Deep End

Lukas joins Scarlett in the pool. They swim, laugh, and tease each other. Lukas suggests they get out so they can check Scarlett’s MCAT scores. She forgot she’d told him about the email and her inability to open it. She tries changing the subject to Lukas’s upcoming Nordic Swimming Championships. He points out that he’ll be gone for 10 days, and he wants to be with her when she opens the scores.

Scarlett nervously opens the email, shocked to see she scored a point higher than Lukas. He congratulates her as if he already knew her results. He insists he knew she’d do well because she works so hard. She initiates a kiss, which she normally doesn’t do, but pulls back to ask if he and Pen are still having sex. He promises they haven’t slept together since breaking up because he only wants to have sex with her. They go into the locker room and have sex.

Scarlett tries the inward dive at practice the next day but can’t repeat her performance from the night before. Outside the pool, she realizes neither Coach Sima nor her teammates are paying attention to her. She reminds herself it’s okay that she didn’t get it this time, surprised by her positive thinking.

Scarlett has a few good days where she doesn’t achieve anything but feels content. On Wednesday, she returns to therapy with Sam. Scarlett opens up this time, revealing that she wasn’t honest before. She explains what happened the day she was injured and asserts that what she’s most afraid of is “not being perfect” (281).

Scarlett continues applying herself in practice over the following weeks. The coach notices and commends her efforts. She and Pen improve in synchro and place in the next meets. Scarlett finds she is less concerned about winning than she is about making diving feel fun again. Meanwhile, she and Lukas keep in touch via text while he’s away.

Before Thanksgiving, Pen tells Scarlett she’s spending the holiday with Theo. Scarlett discusses her plans with Sam, deciding to give herself a break and visit Barb instead of remaining on campus to study and practice. Before leaving, she and Lukas briefly reunite, agreeing to present at an upcoming bio conference together. Overwhelmed by emotion during the exchange, Scarlett wonders what else they could be to each other, but doesn’t vocalize her thoughts.

Scarlett flies back to St. Louis to see Barb. They spend the holiday weekend catching up. Scarlett tells Barb about her progress in diving and her upcoming championships. If she does well, she could participate in World Aquatics in Amsterdam.

Scarlett heads to Knoxville for the championship qualifiers. While there, she runs into Carissa, a girl she met on a recruiting trip in Florida. Carissa and her teammate Natalie invite Scarlett to dinner. They confront Scarlett about Pen, insisting Scarlett shouldn’t trust her. Carissa and Pen used to be in the same swim club in New Jersey; no one liked Pen because she was competitive and untrustworthy. Confused, Scarlett dismisses their warnings.

On the day of qualifiers, Scarlett is shocked that her biggest competition isn’t there. Pen arrives and gives her the tie-dye shammy for good luck. The whole team makes it to the finals. In the locker room afterward, Carissa verbally attacks Pen, insisting she hasn’t forgiven her for what she did. Panicking, Pen tells Scarlett she needs Lukas.

Scarlett tries Lukas but he doesn’t answer because he’s in the middle of a competition. Scarlett hugs Pen and asks what’s going on. Pen explains that Carissa’s mom ran their old swim club. She was abusive to the girls and Pen reported her. The club opened an investigation, which infuriated Carissa. She started spreading rumors that Pen made the whole thing up to attack Carissa because she was jealous of her. She spread rumors around their school too, and Pen lost a lot of friends. Lukas was there for her when this happened, which is why she wanted to talk to him. Scarlett reminds her that Carissa’s anger is unfounded. When Lukas calls back, Pen assures him Scarlett helped her and she’s okay.

Scarlett and Pen don’t qualify in the first days of nationals but get ready to celebrate afterward anyway. Before they leave, Carissa confronts Scarlett, reminding her not to trust Pen. Scarlett stands up to her and demands that she stop harassing them. Pen thanks her, exclaiming at how much Scarlett and Lukas are alike. Although flattered, Scarlett doubts she’s as confident as Lukas.

The next day, the team “qualifie[s] for the Olympic trials” (312). During her last dive of the day, Scarlett performs a perfect armstand double one and a half and qualifies for World Aquatics.

On Saturday, Scarlett and Lukas reunite at Scarlett’s house. He brings over takeout, congratulates her on her win, and they have sex. Afterward, they talk about World Aquatics. Lukas admits that he got med school acceptances from Penn and Emory. Scarlett climbs into his lap and tells him how happy she is for him.

Over the following days, Scarlett and Lukas continue spending time together both inside and outside of the lab. Scarlett feels happy whenever they’re together.

Scarlett and Lukas don’t see each other for a few weeks. Lukas is in Hawaii with the swim team, and Scarlett returns home to see Barb for the holidays. They keep in touch via text throughout. When she mentions him to Barb, Barb is happy for her but reminds her to be safe. Meanwhile, Scarlett keeps wondering if their relationship could evolve into something more but doesn’t know how to ask. One night, however, Lukas suggests she visit Sweden over the summer.

After the holidays, Scarlett and Lukas meet back up and have sex. Scarlett is thrilled to be back together and wonders again if their relationship could grow more serious. After they orgasm, they tell each other how much they love being together.

Lukas is already downstairs when Scarlett wakes up. She stands in the hall and eavesdrops on his conversation with Hasan and Kyle. They’re shocked to hear he’s sleeping with Scarlett because they thought she was off limits since he’s still with Pen. He explains the situation as Kyle notices Scarlett in the hall. She tells Lukas she’s heading out.