Chapter 2: the black dog
Emily glared at her clothes. She had her leotards in one pile, day clothes in another, and her dresses and heels in another. She used to be completely unmaterialistic. Now she felt like Paris Hilton. She hadn't even thought about the pile of books she'd recently acquired in her time in London, especially in the week they'd had off since the end of the games.
"You do realise staring at them isn't going to make them pack themselves." Payson Keeler, Emily's best friend and London roommate was, of course, already packed. She was perched on the edge of her bed, suitcases, laptop case, and backpack all sitting around her neatly. Her bed was made. Emily's sheets looked like they'd been hit by a tornado.
"Bite me."
Payson laughed "come on, we've got two hours and I've recruited help. We'll get everything on the plane come hell or high water. We're Olympic champions. It's not like they're going to deny us a couple extra pounds of luggage."
Emily raised an eyebrow. "A couple of pounds perhaps, but this is going to fill four suitcases at least!"
"Don't worry, Sasha and Dad are each only taking one case – you can borrow theirs."
"Thank goodness for men."
"Don't let Damon hear you say that."
Emily grinned "he'd be more insufferable than he already is. You'd think he'd just competed at the Olympics for all the bragging he's doing."
Payson smiled at her friend. She was so happy for Emily and Damon. They'd been through hell and back the past two years. "He's just proud of you. Any normal person would be." Emily's story from poverty to being a three time Olympic medallist had made her a superstar, much to her annoyance.
"Stop it you're making me blush." Emily said sarcastically. She'd promised herself that she wouldn't let the Olympics change her. And she knew that as long as she was surrounded by her friends and family, she'd still manage to stay down to earth. "Are you going to help me pack, or just sit there smugly?"
Payson sighed "I am so good to you." She started folding Emily's leotards.
"Why are you folding them? I just shove them in then sit on my case and hope it shuts."
Payson rolled her eyes "fine, but don't complain to me when you have a mountain of ironing to do when we get home!"
XXX
Sasha glared at his watch, and then at his companions. "Where are they? They're going to miss the plane!"
"Chill coach, they'll get here – if you remember correctly, you insisted on getting here two hours before we needed to." Kelly Parker stretched her legs out in front of her in the private airport lounge. The team's agent, MJ had booked it for them so they wouldn't be harassed by the media before they boarded their plane back to the United States. Kelly was relieved. She could handle the media better than most, but she was exhausted. They all were. Getting to the Olympics, and then competing took everything you had. It was a thousand times harder than the World Championships – you had the huge pressure of the selection process, then the games, then the media, and finally the realisation that you'd reached your goals and the terrifying abyss that followed. She looked over at her friend Kaylie. She'd collapsed on the podium after beam finals last week and she was still recovering. She was curled up on the couch, with her head on her brother Leo's shoulder, she had huge bags under her eyes and she was very pale. But she was looking a lot better than she did before. She was relieved, over the past six months, she'd begun to regard Kaylie as the sister she'd never had.
Kaylie looked around her happily, she was really tired, but she had her family, her team, and her friends all around her. She also had two Olympic medals and she and Austin were closer than ever. Her parents, Ronnie and Alex looked like they were going to move back in together. All was well, for now anyway. She really didn't want to think about how everything would change the second they landed back on American soil. They'd have the tour of champions, but then? She had no idea. She knew that the others were more adventurous than her, but Kaylie was terrified about leaving Colorado.
Damon was bouncing James on his knee. He'd just had his first birthday and hadn't so much learnt to walk as learned to run. Fast, and to places where he was likely to injure himself. Summer, his adoptive mother worried but Damon just laughed and said that it was a sure sign he was destined to be a gymnast. "Mummy Emily!" James yelled and Damon looked up to see Emily and Payson running towards the rest of the group. Emily's hair looked as though it hadn't been brushed and she wasn't wearing any makeup. Although Damon loved it when she didn't wear it.
"Sorry we're late!" Payson said breathlessly "it took us a bit longer to pack than we thought!"
