Pretty much everyday started the same at The Rock. Payson arrived bright and early as usual, happy to have escaped ballet for another week, then Kaylie would tumble in, chatting to her parents or her manager excitedly. Rushing in self-consciously would be Emily, hair in array and gym bag not properly packed, and cue some remark from Lauren which would start the day as it always did.

Except today Payson didn't really take notice of whatever Lauren was saying, or Emily and Kaylie's outraged looks, instead her eyes kept flitting to the office just above the gym mat.

"Pay," reprimanded Lauren, nudging her in the ribs, "you just missed my joke for the third time."

Kaylie shook her head violently.

"Trust me, you don't want to hear it," she laughed.

"I just want training to start," Payson explained quickly, turning her back on the office and flashing a quick smile to the girls.

It was odd how isolated she felt, even in the midst of the commotion at the gym. As the others laughed and began to stretch, Payson only wished for Sasha to come down and start working with her, her head turning nervously towards the stairs from time to time. When he was with her, she had this small glow of self-confidence building in her stomach, and that was what she craved most of all.

"Right everyone, gather round."

Payson gave an involuntary inward smile as she heard Sasha's voice and hurried to join the rest of the gymnasts who had gathered in the centre of the mats. Scanning his athletes, Sasha felt an enormous sense of pride as they looked up to him, remembering what a great job coaching really was. His eyes alighted on Payson perhaps a little too long, as he quietly struggled to discern pride at her gymnastic ability with another conflicting emotion. He decided to put that away for now.

Clapping his hands, he drew the young people's attention towards himself.

"Today," he began, "we'll be having another impromptu showcase."

He flashed a knowing smile at the groans spreading around the room. Every few weeks, Sasha would gather the gymnasts and ask them to perform whatever they were working on in front of each other, whether it was a specific trick or an entire routine.

Laughing at their begrudging attitude, Sasha sent them off to practice before he would be taking names out of the hat and seeing who started the display just after lunch. By instinct, he started to walk over to Payson, but quickly stopped himself as she looked up and met his gaze. Four eyes locked.

Sasha quickly moved past her to Carter, avoiding her look of disappointment as she watched him bypass her.

Well that was odd, Payson thought. But normal of course, she reassured herself. She wasn't the only athlete here who needed help: she couldn't expect Sasha to give her his entire undivided attention. Then why did she feel so odd watching him go by?

Now was not the time to ponder her emotions, and gritting her teeth Payson tried to remember the new floor routine Sasha had devised for her. Standing alone on the mat, Payson felt oddly uncomfortable doing her routine with everyone around her. Normally Payson Keeler didn't care about people watching her, she would just power on with an impressive tumble that would get them talking, but now…

Now she felt disjointed and awkward as she attempted to point her toes and make graceful lines. Whenever anyone came near her she sheepishly stopped what she was doing and stood embarrassedly until they were far enough away again.

"Snap out of it," she murmured to herself.

But it was not a good practice. Sasha didn't come over until almost eleven, and when he did, it was brandishing a woolly hat that seemed to be filled with paper.

"Pick your place for the showcase?" he tempted, grinning broadly and rattling the hat.

Payson didn't laugh, and stepped in very close to her coach.

"Sasha, I don't think I can do this," she started, peering up into his face, "I'm not ready, you know that."

Sasha dropped his ridiculous woollen garment and put both hands on her shoulders. When he spoke, it was not with the loud and vivacious motivational-speech voice he used for other gymnasts, but a quiet and comforting tone that seemed to exude honesty.

"I believe in you." Sasha whispered, "You just need to show everyone else what you show me in our practices."

That's different, thought Payson. With Sasha she didn't care how she looked doing artistic stunts, she was willing to try anything, she felt safe. But in front of everyone else, well that was different. She forced herself to return Sasha's smile.

"And on that note-" Sasha spun around, now addressing the whole gym. "Payson Keeler will perform first!"

Claps and wild cheers from her friends, feelings of nausea and fear from her stomach.

"What!"

He playfully led her to the middle of the mats, as she wildly looked around the room for some escape. He spun her so that she was facing him as the other gymnasts gathered round.

"You've got this," he smiled.

But as he walked away from her it was as if some part of herself left too, that slow ebb of confidence draining away with Sasha. He went to the CD player, looking back at her as he hovered his finger over the button.

Payson tried to block out the expecting crowd around her, the constricting walls of the gym, the crinkled leather of mat beneath her feet. She let her eyes alight on the one thing she wanted to think about. Or rather, the one person.

Sasha gave her an encouraging smile.

The music began. Payson froze. Blood rushed into her head as her eyes flitted across the gymnasts waiting for her to stun them. The echo of the music seemed to fill the entire room, throbbing into her body and sending shockwaves into her pulsing heart. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to do anything, but looking at the crowd in front of her emptied her brain of everything and anything relating to the routine she was supposed to be doing. Even Sasha's face became a blur as fear clouded her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this," rushed out a quiet, shaking voice that didn't sound like hers.

Then she was running, across the mats accompanied by the whispers of the others, the cries of her friends, the music pounding painfully through her ears and the tears brimming in her eyes. Sasha had run towards her, he tried to grab her hand as she tried to get away, sobbing.

"Payson, Payson!"
His voice was warm, gentle, concerned. He pulled her in towards him but she struggled away, her hair flicking out of its ponytail and wiping him in the face as she darted towards the changing room.

Coconu-woah. Did he just smell Payson Keeler's hair?

That was odd.

He ran after her.

I ended up splitting this chapter into two, so next to follow shortly :)