Normally I’d be fighting off a twist of tension in my gut at the thought of being faced with a room full of reporters, but the combination of having the team with me plus all the recent interviews I’d done with Ben had fortified me. I felt like I could handle anything they’d throw at me.Myversion of my story was out there, thanks to him.
Erica grabbed my arm and looked up at me with her eyes wide before we walked out. “It’s a full house.”
I smiled at her. “You’ve got this, don’t worry.”
The blazer woman moved in front of the chairs as we settled in and the room quieted. “Welcome everyone! We’re so excited to have our Team USA singles figure skaters here today for the first official press conference of the Milano Cortina Olympic Games!”
The energy in the room shifted as everyone broke into applause.
“Tina Weng fromUSA Today, you’re up,” she said and pointed to a woman seated at the front of the crowd.
“Thank you. This question is for Declan. You’ve been coming really close to hitting that unicorn, the quadruple axel. How confident are you feeling about your chances here in Milan?”
The three of us in front turned around to watch him answer, because we wanted to know as well. I could see his media training bleeding through as he answered, because the old Declan would’ve been brash. This polished-up Olympic version was humble and hopeful.
And long-winded. I used the time to scan the crowd, hoping to find Ben among them, smiling back at me. I recognized a few of the reporters from their on-air coverage but couldn’t find him. Then I spotted a familiar high blond ponytail. Kim the producer was here, which probably meant that Ben was nearby. I squinted and scanned and came up empty.
“Next question,” Blazer Lady said. She pointed at a guy with gray scruff and a stack of notebooks on his lap. “Jim, go ahead.”
“Thanks. Jim Kellogg from CNN. My question is for our two youngest skaters here today. Kayla, Erica, how does it feel to be in Milan?”
The softballiest question ever, and one we were all well prepared for.
Kayla leaned forward to speak into the mic in front of her. “I’ll start.”
I wanted to high-five her, because she usually liked to stay quiet. Her answer was lovely, so much so that all Erica could do was basically repeat the same stuff about being honored and hoping to make her country proud.
“Okay, who’s next?” Blazer Lady said as hands shot into the air. “Kim, you’re up.”
I swallowed hard when her eyes landed on me.
“Thanks. Kim Overton fromThe Score, and my question is for Quinn.”
Of course it was. Like I hadn’t just fed their show every detail of my life. Well, noteverydetail. I faked a smile for her.
“There must be so much pressure on you after what happened at the last Olympics.”
My stomach dropped and my palms instantly went sweaty.Thisbullshit. I thought we were past it by now.
I nodded and got ready for my spin-filled reply, but she wasn’t done.
“It was such a shocking disappointment for Team USA, so I’m wondering—I think we’reallwondering—if you’re worried about a repeat performance this time around.”
Deep breaths.
“I wasn’t until you brought it up,” I said and continued to smile at her, but there was just enough venom in my voice to make my feelings about the question known. A few people chuckled.
She met my smile with her own overly toothy grin that didn’treach her eyes, then shifted to a faux-concerned expression. “The world saw you broken the last time around. And then your retirement announcement was both shocking and not. So what was it that got you back out there? Do you have something to prove to your old coaching team, or is it more than that?”
Well,damn.
Kim Overton was playing all the old hits, from my disastrous performances to the beef with Carol and my mom. It struck me that if Ben hadn’t been running point for me during our week together it probably would’ve included lots more of this type of questioning.
I’d assumed he was going to blow up my life, but he’d actually kept me glued together.
I straightened my back, arranged my face into my haughtiest ice queen expression, and locked on to Kim.
“My goal as an athlete is to always look forward. It’s too easy to get caught up in who wewereat the last competition, not who we’re training to become in the present. And I’ve worked hard to be this version of me. I feel really happy skating these programs. I’m back at my second Olympics because I deserve to be here.” I didn’t normally brag but I wasn’t going to let her get away with trying to knock me off balance to get a good sound bite. “I’m sure you’ve seen how hard I worked to earn my place on Team USA. If not, I can text you the YouTube clips from my performances at Worlds.”
