Sorry for the short chapters. I wanted to recap on the whole Payson/Sasha kiss before moving on to the alternate parts!
The atmosphere was full of tension. Nearly every parent of a Rock gymnast was seated around the table. Steve Tanner stood at the front, and Sasha only feet away. Steve looked hard at Sasha, and then faced the Parents' Board.
"Would all who oppose Coach Sasha Belov coaching our girls any further please raise their hands?"
Kim Keeler counted mentally. Over half the Board had raised their hands. Her heart sunk. "Steve," she pleaded, "isn't there any other way? I mean- can't we just try to explain this?"
Steve Tanner glared at her. "Kim, I realize that Payson is Lauren's friend, but that is no excuse for allowing a-a pedophile to continue coaching our children!"
Her mouth fell open. "There was no evidence to support the fact that Sasha did anything inappropriate, Steve!"
"Then what do you call this?" Steve asked, producing another enlarged copy of the infamous photograph.
Alex Cruz stood. His hand had not been among those who'd voted against Sasha, Kim was glad to see. "Steve, what do you say we just call all of this off until we can find some real proof."
Steve held his ground. "Kim, Alex, the Parents' Board has spoken. And they have voted to prohibit Sasha Belov from coming near our girls." He turned to Sasha, who had been silently watching the action.
"Sasha Belov, you are from hereon suspended from coaching any of the Rock gymnasts until further notice."
Sasha nodded, and walked silently out of the meeting. Without a word, Kim, Alex, Ronnie, and the parents who believed him turned to Steve Tanner, and glared at him.
"Payson, get up, there's something we need to talk about." Her mother's voice woke her up early Sunday morning. She slunk out of bed and followed her mother to the kitchen table, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.
"Morning, sunshine," her dad joked. She stopped short as she saw who was sitting at the table.
Sasha.
"Sasha? What are you doing here?" she asked, suddenly aware of her retainer still in and her hair sticking out in every direction.
"Sit down, Payson, we need to talk," he said in response, and she joined him, and her mother and father around the table.
"Pay," her mom began, "I know Mr. Tanner has forbidden Sasha from coaching at the Rock," she began tentatively. "But he can't forbid him from coaching you outside of the Rock." A grin broke across her face, but Payson was still bewildered.
"But how could you coach me outside of the Rock?" she asked, looking pointedly at Sasha. "I'm not switching gyms, and I doubt anyone particularly wants to hire you right now anyway. No offense," she added quickly.
Her dad broke in. "I've decided to rent out a space about 20 minutes from here so that you and Sasha can resume your training. It's not the Rock, but it should get the job done until this all blows over."
Payson's smile was suddenly as wide as her mother's. "Well, what are we still doing here then?" she asked, jumping up from the table to change into a leo.
Kaylie stared at her plate. Her mother had arranged eggs, cantaloupe, and melon chunks, a healthy breakfast for an elite gymnast. Her mother danced around the kitchen, singing along to one of her own 80s pop hits. As soon as she left, Kaylie dumped her breakfast into the trash and then set her plate in the sink. Her stomach hurt awfully, but as she looked in the mirror in the hallway, she saw a visible change in her stomach. She stepped on the scale in the living room and weighed in at 105. Still way too much if she wanted to nail the double Arabian mount. She sighed.
She drank a little water, not enough to add water weight but enough to keep her hydrated throughout practice. She grabbed a half leaf of lettuce and tried to eat it slowly. Ronnie returned. "Still hungry?" she asked, seeing the lettuce in Kaylie's hand.
Kaylie just shrugged and went upstairs to change into her leo.
Payson bounded across the unfamiliar floor. It was easy enough to perform on it. Most floors were. But it still wasn't the Rock.
Sasha started the music. Payson unfolded from her beginning pose and started into a series of graceful spins and simple flips before getting into the moves with the higher degrees of difficulty - punch front, full in-full out, double layout and Arabian double front. She slipped from the last power move into a graceful passé pirouette and then stiffened her body into her final pose, arms outstretched, barely breathing. She glowed. She knew she'd performed well, but nevertheless pulled herself off the mat and said, "Okay. Hit me with it."
