Chapter 14
"Remember, ladies, this competition is a qualifier for Nationals so everyone needs to be on their game. I want this week to focus on the little things in your routines; extensions, landings, overall execution. If you haven't got the moves by now, you're not going to get them. Polish. However, polish does not mean slack, so get to work. Kelly, Payson, could I see the two of you a moment?" Sasha asked when he finished his Monday morning pep talk. He gave them at the start of each week, letting the girls know what to expect from him, and what he expected from them, plus any schedule changes.
Payson and Kelly wandered over to him, waiting to see what he had to say as he scribbled something on his clipboard.
"I want the two of you to take it easy this week. You can't always rest on your laurels, but remember that this isn't a make it or break it event for either of you. Don't kill yourselves working this week, okay?"
"Got it," Kelly said for the both of them.
"Good. Kelly, let's see your bars."
#
Payson sat on the couch in Sasha's apartment, staring at nothing. He was on the phone with someone from the NGO discussing who knew what, and it left her with a rare chance to just space out. Of course, her mind wasn't totally blank. One face kept popping into her thoughts, no matter how hard she tried to push it away: Lauren.
She hadn't seen Lauren in months, not since her move to Denver, but the bitch of the beam would be at the Classic, and Payson was not looking forward to it. She wasn't scared exactly, just apprehensive. Things were going well now that she and Sasha were back together and she was terrified that Lauren would find a way to muck it up like she always did. The girl was shrewd, and she saw things other people didn't. Plus, Payson just really wanted to kick her ass.
"Pay? You okay?" Sasha asked, sitting down beside her and tossing his cell phone onto the coffee table.
"Lauren will be at the Classic this weekend," she explained. Sasha's arm came around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side. He pressed a kiss to her hair.
"Are you worried about what she'll say or about what you'll do?" Sasha asked. He reclined on the couch, taking her with him and twisting their bodies so that they were lying side by side. His fingertips traced random patterns on her shoulder.
"Both," Payson muttered, breathing him in.
"You know the best way to shut her up is to beat her on beam, right?" Sasha asked quietly. Payson shifted in an effort to get more comfortable, tossing her leg over his hips and wedging it between his knees. He shifted too and gave a tiny gasp. Payson fought a smile. She loved that it was so easy for her to turn him on.
"I know," Payson said. Sasha's fingers slipped beneath the hem of her shirt, tracing her scars. "Why do you think I've been ignoring your advice and working my butt off this week?"
Sasha laughed and then leaned in to kiss her. Payson was pretty sure he intended it to be a light kiss, a reassurance more than anything, but it quickly escalated. She moaned happily, her mouth opening beneath his. He took advantage, his tongue darting out to play with hers.
They shifted again so that Payson was more on top of him than beside him. Sasha's hands slipped fully under her shirt, skimming her sides, following the curve of her hips and then skating over her ribs until he hit the band of her bra. He paused there for a moment, just holding her close, and then one hand went to her back and the other slid around front.
His fingers traced the edge of her bra, making her shiver, before dipping inside to cup her. She gasped, arching into his hand.
"Sasha," she breathed, before diving in to kiss him again. She wanted him to touch her forever.
Her fingers were tracing the lines of his well defined abs, skating along the top of his jeans, flirting with the button, when the alarm on her phone went off.
"Damn it," she groaned. Her hand stilled as Sasha sighed and rearranged her top for her.
"Go," he said, giving her a firm pat on the hip. "Anymore "extra training" tonight and your mum will have my head."
Payson crawled gracefully over Sasha and grabbed her bag and her phone. Then she leaned over to kiss him quickly, one more time.
"Enjoy your day off with Kelly tomorrow. See you Friday morning."
"See you Friday."
Payson had to swallow the three little words that almost popped out of her mouth next.
#
Kelly and Payson were reclined on two chaise lounge chairs by the side of Austin's pool, soaking in the sun. Sasha had given all the athletes competing in the Classic the day off to rest and recover, and the three of them were spending it together.
"So how's it going now that you and Sasha are honeys again?" Kelly asked. Payson sighed happily as the sun warmed her skin.
"Great. Sort of," Payson amended. She heard Kelly groan beside her.
"Sort of?"
"Well, it's nothing bad really. Last night when I left the apartment, as I said goodbye I almost said…it," Payson said, not quite ready to say them out loud.
