2 months later...
All that training, it comes down to this. All the time I endured spending with Jeremy as he tutored me even after it became awkward after we kissed that one night.
I stared at the uneven bars. The one event Coach Jr allowed me to keep my degree of difficulty. If I were to make an impactful comeback, it would be on this event right here. I could feel all the eyes on me. Everyone was at the side cheering. Coach organized this as a showcase which was open to the general public. If I could do my routines flawlessly here, the chances of making a comeback would definitely increase.
Coach Jr and his father, Coach Senior were judging. Their expressions were unreadable, as usual.
My routine was much better than the routine I did for Coach Jr when I started training two months ago, but it wasn’t as clean as I had wanted it to be. I stuck my double layout dismount, but the errors in between were very obvious.
I sighed, going on to the other apparatuses. I hopped on my Amanar vault again, had a reasonably clean beam routine with minor balance checks and a consistent but boring floor routine.
I could hear Jeremy, Max, Rayna, Mia and Alexa cheering from the stands. I could also hear Princess cheering, which didn’t leave a warm feeling like the rest did. Embarrassingly enough, a couple of my friends from the gymnastics world flew out just to see this showcase, my boyfriend, Wesley Tucker included.
He applauded like a supportive boyfriend he was, but I knew he expected my routines to be as difficult as before. Coach Jr insisted I tone down on my beam and floor. He looked as dashing as he ever did. He travelled with a few buddies of his as well as a few members of the women’s national gymnastics team. I had to admit, it was really embarrassing doing those toned down routines in front of them. I was known to bring it, and I didn’t even come close today.
Coach Jr’s voice boomed through the speakers, “Thank you all for attending. I regret to inform you that, Anna Parker, or some of you may know her as Savannah Greene, will not be making a full comeback. Thank you for your interest.”
Flashbacks to the day Coach Jr agreed to train me.
“If I tell you to move on from gymnastics in two months, will you trust me?”
I nodded.
“Will you get angry at me and throw a fit like you did to Coach Macintyre?”
I shook my head reluctantly.
“Then we have a deal,” he said shaking my hand.
I rushed to the judges’ table, feeling desperate. The crowd chattering amongst themselves were blurred in the background. I was focused on Coach Jr.
“Coach,” I said approaching him.
“Remember what we agreed on, Anna?”
I nodded, “I’m not here to fight, Coach. I just want to know. Could I have worked harder?”
He shook his head, “I believe with 100% of my heart, that you, Anna Parker, are destined for greatness, I really do.”
He continued, “I believe that every gymnast has a limited span and capability of gymnastics career. You can’t be junior world champion three times in a row, and expect to be senior world champion three times in a row too. I know you’ve worked your ass off, but once you’re worn out, there’s not enough time in the world that can undo the damage to your body. Your gymnastics career is exceptional and you shouldn’t feel underachieved, because you’ve achieved a lot. I know you’ve always dreamt of going to the Olympics, but 3 times World All Around Champion is pretty close to it, maybe even better.”
“I’m not just your coach. I feel like your mentor slash big brother. I’ve watched you grow up, and you’ve grown up to be a very sensible and outstanding young lady. I think you should let go of your career gracefully, rather than it being snatched away from you when you have a massive injury. For you, Anna Parker, the sky’s the limit.”
Tears started forming in my eyes. I began to sniffle, “Thank you coach, for everything.”
He kissed my forehead and muttered, “Good luck, Anna Parker.”
I was going to go out with Wesley to celebrate after Coach Jr announced that I could make my comeback. Sure, I was disappointed and down, but deep down I knew I was ready to move on too. I needed Wesley to console me.
Wesley waited for me on a park bench nearby the gym. He looked so sexy wearing his snug leather jacket and board shorts.
“Anna, I’m so sorry,” he said.
I pulled him into a tight embrace, “I’ve missed you so much.”
He stayed quiet.
I expected to feel like crap and cry my eyes out, but I felt nothing; just empty inside.
“This isn’t a good time, I know, but...”
“But what?” I asked impatiently.
