Alright, so clearly this is a little AU, because Austin has just joined the gym (post Paris) but some other events have occurred.
Basically, I'm putting a much bigger gap between China and Paris.
Regionals will happen soon (which is more a recruitment moment for the Rock, but because Denver will be there, allows for some rivalry). After Regionals is Nationals, which leads to another national team and then world trials, then worlds, then another nationals, then pacific rim, then Olympic trials, the Olympics. Basically, I put that China and France were the major events of the year. I know it doesn't quite make sense, but I want Payson to compete to get on the national team, which she'll do at nationals.
So China happened, reasonable sized gap, then the China meet at the rock, another big gap with lots of politicking and then they went to France (where Lauren saw Austin making out with a guy and Emily got caught, just not with Austin).
Thank you Quinn James, Littlebird and Macky, particularly Macky for pointing out my Faux Pas, all I can say was Carter was going to be in Brazil, but then I changed it. Thanks for picking up on it. I hope you keep reading.
CHAPTER 2
Emily Kmekto couldn't help but hit snooze on her alarm clock. She just couldn't help it. Her new bed was just amazing. So every morning she stretched out and enjoyed the luxury of her new double bed and mattress.
Finally, she dragged herself out.
She couldn't find her tracksuit bottoms, which irritated her to no end, so she headed to her mother (and Steve's room). Lauren brushed past her heading down the stairs.
"Watch it." The blonde snapped.
Emily took a step back, it was far too early for her to deal with Lauren Tanner.
"The housekeeper must have them" Chloe informed her. She looked delighted to be saying the word housekeeper. "Do you need them today?"
"No. It's fine. We need to leave in forty minutes if we're dropping Brian off" Emily had to remind her mother of the time otherwise they'd never get to the gym on time. Twenty minutes later Emily was eating breakfast at the counter in the kitchen with her brother when Steve came in.
"You haven't seen Lauren this morning have you?"
"Yes, actually." Emily replied "when I got up she was coming downstairs. Maybe she left early."
"Her car's still here." Steve replied "don't worry about it."
At the gym, Emily found Payson and Kaylie stretching out.
"Morning." Payson was always polite.
"hey" Emily joined them before leaning further forward than necessary and whispering to the other two. "have you seen Lauren yet this morning?"
"has she gone missing? Again?" Payson demanded "she does know we have a club meet coming up? I know it's not France, but really!"
"It's Lauren, I doubt she cares" Kaylie put in.
"I saw her this morning" Emily told them "but then she disappeared, without her car. Is Carter here yet?"
Kaylie shook her head "that's so irresponsible, having a rendezvous before practice!"
"Austin isn't here either" Payson pointed out.
"What? You actually think they're 'just friends'" Emily indented her tone.
"or they're having, what? A threesome?" Kaylie laughed "I doubt even Lauren would do that"
Payson shrugged "I don't care, so long as she doesn't blow our team chances."
"We can win without her" Kaylie insisted "we always did fine before Emily came, no offence, we can do just as well without Lauren."
"even against Denver Elite?" Payson asked.
Steve Tanner had called his daughter eight times that morning. All went straight to voicemail.
Sasha blew his whistle at 8am sharp and all the elites filed in. Lauren wasn't there but then when everyone else was settling themselves the heavy draft door to the annex opened loudly. Carter held it open and Lauren and Austin followed through.
Sasha glared and they split up. Carter and Austin joined the lower ranked men's elite while Lauren sunk down beside the girls.
"Where have you been?" Kaylie demanded
"Training." Lauren replied "I came in early
"Well can you tell your father next time" Emily insisted. "every time he can't find you, he freaks."
Lauren looked over to the gallery, where her father sat. She smiled a guilty smile and he shook his head at her. She looked away.
"He'll get over it."
"Ladies, am I interrupting something?" Sasha asked.
"No Sasha" they chorused back, but for once his eyes were locked with Lauren's. She stared right back, defiant.
He returned to addressing the group.
"For some of you, regionals will be your first time representing the Rock. Some of you, I know, think that this is a waste of your time and energy when Nationals are less than two months away and worlds are just after that, but have no doubt, this meet is important, and just to prove it too you, your results at regionals will be your final chance to establish rank before nationals. Remember, only the top twenty get to go for women, the top ten for men. Furthermore, the way you perform, the way this club performs, will set the expectations for nationals. We need to walk in as the club to beat, the club that can't be beaten. Now can I get a "Rock On""
"Rock On" They all echoed obediently
"Excellent. Now get to work."
Lauren immediately went to make her way to the beam but Sasha's voice cut across the floor,
"All Elite girls to the floor."
Sighing she changed direction and came to a standstill.
"In the weeks leading up to nationals you need to make floor routines perfect. Perfect cheorography, perfect skills, everything perfect. It's the longest skill, which means it's where you will drop the most points, we need to minimise that. One by one you'll perform it for me and I'll tell you what to work on."
When it came to Lauren's turn. She performed her tumbling passes one after the after, close to perfectly."
"Where's your cheoreography?" Sasha demanded.
"Stolen, remember?" She rolled her eyes at Sasha's irritated face. "whatever, it'll be ready."
