Chapter 8

Nina and Jessica were disappointed when their little project produced no tangible results. The only thing they got was a stern lecture from Payson about professionalism and respecting their elders. Strangely enough, Sasha didn't mention a word about it to them. In fact, Nina could have sworn that he lightened their usual conditioning routine.

Time flew by and yet another National Team practice was upon the Rock. Payson knew, even before the day began, that it would be a perfect storm of events. The National Committee would be supervising the practice closely. After Sasha Belov and Austin Tucker's spat at the invitational, the committee was keeping their head coach on a tight leash.

"If we survive this day." Sasha said to her that morning. "Then we are officially invincible."

Payson agreed silently.

The girls were just getting in the swing of things, taking turns performing for Sasha and the National Committee. Everything was running very smoothly except for one detail.

"Where is Keera Donaldson?" Ellen Beals demanded, stomping over to Sasha.

"We've called her." He said. "Her flight was on time. I frankly don't know."

The girl in question arrived three hours later in jeans and a sweatshirt. Payson rushed over the minute she came in.

"Keera!" she said with concern. "What happened? We were all so worried about you."

"I'm fine." She assured her coach.

"Great, do you need to change?"

"No."

Payson raised her eyebrows. "Uh – you can't do gymnastics in –"

"Where is Ms. Beals?" Keera asked suddenly, surveying the gym. Payson pointed her in the right direction. With purpose and confidence, the U.S. National Champion strode over to the National Committee and their ruthless leader.

"You have some explaining to do, young lady." Ellen Beals said sternly when she spotted the teen. "You're required to come to practice promptly –"

"Ms. Beals." Keera cut her off. "I need to speak privately with you."

"No, you need to practice."

"No," Keera said with a steady voice. "I need to speak with you."

"Say what you have to say here." Ellen Beals said, trying to assert her power.

Keera's eyes shifted from side to side, noting her confused coaches and curious teammates.

"I'm quitting."

The epic sentence seemed to vibrate off the gym walls and buzz in everyone's ears.

"What?" Jessica Rudolph's shocked explanation was the first heard in the shocked and silent gym. Nina elbowed her in the stomach.

"Excuse me?" Ellen Beals said to Keera.

"I quit." She repeated. "I don't enjoy the sport anymore. I want to spend my teenage years doing other things."

Ellen Beals' icy stare transferred from Keera to the National Team coaches.

"No one knew about this." Keera said quickly, obviously trying to deflect any misplaced blame. "Payson and Sasha had no idea. I haven't even old Austin yet."

Payson raised her eyebrow.

"And what gave you this stupid idea to quit the National Team?"

"I'm not just quitting the National Team, I'm retiring from the sport." Keera corrected. "I just don't have a passion for it. There are other girls here who really care and I'm not one of them. Some people have gone through hell and back to do gymnastics. Athletes like Payson lived and breathed this sport and I feel like a fraud because I don't care! I want to find something I do love."

Ellen shot Payson a nasty look. She grabbed the teenager's arm and escorted her out of the gym's main floor. No doubt Ellen Beals wanted to see if she could talk some sense into the girl.

When the door slammed behind them, Sasha yelled for order. The other girls reluctantly got back tot heir training, but no one was focused.

"Did that just happen? Seriously?"

"Did anyone see that coming?"

"Is this a joke?"

The speculation ran through the Rock for the rest of the day. It was no use trying to get a normal practice out of the girls.

Later that night Payson was in her apartment, cleaning the kitchen. Ally had spent the day with her grandmother and had fallen asleep at the house, so Payson was alone in her apartment. It felt rather odd, actually.

Someone rang the doorbell and she rushed over. She thought it might be Sasha with some news, but instead it was the last person she ever expected to visit her place of residence.

"Ms. Beals." She stuttered stupidly. "How did you know where I live?"

"Never mind that now." The National Committee member dismissed agitatedly. She rudely stepped inside and threw her bag down on the floor. "I need to speak with you."

Payson closed the door, wondering whether she should text Sasha.

"You, young lady, have made my life very complicated today." She announced.

Payson rolled her eyes. "Ms. Beals, I am no longer a gymnast under your rules. I am an adult and a coach so please address me as so."

