Page 29 of Stroked Hard
“I don’t care about your dives today.”
“You don’t?” I look around and then ask, “Where’s Mom and Dad?”
“I told them to wait patiently in their room so I could talk to you.”
“About what?”
She takes a deep breath and says, “Ever since the accident, you’ve been treating me differently.”
“That’s not—”
“Don’t say anything, Hollis. Don’t lie to me. You know it’s true. You’re different. You don’t talk to me like you used to, and when you do, you always skim the surface of our conversation. You never dig deep. You rarely talk to me about diving, a sport we both love, and when you do talk to me on the phone, it’s brief. I’m sick of it.”
I take a second before I answer her. What does someone really say to that?You’re right, I’ve been avoiding talking to you about anything serious because I feel guilty as fuck that you were the one injured in the car accident even though I was the one driving.
I fucking ended her diving career with one glance down. That’s all it takes, once glance away from the road, and you can end up running into a tree, ending your sister’s future career.
To this day I can still here the crunch of metal, the screech of Holly’s voice, the sirens in the distance, the Jaws of Life trying to extract my sister from the car. It’s still all there, at the forefront of my memory, despite being three years ago. She was looking to get her third gold, just like me, but now, she can’t . . . because of me.
“Hollis, talk to me.”
I shake my head, unable to pull together a sentence. “I just . . . fuck, Holls. I still hear, smell, and taste it all. Every damn day I hear your scream. It haunts me. I don’t avoid you because I don’t love you, I avoid you because I can’t handle seeing what I did to you.”
“Well, you’re going to have to get used to it, because as of today, I’m your new diving coach.”
My mind is still reeling about the accident until Holly’s words start to process in my brain.
“Wait, what?”
“I’m your new coach. I talked to Kelly with USA Diving; it’s all set. I took my education and certification two years ago. I just have to update my CPR card but I should be good.”
“But you’ve never coached anyone before.”
“Doesn’t matter. I know the ins and outs of elite diving, I know what it takes to be an Olympian, and I’m ready to continue to move you forward. Plus, I know what makes you tick. You not only need me, but you will want me as well.”
Not wanting to offend her, but seriously concerned about her well-being, I ask, “Do you think this is a good idea? You will be surrounded by diving.”
“I need to be surrounded by diving,” she says with passion in her voice, true conviction. “I’ve tried to move on, I’ve tried to say goodbye to the sport, but I can’t seem to let go. I keep coming back, I keep thinking of ways for me to be involved. This couldn’t be more perfect. I want to be a part of this, I need to be a part of this, and I want to do it with you.”
“I don’t know, Holls.”
“Too late, you don’t get to make the decision, it’s already been made for you. My whistle is coming for you, Hollis.”
I sit back on the couch and run my hand through my hair, my fingers sticking up the thickness of my faux hawk. “You’re serious.”
“Dead serious, Hollis. I’m not just doing this for me, or for you, but I’m doing this for us. We need to reconnect; we need to get back to where we were. I miss you. I miss being simple with you; everything is so complicated.” She holds out her hand for me, which I grab instantly. “Be simple with me, Hollis. Eat, train, sleep. Be simple.”
“I can do that.” I smile at her, loving the light shining in her eyes from excitement. I would pretty much do anything to see that light burn in her eyes for as long as I know her.
Eat. Train. Sleep.
Seems so simple, but what Holly doesn’t know is that I will be adding one more factor into that routine.
Eat. Train. Sleep. Melony.
Seems like a damn good line-up if you ask me.
“When we get back to LA, I’m burning your ass. Get ready to be smoked.”