"It?" Kelly asked.
"Yeah. It. Those three little words that I've never said to anyone in this context," Payson explained. As Kelly finally realized what she meant, she bolted upright, pushing her sunglasses up on her head.
"You said it or you almost said it?"
"Almost."
"Why?" Kelly asked. Payson laughed.
"I don't know! They just almost popped out. I didn't even think about it. It was just like, see you later, I love you." Payson explained, her voice catching as she said it.
"Well…damn PK, I'm speechless," Kelly stammered. Payson stifled a giggle; Kelly Parker was never speechless.
"I know, it's crazy right? I don't think I'm even ready to say it, and I really don't think he's ready to hear it. I have no idea what came over me," Payson said. Kelly settled back, dropping her sunglasses over her eyes again.
"We're sixty two days from London, Pay. Call it Olympic fever."
"Sixty two days," Payson breathed.
#
"Welcome to the Secret U.S. Classic. I'm Tim Dagget and beside me is Shannon Miller, our guest commentator today. Shannon, how are you feeling about today?"
"I think this is the first stop on the way to the Olympics, and we're going to see what these girls are made of. Only five of them can be chosen for the Olympic team and there are a lot of senior elites with incredible talent. This is going to be a really hard decision for Marta Karolyi and the rest of the selection committee."
"That's so true. And we have a very unique situation this year in that four of the major contenders all come from the same gym, the Rock in Boulder, Colorado," Tim said.
"Well, that's only sort of true now, Tim. Lauren Tanner has been training at the Rock for years, but recently made the switch to Denver Elite under coach Marty Walsh, who previously coached at the Rock," Shannon corrected him.
"True, I'd forgotten about that for a moment. Let's talk about these four girls, Kaylie Cruz, Lauren Tanner, and the dream team of Kelly Parker and Payson Keeler," Tim prompted. Shannon nodded, taking a moment to think.
"I think Payson and Kelly are shoe-ins. They only keep improving and Payson especially has a degree of difficulty on every apparatus that just can't be matched. And Kelly is just so consistent. Her DOD may not be as high as Payson's, but it's up there and she nails those routines every time, which is something Marta really looks for in a team," Shannon explained.
"And what about Kaylie and Lauren?"
"Both very good gymnasts. Obviously they won't be considered All Around contenders, but Lauren has a very strong beam routine and Kaylie is always a delight on floor. She might not have the DOD that some would like, but she makes up for it in execution. They're both also very solid on the vault."
"So what do you think we can expect from the four of them today?" Tim asked.
"Tim, you know better than trying to predict a gymnastics event like this. The pressure is on for these girls, especially those on the cusp of being Olympic contenders. The only thing I can predict is that it's going to be an interesting day, for sure."
"That's the truth. And we'll be back in just a few minutes for the official start of the 2012 Secret U.S. Classic."
#
Kelly was chalking her hands, getting ready to work on her bars warm up, when Kaylie came up to her, looking shy.
"Can I help you?" Kelly asked, trying very hard not to snap at Kaylie.
"Can I borrow your phone? Mine's dead and I just want to tell my parents where in the rotation I am. I would have asked Payson but she's…"
"Busy on beam. I can see that. Yeah, go ahead. It's in the front pocket of my bag," Kelly said, waving vaguely in the direction of her stuff. Kaylie mumbled thanks and jogged to the edge of the podium and jumping off in front of the Rock's section of fold up chairs.
Kelly watched Kaylie to make sure she found the right bag and then turned to the bars.
And then her whole body went stiff as she remember the text messages between her and Austin, some of them kind of racy, and one that she hadn't had time to open. It would be the first thing Kaylie saw.
Kelly turned around, hoping it wasn't too late and she'd be able to stop Kaylie. But as her eyes found her teammate, she knew it was over. Kaylie held the phone limply in her hand as she stared at Kelly, her eyes wide and brimming with tears. Her bottom lip quivered.
"Shit," Kelly hissed.
Kaylie turned and ran towards the locker room.
No one would ever call them friends, but Kelly never meant for Kaylie to find out about her and Austin that way. She meant to tell her, face to face, once Kaylie had recovered from the break up. The last thing Kelly wanted was to potentially compromise Kaylie's performance. She didn't deserve that. So Kelly did the only thing she could think to do. She ran after her.
