What Was Lost // (Harry Styles FanFic)

Chapter 30

Lilly's POV

The way my body is gliding through the water, it feels like I never stopped swimming. The feeling of getting dressed in the locker room, and then putting on my cap and goggles, was the best sense of deja vu, ever.

There's nothing like the exhilarating feeling of climbing up on the block, taking that deep breath and waiting to hear the whistle from your coach, telling you to push off as fast as you can.

Coach told me today to see where I was with my skills after not swimming for so long, she just wanted to see me practice with the team and see how well I could keep up. Kicking drills and best stroke relays are easy, but it was the racing sprints at the end I was worried about. I still remembered how to do each stroke correctly, but I wasn't in shape the way I used to be. I wouldn't be able to make state times the way I was before. So needless to say, when it was time for sprints at the end, I found myself getting really nervous and doubting myself. But I knew this was something I needed to do for myself. I deserved to do something that I loved almost as much as I loved breathing. This was my passion.

I was in lane three, and five other girls filled up the rest of the lanes. I looked over them and knew three of them as my old teammates, the other two looked younger then me. I knew I probably had no chance of beating the girls who I used to swim with, but the other two were a possibility. When we first dove in the water, I did my dolphin kick under the water until I got closer to the surface. I started my stokes, fast and short, only looking over at my opponents when I turned my head to the side to breathe.

I could see that there were two girls in front of me, one pretty close to being even, and the other two were behind me. Coming in to the wall, I did my flip fast, and shoved off the cement wall as fast as I could, waiting until the last second to breathe, knowing I had to at least take seven strokes on the water before I could come up for air, or else I'd be eliminated. My coach always used to tell me, I should only take two breaths maximum each lane I swum, and this race was only two laps.

Coming towards the middle of the pool, I noticed I had passed the girl who I was even with before, and one of the girls ahead of me was only up by half a body length, the other almost one and half. I use every last ounce of energy and strength I have in my body, and push my legs to kick as fast as they can, bay arms to reach as long as they can. I used to be known for having a good kick at the end of my races, saving my energy for the beginning and then going balls to the wall on my last lap. Most people do it wrong, and go as hard as they can at the very beginning, and then are dragging towards the end.

I don't even bother looking next to me, knowing that'll only slow me down. And when my lungs burn and I feel like I can't push myself anymore, I picture Sutter laying in bed beside me when we woke up together the other morning. His eyes closed in laughter, and his tan arms and curly head the only thing sticking up from under the covers.

My hand slaps the wall with a sudden force that scares me, and leaves a lingering sting on my palm. I come up out of the water, and see two other girls done, but the second looks like she came in maybe a millisecond behind me, and I know the other girl, Molly Adams, won the sprint. She was always a fast sprinter when we used to compete together, I was more known for sprinting, but still she used to never beat me, not in practice or actual races.

But the fact that I kept up and even came in second, is enough to fill me with pride, and hope that coach will allow me a second chance to start swimming again. I pull my body out of the water, and slap hands with my other competitors, telling them good race. We watched the other swimmers in their sprints, coach told us good job, and that their first meet was next Friday against South Pointe high school. She dismissed everyone but me, asking me to follow her into her office that was through the girls locker room.