Sasha stared at her attitude, and Lauren felt herself shrink slightly. "It will be." She insisted.
"It better be. You'll work on it."
"already staying late."
Sasha nodded and moved onto one of the juniors.
"You don't have choreography?" Payson demanded "Lauren, that's a huge percentage of your score."
"I know, but Sasha hasn't been working with all of us personally!" Lauren was bitter about a lot of things.
Payson stared "I've had to become a completely different gymnast!" She protested.
Lauren softened "I know. You can keep Sasha. Austin said he'd help this morning."
"What does he know?"
Lauren shrugged at Payson's question.
"I'll figure it out. Anyway, I need to work on my vault."
Sasha finished up with the junior elites eventually, when Lauren was alternatively running through vaults with Emily. Whenever Emily finished she looked up, for someone's opinion. Lauren just scowled at her.
When Sasha came over, he complemented her on her blind landing.
"Get that a little more solid and we can discuss upping the difficulty." Emily nodded and heading back up to take the vault again.
Lauren focused and executed her on vault. Hers wasn't a Yurechenko either. She stuck it solid, despite over rotating slightly the ½ twist.
"Well?"
"Good. Very solid. You'll medal if you stick that well."
"I know." Lauren did. "Shouldn't we be upping the difficulty?"
"Not now, there's not enough time before Nationals. Maybe with an extra week we could have."
"I could have." Lauren corrected under her breath, but she knew he was right, besides, she had her beam to work on, and it was going to be perfect.
Satisfied, Lauren headed for the annexe. Kaylie was on the main beam and Lauren paused.
"Where are you going?" Sasha asked, he was watching Emily as well.
"To work on my beam." Lauren replied. Let Kaylie have the main gym, so long as she had a beam she'd be fine.
She did wait until Emily started her line up before walking away so Sasha would have all his attention elsewhere. Kaylie practiced her winning triple-twist dismount and Lauren set her jaw in determination.
Carter was on rings when she walked in, and she did take a moment to enjoy his biceps.
Austin sat and watched.
"You're not quite at 3'ocklock with your angles" he informed Carter "and it's obvious."
Carter corrected. "Better" Austin nodded.
"What's up with you?" Carter kissed her head and Austin tossed him a towel once he'd dismounted.
The two settled on the mat.
Austin took up the bars and Lauren, for a second, was blown away by just how good he was.
"Nothing. I need floor choreography and to work on my new beam routine."
"Well can the beam wait until after regionals? You don't need it to place there, do you? Your old routine won you gold at nationals."
"But not against the Chinese. It won't beat Kaylie."
Carter didn't say anything.
"I need to win this, it's not about Kaylie. It's about nationals. You heard Sasha, how we perform now will effect perception. If I want to be considered a real chance, I have to prove it now. Everyone is going to be at regionals, Kaylie, Kelly Parker, Andrea Conway." She scoffed "everyone comes from this part of the country apparently."
"I get it. You think I don't want to win?"
"This is my last chance" Lauren insisted "regionals means standings for nationals, nationals means worlds, worlds means Olympics."
"Alright." Carter nodded. He looked over to Austin who nodded back and performed his backward felge to a maltease
Carter stared "That looks awesome. Perfect."
Austin nodded tightly and then dismounted. He rubbed at his wrists in their grip absentmindedly.
"You okay?" Carter thought it had looked flawless. Austin was rapidly becoming his new idol.
"Yeah. Fuck I feel like I'm getting old though." He admitted. He looked at Lauren. "What's the problem?"
"Everything" she sighed before considering "nothing. I'll work it out."
"My advice" Austin told her "work out what you want and what you need to do to get it. Make a list."
"I need to have my new beam routine ready for regionals, I need to get my floor choreography up to scratch."
"What's wrong with your floor routine?"
"Long story. I've got new tumbling elements as well to fit in, and the choreography's not quite world's material."
"Well I'm staying late tonight." Austin offered "you in."
"I'm in" Lauren nodded she looked to Carter who shook his head.
"I have to work. Tomorrow."
Lauren lent over "it's a date." She kissed him lightly (after making sure the door was closed).
"But first, beam." She had a new mount to work on.
The three reappeared in the main gym at lunch, when Lauren had taken over the uneven bars and Carter and Austin had used the floor with Assistant coach Andre. While not going to regionals, they had a club meet in Houston to go to in a few weeks.
"Did you have fun with your little private training session?" Sasha asked her, when she dismounted the bars. He didn't look at her but stared off into the gym in anger instead.
Lauren didn't answer. "Is someone going to be here tonight? I want to work on floor after hours."
"With Anderson?
"With Tucker" Lauren retorted "Anderson's helping me tomorrow."
She jumped back up on bars after that, and stayed there until lunch.
"Lauren" Payson interrupted her, joined by Emily and Kaylie "we're breaking for lunch, are you coming?"
Lauren huffed and puffed, but then inverted herself.
"I'm going to wait for the boys." Lauren decided, before turning herself and reversing the move. Her bars was another area where her DOD wasn't the highest so it had to be flawless.
"You could come with us." She offered Payson, before practicing her dismount.