Lauren laughed "you mean Emily slept in and left packing up to the last minute?" She teased gently.
Emily poked her tongue out at her friend "lies!" She said before walking over to her son and kissing him on his head "hello gorgeous" she loved how he looked so much like Damon.
Darby, Emily's personal coach, tapped her athlete on her shoulder. "Glad you made it, Em, but you should probably tidy yourself up. There are going to be cameras galore when you land."
Emily nodded, and took the makeup bag that Darby pressed into her hand.
"And make sure that you're not around James when you land too, sweetie. The media would have a field day if they knew about him." MJ, the team's agent added. "And take my blusher, it will really suit your skin tone."
"Thanks" Emily said quietly. She knew that MJ and Darby wanted what was best for her but she couldn't be bothered with all this fame nonsense. She just wanted to be at home with Damon and then go to uni without anyone making a fuss of her.
"Payson sweetie, make sure you're ready to come off the plan looking like the star you are. Your Mum and sister can carry your bags, you're going to get people hovering over you like never before okay?"
The blonde, newly crowned all around Olympic champion nodded seriously.
"And Kell – I need you to look out for Rosa" MJ said to the team veteran "she's going to be a bit overwhelmed, but I know you can have the journos eating out of your hand. You're a legend when it comes to that.
Kelly grinned "got it MJ!" She fist bumped her agent, she and Rosa, the youngest member of the Olympic team had become great friends. And despite her complaining, Kelly really liked talking herself up for the media. So what? She was princess and proud of it.
"Kaylie doll, you and Austin should be ready to walk out together, ok?" MJ rubbed her hands together. This team, if they played their cards right could get more endorsements than any other gymnastics team the USA had ever produced.
Lauren watched this all from a corner and pretended to text. Breathe she told herself, it's going to be okay. She could hold on until she got home and saw her Dad. She watched her teammates, well they weren't her teammates any more, and hadn't been for months, she thought bitterly. No, I can't think like that! She admonished herself I'm happy for them, they've earned their medals and their fame and success. And I'm going to be okay. It's going to take a while, but I'll get there. She followed the rest of their group onto the plane, she'd asked for a row by herself, and MJ had agreed. She was still in business class, and so protected from most of the intrusive fans. She pulled out her headphones and started to read The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. She wasn't usually one for reading, but sometimes escaping into another person's world for a while.
Becca Keeler might not be a world class gymnast, but she was smart. And she knew that there was something Payson wasn't telling her, and she was pretty sure it had something to do with Sasha. So she ushered her parents to the back of business class, leaving Payson and Sasha to have the front row to themselves. Sasha ushered for Payson to take the window seat, which was her favourite. She sat down slowly, and looked into his eyes, as she did she felt a shiver up her spine. There was something simply about the presence of Sasha that made her feel more alive she couldn't explain it.
"I am so proud of you." Sasha whispered after he sat down.
Payson thought that was a weird thing to say, considering they were finally alone (sort of) together for the first time since their kiss before floor finals. Then she realised that he was waiting for her lead. He wasn't going to push her. Despite being known as the bad boy of gymnastics, he was a gentleman. At least he was around her.
"Of us, you mean. We got here together. In fact you did all the hard work I just followed what you said." Slowly, and a bit awkwardly, she put her hand in his, linking her fingers around his hand. Her hands fit perfectly together, and the shiver down her spine that happened whenever she looked into his eyes intensified by a thousand. Sasha's calloused hand gripped hers back. Payson knew that they couldn't get away with anything more, not with all their friends and family watching, but it was enough for now.
Kelly hated being away from her phone on plane trips. It wasn't the point that everyone who she would have normally been texting was actually on the plane with her, she needed to be connected. She sighed and put her headphones in her ears, at least she was in business class and not with the plebs in coach. She let Foster the People overtake her thoughts and emotions and she relaxed, and tried not to think about how much she hated flying. She must have dozed off, because after a while Rosa was shaking her awake.
"What the hell!" She yelled, then realised it was Rosa. "Oh sorry R – what's up?"
