“Ari, be honest. You know we’re screwed.” Yasmeen shook her head.
“Let’s face it, compared to the other teams, we’re just not that good,” Izzy said, defeated.
“I told you. We should have never gotten our hopes up,” said Sienna. “Which is why I always say expect the worst. That way, you’re never disappointed.”
All the other girls began to groan.
“Why do you have to be so depressingall the time?” Yasmeen said.
“I’m realistic, the only realistic one here! We did a good job to get here, but we might just have to accept that this is the end,” answered Sienna, but Ari wasn’t having it.
“I swear, if you keep talking like that, I’m getting Coach to bench you,” said Ari. “Actually, I’ll bench all three of you if you keep at this.”
The room went silent.
She’d never made a game-based threat before. In fact, beyond a few failed pep talks, Ari had never really put her foot down in a way that reminded them that she was their captain. There were twenty-two other girls on the team, and most of them hadn’t given her any problems. But the dynamics between Ari and her three best friends on the team were much more complicated. Izzy was the fun one, Sienna was the honest one, Yasmeen was the chilled-out one, and Ari was the confidante. The person who subtly worked behind the scenes to fix things, the friend you could talk to without judgment. But they didn’t talk to her as much now that she was their captain. Not because they liked her any less, but because they couldn’t confide in the person whose new job it was to keep them in line. So, Ari had been trying her best not to say or do anything that caused any further divides between her and her friends. But that caution was starting to get in the way of their chances of success.
“You know you’re not ouractualcaptain, right?” said Sienna. She rarely got mean, but she was staring into Ari’s eyes with an intense glare. “Gracie is our captain. Coachonlygave you therole because—” Sienna stopped herself midsentence, knowing she’d gone too far.
“Because what?” said Ari. The room went silent as they faced each other. They’d been friends since they were kids and fought like sisters when things got tough, so nobody dared get in the middle of things. “If you’re going to start something, finish it.”
“Because I’m the best player on the team,” said Sienna, steely eyed. “I can’t be captain because I have to focus all ofmyenergy on scoring goals.”
It stung a little, because she was right. But Sienna’s willingness to say something like that made it clear why their roles hadn’t been reversed.
“You might score more goals than me, Sienna, but the real reason you’re not captain is because you don’t have the temperament to lead a team. Even now. Why are you picking a fight?” Ari asked.
“Because you don’t know how to!” said Sienna.
Ari’s heart sank. The room stilled. The flash of regret in Sienna’s eyes and their teammates’ nervous glances made it clear they’d all been thinking the same thing. Izzy stared at the ground. Yasmeen picked up her kit bag and walked across the room.
The room stayed quiet as Ari let the words sink in. The rest of her teammates took their seats, but she and Sienna stayed standing. The words exchanged still hanging in the air.
“Is that what you really think?” Ari asked, trying not to sound as deflated as she felt.
“Ari,” Sienna said with a sigh, her voice almost apologetic. “It’s not working. Everyone walks all over you… and you just let them.”
Ari could feel the pinpricks in her eyes. She opened her mouth and tried to voice a response, but the words wouldn’t come out. Coach McLaughlin walked in a few seconds later. He lookedaround, bewildered by the silence, then walked to the front of the room to commence their team meeting. He started talking about strategy and execution, but Ari couldn’t take any of it in. Sienna’s words were still ringing in her head. They’d had dozens of arguments over the years, but this one felt different because the most painful thing Sienna had said was the truth. And as she glanced around room, it became painfully apparent. Something needed to change, because as she’d learned a long time ago, nobody was coming to save her.
24Drew
DAY FOUR OF THE 2026 OLYMPICS
“When are we going to stop lying to her?” Drew said as he and his grandpa stood inside the Village gift shop, examining postcards while his grandma flitted around looking for souvenirs. It was the question that had been circling his mind all day. After taking photos of Ari, he’d headed over to the skeleton track to photograph an athlete on the Latvian team named Andris. Andris’s brother was also his coach, so he and Drew struck up a conversation about all the stress their siblings endured. A conversation that reminded him of the secrets he was keeping fromhissister.
“After the Olympics,” his grandpa said firmly.
“Of course.” That was one thing they were in complete agreement about. “But when?”
“You’re stressing me out, Andrew,” his grandpa said as he tied and then retied his scarf, looking out at the snow instead of meeting his eye. It was the conversation they’d been having ever since Drew had moved back home. His grandparents had donea pretty good job of hiding the worst of his grandma’s symptoms when he’d FaceTimed them from college. But it was impossible not to notice her worsening condition when he’d moved back home. It was still mostly small things: losing her keys, getting overwhelmed at the grocery store, and calling old friends by the wrong name. But the more time Drew spent with her, the more aware he became of her deterioration.
She’d called him in tears a few days before Christmas, after getting lost while driving to the grocery store. By the time Drew had arrived to pick her up, she’d dusted herself off. Greeting him with a joke and telling him she was overreacting because she hadn’t had her morning coffee yet. But back at the house, the three of them sat down and decided that it wasn’t safe for her to drive anymore.
In January, Drew had decided to make himself useful by cleaning out the attic and updating a few family albums. But when he’d shown her a handful of photos from the trip they’d taken to Canada, she’d stared blankly at them, unable to recall a single thing they’d done on a trip just two years ago.
So, Drew insisted he accompany his grandma to her next doctor’s appointment, which confirmed his fears. Thingswereprogressing faster than expected. To the average person, his grandma seemed completely fine, if not slightly scatterbrained. But it took only a full week together to see it was more serious than that.
“I’m just saying we can try to hide it, but eventually Thandie’s gonna find out. And then, it won’t matter that we were trying to protect her. It will just feel like a betrayal.”
