Disclaimer: I arrange the words, but own nothing.
Warning: I'm not known for finishing what I start. Is that a chance you're willing to take?
The Difference Between
Chapter One: A Moment
It's a little frightening how easy it is for Kaylie Cruz to recall the first day she thought she was in love with Nicky Russo.
It was his first day at the Rock. Nicky Russo was this intriguing, mysterious new guy. He wasn't exactly tall, dark hand handsome, a little stocky and a little pale, but cute. He didn't say much, didn't even smile or make any attempt at small talk. He made it clear that he wasn't here to make friends or join their little family that was known for their melodrama. Still, Kaylie kept stealing little looks at him all throughout the day.
Kaylie can just as easily remember the day she fell out of love with Nicky Russo. It was the very next day when she realized he was basically a male-version of Payson. The possibility flat lined and Kaylie hasn't thought about it since.
They were strangers for a long time after that as if there was some invisible barrier between them. Kaylie found her place in her fish bowl, swimming alongside Carter and her friends and gymnastics. His fishbowl was significantly smaller, just Nicky and gymnastics. He stayed on his self-proclaimed side of the Rock and Kaylie stuck to hers. Though she had other things occupying her time, Nicky's presence was never lost on her. Kaylie always noticed him sitting alone at lunch with his earphones and angry rock music. She'd stop to wonder if he ever regretted not making friends, but never once did she approach him.
It wasn't until the few weeks before Nationals that Kaylie finally noticed the little moments Nicky seemed to have with Payson. Kaylie's glad that she never told anyone about the little crush-at-first-sight she had for the person she thought Nicky was. It almost makes her laugh to think that for a split second she had this little girl dream that maybe this new guy would be her knight in shining singlet, when clearly the equations look more like:
Android + Robot = Happy Mechanical Family
Android + Kaylie Cruz = ERROR
Nicky looks at Payson in a way that suggests he might have actual emotions and of all people, Payson deserves that kind of attention from a cute boy. Kaylie also notices the way Payson pretends not to notice, but secretly looks back. It's an epic love in the making, Kaylie's sure. Also, it may be a bit selfish, but Kaylie's a little thrilled that in due time Carter and her won't be the only ones sneaking around the Rock. Not even gymnastics can kill young, forbidden love.
Then tragedy strikes.
Kaylie comes out of it with the gold metal, the prestigious title of National Champion, but a heart that barely beats thanks to her cheating bastard of a boyfriend and her lying skank of a best friend. It's a betrayal that rocks her to her very core and robs her of each and every one of her little girl dreams.
On the other hand, Payson comes out of it with no gold metal, no title of National Champion and a serious, terrifying back injury that takes her right out of the world of gymnastics. Though it seems as if all Payson has left is darkness, there is a shred of light, devastated and dedicated Nicky Russo unwilling to leave her side.
Sometimes, while she's lying alone in bed, staring up at her ceiling, Kaylie's able to confess that she thinks Payson got the better deal and it's heartbreaking that Payson can't see that.
From then on, she's no longer peppy, optimistic Kaylie Cruz. She's Kaylie Cruz, the liar.
She's a gymnast. She's been at the gym six days a week since she was five-years-old. All that training has prepared her for her newfound persona: Kaylie Cruz, the girl who tells lies to get through the day.
She lies to her parents, to Sasha, to everyone, really, when she says everything is okay now and that she's completely focused on her sport. She lies to Lauren when she says she doesn't miss her, to Payson when she says everything is going to be okay when clearly their once slightly dramatic yet considerably stable little world has gone to hell. She lies to herself when she says she's done with Carter and when Nicky Russo says she's undeserving of that gold metal, she convinces herself that he's wrong.
It's almost as if gymnastics has prepared her for this, the real world, better than any high school or even her parents could. It gives her the ability to paint on a darn convincing smile, not just when she's doing a routine on beam, but also through all this publicity, these meaningless interviews and photo shoots. She smiles like that perfect role model, the precious poster child they created her to be. She saves all the tears for when she's alone and in her car.
Honestly, Kaylie doesn't know how it happened, but from the rubble of the tragedy at Nationals, "Kaylicky" is born.
It's all sorts of embarrassing and one of those things in life that's inevitable and needs to put out of its misery in the least painful way possible. It's a shame Nicky can't see that and has to be a pretentious ass every time MJ has to play up their sudden popularity with the media. He's irritating and makes her feel like crap and Kaylie can't lie through this one. She needs to fight back.
It becomes this game where they one-up each other every chance they get. He refuses to escort her to the Hollywood party and brings Lauren instead. She kisses him on the cheek in front of all those cameras and he looks at her as if she literally makes his skin crawl. He almost decapitates her, practicing their floor routine and she explodes, finally letting it all out like she should have done weeks ago.
Then they're standing there, everything's out on the table and it feels…different.
"Look, I don't wish you were Payson, okay?" Nicky looks down for a moment, almost guiltily. Her words don't register to her at first. He has to be a liar too. Then he extends his hand towards hers and near whispers, "Truce?"
Kaylie takes a moment just to make sure this is real. "Truce."
From then on, it's as if all the broken pieces are stacked back together to form something of a picture. At least, it does when it comes to the two of them. There's no more hatred and no more fights. He actually listens to her and she stops referring to him as an "egotistical ass" behind his back. She may still be a brat and he may still be a bully, but they make it work.
