and spun me around. "Just like when you bring up Kat. You sound like a jealous obsessed ex. It is not very becoming of you."
My jaw dropped. He did not just say that.
"You know, you're such a dickhead sometimes." I gave him my back.
"Where are you going?" he asked, ignoring my comment. He was probably used to it by now.
"To work."
"You are going in the wrong direction. The balance beam is the other way."
I kept walking and he repeated himself, then added, "Beam is your weakness and where we need to focus first." His voice was firm and full of authority; I couldn't ignore him.
Turning around on my heels, I walked toward him. He held his hand out with a jump rope in front of the balance beams. I looked down in confusion, then back up at him.
"What do you want me to do with that?"
"Get up on the beam and jump rope one hundred times. You wobble once, you start over."
My brows met my hairline. "You're so strange." I grabbed the jump rope and then hopped up on the beam. At four inches wide, I could easily do standing tucks and connect a series of skills both forward and backward. And he wanted me to jump rope? This would be a piece of cake.
I took a deep breath and swung the rope around, jumping lightly the first few times to get a feel for this.
"Lock your knees," he ordered.
I began counting.
"Eyes up. Shoulders back. Keep your posture straight. Do you know why I am having you do this?"
"Nnn—"
"Start over."
I stopped and looked down at him with one foot on the beam. "What? Why?"
"You wobbled and bent your knees. Start over."
Knees. I growled low in the back of my throat then began jumping again. I focused my gaze ahead of me. My mind immediately went to Kajta on her knees. I was still upset over last night but I tried to not let that effect my practice. Kova was quiet for a few moments before he said, "This will work the core of your body and help you punch the beam with straight legs. It also keeps your focus." He paused and added, "Do not turn your feet in, keep them forward."
It was a natural reaction for me to turn them in. I felt safer, like I had a better hold on the beam, but I also knew it could cost me.
I finished the first set the correct way with a slight burn in my thighs. Nothing bad though and I wasn't out of breath.
"Now jump rope traveling forward and backward. This will keep your body aligned and your concentration centered on what you are doing."
"How many times?" I asked between jumps, my words short and tight.
"Fifty each way."
This was a lot trickier than I expected. Just like Kova said, I had to keep my focus strictly on the beam and how I jumped—legs straight, body tight, hips squared. I wobbled a few times going backward and cursed Johnny under my breath.
Johnny was what Avery named the beam after I fell two times in one day. She said if I was getting fucked by the wood, then we needed to name it. The balance beam was now known as Johnny Depp to Avery.
"Tighten up, Adrianna. Squeeze your thighs and butt. Everything needs to be firm so you do not sway. The tighter you hold yourself, the less you fall. You cannot loosen for one second. I do not want to see anything jiggle on you. Keep your focus." He paused. "By the way, your mother gave me a ring yesterday. Such a lovely woman she is. So caring of her daughter."
I stopped and looked down at him, letting out a gush of air I hadn't realized I was holding.
"Uh huh. Start over."
I ignored him. I couldn't believe Mom called him. "What did she say?"
"Start over."
"What did she say, Kova?" I pushed, snapping at him. I probably looked like a psycho to him, but he held firm and wouldn't speak until I started up again. I huffed under my breath and jumped. Typical Kova. He always had to get his way. My coach was an exasperating man.
"Just that she wanted to know how her precious daughter was doing. I told her you were getting there but still had a long way to go."
I lowered my eyelids. "Of course you did. What else?"
"She said she was concerned about your diet and wanted to make sure you were eating nutritious meals. She mentioned