Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Underwater - Grace
Iroll over and groggily open one eye, fixating on the clock on my nightstand. It’s nearly five o'clock on Monday morning. Time to wake up and get ready for practice.
It’s the first day of classes at OCU. I only have two today, but my day begins at the aquatic center at six.
And despite the early hour, I can’t wait to get back in the water with my teammates. Of course I practiced all summer, but it’s not the same as being with the team. We’re very tight, and I missed them.
So much so that the five o'clock wake-up call doesn’t bother me.
I flick back the thick, soft white duvet on my bed and sit up, taking a moment to stretch.
I glance over at Maddie, who is still curled up in a ball, fast asleep, her dark hair peeking out from under her blankets.
I reach for my phone on the nightstand and turn off the alarm so I won’t wake her up at this ungodly hour.
It might be early, but the sun is rising now.
I take a moment and study our new room, now awash in soft sunlight.
We worked hard this past weekend to put it together, and I’m pleased with the way it looks.
We both have white duvets on our beds, with pink throw pillows and our names in neon lights over our beds.
A pink floral rug covers the hardwood, and a white nightstand is in between our twin beds.
Maddie found a pink mini fridge that we stocked with snacks and our favorite drinks.
I like it. It already feels like home to me.
I get up and quietly make my way to the bathroom to get ready.
I change into shorts and a slightly cropped pale pink T-shirt, then pull on a comfortable pair of sneakers before slipping out of our room and heading downstairs.
This is my first breakfast at Phi Mu Phi, and there’s only a handful of girls down here at this early hour.
A complete buffet is set up for us, with everything from pancakes and waffles to eggs and bacon. It’s all food I can have after practice. But at this hour? Eating all of this and then swimming?
Hard pass.
I have two options. I can make a smoothie and drink that first or eat a protein bar.
I go to the blender bar and mix up a strawberry-banana protein smoothie and pour it into a glass.
Then I take a seat at a table with Jules Miller, another girl from my pledge class.
We’ve always been friendly, but not exactly friends.
Maybe living in the house will give me an opportunity to get to know her better.
“Good morning,” I say. “I thought I might be the only one up at this hour.”
Jules pulls a hair tie off her wrist and begins to pull her thick auburn hair up into a messy knot.
“There’s a barre class at the OCU fitness center at six thirty,” she says, pausing to take a bite of her Lucky Charms. “I’m going to try it out.
Wish me luck. I’ve never done it before.
Hopefully I can walk to my statistics class after I finish. ”
I’m distracted by the sight of her bowl. Oh, I miss Lucky Charms. Now that I’m entering training mode, I eat like an athlete, going for lots of protein and healthy carbs, like fruit.
But nothing is better than eating a bowl of Lucky Charms. I like to sort out the oat cereal from the marshmallows, eating the cereal first, then being left with all that marshmallow goodness.
AND CEREAL MILK.
If I didn’t have to eat for artistic swimming, I’d have a big bowl of Lucky Charms every day. Or a muffin. I love muffins.
Then I remember Jules was talking to me. “Barre will work muscles you didn’t know you had,” I say.
“I don’t know whether to be excited or terrified by that,” she says, grinning.
“Both,” I suggest. We laugh softly.
I continue talking to Jules until she leaves.
Then I get back to finishing my breakfast. I sip on my smoothie, which seems very disappointing when I think of an oversized blueberry muffin with a streusel topping.
I decide to read my phone while I eat. As I’m scrolling, I see a message from the group chat between my pledge class and Alpha Xi Pi, sent late last night.
Well, by late, I mean ten. I have the bedtime and morning routine of a retired person thanks to swimming.
I decide to live on the edge this morning and read the message, because I doubt those idiots across the street can string together any words worth reading, and tap it open:
HEY, LADIES OF PHI MU PHI, WE ARE SUPER STOKED TO HOST YOU THIS FRIDAY NIGHT FOR A MIXER! REMEMBER, THE THEME IS BAYWATCH SO WEAR YOUR SWIMSUITS. LOVE, THE GENTLEMEN OF ALPHA XI PI.
Gentlemen? HA! Gentlemen and Alpha Xi Pi do not belong in the same sentence together. There is a string of emoji responses from my pledge-class sisters—which is the way you respond to these fraternity messages, with everything from hearts to grinning faces.