She wobbled and took a step back, but smiled brightly regardless. She would've sworn she saw Kaylie and Emily smirk at her less than perfect execution.
"You want us to have lunch with Carter and Austin Tucker."
"Just you, Pay. Austin's a big fan of yours. Says you're one of the best female gymnasts he's ever seen."
"Really?" Payson shifted her weight excitedly. "What exactly did he say?"
"That you should hang out with us sometime"
"Yeah, sure, you guys are BFF's now." Kaylie scoffed.
Lauren looked over, to where the guys were wrapping up and stretching out on the floor.
"Carter, Austin" She called "Lunch?"
Austin leant over to Carter who said something. They both laughed.
"Give us five." Austin called back.
Lauren turned back to the girls. "maybe next time then Pay."
She sauntered off to the mates to cool down.
"What do they see in her?" Kaylie wondered.
"Austin or Carter?" Emily asked "or both."
"He's a jerk anyway." Kaylie insisted.
"Carter or Austin?" Payson asked and then added jokingly "or both?"
"Let's just go" Kaylie insisted. "Emily, come on."
Payson shot one more look at the trio cooling down on the mat, then followed the other girls out.
Their contact was unavoidable that afternoon, the four shared the floor while Sasha drilled them on their tumbling passes. Payson's graceful turns blew them all away but Lauren practiced her own with new found determination.
Finally Sasha dismissed them and they collapsed to the ground. There was a certain comradery to be found in exhaustion.
"I cannot wait to go home to a bed and a bath." Kaylie declared.
"me too." Emily agreed.
Payson just stretched carefully. Lauren copied her.
Emily stood first. "I'm going to get changed." She declared. "My mom's here to take us home, and Brian as well, so let's go." She held back the desire to poke the motionless Lauren with her foot.
"I'm staying late" Lauren insisted "remember how you stole my choreographer so now I have to come up with my own."
"Remember how you stole my choreography?" Emily retorted before letting out an exasperated "Fine. What am I supposed to tell my mother?"
"That I'm not her daughter!" Lauren turned to Payson "are you staying late tonight?"
Payson shook her head "I have ballet class."
"I'll see you tomorrow then."
"What are we supposed to tell your father?" Emily called after her. Lauren just threw her arms into the air in dismissal.
Summer stayed late and kept a close eye on the pair, but while they appeared close, it wasn't improper. Austin kept mainly to the two sets of bars. Lauren was focused on her choreography and the mirror she was practicing it in front of. She had her ipod plugged into her ears and seemed entirely focused.
Steve Tanner had called not thirty minutes after everyone else had left and she'd assured him she'd keep a close eye.
Finally, Lauren stretched out and went to the beam and Austin dismounted to watch.
Summer didn't know enough about what she was seeing to understand it, but it looked impressive. Austin certainly thought so. Lauren seemed to wobble a lot, but she never fell and Austin burst into applause several times.
They wrapped up at seven-thirty. They'd had a solid two and a half hours of practice.
Summer came down the stairs when they were warming down.
"Are you all finished for the night?" she asked politely.
"Yeah, I'm wrecked." Austin informed her before turning to Lauren "are you up for dinner?"
"Your father has actually asked me to drive you home Lauren. He's insisted upon it, actually."
Lauren groaned.
"It's cool." Austin insisted. "I'll track down Carter." The stood and stretched "I'll see you tomorrow then doll."
"Goodnight." Lauren informed him politely
She glared at Summer before collecting her gym bag and standing, angrily, at the door.
"Are we going then?"
"you don't need to shower, or change?"
"It's not like I'm going to dinner." Lauren snapped, "I'll do it at home."
"Well then just let me get the lights." Summer was unfailingly polite, if only because she wanted the car ride to be on the best possible terms.
On the ride home, Lauren tapped her fingers on the window sill irritably.
"How's your floor coming along then?"
"Fine." Lauren replied shortly.
"Lauren, I know we left things on a bad note."
"Where you accused me of having an abortion."
"Yes" Summer owned up to it. "and I want you to accept my apology."
"You haven't apologised yet."
"Well then, I apologise."
"I accept." Lauren responded neatly.
"Is there a possibility you'll tell me what's going on with you then?" Summer treaded cautiously.
Lauren considered. She had no doubt what she said next would get back to Sasha and her father.
"Well I'm working on my choreography, because Emily stole my choreographer, no moral lecture please, and I'm earning a friendship with Carter and Austin, like you said."
"I said you had to earn your friendship with your teammates."
"This is better." Lauren insisted "I don't have to compete with them."
Summer considered her.
"Well I'm worried about you Lauren, everyone is."
"Well for the first time in a long time, I'm close to happy."
"well that's good, so long as there aren't any negative consequences."
Lauren just stared out the window.
When the pulled up Summer told her "I really hope you are happy, and I hope you don't sacrifice too much to feel that way, because that's true happiness."
Lauren nodded, but gym bag over arm muttered "and there is my fortune cookie for the day."
Inside, her father immediately wanted to know where she'd been that morning, and that evening.
"I don't want you going out with Austin Tucker either."
