Page 19 of Salto

A sharp gasp cut through the silence.

Of course it was Eva. That was the whole point of this.

“Tatum... and Sloane.”

My stomach sank.

Which made absolutely no sense.

I was happy for Sloane. She was getting another chance at the elite dream she'd spent her whole childhood chasing.

So why did it feel like someone had just knocked the wind out of me?

I waited... just a second longer.

Maybe there would be one more name.

But Rove lowered the paper.

“The camp is on Tuesday. Nine a.m. I hope to see you all there.”

That was it. Three invitations.

I kept my expression neutral, folding my arms loosely across my stomach.

Honestly, three invitations were more than I'd expected him to hand out.

Still... for one small stupid second, I'd thought⁠—

“Thank you for your time, Coach Rove,” Caldwell said. “Girls, you’re good to head out.”

The spell broke as Caldwell and Rove walked away, conversing quietly together again.

Then chaos erupted around me.

“Oh my gosh.”

“No way.”

“Are you serious?”

Mia squealed and launched herself at Eva, pulling her into a giant bear hug. “You got invited. That's insane.”

“I can't believe this,” Laney laughed, joining the hug.

I smiled, hoping it didn’t look forced. “That's amazing, Eva. Congratulations.”

She deserved this. She should've been picked up before she ever got to the NCAA.

Also in the circle were Sloane and Tatum. They were bouncing with excitement, and Sloane looked like she might even cry.

I was happy for them. Really, I was.

“Coming?” Mia asked.

Everyone started drifting toward the locker room.

“You two go ahead,” I said, gesturing toward the other end of the gym. “I'm going to stay and condition for a bit.”