She pauses and looks at me before getting in, a proud smile on her face. “Yeah, I’m slowly learning that.”
And I’m slowly learning that when Teagan smiles at me like that, it makes me want to do anything I can to see such a breathtaking view.
Chapter 29
Teagan
She’s not going to stick it,I think to myself as I watch Zoey’s body twist and turn in her first stunt of her floor routine. Her body’s moving too fast, without control.
That’s the fastest way to injure yourself and ensure you don’t land your tricks, which is one of the most important parts of gymnastics.
If you can’t stick it, you’re screwed.
I watch as Zoey comes down and stumbles a few feet from where she should’ve landed.
“Ugh,” she groans loudly as she falls to the ground and rests her forehead there. I walk over to her and crouch down beside her.
“You need to remember control,” I tell her calmly, not in the chastising tone I was trained in.
“I couldn’t slow down.” She breathes in and out with deep breaths.
I plop down beside her, sitting crisscross on the mat. “It’s not easy, and I get that you want to be the best by doing impressive stunts. But if you can’t land them, you’re better off doing a safecookie-cutter routine. At least that way you won’t injure yourself and you might place on the podium.”
“Coming from you? You’re the gymnast who does the riskiest tricks and look how far it got you, winning gold in all categories. That’s what I want.” She looks up to face me now, the sheer look of determination on her face nearly startling me, because it’s exactly how I imagine I used to look at her age.
“I’m not saying don’t do them at all. I’m saying you need to control them, or else you might never compete again.” I lay it out straight with her, my tone even and firm.
Looking straight ahead, she takes a deep breath, then slowly turns to face me, her voice low as she says, “I’m sorry. I haven’t been focusing today. I know I can do better with my control.”
“Is everything okay?” I ask, curious as to why she can’t seem to focus today.
Zoey sighs, her brown eyes rolling. “It’s just about a stupid boy.”
“Oh,” I say, sounding surprised at the fact that she wants to tell me this. “I’m here if you want to talk,” I add, feeling slightly uncomfortable, because I’ve never had a child confide in me before and I don’t want to mess this up.
She runs a hand over her ponytail, seeming embarrassed. “I had a date with Harry at the movies, but he never showed up. I’ve been texting him to ask what happened, but he hasn’t answered my texts.”
“Have you seen him on campus today?” I ask.
“Yeah, he seemed fine when I saw him in our chemistry class this morning. But he didn’t even look at me,” she says, her voice low and filled with embarrassment as she averts her gaze.
My heart feels for her because getting left hanging like that is never a good feeling. Although I’ve never experienced it with a boy, I understand the feeling of being abandoned without an explanation and it fucking sucks feeling forgotten about.
Since she felt comfortable enough to confide in me, I figure she might be seeking some words of wisdom.
“Want my advice?”
“Please,” she replies, her eyes alighting with hope.
“You’re only seventeen and have a whole life ahead of you. Being stood up stings and it’s perfectly normal to be mad, cry, or even scream about it. But then let it go. Imagine if your future daughter told you the same thing. What would you tell her?”
“To leave his dumb ass behind and move on.”
“Exactly. You deserve better. Never let a man ruin something that’s important to you. He can go kick rocks,” I tell her, not wanting her to fixate on this forever, hoping she’ll move on.
Zoey smiles feebly. “Thanks, Coach.”
“Anytime,” I reply with a soft smile of my own.
