Chapter 1: Background and Bond
Payson Keeler, Lauren Tanner, Kaylie Cruz, and Emily Kmetco are best friends. Together they experience something very few other people can even compare to. Together, they encourage, help, inspire, cheer on, and reassure each other. They have a bond greater than having a favorite color in common or liking the same boy, they are gymnastics sisters. They are all striving to make it to the Olympics.
All the girls train at the gymnasium, the Rocky Mountain Gymnastics Training Center. Lauren and Kaylie had been training together since they were five years old; Payson, Lauren, and Kaylie had been training together since they were eleven years old; and all four of the girls had been training together since they were fifteen years old. Each of them were different in their own ways, we were the same in more than one way.
Payson Keeler is headstrong. She doesn't let anything get in the way of her dreams, especially boys. After having a career- threatening injury of breaking her back, she is back and better than ever, all thanks to her coach, Sasha Belov, an Olympian himself.
Kaylie Cruz is a privileged young female athlete. Her mother had a hit song, and her father won a World Series Championship. She developed anorexia despite warnings and interventions from her friends and family. She has developed a romantic relationship with Austin Tucker, an Olympic medalist who trains at the "Rock" as their gymnasium is called.
Lauren Tanner is an only child being raised by her struggling single parent father. Lauren will do anything to get attention. She tries to get a boyfriend repeatedly against the club rules. She has ruined friendships and built them back up, but they will never be what they will be.
Kelly Parker trains at the rocks rival club, Denver Elite. She doesn't try to make friends during her training. Sheila, her mother, is her manager. She pushes Kelly hard and is not concerned with her daughter as much as the money her daughter can bring her.
Sasha Belov is an England born man, who was a gymnast. He used to be a gymnast in England but chose to transfer to Romania, because he didn't want to be coached by his father any longer. He believes in each of these girls probably more than anyone else, including them. Anything that doesn't work out with the girls he takes hard, blaming himself for the fail.
Carter Anderson used to train at the Rock but left and moved to the Denver Elite club, same as Nicky, after drama came. He used to date Kaylie. Because there is a no dating rule at the Rock, he has to keep his relationship a secret. At a party where he got drunk, he slept with Kaylie's "best friend", Lauren. For a long time, he kept this a secret. When Kaylie found out she dumped him and swore she would never trust him again.
Nicky Russo is a serious gymnast, as is Payson, who likes Payson, but is afraid to make a move for fear of being shut down. He helps Payson put up with pain in her back (pre- injury) by giving her cortisone, illegally. He wants to help her in any way that he can because he feels even though she didn't take the cortisone, that it was illegal.
Austin Tucker has a younger sister, who is anorexic. He tries to save Kaylie from her anorexia, because he knows about all of the dangers. He gets her to trust him. He begins helping her get back into gymnastics. After Worlds, he announces that he loves her and will she please be his girlfriend? She accepts.
Max Spencer is the new boy at the rock. He gets attention from both Lauren and Payson. He likes the sexual attention and attraction that he gets from Lauren and the sweet, good natured attention that he gets from Payson.
Marty Walsh used to be the head coach of the Rock until Steve Tanner blackmailed him into switching to the Denver Elite Club. He is friends with Sasha, as the were both in the olympics at the same time.
A/N: Sorry I had to get this out of the way. I just wanted to let everyone know all the characters that will be in this Fan Fic. Hope you like it. I know that this chapter is boring but try again next chapter and I will guarantee that you will love it.
