Page 13

It’s nice to finally have Caro in the marshalling area with me just before a race. Coby isn’t here, but East is, and for the lack of affection I get from Coby, East makes up for in humour. Caro is going to race her heat first, then East will have his heat, and then I’ll be up for my final. We’re all sitting together, just chatting, as I hear Caro’s name over the loudspeaker announcing her name for her heat.

“You can do it, Caro,” I call.

“Just think of the sweet treat you’ll get if you get through, babe,” East chimes in. Everyone glances around. Caro glares at him while I chuckle slightly. “What?” He shrugs as I bump into his shoulder and shake my head.

She walks out.

East and I watch the screen.

“She’s gonna get through,” East murmurs, more like he’s trying to convince himself.

He’s nervous for her, and that’s sweet.

“She will, Caro’s got this.” I try to ease his nerves.

He takes a deep breath.

“She’s worked so hard for this.”

He watches her intently. For the first time, I don’t see a joker or a tween. I see the man who’s falling for my best friend. The man who cares for Caro and wants to see her do well and achieve her goals. I see the man inside of East. I’m glad that he’s in there somewhere, beneath all the jokes and bravado, beneath the sexual innuendo and childlike behaviour. That man does care for her. It’s not just a sexual thing for him.

The starting signal fires, breaking me from my trance, so I turn to the screen. Caro races. I regret missing the start, but I’m right here with her now. She bobs up, takes her first breath, and strokes smoothly and proficiently. She glides through the water and is in the lead of the pack. I beam as she hits the wall in first. She ducks, heading back for the final fifty of her race. She’s fading slightly as the girl next to her is lighting the match. It is only a heat, so she doesn’t have to hit first to go through to the semi. But she’ll be disappointed if she isn’t in the top two. She fades a little more as the other girl powers through, taking the lead.

“Shit! C’mon, Caro. Lift, babe,” East whispers as he stands and stares at the screen.

I stand next to him, watching as I chew the side of my cheek. But she isn’t lifting. She’s fading. As they duck to hit the wall, the other girl hits first. Caro comes in second. Still, not a bad effort. It’s only a heat, so she can improve.

“Dammit,” East curses. “She’s gonna be hard on herself.”

I rub his back for comfort. “But she can do better in the semis. At least she got through.” I turn him to face me. “Now, don’t let this faze you, okay? You go out there, and you swim your heart out. Don’t worry about Caro, leave her to me. Focus on you right now.”

He’s not taking anything in, and it makes me worry for him.

“100 Back, please line up.”

“Make sure she’s okay,” he tells me.

“I will. Just focus! Get your spot in the semi, East.”

He takes a deep lung full of air, turns, and steps over to the lineup area, where he will take his place. He’s nervous. Unsettled even. But he walks out smiling at Caro as she strolls in, giving him two thumbs up. He tilts his head. She moves in and sits next to me as I wrap my arms around her. I’m trying to judge the situation because I was expecting her to be upset, but she’s smiling.

“I did okay, right?” she asks as she hugs me back.

“You did great. You qualified, which is what matters. You need to save your full strength for the finals.”

“Exactly.” She gulps, but her brave face is only going to last so long.

“Caro, you did amazing, that’s all that matters. It wasn’t the final, so there’s definitely time to improve. Don’t beat yourself up, okay?”

She glances at me and offers a subtle gesture of agreement. “You’re right. It wasn’t the final. I don’t need to win every race. Only the one that counts, right?”

“ Exactly . I didn’t win my first heat either, remember?”

She smiles. “That’s right, you didn’t. But you’re gonna win this next one.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice?”

The starting signal goes off again, and I jump slightly at the shock of the sound. Caro and I both turn to spot East hurtling through the water. His stroke is sloppy and slow. Something is off. I’m not sure whether the Caro thing has him rattled or whether nerves are getting to him, but something is messing with his performance.

“What’s going on with him?” Caro murmurs as he hits the wall in fourth position. He needs to pull up, or he isn’t going to qualify.

“I think he was nervous,” I reply.

We watch his muscles tense up as he pulls more forcefully through the water, gaining speed.

“Oh, thank fuck. Lift, East. C’mon,” Caro calls as we both stand up.

He slips into third place. Getting any higher is near on impossible, as the first place hits the wall, then the second. He dives, hitting the wall just in time to be in third place.

Caro and I slump and shake our heads. “What do I say to him?”

I lift my shoulders briefly. “You know him better than I do. He qualified, that’s all that matters. He can go for a better time in the semi.”

She nods and pulls me to her for a hug. “Don’t let our swims get to you. This is a huge race for you, Lace. This is what you came here for. If you hit the wall in the top three, you get a medal. Just remember that. Top three, okay? Doesn’t matter which one. Just. Get. Top. Three.”

I’m up next.

The stomach butterflies hit full force like never before. It’s like the can is open, and they all flutter out at the same time, flurrying about in a whirl of excitement and nerves. This is what my life has been pointing to. Every day, a step toward this moment. If I win this, I’ll become an Olympic Champion.

