NOTE: Some descriptions of events in this chapter may trigger people who have been molested and/or raped and/or abused. Please, PLEASE let us know if this is a problem and we will be happy to send you a version without that part in it.
Today was the day.
After weeks and weeks of training, Lucas had finally prepared himself enough to announce that he was ready for the Nationals.
Of course, Carissa had known the exact date and hour of the championship- August 6th, 2013; training from twelve to four in the afternoon, then the competition at six- for nearly two weeks because Lucas kept talking about it. To be honest, she didn't really care, but to see him so ecstatic over something was quite a change from him being moody and uninterested- characteristics she knew she couldn't change, but decided to tolerate anyway.
Carissa had gotten news that Harry was allowed to participate in the Nationals, and she shook her head in disbelief. Why would they let anybody with a criminal record participate in organized sports? It struck her as confusing, but she wasn't going to waste her time deciphering the minds of the officials.
"They probably just felt bad," Lucas said, "he's been training really hard and he hasn't won in the six years he's competed."
"Are you on his side?"
"I never said I was. I'm just saying that the officials have their reasons for letting things slide. Maybe they needed more swimmers because of Tyson. Maybe he bribed them, I don't know," Lucas reasoned before he kissed Carissa on the cheek.
"Are you nervous?" she asked. He shook his head as he grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter.
"Nope. I've no reason to be. I've got a really good feeling about this year."
"You've practiced really hard! If you win, you deserve it."
"What do you mean 'if'?" Lucas grinned, lunging at her and tickling her, causing her to sink to her knees in a fit of giggles. He tugged on her hand and made their way out the door, driving to the swimming arena.
The car ride wasn't silent, but it wasn't filled with song either. Lucas told Carissa about his hopes for the Nationals, and she listened, but with half her attention wondering if Harry would acknowledge her as she sat in the stands. Lucas was going to practice for the full four hours, so she'd be there for a while.
As soon as they pulled into the parking lot, Lucas held her hand and guided her to the main entrance, which was already crowded with people waiting to get seats. Carissa was used to having people run up to take pictures of Lucas because he was a local celebrity- all of them fawned over how handsome he was. She let him go up and hug people, sign autographs and pose for photos, while some asked to pictures with her. She didn't understand the amount of love they had for people who were hardly famous.
Up near the entrance to the door was a small group of people holding up signs that read, 'WE LOVE YOU HARRY'. She was confused- wasn't he the most hated man in California? She felt a little sorry for him, but at the same time she knew she couldn't feel bad for someone like him- he was treacherous, as she forced herself to believe.
"Miss Lim! Are you aware that Mr. Styles will be at the Nationals today?" news reporters called out. She ignored them, but they continued.
"Are you the one that bailed him out of jail? What if he kills more people?"
"Are you and Mr. McCoy trying again in terms of a relationship?"
"Do you know why Mr. Styles wanted to kill you?"
"Hey, piss off!" Lucas snapped at them, grabbing Carissa's hand and pulling her away from them. They walked into the building and out of the clutter of people outside.
"They love you," Carissa said quietly, acknowledging Lucas' fans. He chuckled and kissed her on the lips.
"Not as much as I love you," he cooed. She forced a smile and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going to change. I'll see you in the stands, okay? Get yourself something to eat."
He handed her his wallet and his cellphone and waved good-bye as he ventured off into the change rooms. Carissa looked around- the main lobby was huge. This was Lucas' first time competing in the Nationals after all his years making his way up from the district level. If she didn't take up cooking as a career, she might have gone on into sports physics due to Lucas convincing her to pursue it, but her passion resided in the culinary arts.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a tall man with a flop of curly hair guarded by two even taller men. He hugged the small group of people and smiled solely with his teeth- Carissa knew exactly who it was without even having to turn her head all the way to see him.
He listened to each and every single one of them, nodding and genuinely caring about what they had to say. She could hear them telling him that they believed he was innocent from day one and that they begged the officials- wrote them letters, signed petitions, held a protest- to let him compete. He spent more time with his fans than any of the swimmers- Lucas included- and he seemed so thankful for their support. He smiled, posed for photos, gave people hugs and signed autographs. Though his group was small in comparison to everybody else's, they were the crowd that clearly loved their swimmer the most.
Carissa made her way into the stands after promptly buying a sandwich from the concession stand before Harry could see her- she didn't want to have to face him after everything that happened before. It was a shame because throughout the entire duration of them being apart from each other, though it wasn't very long, she felt as if a chunk of her life had been ripped forcefully from her hands. In all honesty, she hadn't stopped thinking of him; there were only scarce periods of time when his essence didn't plague her thoughts as much.
It never occurred to her how many people actually came out to sporting events such as these. As a child, and even in her teen years, she never really paid much attention to sports that had all-star teams, let alone to those that didn't. But it seemed that all of California was attempting to fit into the arena for today- the only places that weren't crowded were the swimmers' areas, specifically sectioned off for them through a tunnel that connected the private change rooms to the interviewing area and finally to the pool.
Carissa sat and watched all the trainees- Lucas, Kevin, Rick and Harry- swim lap upon lap alongside each other. Harry had by far the most stamina, but Lucas soon caught up and in the span of fifteen minutes he managed to finish two more laps than Harry. Upon finishing second to Lucas, Harry chewed the inside of his cheek in frustration, taking off his swimming cap and chucking it against the wall. He went off into his room for a while to cool down, but came back out shortly after to watch everyone else swim.
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Psycho ➳ H.S.
Fanfiction"He clenched his fists to bring himself back to earth, shutting off the tap. He stood stationary, wondering if anything he had been thinking for the last five minutes made any sense at all. Every thought was about her; he wanted her more than anyone...
