Page 49 of Salto
I barely hesitated before I threw on a leotard, grabbed my bag and keys, and headed to my car.
When the gym came into view, I felt like I could finally take in a full breath again.
The lights were on when I stepped inside, and there were some male gymnasts conditioning on the other side of the gym. I headed for the uneven bars and set my things next to the chalk bowl.
I warmed up, and then a few minutes later, I was swinging on the bar, doing my routines and letting my frustration fuel my skills.
"You're aware it's spring break, right?"
I landed my double pike and spun around to find Caldwell standing there, watching me, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Oh, hey, Coach.”
“Why are you here, Scar?” His expression was more exasperated than angry.
I smiled sheepishly. “Just needed to burn off some steam.”
He nodded, then pursed his lips. “Your legs were a little apart on that dismount.”
I flushed and went to the chalk bowl to start adjusting my grips.
“One of the benefits of being here alone is that no one can give me corrections.”
He let out a chuckle. “What’s on your mind?”
The fact that he could tell something was wrong from a single dismount shouldn't have surprised me. He'd been my coach for the last three years.
“I don’t know.”
“Scar.”
“It’s crazy,” I whispered, still looking down at my hands, putting on way more chalk than I actually needed.
“I bet I’ve heard crazier.”
I finally looked up. Taking my hands out of the chalk bowl, I let them fall to my sides.
“I got invited to the Vanta tryout.”
He nodded, not looking the least bit surprised. “I see.”
“Yeah.” I swallowed. “And I went.”
“They offered you a spot.”
My silence was answer enough.
“I figured.”
I swallowed. “I don’t know what to do.”
He studied me for a long moment. “Yes, you do.”
I looked away, reaching up to fiddle with the end of my ponytail. “I’m trying to figure out if I can do it.”
"Well, one thing is for sure. You can't keep doing NCAA and elite at the same time. You'll have to pick one."
"I know," I said quietly.