Rosa looked terrified, and Kelly felt awful. She'd taken the younger girl under her arm during the Games and not she was treating her like dirt.
"Sorry Kel – it's just that we've landed and MJ's on the rampage."
Kelly laughed. "Oh trust me, if you can't hear her screeching – she's not even started."
MJ stood up at the front of the plane. "Right everyone – this is a big moment! Families, you should probably go out first thing so that you can get to your luggage without being accosted, people won't really know who you are. Summer and James you should probably be first, right before everyone else." MJ's worst fear was that the media would get hold of the fact that one of America's sweethearts was a teenage mother. "Then the rest of the families. Then I'll go out and announce the rest of you"
Sasha I want you and Darby out first" MJ took particular satisfaction in bossing her former boyfriend around.
"Then I want Kelly and Rosa, then Kelly and Austin, then Emily and Damon, and finally, Payson – honey, you'll come out last by yourself."
The group excitedly followed MJ's instructions, all of them but Lauren. And then Lauren realised, she wasn't part of the special group, she was just to go out with the rest of the families. Forcing herself not to cry she picked up her laptop bag, swung her backpack over her shoulder, and walked off the plane with Summer and James. Summer put an arm around her, and Lauren appreciated the gesture immensely.
"It's going to be okay, you're so brave for coming to London to support your friends."
Lauren smiled. Summer's sympathy somehow made her feel even worse. She walked off the plane, there were even more people there than she'd expected. People were waving United States flags, screaming for autographs, and cameras were going off everywhere. Few people recognised her, so she managed quickly to get her luggage, before coming back to wait for her friends.
XXX
When the team walked out the crowd literally screamed with excitement, and to Lauren it felt like someone was piercing her heart, she watched her teammates. The girls she'd grown up with in the gym, the girls she'd won a world championships team gold medal with were now Olympic Champions. They were part of a team that would bind them together for the rest of their lives. And Lauren knew she should be happy for them but she felt like someone was squeezing her chest tightly, and then the memories came. Thick and fast, memories from her childhood, her mother leaving, the way she'd hurt her friends, that awful night with Carter Anderson all those years ago, finding out her mother had died, Max choosing Payson over her, Emily being announced as the fifth member of the Olympic team, meaning that she would not be travelling to London, countless nights of her father not coming home.
Then she saw Kim and Becca hugging Payson, Emily being hugged by Brian, Chloe, Margi, Jenna, and Larissa, Kaylie being surrounded by her family, Kelly being hugged tentatively by Sheila and Rosa's father spinning her around. She felt like she wanted to die, then she realised she wasn't breathing properly. Her breaths were coming thick and fast, she tried to slow them down, so that no one would notice.
Summer gripped her shoulders "Lauren, honey are you okay?"
Lauren forced herself to smile, although it took every effort she could muster. "I'm fine – I think I just ate something funny on the plane, excuse me."
She ran to the bathroom, went into one of the stalls, and slammed the door. She rummaged in her bag for her anti-depressants. She'd been putting off taking them, part of her had denied she even needed them. But she was desperate. She ripped open the box and popped a pill out of its capsule. With shaking hands she pulled out her drink bottle and swallowed the pill. "Work, damnit- please work!" She whispered.
A/N so this was a pretty preliminary chapter – there are some of my own characters from The Pied Piper who are carried over, especially Margi who is Chloe's best friend. Emily went to stay with her when she was pregnant. James is Emily and Damon's son. Summer adopted him, Darby coached Emily before she rejoined the Rock. Darby was a teen mother as well – and her daughter Jenna ended up with Margi. Confusing I know! Jenna only learned she was Darby's daughter at the very end of the Pied Piper. So I hope that all makes sense. Larissa is Margi's foster daughter, and Rosa is an elite gymnast and the youngest member of the 2012 Olympic team.
Lauren's story, as I've said before, is not an easy one. But she's a fighter! Please let me know what you thought and I hope you all have a good weekend. Next chapter in a week