"Kaylie!" Kelly cried, pushing through the locker room doors.
"So I was right all along?" Kaylie said. Kelly whipped around to find her huddled on the floor, her back pressed to the wall. "After you two denied it and told me I was being crazy, it was true?"
"No!" Kelly shouted. Kaylie shot her a withering glare. "I mean, we weren't when you thought we were. This is…new. But we really weren't doing anything until after you guys broke up."
"How long?" Kaylie asked in a whisper.
"A couple weeks. Since our last promo weekend," Kelly answered honestly. Kaylie got to her feet slowly, and held Kelly's phone out to her while staring at the floor. She moved to leave the locker room, but Kelly caught her arm. "Kaylie…"
"You're a manipulative bitch, Kelly Parker. Just like your mother."
Kelly stood in the locker room, shocked into silence as Kaylie made her way back to the arena.
#
"Welcome to the 2012 Secret U.S. Classic! I'm Tim Dagget and joining me in Chicago is Shannon Miller. Shannon, just a few minutes ago we were talking about Kelly Parker, who's about to perform on the uneven bars. You were saying she's very consistent, but right now she looks pretty visibly shaken."
"She does, Tim. This is really very odd for Kelly Parker. She has always been that gymnast that can just forget everything and go out and win gold, but she looks pretty scattered right now," Shannon agreed.
"Let's see if she can get it together for long enough to perform," Tim said, his voice dying to a whisper.
The crowd fell silent as Kelly stood a little ways from the high bar. She adjusted the straps on her grips and took a breath, her hands shaking as she clapped them together. She took a running start, jumping up to catch the high bar and then swinging herself up into a handstand. Her body bowed as she fell into the next move.
"Oh!" Tim cried as she barely held onto the hand stand. "That is not a good way to start the routine."
"No, it isn't. And watch this, she's barely holding on as she transitions through this skill, called a Hindorff, straight to the low bar. That's going to be a big deduction for her," Tim said.
"It really is Tim. She seems to have let go of all control. This routine has a desperate air to it, like she's careening out of control and is just trying to finish it without killing herself," Shannon said, shaking her head.
"And here she goes, almost done with the routine…oh! " Tim exclaimed as Kelly fell to her knees from the high bar.
"Kelly Parker falling from the uneven bars is almost unheard of. I don't think I've ever seen it in competition, Tim," Shannon said. "Especially during a skill like a Tkachev, which is really an old skill for her. Something must have happened, because she looked much stronger during podium training."
"Here she goes, back up to the high bar with a lift from coach Sasha Belov. Let's see if she can finish this out strong."
Kelly pushed herself into a handstand, swinging around the high bar to get her momentum going, and then rotating 180 degrees at the top. She swung into a Jam, piking at the top of the bar so that her leg were between her body and the bar as she looped around.
"That looks pretty solid, considering what just happened," Tim said.
"Strange, considering it's an E skill," Shannon mused.
"Here comes the dismount, let's see if she can stick it. She's going to give us a double front…oh, just a bit too much momentum and she sits right down!" Tim cried as Kelly scrambled to her feet, saluting the judges and the crowd.
"That was a disaster, Tim, at least coming from someone as solid and consistent as Kelly Parker," Shannon said.
"Let's hope we can chalk it up to a bad day and she'll be back in top form by the time we see her again at Nationals."
#
Kelly bit back tears. She couldn't remember the last time she'd performed so badly. She fell! Kelly Parker never fell, especially not from the bars.
"Kelly, what's wrong?" Payson asked, her voice laced with concern. Kelly just shook her head, pushing past her friend and ripping off her grips. "Kelly, talk to me!"
"Kaylie knows about me and Austin. She said…she said I was just like my mother." To Kelly, it was the very worst thing Kaylie could have said. She hated her mother, everyone hated Sheila, and Kelly's mission in life was to be nothing like her.
"Oh Kelly," Payson gasped. "She was just lashing out. It's not true. You're nothing like your mother. Okay? Kaylie is just mad."
They both stopped and looked up as cheers erupted from the crowd. Kaylie was on floor, killing it, sticking every move, and the crowd loved it. The entire arena started clapping in time with her music.
"I just gotta go…I don't know. Cool off." Kelly brushed past Payson, not really interested in being comforted.
