didn’t see him anywhere, around school, or at the bus stop.
Friday afternoon she received a giddy text from Maggie that practice had ended early. She wanted to go to the football game together.
Ria went to pick her up from the dry gym. She parked around the corner of the enormous cement building, out of sight. When she’d first started diving, Benny’s dry land workouts had been held on a rusty trampoline and a mildewed mat shoved in the alley behind the Aquaplex. Once Mom heard what he visualized, she’d helped him get the permits and lease. Dad wrote a business plan so Benny could get a loan for all the required equipment. Trampolines in three different sizes, weights, mats, mirrors; even a diving board that launched them into a giant foam pit. Anything and everything that would make them stronger, better, more competitive. All the divers and their parents had helped to create the fantasy wonderland.
She checked her phone again. There had to be a different time zone or magic portal surrounding the gym. Hours had flown by when she was inside it, but now, sitting in the parking lot, the minutes dragged on.
A sudden knocking on her back window made her jump, but before she could make sense of Benny’s face, he’d moved beside her car, gesturing for her to open the window.
“Maggie’ll be out in a minute,” he said as soon as the glass slid down.
Ria kept her hands on the steering wheel, reminding herself to stay in the car.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said, bending over and putting his elbows on her window frame. “I knew you couldn’t quit.”
She hadn’t meant to quit altogether. She just scratched the meet. But then he’d quit her, even though he knew she couldn’t dive for anyone else.
“You’re not wired that way.”
She couldn’t tell if that was a compliment or a curse.
“We might be able to help each other out.”
She waited. Not knowing where he was leading her made it hard to sit still.
“Nothing is for sure, but I’ve got some ideas. I don’t want to make any promises I can’t keep, but . . .” He grinned, as if she should know what he meant. “Let’s just say I have a feeling your parents are going to be sorry they ever started whining about how things have turned out.”
She rubbed her chin in reflex. It barely hurt anymore. For Benny, whining was one of the gravest sins.
“So, I can come back?”
“Not here. You quit this place. It would be a bad example.” He frowned. “I’m working as fast as I can, but this is your time, Ria. Use it to play teenager. I hear there’s a big game tonight, right? So, go and have fun with that pretty lifeguard boyfriend of yours. Go a little wild.”
He must have recognized her confusion because he added, “I mean it. You deserve to have fun while you can.”
Her head spun with his words that belonged to someone else. As if she didn’t know he thought normal teenager stuff was a waste of time.
“But don’t get soft on me.”
He disappeared around the back side of the building, leaving her to puzzle what he meant. He didn’t want her here, but he hadn’t seemed mad, either. It was the most precarious place to be.
Finally, Maggie opened the passenger door and stuck her head in, grinning and smelling of sweat and chalk. “Hey! Do you want to come in and see everyone?”
“No!” Ria turned away, swallowing hard against the sudden ambush of ache in her throat. Clearly, Maggie had no idea Benny had stepped outside to see her. There’d always been parts of his coaching they didn’t talk about. It was one of his rules—no comparison. He had to treat them each differently because they needed different things. What was said privately, coach to diver, was sacred. Secret. It was the only way to be a team.
As Maggie plopped on the passenger seat, she redid her bun, checking it in the visor mirror even though her fingers knew the drill.
“I still can’t believe Benny let us out early. He was finally in a decent mood today, for the first time since . . .” Maggie looked away and got busy with her seat belt, while going on. “Anyway, when Chrissy started complaining about missing the first game of the year, I was fully expecting him to add another round of reps, but instead, all of a sudden, he said—” She paused for dramatic effect, then lowered her