"okay, first, I went in early this morning to train, at the gym, the most over supervised place in the state of Colorado, and tonight, Summer was there, the most overprotective chaperone in the state of Colorado, probably the country. Austin couldn't have gotten within five feet."
"and is this late and early training going to be a regular occurrence?"
"Nationals are really soon." Lauren reminded him "you should be proud of me, training this hard, not lounging around our home like some."
"That's all you have to say for yourself?"
"And I'm starving." Lauren informed her father "is Rosa still here?"
"She's in the kitchen."
"fantastic."
Rosa mostly cleaned and organised but she also stocked and cooked enough that the Tanners barely had to.
"Miss Lauren. I barely see you."
Lauren smiled. She wanted something out of her.
"How are you Rosa, how's Angela?"
"Very good, she wants to be a gymnast, just like you. Now, can I make you something to eat?"
"Can you make me some breakfast biscuits?" Lauren requested.
"For breakfast tomorrow? I'm not here. Ms Kmekto says she cook breakfast now."
"I know" Lauren made a face. "she's not half as good as you, could you make them now? For me for dinner?"
"For dinner?"
"I've missed them, they're my favourite" Lauren pleaded.
"All right." Rosa agreed "Everyone already eaten, so I bring them up."
"Great" Lauren gave her a brilliant smile "could you make some extra too? For tomorrow?"
"Of course" Rosa pinched her cheek and Lauren tried hard not to grimace.
The food was so rich Lauren could barely stomach half a plate, and it felt just as sluggish coming back up. She's glad Rosa included a bottle of Perrier and a water glass.
Carter is at work so Lauren sends off a quick message, rubs her body down with heat cream and goes to bed with her ipod and sleeping pill.
Steve didn't go to bed nearly as early, and found it twice as hard to drag himself out of bed but he wasn't going to miss his daughter again.
She was wolfing down breakfast biscuits in a darkened kitchen.
He blinked. "That's a big breakfast."
She stopped eating immediately. "I have a big training day planned."
Quickly, she stood and dumped the remainers on her plate into the bin after grabbing one last piece and stuffing it in her mouth.
"Are you going in early?"
Lauren nodded "and staying late, I'll get my own lift."
Before Steve could reply, Lauren left the kitchen and returned to her room.
Sighing, Steve started his own breakfast.
Not fifteen minutes later, the rest of the house was getting up.
Chloe had joined him in the kitchen with Brian while Emily was still upstairs when Lauren breezed back through. From the fridge she grabbed two punnets of berries, a bottle of chilled water and a container from the fridge.
"How are you getting to the gym?" Her father asked
"Horse and carriage" Lauren replied.
Her father followed her outside and onto the street.
Sure enough, Carter was waiting in his beat up old jeep.
"Lauren stop, don't you dare get in that car."
She paused, and turned.
"Do we have to do this, again?" she asked "I just want to go and train, okay?"
"It's not okay, Lauren. That's a boy."
"yeah, a boy who means a lot to me. You can't stop me seeing him."
"I can try."
"You'll fail. If I can be an elite gymnast, I can handle my own personal life, okay?"
Steve sighed. Before he could reply she cut him off "I'll see you later, have a good day."
She gave a casual little wave and headed for the car, climbing in beside Carter.
Steve almost went over when Carter and his daughter hugged. He couldn't see clearly but he thought she kissed his cheek. Nothing that could get him kicked out though. Over his daughter's shoulder, Carter made eye-contact with the Tanner father over Lauren's shoulder.
Then Lauren said something and his attention was drawn away. They spoke for a minute and then the car pulled away with the rumble of an old engine.
Inside, Steve ducked away from the Kmetkos to his study where he called Sasha.
"Belov"
"Anderson just picked up my daughter. If they're not at the Rock in fifteen minutes, you need to call me."
They did go straight to the Rock, but then Carter turned and asked.
"Did you tell your Dad?"
She shook her head and immediately tears welled.
"Hey, it's okay." She all but climbed into his lap and he stroked her hair.
She didn't want to say anything, just wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Can I do anything?" Carter asked.
Lauren shook her head "no." she insisted "you're perfect."
A sharp rap on the window startled them both but Sasha's sharp comment was broken by the sight of Lauren's tears.
She grabbed her gym bag and jumped back out the passenger side, away from Sasha. Carter was slower, he had to manuever around Sasha who stood his ground. Stepping closer to Lauren he asked.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
She nodded, "yeah" he was on the receiving end of her genuine smile, even if it was watery. "thanks."
"anytime"
There was no hiding the obvious intimacy.
"Did you need something?" Lauren asked Sasha protectively.
"I'm wondering why two gymnasts are loitering in the parking lot."
Lauren eyed Carter. "No reason." She stated blithely.
Sasha frowned, but what could he say. "Get a move on then."
Payson was there already. No matter how determined Lauren is, she knows she'll never compete with Payson in terms of focus.
Perhaps it's because Payson has a record of beating her, but it doesn't bother her half as much as when Kaylie does. That's why her smile and wave at Payson is genuine.
While they stretched out on mat, Lauren asked "Is everything still good with Austin."