"Well, well," someone said from behind Payson. She turned to see Lauren standing, arms crossed over her chest and a haughty look on her face. "It looks to me like the great Kelly Parker is crumbling. I wonder what it will look like for Sasha if one of his gymnasts has a mental breakdown? So soon after a sexual abuse scandal, a pregnant gymnast, and an eating disorder?"
"Shut up, Lauren," Payson snapped. When you strung all the events together, it truly did look like there was something toxic at the Rock, but it wasn't Sasha. He was the only thing holding them all together.
"I sure hope you don't self destruct like that. I'd like to beat you on beam knowing that you did your best," Lauren said. Then she spun on her heel and marched away.
#
"Shannon, we're about to see the girl everyone calls "Queen of the Beam" perform. Now, if I'm not mistaken Lauren Tanner has the highest beam DOD of anyone in the country right now, is that right?" Tim asked.
"Yes, that's right. She's at a six point seven starting value, with Payson Keeler close behind at a six point five. This is the only apparatus on which Payson does not have the highest DOD. Between these two girls it's all going to come down to execution."
"Here goes Lauren with her mount, a round off tuck full," Tim explained.
"A very difficult mount, which she lands perfectly. Lauren's strength has always been in her landings; it's almost as though her feet are made of super glue. The girl just doesn't fall."
"She's got some very impressive tumbling here," Tim said as Lauren threw herself into a side flic-flac with a full twist, then down into a hip circle.
"And now we're getting a standing Arabian, another F skill, very difficult," Shannon said.
"Ooh! What a save. That was a pretty big balance check though, she'll have some deductions on that one," Tim said.
"But the rest of her routine, with the exception of the dismount, is relatively simple so she shouldn't have any more chances for big deductions."
"Yes, the rest of this routine is just…flawless," Tim breathed.
"Here comes the dismount," Shannon said, dropping her voice. "A round off, back handspring, double pike."
"Oh! And a huge step off to the left. That will be a few more deductions."
"It will, but you know what? With Lauren's DOD even those deductions will still keep her well ahead of most of the competition," Shannon explained.
"We'll just have to wait and see what Payson Keeler can come up with. We'll be back after a few minutes with more from the 2012 Secret U.S. Classic."
#
Payson's vision was unfocused as she stood just off the podium, visualizing her routine one last time. Lauren's performance had been damn good; even with a big balance check and a huge step off the dismount, she'd pulled a 15.500, and for Payson to beat that she was going to have to hit every single movement. There was no room for even the slightest deduction.
A warm, calloused hand landed on the back of her neck, the thumb stroking her pulse point. She shivered as she blinked and Sasha's face came into focus.
"You ready?" he asked. She nodded, closing her eyes and taking a moment to relish in the feel of his hand on her skin. She breathed deeply, imagining that she could pull strength from his touch.
"I'm ready," she breathed.
"Good. Payson, this routine is strong. You can do it," he whispered. She felt his breath across her cheek.
"The last two major competitions I was in, I seriously injured myself," she breathed. Visions of her fall from the bars a Nationals and her bad vault landing at Worlds flashed through her mind. Sasha's grip on her neck tightened.
"You'll be fine. You're not going to fall," he promised. Payson nodded.
She stepped up to the podium.
#
"Here we've got Payson Keeler up on beam. Now, she has really reinvented herself in the past year," Tim said.
"Yes, she has. She's completely re-stylized herself; going from a gymnast whose sole selling point was the ability to throw big power moves to a gracefully, artistic, well rounded gymnast. She now combines that power she had before with a lot of elegance," Shannon explained.
"Here she goes with a forward roll onto the beam, then into a standing split," Tim narrated as Payson moved through the routine.
"Look at those lines," Shannon pointed out. "Her extensions are just unbelievable, even into this double flic-flac."
"And there's a jump she uses in her floor routine, a switch split ring leap. Look at the way her toes almost touch her head," Tim said.
"I've started to think of this as sort of her signature move, Tim, and she does it so beautifully."
"So far, I have not seen a single spot for deductions," Tim said. Payson launched herself into switch leap and then straight into a back somersault with barely a moment's pause.
"I haven't either. As long as she lands the dismount, I think she'll have this event won."
