“So nice to see you, Mara,” Kirby said.
Mara’s eyes flashed, and a riptide of adrenaline hit Kirby full force. She braced for Mara’s words. She couldn’t wait to see what Mara did. What Mara said. How she reacted to something as simple as a greeting.
“Enough,” Coach Wu said from the doorway, her voice wry. Coach Wu enjoyed Kirby more than most people, but there were limits. “Come in here, KB.”
Kirby slipped by Mara and into the makeshift office. Coach Karlsson was also there, but he didn’t glance up from his laptop as Kirby sat down. He had headphones on.
“You need to focus the fuck up, Kirby,” Coach Wu said. No lead up or pleasantries.
Heat rushed over Kirby’s face. “I will.”
“Look, I get it.” Kirby must have made a face at that because Coach Wu said, “No, really. I do. You have every right to push against anyone’s effort to make you palatable. I like that you do. I want you to have that chip on your shoulder. I want you to race angry. But no one should matter to you but you. Focus on your own training.” Coach Wu tapped her own temple. “Get yourself together in here.”
“I am.”
Coach Wu shook her head like she knew that was a big fat lie.
“Stop letting her distract you,” Coach Wu said, dropping her voice low.
Kirby sighed. “She’s not.”
“We both know that’s not true. You don’t have anything to prove to anyone but yourself.”
“We both know that’s not true,” Kirby said, mimicking in the most respectful tone she could. “Did Mara get this same speech?” She looked at Coach Karlsson, but he either couldn’t hear her with his headphones on or was pretending not to.
“Mara doesn’t need anyone to tell her when she’s fucking up. She does that just fine on her own.”
“Okay.”
“You’ll be separated for the pre-Olympics press conference. They don’t want to risk a repeat.”
Kirby shouldn’t have felt disappointed about that, but she did. She loved sparring with Mara. And the press conference before the Beijing Olympics had changed her life.
“That means we’ll do press day individually?” Kirby asked.
“Mara will do hers individually. You’ll do yours with the rest of the team.”
So Mara was getting pulled out for special treatment. Classic.
Coach Wu leaned back in her desk chair and flipped a page in her notebook. “Now, let’s talk about the team sprint. You’ll be racing with Brandilyn and?—”
“Wait, that’s it?”
Coach Wu studied Kirby, and Kirby felt soseen. She wasn’t sure she liked it.
“You and Mara are big girls. You both have agents who can help you determine media strategies. I don’t give a shit about that as long as your head and body are where they need to be when you put your skis on. Understand?”
“Yeah. Hey, Coach?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.Win.”
CHAPTER
EIGHT
