Page 33 of Salto

I walked over to the counter and, sure enough, there was a note and a plate of Rice Krispies treats waiting for me. Jenny made the most incredible Rice Krispies treats.

Left for spring break. Hope you get to relax a bit! Xoxo — Jen

I grabbed the entire plate and carried it into my room.

After showering and changing into my pajamas, I fell onto my bed, stuffed a Rice Krispies treat into my mouth, and sat in the silence of my room, my brain still unsettled.

The tryouts were tomorrow.

As I chewed, I looked around my room, and my eyes landed on the medals hanging above my dresser.

I stopped chewing.

My gaze settled on the elite medal I'd pinned back into place not that long ago.

Something stirred in my chest.

A small flicker of hope.

It was just a tiny flame, barely alive. I didn't know if I could coax the embers of this dream back into the raging fire it once was.

But if I never tried... would I regret it?

CHAPTER 13

Vanta was three hours away. And three hours gave me far too much time to second-guess my decision.

I almost turned around ten times.

But somehow I managed not to chicken out. And eventually I was winding through the streets of Carlsbad, taking a curving highway until I took the exit my GPS instructed me to and ended up at a giant stretch of large business buildings. They were all boring stone-grey, giving off big warehouse vibes. It honestly didn't look like a gym. If it weren’t for the giant Vanta sign, I don’t think I would’ve been able to tell it was an elite training facility.

I got out of the car and sucked in a breath.

“You can do this,” I said aloud to myself.

I took a step, but then an invisible force seemed to stop me again, and I came to a standstill.

What am I doing? I closed my eyes.

Was I really going to try out to be on an elite team again?

This was crazy.

“Don’t be a pansy,” I muttered to myself and opened my eyes.

I straightened my posture and started walking across the lot again.

I was just trying out.

If I really didn't have what it took, they'd send me home, and I could pretend it had never happened.

It only took me a minute to cross the parking lot, and then I was pushing open the glass doors.

The outside was very simple and boring.

But the inside.

It was the most beautiful gym I’d ever seen. It had so many windows that it was almost blindingly bright. My vitamin D deficiency most definitely wouldn’t exist if I lived in this place.