Hm. I consider responding with a green vomiting emoji but decide that wouldn’t be worth incurring the wrath of General Kaitlyn once she found out. She’d probably fire up a tank and run me over.
I finish up my breakfast and head back upstairs to my room, taking a moment to grab my swimming bag and my backpack, then get in my car and drive across campus to the aquatic center. It’s quiet at this hour—Ocean Cove University isn’t even close to coming to life yet.
But for a lot of student-athletes, our day is beginning.
Before long, the aquatic center comes into view, sending a bubble of happiness through me. There’s an indoor pool, an outdoor Olympic-sized pool, and a diving pool. It’s a beautiful complex, surrounded by palm trees, and I love that we can work outside with those beautiful trees towering over us.
Next to the aquatic center is the hockey facility—a renovated, state-of-the-art rink and training center that was completed this summer.
Hockey is the top sport here, and Ocean Cove University is always in the hunt for the national title.
They’re the top team on the West Coast, and almost always a top-ten team in the country.
That sums up everything I know about hockey. Other than I’ve heard that hockey players stink. Or their gear smells. Something like that.
I pull into the aquatic center parking lot and turn off the engine.
A buzz begins to build in my body. God, how I love the water.
Artistic swimming is brutal—it’s physically demanding, mentally tough, and pushes your body to insane limits.
I train in acrobatics—I’m the flyer for our team performances—along with strength training and swimming.
People completely underestimate how hard this sport is.
We dance in the water and make it look effortless.
When I explain that nobody can touch the bottom of the pool during a routine, even when they’re lifting me out of the water and pushing me up in the air so I can spin and twist into an acrobatic move before going back into the water, people look stunned.
Or how long we go before coming up for air, with lungs burning and body throbbing while underwater.
Yet here I am, itching to get into my suit and back with my friends. I’m close with every girl on the team, and I love how we push each other to get through the tough parts. We support each other. Help each other realize our goals.
I can’t ever imagine not doing it—or doing it without these girls, either.
I get out of my car, retrieve my bag, and head into the aquatic center. As soon as the heavy scent of chlorine hits my nose, I feel as if I’ve come home, even more than at Phi Mu Phi.
“Gracie!” Girls call out as soon as I enter the swimming locker room. I’m engulfed with hugs and questions, as if we all didn’t just talk last night in our group chat.
I set my stuff down at my locker and look around for Elle Chang, my duet partner.
Right on cue, the door pops open and she strolls in, her raven-black hair piled up on the top of her head and her dark brown eyes scanning the room, stopping when she sees me.
She drops her bag on the floor and rushes up to me, engulfing me in the biggest hug.
“Gracie, I missed you!” she cries. “Chicago is too far from California!”
I laugh and hug her back. “I agree. You must relocate next summer.”
She steps back from me. “How are things? Are you loving the sorority house?”
“So far, so good. You need to come over. I know Maddie would love to see you.”
“I’d love to see her, too,” Elle says.
She grabs her bag, and we immediately fall into conversation as we change into workout gear.
Before long, Coach Paulley appears. I feel so lucky to have her.
When I was swimming at club level during high school, I had some coaches who ruled by intimidation and screaming.
Only the fear of being out of the water kept me going during those times.
I never broke, but only because I love the joy of artistic swimming more than anything.
But Coach Paulley is completely different.
She loves the sport like I do, and she wants all of us to grow, learn, and become better people because we chose artistic swimming.
She rules with encouragement, not fear. She pushes us, but only to want things for ourselves and the team.
And because of that, we want to give our all for her.
“As you all know, our season doesn’t officially start until January, but the truth is, it starts now,” she tells us.
“It starts every time you pick up a weight or swim a lap. It starts with your nutrition and sleep. Everything you hope to accomplish as individuals and a team starts today. This month, we focus on our endurance training. Dry-land training in the mornings with weights and stretching. This afternoon we’ll be in the pool.
Now let’s go and hit it hard, Golden Sharks! ”
We come around, put our hands in a circle, and on Coach Paulley’s count to three, we all yell, “Golden Sharks!”
I can’t contain my smile. Nor do I want to.