Marta walks over and stands right next to Caro and me.

I glare at her.

Why is she standing in our personal space?

We stare at each other in silence.

The tension thickens.

Our shoulders stiffen.

Marta smiles and finally faces me.

“See this…” She waves her hands over her body. “You’ve just been standing in the presence of greatness. Remember that. It will prepare you for your loss.” She smirks and marches off to get ready for the lineup.

“Was that supposed to be intimidating?” Caro scoffs.

“Nope, it was laughable. If anything, I’m even more determined for this convict to kick her pommie arse.”

“That a girl! Go get her!”

Checking around, I cannot find Katie. I furrow my brows. “Where’s Katie?”

Caro swivels and checks—we can’t see her anywhere.

There’s a few minutes before my lineup, so I figure we should search for her. I need all the support out there I can get. “We should try to find her.”

“Okay, let’s check the bathrooms,” Caro suggests.

I bob my head in answer, figuring that’s probably the first place we should search. We race off, and as we push through the door, the echoes of a girl crying are loud and clear. I turn to Caro and furrow my brows as we slowly edge further into the bathroom.

“Katie?” I call.

“Leave me alone,” she cries.

Giving a slight head shake, I race toward the stall where her voice came from. “Katie, we gotta go. Our race is up.”

“I can’t,” she replies.

“What? Why? Open the door.”

There’s a pause, and then the latch unhooks, and the door opens. We peek inside to see Katie standing there with her bathing suit on, but it has slashes all the way through it, showing her bare skin.

We both gasp, and heat boils inside of me as anger rages through every vein in my body. “Who did this?”

“I don’t know. I put it on, and it fell apart.”

“Here,” Caro cuts in and starts to strip.

“What are you doing?” Katie asks, opening her eyes wide at Caro’s naked body.

“I’m not letting Marta win. Now stop ogling my tits and get my suit on.”

Smiling at Caro, she nods at me as Katie grabs the suit from her and hands her bag to Caro, which I’m assuming has her uniform in it for Caro to change into. I turn around and let them both get changed and then we quickly run out to the marshalling area just in time for the lineup.

Marta spots Katie wearing a full suit and huffs.

“Thank you for coming to find me,” Katie whispers.

“No worries. We’re teammates. Us Aussies gotta stick together, right?”

She tips her head as we line up and walk out into the stadium. The crowd cheers. They’re always so much louder for finals. I scan the crowd and spot the Hughes family. I smile. Trinny waves then places her hand over her heart. I give a small affirmative motion at her message. Swim from the heart.

My stomach is somersaulting.

My entire body is shaking.

This is it.

My time to shine.

No one can win this medal except for me.

I step up to the starting block, my insides quivering as I try to calm my breathing, which is currently completely out of control. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, thinking about Coby’s face, his caress, and the way he ignites a fire inside of me. My nerves settle slightly. I open my eyes again as peace washes over me.

With Coby and my friends by my side, I can do anything.

I can be anything.

I can live the dream.

I am the dream.

I can do this!

“Take your mark.”

Bending down, my nerves wash away, and a sense of Zen washes over me. My stomach butterflies stop. My panic fades, and all I can think about is the job at hand. Determination grips me. The need to beat Marta overpowers my nervousness. The way she’s carried herself through these Games is unacceptable. I have to stop her from getting a medal.

A grin crosses my face as my heart pumps faster and adrenaline spikes. My need to be in the water almost overpowers me. The starting signal blasts, quenching my desire, and I fire like a rocket into the water at lightning speed.

The warm liquid hits my face, and it’s like the drug I’ve been needing, which only fuels the flame inside of me. It spurs me on, and as I come up for air and pull my arms over my body, the surge to power through the water and keep moving through it is the fuel I need to survive. A fuel that’s cascading through my veins. My inner strength has erupted, no longer a flickering spark but a blazing inferno, consuming everything in its path. I’m not just striking the match—I’m fueling a wildfire, unstoppable and all-encompassing. Every molecule, every fibre of my being, is ablaze, feeding the relentless surge of my desire to win.

As I hit the wall, I turn and push off even harder for the final fifty.

I’ve never had this drive before.

My muscles clench, they ache and tear in every direction possible, but my drug, my fuel, is pushing me even harder. My lungs nearly collapse, but I won’t give in as I strive to beat Marta. I don’t even care about the gold at this point as long as I’m in front of that bitch—it’s all I care about. The roar of the crowd only adds more fuel as it pumps through my system, overloading me with a need… a need to get through this race.

I will not falter.

I will not slow down.

I will not give in.

I will ignite the match once more.

I will race from the heart.

My body pushes through the agony.

The wall is within my grasp.

Relief floods my veins as I duck and slam into the tiles.

My body falls to the depths of the pool as my head rises up through the clear blue liquid for the last time of the 100m Fly. I tear off my goggles to get a better look at the scoreboard as the Australian home crowd is screaming out in applause and celebration.

My eyes can’t focus while my body fights against exhaustion.

I rub my eyes and study the board.

Lacy LaBelle 54:03.

I cry in utter shock.