Carter nodded "yeah, so far. It's an awesome place and he's cool."
Lauren nodded and switched position. She smiled slightly when she noticed Carter's eyes check out her ass.
"You could come over tonight." He offered "If you're allowed."
"Yeah, I need to train a bit late, but then I'm all yours." She drew the words out. The sudden close attention of her father had them both feeling constrained.
"yeah?"
She grinned. "Is Austin going to be around?"
"Yeah, I think. He's kind of a homebody, since he doesn't know anyone."
"He knows us." Lauren offered "when's his 'roommate' arriving?"
"Sometime soon, but he can't come until the snow does."
Lauren involuntarily winced. She'd hate to be on her own. "Poor Austin."
Carter smiled. It was nice to see a, well, nice side to his girlfriend.
"Invite him tonight." She offered.
"Tonight?"
Lauren laughed. "Just to eat, I'm sure he won't mind if we spend the rest of the time holed up in your bedroom." She prodded him with her foot.
"Yeah, okay." Carter nodded. "He said he'd help with my high bar dismount today as well." Lauren smiled at her boyfriend's mentor crush. "It's cool." He told her "having another elite guy around here who's not Nicky Russo."
"Well you two deserve each other." Lauren insisted "this year it's our year, okay. We're both going to worlds."
"Sounds good to me."
By the time they were finished stretching, Payson was winding down on floor and a few other gymnasts had arrived, including Austin.
He made a beeline for them, even if he winked at a few gymnasts on the way.
"Hey, we were talking about you." Lauren informed him.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Have you got dinner plans tonight?" Carter asked "Lauren thought she could get away and come over."
"So you want me to have dinner with you or you want the house to yourself."
"Both." Lauren cut in "but we don't need the whole house, just a loud stereo system."
"Got one installed first thing." Austin replied. "so it sounds good to me." He eyed up Carter. "pizza for dinner?"
Carter froze.
Austin laughed "I'll cook." He offered "I like it." He nudged Carter "and I've seen your efforts already."
"Sounds like a plan. Later boys." Lauren had a swing in her step as she headed for a tumbling area.
"Damn you're getting laid tonight." Austin commented. Carter checked the surrounding area.
"Yeah" he nodded in agreement before checking "is that cool? Her coming over?"
"Knock yourself out." Austin insisted "the walls are thick, and I'm racking up roomie points. I cook, you clean the kitchen afterwards."
Lauren practiced her front-tucked salto with a half twist on floor. It was (her) common practice to practice all her floor tumbling routines on the chalk outline of a bar marked to one side of the main mat. She'd always said it kept her neat.
Now it provided the perfect opportunity to practice beam without everyone noticing.
She did make sure to practice her floor tumbling as well.
"Lauren, I want to see your vault at 10.30" Sasha insisted, when he went passed.
She checked the clock and then made a decision. Carter was on the rings, but Austin was already in the annexe, which meant she could practice beam without worrying about braining herself and no one noticing.
The annexe was meant to be for refining skills, particularly practicing skills that didn't require as much supervision, and even then it was a golden rule of gymnastics that you always had some form of supervision. Austin and Carter filled the supervision rule, but even then the moves she was attempting were not what meant to be practiced in the annexe.
When she practiced her new mount, she slipped and fell. Again and Again. The first time, Carter had seen it he'd released off the high bar instantly and rushed over.
Austin's attention had snapped to her when she'd smacked into the mat.
She'd groaned and stood.
"What was that?" Carter carefully supported her.
"My new mount."
"a round-off Arabian?"
She wilted a little under his disbelief. "yes" she told him defensively.
"And you're trying it in here?"
"I want to see if I can, first."
She stretched her arms back.
"How about I catch you, okay?" Carter stood beside the beam.
This time, when she bounced off the springboard, hit the beam and fell sideways, he grabbed her before she hit the mat.
"Thanks." She murmured.
He set her down carefully and she lined up again. Austin, watching, made his way to the other side of the beam.
With one on each side, they caught her and pushed her back onto the beam.
With each attempt she landed more and more vertical.
She stopped reluctantly, and re-stretched out for vault while the boys got back to their routines.
She groaned, even with the boys it was a rough morning of slipping left and right. Slowly, she moved into different positions.
Carter was focused on the parallel bars. He held his upright position and checked himself out in the mirror before struggling to adjust.
Unknowingly, Sasha eased open the door and stuck his head in.
Austin was chalking up by the annexe's one chalk pit.
Carter turned his healy, once, and then again. Sasha raised an eyebrow in consideration. It wasn't bad.
"How's that?" Carter checked.
Austin tilted his head. "Good, watch your elbows." He corrected, "you need to be stronger on the landing."
Carter nodded tightly and then performed a back toss.
Austin mounted the horse in a strength move and commented "we should set some wires up in here"
"I like going without, I don't want to get sloppy." Lauren commented.
"Well just don't mash that pretty face."
"I need a training Cam." Carter bemoaned.
"That." Lauren pressed her chest to the mat "I can get behind."
She grabbed her phone from her bag and Sasha thought he had them on something but all she did was groan again and mutter "I'm late. Shit."