"Fine." She said shortly. "I just got off the phone with the Donaldsons and Austin Tucker. No one expected Keera to throw away her future today."

"She didn't throw away her future." Payson argued. "She picked a new one."

Ellen Beals was steaming in anger. "See Payson, this is my point. You talk to Keera a few times, give her "advice" and suddenly she abandons all of her potential. Do you call that a coincidence?"

"Are you trying to blame this on me?" Payson asked in shock. It was almost too unbelievable to take seriously. Ellen Beals had clearly gone insane.

"Is this some sort of elaborate plan to get your Rock girls at the top and on the Olympic team?"

"You are crazy!" cried Payson, throwing her hands up in the air. "I refuse to acknowledge such horrible speculation. I would never dissuade Keera from doing gymnastics is that's what she really wanted."

"You, Payson Keeler, are responsible for the retirement of our National Champion. She was the country's one hope for Gold in 2020 and you've just throwing it out the window. Are you happy now?"

"Of course I'm not happy about this." Payson said, trying her best to be reasonable. "but I think you're underestimating the rest of the women's team and overestimating my involvement in Keera's free will!"

Ellen Beals was pacing around Payson's living room in fury, passing by framed photos of the Keeler family and Ally. She paused and stared at one of them.

"I take it this is your daughter?" she asked, changing the subject. There wasn't an ounce of warmth in her voice.

Payson nodded.

"Being unemployed this day and age can have a horrible impact on a family." Ellen Beals continued, not even bothering to be subtle. " I can't prove this was your fault, but if you step out of line again you can be sure that I'll have your fired."

Payson's chest was rising and falling slowly. She went from being offended to being terrified. The last thing she wanted was to leave the Rock and the National Team and force Ally to moved again. "We can call Sasha right now and he can back me up." she said desperately. "He knows I had nothing to do with Keera's decision."

"You think I care about Sasha Belov's word?" Ellen Beals asked with amusement. "Like I would believe anything he says about you, anyway. If he'd throw away his career for you, I'm sure he'd be more than willing to lie for you too."

Payson paused. "Wait - what?"

Ellen Beals rolled her eyes. "You mean he never told you? How unexpectedly noble of him. I thought you disliked me all these years because of it."

"I disliked you because you were controlling and manipulative to my teammates." Payson clarified, remembering the Olympics. "but what are you talking about? Sasha didn't throw away his career for me!"

"You are quite naive, Payson," Ellen Beals said, heading for the door. "Even now, years later, you still think Sasha Belov left the 2012 Olympic Cycle for what exactly? A vacation?" she laughed. "Why do you think the committee bent the rules for you before Worlds? Sure, you were talented but you hadn't come back completely from your injury. The National Committee needed an incentive before we took a chance on you. It just so happened that - at that time - I wanted Sasha out of the sport more than you. Now I'd say it's a toss up. "

Payson was shaking. She backed away and sunk down in her couch. She blinked slowly, wondering whether she was in a dream.

"How does it feel?" Ellen Beals asked from the open doorway smugly. "Is your victory tainted by this news?"

Payson looked up and an expressionless face. "No." she said strongly. "You're talking to an Olympic gold medalist, Ms. Beals. It's going to take a hell of a lot more to make me forget that. Please leave my home before I kick you out."

It was about 10 p.m. and Sasha Belov was still at the Rock. Disillusioned with the day's events, he didn't feel like going home and acting like a normal human being. His top gymnast had just retired and the National Committee had yet another reason to hate him - not that they needed it.

When he finally finished the mountain of paperwork on his desk, he walked into the main gym and released his stress with a workout. He went on the rings feeling his muscles ache in a familiar way. From there he went to the parallel bars. He worked out and enjoyed the silence of the Rock. The serenity was both strange and welcome after the hectic, dramatic day.

"Belov!" a voice yelled from the other side of the gym, interrupting his serenity.

Startled, Sasha fell off the bars and flat on his back. "Damn it, Keeler!" he cried, getting up painfully from the floor.

