Page 84 of Salto

He nodded once. "They're still in Finland."

I couldn't imagine going five years without seeing my family. That would break my heart into literal pieces.

"Do you talk to them?" I earnestly asked, seeking some sort of answer that made all of this more comprehensible in my head.

"Sometimes."

There was more behind the single word. But he didn’t seem like he’d give up the information willingly.

“So if they're still in Finland, how did you end up here?"

"I came here to live with Nikolai when I was eight years old.”

“Really? Why?” My eyes widened, trying to picture it.

“I’d been doing gymnastics in Finland. Nikolai had just finished with the Olympics, and he came to the United States to start his first gym. There were better opportunities here than where I was training."

"So your parents just let you leave to train with Vanta?"

The question slipped out before I could stop it.

His gaze stayed on the road.

"They wanted what was best for me."

"At eight?" It didn’t sit well with me; I was still trying to comprehend it. "That's really young."

"It was."

I tried to imagine Jamie leaving our family at eight years old.

I couldn't.

"Wasn't that hard?"

"At first."

"So...Vanta kind of raised you?"

A short laugh escaped him; it sounded like it held a hint of bitterness, but I couldn't tell for sure.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

I went quiet for a minute, trying to make sense of everything Rove had just told me about his childhood. It definitely took my mind off the meet, but now I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that he'd left everything he'd ever known to chase the Olympics.

“Red,” he said suddenly, pulling me from my thoughts.

“What?”

“This was supposed to help you get your mind off the meet.”

“I’m not thinking about the meet anymore,” I assured him.

“So why don’t you look any less stressed?” he said.

“It’s just kinda sad,” I admitted.

He shook his head. “I’m okay, you don’t need to worry about me.” His expression was calm, like he’d made peace with it already.