Sasha barely had the chance to get back through the second double door before she burst through.
"You're late."
Lauren tucked her head down "sorry." It was barely audible. She hurried to her vault.
Sasha had clearly decided to retaliate by being particularly hard, on Lauren and the boys. What he didn't know was that it suited them just fine.
Austin, while he had come to Colorado for the snowboarding, had chosen the Rock over Denver Elite because he needed someone to push him, someone like Sasha Belov.
Carter was on the brink and needed all the help he could get.
And Lauren? Nothing had ever come out of being nice to Lauren Tanner.
Austin had planted himself next to a guilty looking Lauren and Carter at lunch
"Sasha looked like he was about to castrate you." He announced cheerfully.
Lauren chuckled while Carter looked horrified.
"Come here doll." He moved closer and Lauren mimicked him. Carter eyed him up.
"Are you sure you're…?" He wasn't going to say the G word in the middle of the Rock.
"worried?" He smirked.
Carter cringed but then gave a tiny, involuntary, shrug. He couldn't help it. It was Austin Tucker, practically playing footsie with his girlfriend.
"Even if I wasn't, you're girlfriend's kind of scary." Austin told him.
Lauren looked hurt for about two seconds, before Austin eased her ego with a quick grin.
She hit him on the shoulder.
"and violent." Austin added, within a second they were playing on the grass, rolling over before Austin had his hands around her waist and she was shrieking.
"alright, alright. I'm sorry." She admitted, right before Sasha stormed over.
"Everything alright?" Sasha asked. Lauren was a far cry from the teary gymnast he'd seen that morning.
"Peachy." Lauren replied, straightening her leo.
Sasha rounded on Austin. "Then would you care to inform me why you were groping one of my gymnasts in a public place."
"I wasn't groping her." Austin replied with a blank face. "If I'd been groping her, she wouldn't have been apologising."
He slung an arm around her. "Would you peaches?"
She elbowed him in the ribs, which gave Sasha some satisfaction and confidence in his gymnast.
"Why don't you just stick to eating at lunch." Sasha told them. It wasn't a suggestion. "Instead of behaving like you're in elementary school."
Once he was out of earshot Austin spoke up. "See Carter, me flirting with your girl, actually a good thing."
It set them all off.
That night was the first of many where Lauren, Carter and Austin would train late under the watchful eyes of Summer. She would report every social interaction she saw, but thankfully, misinterpreted a lot of the gymnastics.
Lauren pushed herself harder on beam than she ever had before. She hit made every move rock solid and rock hard. The deliberateness of her moves was evident in the lack of wobbles or hesitations. Everything was calculated and increasing in difficulty every night.
Her floor improved dramatically as well, so that when she again showed it to Sasha he was pleasantly surpised. The choreography didn't have the professional polish Emily's did but it was nationals standard and most importantly, it was executed confidently and flawlessly. Her entire floor routine was, and she'd upped the difficultly. Not substancially and she hadn't introduced any new elements, but enough that he sat up and took notice of the combinations.
"Very good Lauren." He told her, once she'd finished, it looks like she's actually been practicing he thought to himself.
"How's your beam?"
"Good, I want to change my tumbling order." She told him.
"You've got a solid beam" He replied.
"Don't worry about it." She insisted. "I'm more concerned about floor. Maybe I should get a professional choreographer in…" He didn't reply immediately and then she demanded his attention. "Sasha? A choreographer?"
Sasha nodded "sure. After regionals we can work on your floor some more."
His attention was caught by Payson on the floor.
"Slower Payson, if its too fast you cant see the grace and it looks like you cant do it slower to the judges."
It was a fair point, Lauren thought, and she watched Payson for a minute, it gave Kaylie and Emily an opening.
"She looks really good, don't you think?" Emily asked.
Kaylie tacked on "there's no way she won't dominate floor this year."
"Yeah, she looks good." Lauren commented vaguely. She was watching Payson for a more personal reason. While she didn't have time to attend ballet, Payson had inspired a newfound determination to perfect her floor in Lauren.
"Yours looked good too." Emily offered "I guess you didn't need that choreographer after all."
Lauren snapped to attention immediately. "feel better about yourself now then?"
Kaylie jumped in "enough Lo, okay, Emily did nothing wrong. You stole her choreography, remember."
"My father paid for that choreography" Lauren snapped back.
"I have an endowment." Emily replied.The You Don't was obvious.
"Oh come on, you can't actually be that stupid." Lauren replied. "Not if you're actually planning on living in the same building as me."
"What?" Emily crossed her arms.
"Don't play games, okay?" Kaylie demanded.
"A mysterious sports endowment group just spontaneously gives you money?"
"They think I'm promising. I'm one of the top gymnastst in the country."
"So don't you think if they were a real group they'd want some credit, or exposure, or sponsorship rights… something? No one gives something for nothing" Lauren informed her "unless he's sleeping with your mother."
Emily stared "your father is funding my endowment? That's what you're saying?"
"Do you have any proof?" Kaylie jumped in
Lauren shrugged "it just seemed logical to me."
"Well you can keep your crazy Lauren Tanner logic." Kaylie informed her "Emily earned her endowment, and her choreography."
