broken the world record

The time was then piled in on the screen, indicating that Allie was ahead of all the other swimmers by two minutes and she broke the world record by ten seconds.

Screams echoed through the auditorium as Allie ran towards the stands, she immediately leaped into the girls causing them all to fall down with the wet girl on top of them like a bowling ball hitting down the pins.

"YOU DID IT!" Jackie screamed

"I did it!!!" Allie screamed

"SHE FUCKING DID IT!" Aqua yelled, the group wrapped their arms around Allie and screamed excitedly

"I really did it"