#
Payson allowed herself just a moment to pause at the end of the beam. Her routine had been nearly perfect so far. No balance checks, no slips, nothing. Now it was just the dismount left. Taking a deep breath, Payson took a running step and then pushed her body into a back handspring. Her arms absorbed the shock as she flipped to her feet and immediately launched into another. This time, she pushed her body out over the end of the beam, and there was only blue mat beneath her. She forced her body into a tight pike and rotated twice.
Her feet hit the mat and stayed there, not even the tiniest hop betraying the power of the move. She paused just for an instant to make sure she was steady and then straightened and threw her arms up in a salute to the judges, and then the crowd. The roar of cheers and applause made her head spin and she gave the crowd an extra little wave.
She ran from the podium, not even pausing as she jumped down and into Sasha's open arms. She had to fight the urge to kiss him full on the mouth, in front of everyone.
"That was perfect Payson, I'm so proud of you," he whispered in her ear.
She couldn't help the grin that threatened to split her face in two.
#
"That was fantastic!" Tim exclaimed as the crowd watched Payson throw herself into Sasha's embrace.
"It seems like coach Belov agrees. He is all smiles right now," Shannon pointed out.
"Now we just have to see…a 15.700, beating out Lauren Tanner by two tenths of a point! That is incredible!"
"I don't know if you noticed this Tim, but Lauren and Payson exchanged words a little earlier, and they didn't seem like friendly ones. If I had to guess, this was Payson teaching Lauren a very hard lesson," Shannon said with a little laugh.
"I think it's safe to say that the Queen of the Beam has been dethroned."
#
Payson reclined on her bed in the hotel room she was sharing with Kelly. She was exhausted, but still too keyed up from her victory over to Lauren to really relax.
"I'm going to run down to Austin's room," Kelly said, gathering her room key and her cell phone. Payson propped herself up on her elbows and studied her friend carefully.
"I know you aren't happy with how your bars turned out, but you did really well today Kelly. You pulled it together for floor, beam, and vault; Marta won't hold one bad bars set against you," Payson assured her. Kelly grimaced.
"I know, but there really wasn't any reason for my bars to fall apart. I know better than to let the competition get to me," Kelly said. "I'll be back later."
Payson flopped back down and threw her arm across her eyes, trying to breathe all the nervous energy out of her body. She heard the door open and close with Kelly's departure and debated texting Sasha.
"What're you thinking about, love?"
Payson jerked upright, shocked to see him leaning one shoulder up against the wall as he stared at her. He smiled lazily.
"You, actually," she said. Sasha pushed off the wall and stalked towards her.
"Oh really?"
"Yes really."
"What about me?" He asked. As he neared the bed he lifted one knee onto it, towering over her and forcing her to lean back.
"How badly I want to do this." Payson reached forward and curled her fist into his t-shirt, pulling his face down to hers and pressing her lips against his. He made a noise deep in his throat that sounded like a cross between a growl and a whimper and crawled farther onto the bed, pressing her back until she lay prone beneath him.
"Kelly went down to Austin's room," she said.
"I know," he muttered against her lips, skimming one hand up her side while bracing his weight on the other elbow.
"She'll be gone at least an hour. Did anyone see you come in?" Payson asked. Sasha made a noise that she thought meant no as he trailed his lips along the line of her jaw and then down to her throat.
"Good," she gasped, fisting her hand in his hair.
"Payson?" Sasha asked. Payson looked down at him, her breath coming faster.
"Yeah?"
"Stop talking," he begged.
She smirked and pulled him in for another kiss.
A/N: A huge thank you as always to HannahMontana-SG1lover, DancerChick987634, Izzyb101, NCISluver, JTellersOldLady, hazel-3017, LauraW89, Kiwiflea, KFraly, SunOnARainyDay, DarkMoon2222, and Barrel of Monkeys for your reviews! You guys are so awesome. Seriously. You all get cookies.
A few things that I have a feeling are going to come up after this chapter: 1) NO, Sasha and Payson are not going to get caught by anyone in the hotel. 2) I know I didn't tell you the overall standings of the Classic, because it really doesn't matter.
So, the actual Classic was today and man oh man, I do NOT envy Marta Karolyi right now. Building the Olympic team is going to be exceedingly difficult.
Anyway, enough of my rambling. As always, pretty please leave a review and let me know what you thought!