Lauren shrugged. "Well I'd feel cheap, but whatever you can live with."
As she walked away she heard Kaylie mutter something about how she was the cheap one, but she kept walking, despite having no real direction in mind. When she hit the beam she sighed in relief that it was unoccupied. She took one final look at Kaylie and Emily laughing together, bit her lip in a combination of anger and sadness and then mounted the beam
Austin did cook very well. Lauren ate more than she had in a long time. Afterwards, he disappeared into his room with his cell and Lauren almost made a joke about hands free.
Carter cleared the table and started washing up and, after staring for a minute, Lauren started helping.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" He asked.
"Drying?"
"You can dry more than one fork at a time you know." He showed her how.
She blushed, a little.
"I've never washed up before." She admitted. She didn't admit she was quite proud of that fact.
"It shows."
He joined her in drying soon enough.
"So" he said when he'd set the final plate away. "What do you want to do now."
Lauren eyed him up and then only raised her eyebrows as a warning before leaping into his arms.
"Whoah" He gaped, and barely managed to hold onto him.
"Lo, what are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" She kissed him long and deep.
"Okay." Lauren was a teenage guy at heart, and with his girlfriend's perfect arse in his hands, he wasn't going to say no.
"Here?" He said, in between kisses. With her legs wrapped around his waist she ground into him.
"I think Austin might object. Your bedroom?"
"Right"
He carried her down the corridor and they barely smashed into anything, before he laid her out on the unmade bed.
She glanced around. It was such a guys room. Even the gymnastics posters didn't rectify that.
"Lo?" He checked. She returned her attention to him by kissing him again and sliding her hands up his shirt. "We don't have to." He offered.
She frowned and fell back down on the bed "With your mum and everything."
She smiled. Typical Carter.
"I really, really, want too." She attempted to attack his fly.
"Okay, okay." And really, what kind of teenage boy would say no.
He leant back and pulled of his shirt before climbing off and undoing his pants and kicking them off.
She stared and so did he, until he coughed uncomfortably.
As she was wearing a dress, she didn't have to get off the bed, she just pulled it over her head, leaving her in a bra and panties.
She loved the way his eyes couldn't help but dart over her body.
She held out a hand and tugged him back to bed and this time, they were far more athletic. He ground down into her, and she loved that she could feel just how much he wanted her.
The bra was pulled off with an urgency that made her feel good, and he worshipped her breasts with an enthusiasm that made her incredibly turned on. He wanted her.
Her hands ran all over his back and ducked into his boxers, pulling him as close as she could get him.
He ran a hand down her own side and then up between her thighs. When he felt how wet she was, he groaned and pressed into her. She groaned herself.
"Sorry." He insisted and pulled back a little, so not to loose control. "It's been a while. We should take it slow.
She kissed him again, and then kissed him under his jaw. He was getting some evening stubble.
"It's been a while for me too." She told him "I just want you, I want to feel you, okay?"
Carter nodded and had to remind himself to focus when Lauren way splayed out like this, in only a pair of little black panties.
He slid down her body and then slid them off, pressing kisses to her thighs and then eventually all over her.
She groaned, fisting the pillow.
"God Carter!" She moaned "please!"
He upped his efforts and she kept moaning but she wasn't there.
"I want you in me" she repeated, tugging him up. "Fuck me Carter, please."
It was vulgar, for Lauren, but again, who was Carter to complain. He'd barely gotten the condom out of the draw when she seized it and tore it open. Beside him now, she managed to get his boxers to his knees and rolled the condom on. She wasn't taking any risks. Never had.
He groaned at her small, lithe, hand, stroking him.
"Remind me later to return the favour for before." Lauren insisted, and that almost had him coming on the spot. Perhaps because they'd skipped straight to sex, but that just wasn't something they'd ever overly explored. Sure they'd tried, but it had always descended into full blown sex pretty quickly.
Lauren cupped his balls and then all but dragged him on top of her, lining him up.
He steadied her underneath him and then after a reassuring kiss, pushed in.
Lauren never said anything, but there was always a look of discomfort for a minute, before she settled. Then she wrapped her legs around him and they were off.
Lauren didn't know if it was because she was a gymnast, or he was, but she knew all sex could not be this good, otherwise everyone would be doing it all the time, abstinence be damned.
Normally, she'd be more actively, positioning herself on top, but that night Lauren wrapped her legs around him and rocked her hips up, pushing him as deep as he would go.
"God Lauren, that's amazing." He muttered. She threw her head back and he kissed the joint. Even through the sex haze she knew he couldn't leave a mark.
His grip on her waist, though, that might. It was high enough that her leo would cover it.
As he pumped harder and moved deeper, Lauren let out a wanton groan.
"Good?" he checked. She nodded and then let out another as he added his hand.
After that, it was all rising heat until she was arching off the bed. He followed shortly after and then collapsed beside her.
Before he'd completely recovered his breath Carter declared "God I missed you."
Lauren smiled at him, even as he recanted. "I didn't mean for the sex." He insisted. "I meant all of you."
"the sex too?" Lauren dead-panned, and Carter remembered he was dealing with Lauren.
