“Shut up. I did the math. Our scores were one of the ties. You and me, we’re interchangeable parts, and let’s be real, the only reason they picked you was because you’re screwing Leo.”
“I’mnotscrewing Leo, and they picked me because I’m going to win gold on bars,” I say between clenched teeth.
“Whatever.” She brushes it off. “You want me to do the right thing, right? Tell them what I saw?”
“Yes.”
“If you want it that badly, then you’ll give up your spot.”
“You want me to what?” I ask, already knowing that I will never, ever do what she’s suggesting. I’ve worked my whole life for this; why would I give it up because Sierra’s a lying bitch?
Sierra shrugs. “Think about it. It’s an easy swap, you for me. You say your back is acting up and you just can’t stand the pain anymore.”
“I’ll tell them what you saw.”
“And I’ll just tell them the opposite. It’ll never hold up in court, but an eyewitness who saw it a year ago, way before she accused him? He’ll go away for a long time. You can guarantee it.”
And suddenly, hearing that out loud, knowing that this will clinch the case against Gibby, it’s all very simple.
Dani saved me, and now I’m going to save her.
“Okay,” I hear myself saying. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
Sierra brightens immediately, a smile blooming across her face. “I thought you would. The agents are here right now. You should go tell Mrs. Jackson that you’re withdrawing, and when you do, I’ll go tell them what I’ve beenso afraidto reveal up until now.”
I swallow roughly and nod. If I’m going to do this, I have to do it now, like ripping off a bandage, before I can change my mind. This is the right thing. I’m going to do the right thing, and it’s going to cost me everything.
Numbly, I follow Sierra out of the room and down the stairs.
I’m only a few steps behind her, staring at my feet to make sure I don’t lose my footing. My hands are shaking, so I grip the handrail, but I nearly trip anyway when Sierra shrieks, “What did you do, you stupid bitch?”
My head flies up, and I brace myself for her to come flying back at me, but instead her eyes are focused ahead of her, in the living room. Emma, Chelsea, and Dani are all sitting on the couch with Janet and Mrs. Jackson beside them.
Jaime, however, is near the foot of the stairs with Agents Farley and Kingston, a greenish tint to her skin from the night before, her eyes red-rimmed and full of fire.
“I’ve had enough!” she bellows. “You think you’re so smart, cutting a deal with Audrey, her spot for your testimony. So what? You get to go to Tokyo, and I get to sit there and watch? I saw them together too, and you said we should keep it to ourselves. You said there wasn’t anything we could do, that it would just get us in trouble or make him turn on us next. This is all your fault. I never should have listened to you. I should have told the truth back then, and now I did, and guess what, Sierra? You lose!”
“Enough!” Agent Farley finally says, taking control of the room. “Mrs. Jackson, we’re going to need you, Sierra, and Jaime to come with us.”
They disappear into the kitchen, and that’s when what happened hits me like a kick to the chest.
Jaime rolled on Gibby and, in a way, Sierra. She told the agents what they saw at worlds. The FBI has the information they need, corroborating Dani’s story. Gibby’s going to go to jail, and me? I get to compete for Team USA at the Olympic Games.
I manage to make it all the way down the stairs to sit with the rest of them and look around, taking in everyone’s faces, but Dani’s bright smile is what sends me over the edge. The sobs come hard and fast. I’m probably freaking everyone out, but I can’t stop, my chest heaving as my body forces me to take a decent breath.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Breathe,” Chelsea says, suddenly right there. Her arms slide around my shoulders and pull me into a hug. She’s so much smaller than me, but I cling to her because if I don’t, I think I might fall. “It’s okay.”
“I don’t have to do it,” I manage to choke out between shallow breaths.
“It’s okay,” she says again and holds me tighter.
And it is. It’s okay. Finally, it’s okay.
chapter fifteen
“We’re so proud of you, kiddo,” Dad says, his face pixelating on the screen, especially as Mom squeezes in beside him. She beams at me, her smile taking up most of her face, but then she’s completely blocked by the magazine she’s holding up. After the team was officially announced a week ago, again, we had a day with the media plus a bunch of photo shoots for publicity leading up to the Games. The crown jewel of those long hours in front of the camera is theSports IllustratedOlympics special edition with the four of us on the front cover, the faces of American gymnastics, as diverse as the country we represent—finally. When I was little, most gymnasts did not look like us. Now, here we are, three women of color front and center, and I’m super proud of that.
“Your first magazine cover. I bought every copy they had at the store and gave my students extra credit if they found me more.”
