Page 13 of Salto

“As a lifelong member of the no-sleep club, I promise you’ll be better off with sleep. Now go.”

She shooed me with a wave of her hand, and I rolled off the couch.

“Alright, alright. I’ll go.”

“Goodnight,” she said as she opened a bag of mustard-flavored pretzels—her favorite study snack—and buried her head in her books again.

I gathered my supplies and retreated to my room. My body was begging for sleep, and I couldn't ignore the exhaustion anymore.

The second my head hit the pillow, I passed out.

CHAPTER 5

When I walked into the gym the next morning, I was immediately hit by the smell of chalk and sweat. To a sane person, it wouldn’t have been enticing, but it had become a personal craving. I was like one of those My Strange Addiction people, except mine was the smell of chalk and musty gym mats.

The locker room buzzed with a nervous energy. Everyone seemed unusually alert for seven in the morning. I assumed it had something to do with the guy from Vanta Elite coming to evaluate Eva and found myself suppressing a sigh.

Great.

The whole team was going to be worked up today.

“Hey, Scar,” Mia greeted me as I walked by.

“Hey,” I said. “Everyone seems extra excited this morning.” The irritation leaked into my tone.

“It’s the scout from Vanta that’s making everyone on edge,” she said, not at all catching the annoyance in my voice.

“Hopefully everyone chills out after warmups,” I said.

I tossed my things into my locker and headed to the spring floor, where we were required to be at seven a.m. sharp.

Kaitlin, another junior, was leading today, and we all fell into line behind her. It was instinct at this point—the kicks, the chassés, the runs. I slipped easily into the rhythm.

Soon we were in formation, moving through our stretches.

Caldwell eventually joined us, meandering across the floor with his notebook before settling into his usual spot beside the large blue spotting block.

My eyes drifted toward him during our shoulder stretches, not looking for anything in particular. Just taking in the room.

And that's when I noticed him.

I had no idea when he'd walked in. One second it was just Caldwell. The next, someone was standing beside him.

He wore a black hoodie and matching sweatpants, his arms folded across his chest as he listened to whatever Caldwell was saying.

I shifted into my straddle stretch and leaned onto my elbows, curiosity getting the better of me.

He had blond hair.

Really, really white blond hair.

A memory tugged at the back of my mind, and I sucked in a breath.

No...

He turned toward the floor, and I noticed one sleeve had ridden up, exposing the ink sketched across his arm.

My pulse stuttered.