Sasha clapped. "It's beautiful, Payson. Flawless."
Payson blushed. It had been awhile since she gotten real praise from Sasha. He walked over to the mirrored wall and sat on a pile of mats, stroking his unshaven chin.
"Sasha?" she asked timidly. "Are you okay?"
"Payson," he asked her suddenly. "Are you ready, right now, to embrace your destiny?"
Austin, Damon, Ronnie and Alex Cruz, Kim and Mark Keeler, Steve Tanner, Summer, Chloe and Brian Kmetko, among several other parents of National Team members were gathered around the television in the small lobby of the Boulder Gymnasium. They nervously watched Emily perform her beam routine, but most were only concerned for their respective girl. She fell on her dismount. Chloe's heart sunk, and she knew Damon was feeling the same thing.
"Kaylie Cruz," called the NGO rep, "uneven bars." Kaylie shook slightly as she walked onto the mat.
"I've gotten Kaylie to begin her routine with a round-off Arabian mount," Ellen Beals said, following the NGO over to where they would observe Kaylie. "Only Genji Cho has successfully performed it in competition."
As Kaylie chalked up and began her run onto the springboard, she felt her heart beating in double time. That was unusual, it usually went slower during her run. She performed the mount almost flawlessly - until she grasped the bar. She couldn't hold herself up and fell to the mat.
"What happened?" Ronnie exclaimed from the viewing area."She worked so hard on that move!"
Austin sighed. "She's weak, and tired," he tried to explain. "That's what happens when you starve yourself." He tried to keep the I told you so out of his voice.
Kaylie performed her routine with a simpler mount, and although it was almost perfect, it was mediocre. She didn't smile when she landed her dismount perfectly. She felt like she might fall over.
"Lauren Tanner," Marcus called, "vault." Lauren turned to the end of the vault and begin to walk towards it when a familiar accent caught her by surprise.
"Stop!" it commanded, and Lauren turned to find Demetri Belov standing on the floor.
"You Lauren?" he asked, pointing at her. She nodded, still in awe. Demetri Belov had been even greater in his day then Sasha, perhaps. "My Sasha wants me to stand in today in place of him. But he told me that you are prepared well, physically and technically. He is only worried," he said, placing a hand on Emily, Lauren, and Kaylie's head in turn, "about up here. Stick together, and you will shine. Work like a team, and you will succeed. Go."
Lauren performed a better vault then she ever had before. Kaylie's floor routine was strong, and with the added encouragement of her teammates, it was beautiful. After the standings of round one were posted though, Kaylie was in fourth place and Lauren in sixth - just close enough to make the team. But Emily was in eighth, just two spots away. She would still need a miracle to beat out Tasha and Tessa.
"Are you sure I'm ready for this?" Payson asked, suited up in her Rock warm ups. Sasha had explained exactly what he wanted her to do, and Payson was ecstatic, if not a little leery.
"Payson, I've never been more certain of anything in my life."
They walked right through the viewing area and into the gym. All the Rock family and friends were quick to follow.
"Well, I don't know about y'all," Chloe addressed the small group, "but I'm not about to miss this!"
"Mr. Belov, stop right there." Ellen held her hand out in from of Sasha, as if to bar him from going any further.
He didn't stop walking.
He addressed the NGO.
"I brought Payson Keeler, and with all due respect, we're not leaving until you've seen what she can do."
The committee whispered amongst themselves for a few nerve-wracking moments.
"In France," Sasha continued, "you saw Payson Keeler make a comeback as a power gymnast. Today, I want you to see Payson Keeler make her comeback as an artistic gymnast." Without waiting for further acknowledgement, Demetri started Payson's music, and she began her breathtaking performance.
It was most stunning thing Lauren had ever seen.
With just a tinge of jealousy, she cheered on her best friend. Even the committee rose in giving her a standing ovation. Becca beamed at her. Payson had never performed more beautifully in her life, even as a power gymnast. Sasha was certain the NGO had never seen anything like it. Payson saluted the committee and beamed to the audience.
