A/N: I finally have my anxiety symptoms under control, praise JESUS!

Somehow, even though the weather was cool and mild in Houston, it seemed hotter when the car dropped them off at the ranch. It was as if the ranch existed in some kind of climate bubble – perpetually humid to make them sweat twice as much during workouts.

Slinging her duffel over her shoulder, JJ scooped her pillow off the backseat of the car, nudging the door closed as familiar faces came out towards her.

"I missed you!" Kyla exclaimed, beaming as she took JJ's backpack from her hands to help her. "How was your flight?"

"Surprisingly bumpy," JJ said with a grin. "Didn't agree with Nick"

The girls giggled, looking over at Nick who, just as JJ had implied, was still looking a little green. Together, they trudged across the uneven ground towards the dorms, where some of the younger girls were walking around catching up.

"I've saved you a bed in the dorm with me, Simone, and Maggie. Simone is like... really excited to meet you," Kyla said with a grin. "She's a firecracker for sure"

JJ smiled, following her Olympic teammate down the deck and into the third dorm. An eerie sense of comfort washed over her as she walked in; nothing had changed. The thin, almost pointless curtains still hung over the dirty windows, and the rickety metal bunk beds were the same ones she had left behind when they boarded the bus to head for the airport back in July.

At the opposite end of the room, two of the younger girls were sitting together on a bed talking animatedly. JJ recognised them both from when they had national team and development camps the previous year, but she had never spoken to them; despite being one of the older girls, she had always been happy to stay in her comfort zone when it came to socialising with the other girls.

"Simone, Maggie, this is JJ. JJ, this is Simone Biles and Maggie Nichols. Simone competed with Katelyn at the American Cup earlier this month," Kyla said, gently interrupting the spirited conversation. JJ gave the girls a friendly wave, dropping her things onto the bunk opposite Kyla's.

"I can't believe you're back at camp," Simone said with a giggle. "You're like... a superhero of gymnastics, and you're standing right here in front of me"

JJ laughed. "I'm really not, but thank you. I'm just a normal person"

"Normal people don't win five medals at the Olympic Games," Maggie piped up, getting an enthusiastic nod from Simone, who was now standing up and bouncing ever so slightly on the balls of her feet. JJ grinned.

"Well... uh... no, I guess not," she said with a laugh. "But you guys are going to be much better than me for sure right now, I've only been back in the gym properly for a month"

"And you're already at camp?" Simone asked in surprise.

"Yeah, Marta asked me to come along and just show where I'm up to. I could either really surprise her, or make a complete ass of myself," JJ replied. The other girls laughed.

"Come on," Kyla said with a smile. "Let's go see what horrors they're putting on for dinner tonight"

There was no time to lay around when the sun rose the next morning. The girls were all up early, downing breakfast before their first workout of the day.

Whenever JJ had talked about camp to her friends from school, she was sure they imagined it to be like a summer camp, where they spent their time between workouts perhaps lounging by the lake or relaxing in their cabins. The reality of camp couldn't have been more different. And JJ was slotting right back in where she left off. Gruelling workouts under the watchful eye of Marta and the national team staff, followed by physical therapy sessions and just enough time for something to eat in between. Strict, disciplined, and intense were just some of the words she could use to describe the environment at camp. It was hard work, and JJ remembered many days where she had stood next to the equipment wanting to cry. But that hard work had turned her into an Olympian. And so, with this camp being the first of many, she was hoping that four more years would turn one Games into two.

They had warmed up with an intensive session covering most major muscle groups, before splitting off into groups. JJ had been paired off with Simone, Lexie Priessman, and three of the junior girls, Amelia Hundley, Bailie Key, and teeny tiny 13 year old Lauren "Laurie" Hernandez. They had been sent over to bars, where they split off in pairs of one junior and one senior to each of the three sets.

Paired up with Laurie and her coach Maggie Haney, JJ was focusing on what skills and connections she was preparing to show Marta. She was nowhere near ready to connect an entire routine, but she was easily able to showcase her major connections and her dismount.

They took it in turns, whiling away the time practising their skills. In the short breaks over the chalk bowl, JJ managed to speak to the bubbly little teenager. It was the first time she had ever met Laurie, and between her and Simone, JJ was sure she was going to be worn out by the younger girls' energy.

For her sixth turn, she jumped up to the high bar, Nick standing at her side to spot. Her arms and hands were aching, not used to the repetition of camp, but she was determined to show Marta that she was ready to be back.

Pulling herself up to handstand, she began her giant swings. One tap... two taps...

With a satisfying ping, she released the bar, soaring into her double layout dismount. Her feet hit the mat hard, making her bounce forward slightly to catch herself.

Her left hand was suddenly stinging so badly that it made her eyes want to water. Looking down at her hands, she realised why. Her left grip was soaked with blood, indicating that underneath it, she had to have ripped her palm on the bar.

"Ooh, nice," Nick said with a whistle, looking down at her hands as he walked up to her. "That's a good one"

JJ grinned, shaking it slightly as she tried to fan the sweat out of the open wound. "Stings like hell"

"Come on, we'll go see Larry and get it cleaned up"

Laying in bed that night as the other girls rustled around trying to get to sleep, JJ let out a soft sigh.

Her whole body seemed to hurt all over. Her time away from the sport after the Olympics had let her muscles completely forget the nuances of camp.

'It'll get easier,' she reminded herself as she turned onto her side. 'It won't always feel like this'

As she closed her eyes, her mind wandered away from the worries and aches of camp, and to the encounter she'd had with Larry that afternoon. He was the same as ever, still slightly awkward and even a little strange. It was almost as if he talked to her like a young child.

"Hey JJ, nice to have you back!" Larry said cheerily as she walked into the medical room with Nick on her heels.

"Hi Larry," she said with a small smile.

"Well, you've definitely grown since the Olympics, haven't you?" he said, smiling at her as he got up and came to stand behind the treatment bench.

"I guess so," JJ said, shrugging awkwardly. She hadn't thought her height difference was that noticeable. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nick's face quirk into an expression, but she couldn't tell if it was a smirk or a frown.

"Alright, what have you done to yourself?"

He still left her feeling funny. And she couldn't put a finger on why, because he had never said or done anything to make her feel that way. He was just Larry. He looked after them all, helped them through their aches and pains... he was the best of the best. There to help them get where they wanted to go. But there was no denying he was a little strange.

TERMINOLOGY GUIDE

Tap – the body movement a gymnast makes during a giant swing to generate momentum. If you watch closely, you will notice the gymnast making a hollow dish shape at certain points throughout the swing. This is the tap.