"Oh yeah, the sex too."
He pulled off and tossed away the condom, and then pulled her close.
She wrapped her arms around him tightly and snuggled on his broad chest.
"I love you." She told him, against his pec.
"I love you too." He repeated automatically but truthfully.
"Sometimes" Lauren spoke quietly. "I think I don't love enough people."
That made Carter sit up slightly, but he didn't have anything to say.
"I love you." She continued "and I love my Dad."
"He loves you too, he wouldn't hate me half as much if didn't."
Lauren nodded, she knew that was true. "Do you think I should love more than two people?"
Carter thought carefully. "I don't know. I love you, my parents, that's about it, actually." He didn't say Kaylie, though yes, he would always probably love her too, in a first love kind of way. "and its not like I'm close to my Dad, either. You've got your mum too." He pointed out. She shook her head "I don't. I hate her."
"I know how much you wanted her to come home." Carter replied "That means something."
Lauren propped herself up. "It means I wanted to love her." She replied "but even when I was little, I knew better. Love her when she's there, and then she stopped coming. It's not like your mum." She told Carter. "Your mother would've done anything to stay with you, mine chose heroin over me."
She released a hiccupping little sob that made Carter pull her close.
"I'm sorry." He repeated, it seemed to be all he could say. "At least you've still got your Dad. He adores you."
"Not at the moment."
"If you told him about your mum, he'd understand."
"He'd be guilty." She replied "Dad wanted her home worse than I did, and he is happy at the moment, with Miss Trailer Trash 1980."
Carter took a second to process the words, before grinning. "I don't agree." He told her "but I think it's awesome you're doing something for your Dad."
Lauren shrugged defensively. "I still hope they break up." She insisted. "I see enough of Emily at the gym."
"Hey" Carter nudged her "there you go. What about your team? You guys are close."
"We used to be." Lauren replied, He played with her hair. The braid which ran all the way around her skull had barely come loose. "before Emily."
"But you love them?"
Lauren shrugged.
"I like Payson." She stated "a lot. I hated her getting hurt, I'd do almost anything for her."
Carter treaded carefully. "And Kaylie?"
"I can't love her anymore."
"You can't?"
"I picked you, remember."
Carter winced. "I didn't ask you too."
"I know." Lauren replied "she did and you never would. That's why I picked you."
Lauren sighed and settled down again, before mentioning. "I like Austin though, we could be friends I think."
"yeah, he's cool."
They dosed until Austin knocked, hard.
"Yeah?" Carter called, still half unconscious.
"Hey, Did Lauren go?"
"No." Carter looked around frantically, until he realised they weren't in Lauren's attic and no one was going to walk in.
"You guys know its ten-thirty, right?"
"Shit" Lauren swore. She jumped from the bed and hurridly collected her clothes.
"Thanks" She called and then swore again. "Shit. I was going to walk as well."
"I'll drive you." Carter swung out of bed.
"No, Dad will freak, I'll call a cab."
She darted out the door and passed an amused Austin looking for shoes she'd toed off before dinner.
"Could you call a cab?" she asked him as she raced past. "please?"
"Want me to drive you?" Austin asked.
"please."
Hurrying back to Carter's room with her dress and shoes on and her gym bag over her shoulder she glanced around. Austin lingered in the doorway while Carter laced up his shoes.
"What are you missing?" He looked around.
"Underwear?" She tossed a few piles of his stuff but his room was just too messy. "Screw it, it doesn't matter."
That had Carter blinking and kind of turned on. She raced forward and kissed Carter before whirling out of the room. "Let's go."
"You know." Austin took a moment to pause in the doorway. "I think I am a bit in love with your girl."
Lauren had been somewhat petrified of going in; she knew she looked like sex, but the shouting she could hear from outside made her pause. Her father didn't yell. Chloe Kmetko certainly did.
She heard Emily's voice "complete violation… do you have … how much… doubt myself?"
She eased open the front door, dumped her gym bag and eyed up the scene. Suddenly she was very aware she wasn't wearing underwear and probably looked like she'd spent the night with her boyfriend.
"What's going on?" She asked.
Emily whirled around. "You were right, okay? You're Dad's the Kipman Group."
Lauren scowled. She didn't want to have been right, as much as it would upset Emily.
"I cannot believe you told her." Her father demanded of her.
"I cannot believe you funded my competition." Lauren retorted. "I'm going to bed."
"Me too" Emily jumped up. "I cant be tired for training tomorrow, but we're not finished speaking about this."
"Yes." Chloe jumped in. "We will pay you back every penny."
"We'll do more than that." Emily added, she didn't say what.
"Whatever, good night." Lauren headed for the stairs.
"Don't think we're not talking about where you've been." Steve called after her. She just waved a hand in acknowledgement in his vague direction.
The whole night had turned out better than she could've hoped.
It was only when she was lying in bed that she realised she hadn't thrown up dinner. Sighing she stretched out her legs on her clean sheets and relaxed. At that moment she didn't care about throwing up, or her mother. She'd just spent a gorgeous night with her boyfriend and her new friend and her beam was coming along nicely. The rest could wait.