“Hear, hear!” someone shouts, but it’s impossible to see who it is in the blur of faces.
Raising his glass, Gibby says, “A toast to Emma, Chelsea, Dani, Audrey, Sarah, Brooke, Sierra, and Jaime!”
It feels weird standing there as the group of adults lift their glasses toward us, but then it’s over, the music rises in volume again, and we’re drawn into the party.
Emma nudges me with her sharp elbow. “Ow, what?” I ask, eyeing one of the trays of food being passed around. I’m pretty sure they’re serving pigs in a blanket, and while I follow a strict diet, those little appetizers are one of my weaknesses.
She nods in the opposite direction of where the waiter with the snacks disappeared into the crowd, and the stupid smile on her face tells me what I’m going to see before I even turn around. We’ve never not given each other crap for having a crush on a guy. Not that I’m saying I have a crush on Leo. I barely know Leo.
Her phone buzzes in her hand, and she glances at it quickly, but clicks off the screen just as fast. “Go,” she says. “Our parents are on the other side of the room. I’ll cover for you. Your hair looks great. Your eyeliner is flawless, as usual. You are an Olympian. Now go knock him off his feet or snowboard or whatever.”
I smile and raise a hand to my head in salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
When I turn around he’s only a few feet away, smiling that same grin he had back at the arena and holding a small plate with pigs in a blanket on it.
“Can I have one?” It’s probably not the smoothest opening, but whatever, I’m hungry.
“All yours,” he says, holding out the plate, and I take one, popping it into my mouth. It’s awesome. Delicious buttery goodness surrounding God only knows what goes into a hot dog. He’d even put some deli mustard on it. I might have to marry this boy.
“I love those,” I say after I’ve chewed and swallowed.
“Well, you’ve definitely earned it. God, it’s been forever, hasn’t it?”
“Years, maybe, like, four or five.”
“Clearly, you’ve made good use of your time since then,” he says, motioning around the room. “Olympic team on your first try—pretty impressive. I knew you’d make it, though.”
I laugh a little. “Yeah? That makes one of us. I was so nervous until he said my name. I’m still nervous, actually.”
“You don’t seem nervous.”
“Maybe I’m good at pretending, then, because nervous doesn’t even begin to cover what I’m feeling right now.”
His smile fades a bit, and suddenly he looks serious. “I get it. Your whole life leads up to this one moment, and then it finally happens—you run into a tall, dark stranger just like you always dreamed you would.”
And at that I really laugh.
“Seriously, though, congratulations. You’re going to blow everyone’s mind in Tokyo. I know it.”
“Thanks. I just can’t believe it’s real, you know? After the surgery and all the work I did coming back.”
“Yeah, I saw that,” he says, biting his lower lip and looking a little sheepish as he rubs at the back of his neck. “Not to sound like a creeper, but I follow you, so, like, I saw the pictures and videos and stuff from after your surgery and then when I got hurt …” He trails off.
I cringe. I’d forgotten about the picture of a cast I saw in his feed a few months ago. “How long have you been out?” I ask, motioning to his knee.
“Four months. I’ve been doing PT for a bit now, and the doctors cleared me to surf, so I’ve been doing that until I’m good to go on hard surfaces. If I decide to come back at all.”
My ears perk up at that. “You’re not sure if you’re …” My phone buzzes in my tracksuit pocket. “Sorry.” I glance at it fast.
It’s from Gibby.
Celebrate tonight, but remember what I said.
My eyes fly around the room wildly. Emma, her parents, and mine are in the corner, along with Emma’s agent. Sierra and Jaime are with their parents, everyone talking over one another, probably about how they should have made the team instead of the rest of us. Chelsea is with her boyfriend, looking like the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Dani’s near them, checking her phone just like I did. Maybe he texted her too?
“Everything okay?” Leo asks, bringing me back to reality. Or maybe the text is reality and this part is something else, something I shouldn’t be doing.
Then Dani clicks at her phone, pockets it, and turns to Chelsea and her boyfriend saying something that makes them both laugh.
“Yeah.” I shake my head and smile. “Everything’s fine.”
“No worries. Listen, do you want to talk somewhere a little less … in the way?” he asks, motioning toward the far wall. It’s glass and leads out to what looks like a balcony.
“Absolutely.”
San Jose isn’t the most picturesque city in the world, but like any other city, it lights up at night, and it’ll always hold a special place in my heart. It’s where my dream finally came true.
I lean my arms on the wrought-iron railing and turn to him as he comes to stand beside me, the warm air swirling around us.
“So, you were saying, about coming back?”
He shakes his head. “Yeah, Beijing is still two years away, so …”
“You still have some time.” But not a lot is what I don’t say. It takes months to get back into competitive shape at the elite level. I had surgery almost two full years ago, and it took until this past April for me to get back into real competition form. Overall, it took a little under eighteen months.
“Yeah. I’ve been rehabbing in my mom’s gym, but I’ve been thinking about maybe going to school instead.”
“Where?” College has always been part of my plans, but since the Olympics would have coincided with my graduation year, it’s been on the back burner for a while.
“Stanford.”
“Really? They recruited me heavily before I knew I wouldn’t be able to compete, but I’ve always thought maybe I’d go anyway to study, I don’t know, something that’s not gymnastics. Do you think you’re going to go?” I ask, finally cutting off my own ramble and feeling my face flush.
Calm down, Audrey; let the boy get a word in.
“I don’t know. If I go in the fall, I won’t be able to train, so …”
“That’s a big decision.”
He nods. “Yeah, it is.” Then, after a long pause, he says, “What about you? Any plans after the Olympics?”
I cringe. “I really try not to think about it.”
He snorts. “I get that. Retiring at seventeen is not really a thing most people do.”
“Exactly.”
“Audrey, are you going to introduce us to your friend?”
For once I’m wincing and it has nothing to do with my back. That’s Dad’s voice, and Mom is probably with him. What’s the protocol for this? He’s probably going to freak. I turn to face them, totally not sure what I’m going to say, but then Leo is striding toward them and extending a hand to my dad. Their handshake is firm and quick, and the next, with my mom, is the same.