Chapter Text
Rio. It was the dream, honestly a dream she hadn’t even realized she’d had. Her father had always pressed her into swimming because of the college opportunities, he had been pissed when she’d taken half a full time course load so that she could train harder the semester before they were to head out. It was pretty standard with the Olympic swimmers that still managed the sport while they were in school. School teams and the universities themselves didn’t seem to mind that much, boasting an Olympic swimmer brought more money to the programs and more notice of their schools.
Always being second best had always left Paige feeling as if she wouldn’t be able to make it in college, let alone on a national or global level. It wasn’t until she had gotten to college that she had realized that she wasn’t just the second best on her high school swim team. She was one of the best in the country for her level of training. At the thought of those days, as she crossed through the international airport, had her thinking of Emily, which she found strange.
She hadn’t thought about her high school girlfriend in what felt like years, though she registered the Emily Fields often crossed her mind at the strangest of times. They, thankfully, hadn’t ended entirely on bad terms. Mostly, they were going to school on opposite coasts, Paige headed to California and Emily sticking around to go to Penn State. Both of them had been offered scholarships to both schools, and it had been discussed about going together to one of them but, once again, Paige’s father had put his foot down and refused to pay for Penn State when she had a full scholarship to USC. She also had a feeling that the unresolved –A situation had factored into Emily’s decision to stick close to home.
She also knew Emily had been playing the hero again, and had been forced to let her. She didn’t know what exactly the threat had been but it had been a nasty one, she was sure. She could tell by the angry, resigned look in Emily’s eyes, and the equally terrified and sorrowful looks she was given by the other three girls at the end of their last summer together. Then real life had kicked in, Paige had gotten used to having a life, and friends, that we’re not constantly being threatened and harassed. Some part of her, however, always wondered if the drop in communication between her and her ex had been natural or orchestrated by Emily herself, too keep her safe.
She still heard news of course, but she hadn’t been back to Rosewood for any longer than a few days for Thanksgiving or Christmas since starting college. People kept dropping dead, according to her father, Spencer Hastings sister had disappeared and been found several weeks later, bound and gagged with no memory of what had happened. Aria’s father had left town for good, with no warning. Garret Reynolds had been found dead, at the high school of all places. Then suddenly all the weird news had stopped. She had spared a though that maybe, maybe Emily was finally free. Then she’d hopped straight back into the pool and kept training.
The cab pulled up to the hotel in the Olympic Village. The swim team had mostly arrived together but Paige had one more class to take before she could board her flight. She wasn’t too broken up about it, other than two of the three other girls in her relay, she hadn’t made many friends. Her mother was flying in, as was her closest friend from school, but her father had been busy on business, unsurprisingly. The last girl, who had taken her trial late due to school like her apparently, wouldn’t be arriving until later tomorrow, though they had several days to practice both individually and as a team before the games started.
As she crossed the banner hung over the hotel with the Olympic rings on it she smiled, she was here. One of the best in the world, finally. She felt strong, in a way she wasn’t sure she had ever felt before. It was a strange thought, but it may have been because of everything she had sacrificed to get here. Four years of college turned into five, a lost relationship… not just her high school romance with Emily but her college girlfriend had become angry that her commitment to the both the school team and her personal training took time away from her. That’s what she gets for not dating a jock.
Checking in was a surprisingly quick affair, though she assumed because it was two days before the opening ceremonies and most of the athletes had checked in already. She headed to the elevator, her room being on one of the top floors of the huge hotel, wondering about who she would be rooming with. She knew it wasn’t any of the teammates she had met so far, only having met about half the team over the summer and winter breaks she had spent at the training facility in Arizona after she had made the team.
She did see one of the members of her first relay team as she stepped off the elevator. She decided to take her up on the offer to visit her room later for drinks with some of the others. Tonight was the last they would be drinking until their events were over. She was pretty sure there was a pub crawl planned for after all of the swimming events were over though, and one of the girls had mentioned that they might go sight-seeing tomorrow after mid-morning practice.
It was a rather chill evening, none of them really being much for drinking anyway but just enjoying being in another country, at the freaking Olympic Games of all places. She did manage to get tipsy throughout the evening though, so when she returned to her room and saw long dark hair and a blue tank top she was sure she was imagining things due to the booze.
She knew she wasn’t when the girl with her back to her turned around and spoke first.
“Paige? Paige McCullers?”