As they both fly and flip down the length of the mat, it's like they're completely in synch. Kaylie knows where he is and what he's doing without even having to look. She tries not to laugh when he transform into that bull, using two fingers to signify horns, letting a little of his often well hid personality shine through. Kaylie surprises herself when she jumps into his arms and she doesn't anticipate the fall.
She actually trusts him. It's startling, really.
The performance ends and they get a standing ovation. Everyone is on their feet and cheering and this feels nice. Their matching smiles are undeniable as they embrace and that hug, it seals their agreement to be civil towards each other for now on. They don't need to talk about it. It's a wordless agreement. A promise.
Most likely driven by guilt, Nicky offers to help Kaylie with upping her level of difficulty.
The catch: she has to wake up earlier than usual.
And she does.
It's a surprise to the both of them that she arrives at the Rock even earlier than he does. Already dressed in matching sweats, Kaylie parks her silver Mercedes in her usual spot, lugging her gym bag behind her. Her hair is slicked back and in a high ponytail as it always is. When she finally realizes that her car is the only one in the lot, Kaylie groans.
She settles down on the curb, dropping her gym bag at her side.
It's a nice, cool morning. The sky is still dark blue, but a mixture of bright pink and orange outline the mountaintops. The sun starts to slowly grow in its intensity and yet the stars don't shy away. They're as bright as ever. Kaylie lies back, her spine stretched across the pavement as she stares straight up.
"Wow. She actually showed."
Kaylie would know Nicky's voice from miles away. He has that sort of Batman rasp.
"Did you call Payson yet?"
Nicky groans and slumps beside her on the ground.
She shoots him a look without getting up. "Nicky, seriously…"
"Why do I always have to be the one that calls her?"
"Because you're the boy," Kaylie says like it's that simple.
"I did call her like a million times after we got back from California," Nicky explains. He has such self-doubt and doesn't even know how to begin to hide it. Nicky in gymnastics mode is one thing, but Nicky outside the gym is a completely different kind of creature. "She's the one that didn't call me back. She's the one that doesn't want to talk about anything. Besides, she's probably busy with all those high school boys."
Kaylie can't help, but laugh. Nicky shoots her a glare almost instantly.
"I think gymnastics makes us socially retarded." Kaylie laughs again. "Don't you think?"
Nicky simply shrugs, grunting incoherently. Kaylie lays a hand on the solid muscle of his shoulder and tries to pull him backwards. Startled, Nicky jerks away and stares at her as if she's gone out of her mind.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Will you just humor me?" she asks. Her eyes shift from his handsome, chiseled face to the sky, still seeking out the stars in the midst of dawn. She can feel his eyes still on her, but a moment later, Nicky sighs and he lowers his back to the pavement, his body parallel to hers. Triumphant but trying not to look smug, Kaylie smiles and takes a deep breath.
He sighs again. "What are we looking at?"
"Orion's belt," Kaylie says smartly. She purses her lips. "Partly because it's all I know how to I.D."
Nicky chuckles humorously. "Orion was a giant huntsman, most handsome of the earthbound. As the story goes, he went out and got really drunk one night, caused all sorts of mayhem and was blinded as punishment. Luckily, he stumbled upon Hepha—Hephaestus, I think, who told his servant to guide Orion to the East where Helios, the Sun god, healed him. In gratitude, Orion carried the slave around on his shoulders."
"Wow, someone's a showoff," Kaylie teases.
Nicky laughs, "Well, I did have the best tutors my father's paycheck could buy."
Kaylie casts her eyes sideways and notices this certain sad quality to Nicky's eyes at the mention of his father. She never pushes or presses for him to tell her anything. That's the beauty of this thing they've got going on. There's no prying. He'll talk to her when or if he wants to. If he never does, they simply drop it.
"Wouldn't it be nice?"
"Hmm?" Wearing a quizzical expression, Nicky looks over at her.
"Wouldn't it be nice if the sun could actual heal us?" Kaylie wonders aloud. She thinks about her broken heart and Nicky thinks about Payson.
"Yeah, it would," Nicky nods. He gets to his feet and stretches his back, now basking in the strong rays of light that comes with the sun just peaking out over the mountains, greeting the city good morning. "Sadly, Princess, we live in the real world. More importantly, it may have made us socially retarded, but we live in the world of gymnastics."
Kaylie groans. "Do you really have to be such a know-it-all this early in the morning?"
"I only do it to impress you, Princess," Nicky jokes. Kaylie shields her eyes with her forearm and groans, knowing that it's going to be a particularly long day. Nicky allows her a moment to mentally prepare before he puts her through the hell of an actual dedicated-to-the-point-of-obsession workout. "Okay, enough of this. Come on. We better get to work before everyone else starts coming in."
Kaylie lies there, staring at his outstretched hand. She steals another moment, this time taking a breath and committing this to memory. It's important to her because this is Kaylie Cruz and Nicky Russo out of the hate stage and moving on to something more harmonious. It's the calm before the storm that is elite gymnastics training and she wants to stretch it as long as humanly possible.
When the moment ends, she lazily lifts her arm and his hand catches hers. It's then that it finally registers to the both of them that this is the beginning of a dysfunctional yet functional, paradoxical sort-of friendship.
Author's note: Should I continue this?