This time, I understand what’s happened. Not only have I hit the wall first, but I’ve also smashed the Olympic record previously held by the USA. My hands throw into the air as I scan the stand and find Coby and the Hughes family jumping and screaming.

I pull off my caps.

Tears run down my face.

I did it…

All my hard work.

Years and years of training…

It all came down to this one moment.

Gold.

I’ve won gold.

I. Fucking. Won. Gold!

Katie rushes to my side, pulling me to her, and I cry into her shoulder as she screams in my ear. “Oh my God, we did it, Lacy. We both did it!” she cheers.

I pull back and furrow my brows. What does she mean? Quickly, I glance at the scoreboard once more to see that Katie came in second to win silver, and Marta came in third for bronze.

“Oh my God, Katie. Gold and silver for Australia. We did it. We actually did it!” I cry, and she bursts into tears as we embrace each other in the water.

Marta grunts behind us, throwing her cap in disgust.

We hug once more and then make our way out of the pool. The liquid swirling around me, washing over my heated skin, giving me a sense of calm in my heightened state of emotion.

The commentator calls us over. “Well done, girls. Gold and silver for Australia. We’re so proud of you.”

We both giggle and I wrap my arm around Katie and smile. “Thanks so much, Grant. It’s so nice… to bring gold… home for Australia in my first Olympics. It’s been a rough road here… but we got there in the end,” I say through staggered breaths, still trying to catch them from my epic swim.

“And you broke the Olympic record, too, Lacy. Well done!”

Katie nudges me and laughs. “She’s amazing!”

“Thanks… I pushed as hard as I could… I’m just so happy with the results… but I couldn’t have done it… without my support group… they know who they are… including Katie here… and especially my coach, Tuck… who forced me to believe in myself… when no one else did…” My eyes well up again, and Katie cuddles into me.

“Well, the whole of the world believes in you now, Lacy. And Katie, a wonderful silver swim from you, too. Congratulations, you must be so happy.”

She smiles. “You have no idea what it means for Australia… to get the gold and silver medals in this event…. To get the silver is a dream I couldn’t even imagine… and to be doing it with Lacy by my side… is such an honour.”

I smile at her and think about how far we’ve come, from her pushing me over at the trials to Caro handing her the silver medal by giving her, her suit. Our relationship is a strange one, but it’s come full circle now, and I’m glad we’re finally on the same side.

“Well, congratulations again, ladies. Great swimming, and we’ll see you on the podium for your medal presentation.”

“Thanks, Grant!” we both reply in unison. I link my arm with Katie’s, and we rush toward the marshalling area. As I step toward it, I see Caro, East, and Coby. They jump from foot to foot, waiting for me to get to them. I glance at Katie. She smiles, letting my arm go. I give her a broad grin and then run off toward my foursome and into their waiting arms. A giant group hug—their warmth encases me and we all laugh.

“Oh my God, you did it!” Caro chimes in.

“I did it!” I repeat as they all let me go, and then Coby takes me in his arms, holding me so tightly. I wrap my arms around him and nuzzle his chest.

He leans in, kissing my head. “I’m so proud of you.”

Sniffing, trying to hold back the emotion, I glance up at him and smile. “I never thought I could do it. Honestly, I thought silver maybe, bronze quite possibly, but gold?”

Marta walks in, pushing her way through the crowd. “Cheaters never prosper, love,” she sneers before storming away.

We all furrow our brows and shake our heads. “What the hell is that about?”

“She’s just trying to pull an excuse as to why she sucked so badly,” East quips.

We all chuckle.

“Miss LaBelle, Miss Reynolds, could we have a sample, please?” an official cuts in.

I nod and let go of Coby as he smiles and winks. Moving over to the official, I grab the test container and walk with Katie toward the bathroom. She smiles, and I raise an brow.

“What?”

She tilts her head. “Coby likes you.”

Wincing, I take a deep breath. “Sorry, that must be weird for you.”

She raises her shoulders. “It’s fine. We would never have worked anyway. He moved back to South Australia, and I’m still in Victoria, so long distance isn’t my thing. Plus, he never liked me anyway. I can be kinda… intense.”

I smile and push open the bathroom door. “I think you just like to get your way.”

She giggles. “True. But I learned that there’s a way to go about getting it, and I was doing it all wrong. Pushing you into those chairs and treating you the way I did…” She shakes her head and glances down. “I’m sorry. I was super jealous… of Coby, of you—”

“Of me?”

“Yeah. You’re super talented and drop-dead gorgeous. You’re everything I want to be, and I was threatened and took it out on you. Not cool. I am sorry.”

I slump and sigh. “Water under the bridge.”

She shakes her head. “This is what I mean… you’re so nice. I treated you like shit. Even after everything, you still came to find me for the final and you still chose to help me. That just shows what type of person you are. You’re an amazing woman, Lacy.”

I shrug and smile. “Thanks, but you’re a good person too, Katie. Swallowing your pride isn’t an easy task and most people can’t do it as well as you have. I’m glad we can be friends.”

She smiles. “Me too.”