assumed I wouldn’t have the nerve, but I called her bluff. Even to my young ears, the word “quitting” sounded abrasive, which is why I ended up marching up to the front of the class and announcing my formal retirement from the art of ballet.
I wished my dance mates au revior, shed my ballet skirt, and took the mat for my very first gymnastics class. It took five minutes for me to fall in love with the sport.
By gymnastics standards, I’d started late. At seven, I might as well have been a ninety-year-old geriatric taking the mat. For reference, Dominique Moceanu competed in the Olympics when she was fourteen. FOURTEEN. Some kids are still wearing Velcro shoes at fourteen and she was winning gold for her country at the Atlanta Summer Games.
I didn’t let my age stop me though; I worked harder than every girl at my gym, and by the time I rang in my fourteenth birthday, I was competing at the elite level. An injury kept me out of the 2012 Olympic games in London, but two years later, I won all-around gold at nationals and then went on to place first at the World Gymnastics Championships in 2014 and 2015.
I’d proven my skills on the second biggest stage with back-to-back golds, but the Olympics were a level apart. Winning gold at Worlds put me in the spotlight within the gymnastics community, but winning gold at the Olympics would make me a household name. I wanted to be a household name. I needed the perks that came with being a household name: sponsorships, endorsements, commercials, photo shoots. My mom and I would never have to worry about money again.
“Do you think Erik is still coming?” Lexi asked, leaning forward on the couch to get a better angle on her toes. She’d just finished painting mine bright red and now she was working on her own.
“Of course he’s coming,” June said from her perch across the room. She’d put as much distance between herself and the rest of the group as she could without actually leaving the house. “He said we had a team meeting today at 2:30 PM, so he will be here.”
“Maybe he’s just running late,” Rosie said, giving him the benefit of the doubt.
“June, you can scoot closer, we don’t bite,” Lexi said, patting the couch cushion beside her. The four of us were all sitting hip to hip, squeezed on the couch like Tetris blocks.
June turned her nose up at us. “I’m fine.”
There was a clear line in the sand—the four of us vs. June—even though it made no sense. Besides Rosie and Lexi, none of us had trained at the same gym. We had all seen each other at competitions and had made an effort to get to know each other during the Olympic trials. June was wholeheartedly uninterested and mildly annoyed with our presence, as if we were warts she couldn’t quite rid herself of. She probably viewed us as her competition and was scared to get too close. Does she think we’ll poison her cereal or something?
“So what does the room sitch look like upstairs?” Lexi asked.
“I’ve got my own room,” June said, butting in just as Molly opened her mouth to speak. “It’s just easier that way. I like order and routine.”
“Right-o,” Lexi said, tilting her head toward me. “I’m assuming you and Molly are bunking together?”
I nodded. “Which leaves the last room for you and Rosie.”
Rosie smiled. “That’ll be fun, Lex. I’m a really quiet sleeper and I’m very clean.”
“Fine. I dumped my boyfriend before I left anyway, so it’s not like I’ll need much privacy.”
“Privacy for what?” Rosie said, genuinely curious.
“Phone sex.”
June nearly gagged on her tongue and Rosie’s cheeks turned dark scarlet.
I couldn’t help but laugh as Lexi assessed us. “What? Am I supposed to dance around the subject with you guys? Do I need to give anyone the talk?”
I laughed and held up my hands to show I was in no need of “the talk”, but I couldn’t speak for the rest of my teammates.
“So you’re single now?” I asked, trying to change the subject for Rosie and June’s sake.
“Yup, and just in time for the games. What about you guys? Boyfriends, girlfriends?”
June and Rosie shook their heads, but Molly did a teeter-totter thing with her hands. “It’s not serious or anything, but the host family I’ve been staying with has a son.”
A son?!
Too many questions flooded her at once.
“Is he hot?” I asked.
“How’s the sex?” Lexi