Stronger Together

Chapter 20

It lasted around 5 seconds before he was violently pulled off of me

"Go to the water baby and do your best." Gramps said while he held Lucy in a chokehold

"Gramps let go he's turning purple." I pouted

He rolled his eyes and threw him onto the sand

"Fine."

I giggled then ran to the water

I got the first wave

I took deep breaths then started paddling. I let a couple smaller waves pass until I caught site of a massive wave

"Fuck yeah." I felt adrenaline start coursing through my veins

I started paddling and once the wave was underneath me and peaked I stood up on my board

I knew I'd get extra points because of how late I dropped my board. As long as I stuck the landing I'd be in the clear.

I stayed on the top of the wave landing as many tricks as I could then I cut into the wave and rode it out

I could hear everyone cheering

Now that I started off with a bang I'm gonna clear my head and focus on the waves

It's my turn again and I of course take a big one again but this time I lose balance and wipe out. The huge wave sends me crashing against the sea floor. I feel dazed and struggle to resurface. After the wave passes I come up for air with a throbbing headache.

I signal to everyone that I'm okay and the heat continues

It's the final minutes of the heat which mean if I don't catch a wave quickly I'll lose

I see a small wave approach and I go for it

The entire wave is a blur. I went in and did whatever felt natural in a desperate attempt at gaining points.

I went in and did my thing and I heard cheering and the whistle blow

I swam to shore and the entire team rush the water. I got hoisted up into the air by the boys on the team

"I can't believe it! Louise Knight has just made history by becoming the youngest person to ever qualify for the Surfing Olympics!" the announcer yells

"Holy Shit I qualified!"

People started taking pictures and cheering but the only person I wanted to see was my dad

The team puts me down and I go running through the mob of people to find my dad. When I spot him I run up and jump on him. He stumbled back but still caught me.

"I did it! Did you see me out there? I killed it!"

"I'm so proud of you! I knew you could do it."

I looked up and saw tears of joy streaming down his face

"That last wave was for you even though I don't remember shit from it. Now that I think about it, I might be concussed."

He chuckled and hugged me tighter

"Louise you gotta go up and accept your award and do the interviews or else you'll get a fine." Amelia tells me

"Yeah I'm going." I tell her and wave to my family

After tons of pictures It's time for the interview with two news anchors 

"How does it feel to be an Olympian?"

"So surreal, it feels like I'm dreaming." I say

"You took a big hit out there on the wave, what happened?"

"I was being greedy and only wanted huge waves. When I dropped I couldn't get up on my board on time and slipped. Then I got beat up by the wave:" I chuckled and they both laughed

"Why do you surf and who's your biggest fan?"

"Well my dad got me into surfing and I instantly fell in love with it. I honestly can't imagine my life without being in the water. My biggest fans would be anyone in my family and my best friend Amelia. They're always there for me."

"It was rumored you were panicking before the heat, is this true?"

"Yeah I always wear a necklace my dad gave me and this morning I discovered it broke. I was freaking out because I never surfed without my necklace or my dad. What I didn't know is that my family flew out to surprise me. So he gave me a pep talk and a new necklace that belong to him."

"Your family wasn't going to attend?"

"I didn't tell them I could go to the Olympic if I won. I'm also part of a Quad and today is our birthday which we've been planning for months. I didn't want my siblings missing our birthday."

"Awww Happy Birthday! What you did is so sweet!"

"Yeah if it was me I'd steal the spotlight." the guy anchor joked

"There's four of us so we had to learn to share." I chuckled

"Well now for our final question which is trending on Twitter. Are you dating Lucien Toussaint? Heir to Toussaint pharmaceutical company and every colleges basketball teams first pick?"

Shit I knew he played basketball but I didn't know he was that popular

"Yes, it's true."

"Awww gotta love young love. Thank you so much for this interview and I wish you luck on your endeavors"

"Enjoy your birthday and we can't wait to cheer for you in the summer Olympics."

"Thank you for having me."

Once that interview was done coach called me over

"Louise meet the rest of your team."

He pointed to the people I've idolized since I started surfing

"You slayed those waves out there kid! I can't wait to surf with you." Carissa Moore cheered

"Thank you I can't wait to learn from all of you! You guys are the best of the best. I hope I can keep up with all of you."

Damn Louise reel it in

"Trust me after seeing your heat I'm positive you can keep up." John Florence patted me on the back

"She's your biggest fan." coach embarrassed me

"Aww now you get to surf with us as equals not idols." Kolohe Andino smiled

"Let's get a picture together."

We got together holding the American flag and took the photo

"Well I gotta bounce it was awesome meeting all of you."

"Likewise." they told me

"I'll get all the information you need and give it to your father." coach told me

"Thanks."

"Enjoy your birthday."

"No way kid you can't leave before we sing you happy birthday." Carissa called out

"1...2...3"

They sang to me then I hugged them and ran off

•_•

SHES AN OLYMPIAN

GO LOUISE ! ! !

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Mwah 🏅