Page 32 of Salto

But then Sloane’s condescending little smirk flashed through my mind, followed by memories of the Truth or Dare circle at the party.

My balance vanished.

This time I actually fell. I missed both feet and slid down the side of the beam on my way to the ground.

My back hit the eight-incher, knocking the wind out of me a bit. I muttered a curse under my breath and reached to grip my burning thigh, where a huge red mark was now streaked across my skin.

“Arrgg,” I groaned, turning to bury my face into the mat and letting out a frustrated growl.

I’d come here to stop thinking about last night. But instead, my brain seemed determined to replay every second of Truth or Dare.

I pushed myself upright and rubbed at the beam burn on my thigh. Sloane’s comments shouldn’t have bothered me as much as they did.

I’d always assumed we’d simply grown apart.

But after last night, it was getting difficult to ignore the possibility that Sloane had been carrying around some pretty hard feelings for a long time.

And she was going to the tryout camp.

If I went too, there was a chance we’d end up training together again.

On the same elite team.

I slowly stood up, leaning against the beam for support.

I told everyone at the party I got invited to the camp.

But was I actually going to go?

If I were being honest with myself, I wanted to. I wanted to see if I could do it again.

But another part of me was afraid. What if I went to the camp and wasn't chosen? And even if I were, would I be able to learn how to work through the pain?

Everything suddenly felt far more complicated than it had a few days ago.

“Do you want to try again?”

Rove's voice echoed through my mind.

I could vividly remember the way he'd said the words. The whole conversation a few days ago had been seared into my memory.

Everything had been so much simpler before Rove showed up.

I headed toward the spring floor to stretch, realizing another beam attempt probably wasn't in my best interest with how distracted I was. I reached up and pulled my arm across my chest in a shoulder stretch, my mind still spinning with thoughts of the training camp and Rove.

I thought about my scholarship, knowing if I left NCAA gymnastics, I'd most likely lose a significant amount of financial support. Sure, I still had academic scholarships, but they wouldn't cover everything.

I didn't have a job outside of school and gymnastics. There simply wasn't time. My days revolved around classes, practice, recovery, and whatever sleep I could manage to squeeze in between.

Would my parents help me? Even the thought of getting their help made me feel guilty.

I let out a long breath, and my arms dropped back to my sides.

I wasn't going to figure it all out here. Until I made a choice, all of these questions would remain impossible to answer.

I ended my stretches and headed for the locker room.

When I got back to my apartment, it was empty. I guess Jenny had already left for spring break.