“I know you kissed Jeremy.” He untangled himself from our hug. My heart sank.
“He kissed me!” I retorted.
“You didn’t push away. I know,” he muttered.
My body raged with emotions. “How about you, huh? I’ve seen the tabloids. I know you’ve been hanging out with Marianna Harper!”
“Only after I found out you had a thing with Jeremy!”
“And I suppose you got your inside scoop from Marianna, because that isn’t the whole story! We kissed once. I’m sure you and Marianna have explored much more than your mouths, haven’t you?!” I raged.
“That isn’t fair. You went away to boarding school.”
I scoffed, “I can’t believe I thought I loved you. I got sent away to boarding school. You have no right to say that!”
“This isn’t working,” he muttered.
“You don’t say!” I yelled furiously.
He pecked my cheek, “I guess the only thing we really had in common was gymnastics.”
I rolled my eyes feeling extremely annoyed. Why did I spend so long obsessing over this asshole?
“Goodbye, Anna.”
“Screw you Wesley. I hope you and Marianna Harper live a short and crappy gymnastics career together, you asshole.”
I headed back to the stands, where my friends were waiting patiently for me. Rayna ran up to me and hugged me hard, “You did amazing.”
The rest of the gang agreed, and immediately I felt better.
“I broke up with Wesley,” I muttered.
Rayna asked, “Why?”
“I’m pretty sure he cheated on me.”
“Why would he do that?” Rayna yelled, very ready to jump him.
“He knew Jeremy and I kissed two months ago.”
Rayna, Mia and Alexa gasped in unison, “What?!”
“When? When he was tutoring you?” Mia chimed.
“When he was bitching about Princess?” Alexa sneered.
I looked hopefully at Jeremy. Rescue me, please, I tried to say. Jeremy rushed in, took my hand, turned to the others and said, “We’ll be right back.”
“Savannah, I’m sorry for what happened,” he said finally.
I looked away, unable to meet his gaze, “It’s not entirely your fault. I think Wesley and I broke up for the better. We only had gymnastics in common.”
He looked surprised, “You don’t even sound heart-broken.”
“Maybe I was just too caught up with the idea of dating the hottest guy in the gymnastics world. I guess I was in love with the idea of loving him,” I shrugged.
He looked sympathetic, “Well, at least it’s over.”
I shrugged, “Yeah it is.”
Then it was awkward. I was pretty sure it was that snooping Princess who gave Marianna Harper the inside scoop. His eyes wandered about, while mine just stared at nothing.
I finally broke the silence, “Jeremy, I’m so sorry for pushing you away two months ago.”
Almost immediately, he snapped back to normal Jeremy behaviour, “What are you talking about? What happened was my entire fault. I knew you were with Wesley and I shouldn’t have crossed the line, I’m sorry.”
“I could’ve just pushed you away the second your lips touched mine, but I didn’t.”
“Well, I’m sorry our first kiss wasn’t magical. I wish I had waited...”
“Waited for what?”
“Waited for me to bring you on a nice date, for us to hold hands, for us to get to know each other completely, and then kiss you.”
I smiled, “Clean slate?”
He nodded, “Clean slate.”
In the heat of the moment, I leaned in. Our lips inches apart when he pulled away, “Not so fast.”
I pouted, “What do you mean?”
“I don’t want to be your rebound,” he said turning away.
I put my hand on his shoulder, “Jeremy, I wasn’t in love with him. I think I am with you.”
He turned back, “Did you just say you’re in love with me?”
I blushed, “I guess I did.”
“I love you too, Savannah, but let’s just take things slowly, yeah?”
He just said he loved me. And it felt like he meant it. I could feel the butterflies in my tummy. When Wesley told me he loved me, it felt like he was just kissing my ass so he could get into my pants—which he didn’t. So, this is what love felt like. It felt amazing, except... we weren’t actually together.
Awkwardly, Jeremy pulled me into a tight hug. “I promise I won’t hurt you.”
Whenever someone said that, it was hard to believe, but I believed Jeremy. This may sound corny and cheesy, but I genuinely felt like I was falling irrevocably in love with him.