A/N: Always here for happy JJ!
"Holy crap… I literally have about a hundred questions in my inbox!" JJ gasped one evening as they all sat relaxing on the bus. She had opened up her Tumblr page for the first time since opening her inbox, and now, she had a serious backlog.
"HA! They figured out it's you!" Aly laughed, throwing herself down on the couch beside JJ with a grin.
"I'm sure they already knew it was me," JJ said with a roll of her eyes. "Guess I better start answering some"
"Here, I'll help," Aly said cheekily, getting a scoff out of JJ.
"Yeah, if I let you help, suddenly everyone on Tumblr will have inside knowledge of all my wild sexcapades"
Aly burst out laughing as Simone giggled from across the bus.
Opening the inbox, JJ scrolled right down to the bottom, starting from the earliest dated questions.
Um, oh my god… is this really you JJ? If so, that's so cool!
Haha, yep! It's really me!
After the Rio AA, in all the other finals and interviews that followed, you seemed so much more happy and relaxed. Did you feel better after getting through the AA, do you think it helped you with the loss of your dad?
After the AA, I felt on top of the world. I knew that even if I fell in every single final after that, I'd still accomplished something that until then had seemed like a distant dream. Of course I was still a little nervous (especially for beam!) It did help a lot, the excitement and all the positive vibes that came with that win automatically elevated my mood. I don't know if you guys realise it, but how you talk about us really does affect how we feel about ourselves and our performances. Until that day, everyone was talking about my dad, how sad I must be, etc, and it kinda made it worse. But after the AA, all anyone could talk about was my surprise win and how amazing it was. Everyone seemed to forget about all the sadness of losing my dad, and in turn, I stopped thinking about it as much too.
I lost my older sister just a few months ago, and I saw that you lost your sister when you were 10. Does it ever get better? Do you still think about her?
First of all I'm so sorry about your sister. I know how hard it is and I'm sending lots of love and support your way! But don't worry, it absolutely does get better. I know this may sound bad at the moment, but eventually, I just forgot that she died. Of course, I still remember her, but I just focus on the great memories that I had with her and I try not to let the sadness get to me anymore.
Is Will a lot taller than you?
He is but we make it work when it matters *wink wink*
Aly giggled. "Do you really want to put that out there? Start sharing the sordid details of your sex life?"
"Do I look like I really care?" JJ asked dryly, getting another laugh out of Aly. "Besides, I'm only hinting at something that should just be common sense anyway... we've been together for four years. If they think I'm not having sex, they're crazy"
"This is why I love you," Aly laughed, slinging an arm over JJ's shoulders as they moved to the next question.
Does Simone's energy ever run out?
Maybe at 3am, but otherwise, no haha.
Who was the first famous gymnast that you met and how did you react?
Ok funny story. My mom and I were at the mall when I was about 7 or 8 and when we walked past the bookstore, we realised Shannon Miller was in there signing books about the Mag Seven, and I FREAKED OUT, my mom said I just about fainted from being so excited. I went in and got to talk to her and she was so super lovely. The funny thing is, when I met her again during the London Games, she remembered the whole thing.
If you don't mind me asking, when/how did you and Will end up getting together considering you were friends first? Were you excited about it?
Will and I had known each other for a really long time and he had been crushing on me for a while, but he made the first move and kissed me when I got home from London. I was so happy but I kinda pushed him away because I was going on tour for two months and I didn't want our relationship to have a rocky start with me being away for so long. He promised that we could talk when I got back, but when I came home briefly after Hurricane Sandy, he kissed me in front of our parents and let the cat out of the bag, so that's pretty much when we made it official. Haha.
What was your reaction in 2012 when McKayla fell on vault?
I was so so crushed for McKayla, I nearly cried myself. She was the reigning world champion, like, I don't think you could ever understand how holding that title makes you put a lot of pressure on yourself to deliver on that ability. She was pretty upset too, she got back to the village and just started crying, so of course I started crying too, but in the end it all turned out ok.
Could you imagine Will doing gymnastics?
Honestly no haha. He's too tall. He's always been more of a runner.
The tour wound its way across the country, delighting gymnasts and non-gymnasts alike with the fun, carefree, electric performances.
JJ was feeling tired, but she was enjoying herself nonetheless. The more time she spent on the road with the girls, the closer their friendships got. They had turned into an incredible support system for her when the days started to turn rough, and she couldn't have been more grateful for them if she tried.
"Keep it moving folks! We're on a tight schedule!"
The voice of the event manager was loud and clear above the general hubbub of the crowd waiting to meet the gymnasts. They were all congregating near the table, slowly thinning out into a line as they got closer.
"Hi," JJ said sweetly as a little boy approached, his mom right behind him. He had fiery red curls that fell in a mop over his eyes, and freckles smattered across his nose. "What's your name?"
"Monty," the little boy replied. Smiling, he lifted his hand up to the table, revealing a red rose. "This is for you"
"Aw," JJ beamed, one hand going to her heart as she reached over and took the rose from Monty's hand. "That's very sweet of you Monty, thank you so much!"
"Can I marry you?"
The pure innocence of his question and the adorable smile on his face nearly made JJ's heart explode as his mom chuckled behind him. To her right, Aly was giggling, her eyes fixed on the adorable little boy.
"Of course," JJ chuckled. "You are way too precious Monty"
"Can I get a photo of you two?" Monty's mom asked.
"Sure! Why don't you sit him up here?" JJ replied, patting the edge of the table. His mom smiled, lifting Monty up to sit on the table. Leaning forward, JJ put her arms around his waist in a little hug, their faces right next to each other as they both beamed at the camera.
Moments later, the photo was taken and Monty and his mom were on their way. At the last second, Monty turned, blowing JJ a kiss before waving goodbye as Aly squealed with delight.
"How is it you get all the cute boys? Will... Monty... that little kid at your gym who practically drools over you...," she teased.
JJ grinned. "Everybody wants a slice"