Payson Keeler was walking with conviction over to the parallel bars. The second she got over to Sasha she gave him a hard shove. Unprepared yet again, he stumbled backwards but recovered his balance by grabbing the bars.

"I can't believe you!" she said standing across from him. Her short blonde hair was in her face and out of its usual neat ponytail. Her body was positioned between the bars, locking him in.

Sasha rubbed his shoulder. His ex-gymnast was still freakishly strong. "Good god, Payson what is this violence about?"

"I was the reason you quit all those years ago? I was the reason you backed out of the 2012 Olympic cycle?"

Sasha's face fell.

"How did you find out?"

"Ellen Beals. I think she was trying to cut me down with the news. I had no idea that National Committee members now paid house calls to insult coaches!"

"Great..." he said was distaste. "You weren't supposed to find out."

"And why not? You should have told me years ago!"

"You would never have let me quit!" he said honestly.

"Exactly! We could've figured something else out. Like you said, there are other roads to the Olympics. We were supposed to get there together! That was the plan, remember?"

"Well I wasn't going to take the chance, OK?" Sasha cried. He paused, lowering his voice and forcing himself to calm down. "I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if you didn't get that spot."

Payson softened her argumentative stance and stared at him for a moment. Sasha's blue eyes were blazing into her and she felt exposed, even with her baggy pajama pants and tank top. There was something about the way he was looking at her - she was like the other side of a magnet.

"Would you have done that for any of the other girls?" she asked, not breaking eye contact. "For Emily, Lauren, or Kaylie...?"

She stepped closer and waited for his answer, but only silence came from Sasha. That seemed to make a statement in itself. She stepped forward again, transfixed by retrospective awe and gratitude.

"You know you were the only one who believed in me - even after my comeback. Everyone just smiled and thought I was done. They were perfectly nice about it too, which made it that much worse. No one expected greatness from me again, but you. You faith never wavered…it's all because of you."

"No, Payson." Sasha insisted seriously. "Trust me, I wouldn't have left unless I knew for a fact you could get there on your own."

"And you let me be mad at you this entire year?" she continued with disbelief. "You put up with my defiant crap without question."

"Honestly, it was sort of entertaining," he admitted sheepishly.

"You're insane."

"Actually, one might argue that my behavior makes me a gentleman -"

But Sasha Belov didn't complete his sentence. Actually, he was physically unable to finish his sentence for the simple reason that it is nearly impossible to speak while someone is kissing you.

Payson had unexpectedly launched herself on Sasha, pressing her lips to his. Out of instinct and utter satisfaction Sasha picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. Neither one was thinking logically. Sasha had no idea that Payson Keeler could kiss like this. If he had known that he might've been more impatient about his unspoken intentions. Her hands were cupping the back of his neck tenderly while Sasha's were locked tightly underneath her thighs, propping her up to his height.

After a few minutes (though it was hard to tell since both had lost all sense of time), Payson's lips broke away from Sasha's and she blinked slowly in disbelief.

Suddenly, the two adults jumped apart like a spring.

"I'm so sorry. I can't believe I just did that..." she said as reality set in.

"Um - I forgive you…?"

"I just kissed my coach!"

"Ex-coach, actually." Sasha clarified.

Payson looked dizzy. Sasha ran forward to steady her, but she backed away. "Maybe we shouldn't touch anymore - just to be safe."

"Are we in third grade?" he asked with slight agitation.

"Look, this is weird!" she said. "Or at least...it should be. Right?"

"Uh - " Sasha tried not to trip over his enthusiasm. "No. I can't say I felt any weirdness."

Payson took a seat on the mat and massaged her temples.

Sasha leaned back on his hands and edged closer to her, hoping that she still had an element of smoothness in his game. "In my experience if you're unsure about something you should...try it again."

Payson looked up. Her heart was beating fast. "That does sound sensible."

She froze as he tucked a piece of her blond hair behind her ear. Then, the pair leaned in closer and closer in a painfully slow approach.

A crash made Payson and Sasha jump. The night shift janitor had just entered the gym to clean down the mats.

Reality hit Payson once more and she jumped away from Sasha and got to her feet.

"Where are you going?" he asked, rushing after her.

"I've got to sleep on this…"