7. Kelly

Kelly

W hen we exited our room we ran into four teammates who were heading out to find food, so we joined the group. The six of us found the massive cafeteria, and after considering the options, loaded up plates with food. Apparently Betsy and I weren't the only ones who hadn't eaten on the plane.

The group of us gathered around a table, unsurprised when two more girls from our team joined us a few minutes later. We were all tired but happy to be in Paris, so our mood was positive.

"I think we all agree on this, but I want to say this out loud," a player named Charlotte said once we'd all sat down. "What Eve did was not right, and I don't condone her behavior. I don't care who sleeps with whom, and I'm committed to being an ally."

"Hear hear," another teammate said, raising her water to toast.

After that, the conversation turned towards the Opening Ceremonies that were happening tomorrow, and the start of the preliminary rounds the morning after, where the original twelve teams would be narrowed down to eight before the quarter finals. Most of us didn't really know each other very well, so it was a good opportunity for us to connect.

By the time we got back from dinner, I was dead on my feet. I headed to the shared bathroom to clean up and brush my teeth, and when I returned to the room Betsy was laying face down on her bed, still fully dressed, sound asleep. I debated waking her up so she could get undressed but decided against it. Instead I turned off all the lights and got into bed.

Unfortunately, the thin mattress did little to provide cushioning despite the organizers' claim that they were comparable to a regular mattress. I was all for sustainability, but I also wanted a real bed, I grumbled to myself as I tossed and turned.

I must have fallen asleep at some point, because when the alarm on my phone went off the next morning, I was deep into a dream. I sighed as I hit the snooze, falling right back to sleep, until nine minutes later the alarm went off again.

This time when I hit the snooze I heard a voice order, "Get up already!"

I opened my eyes to see Betsy sitting on her bed, fully dressed, her hair damp from a shower. I hadn't even heard her leave or come back. I must have been sleeping more deeply than I thought.

"Good morning," I grumbled. "How'd you sleep?"

"Okay until somebody started snoring," she snipped.

I sat up, reaching for my water bottle on the table and taking a big gulp.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the cardboard," I said mildly.

Betsy had the good grace to look contrite. "Sorry, I'm a bear until I've had my coffee."

I stood up and stretched, the motion making my shirt rise up, baring my flat belly. Betsy's eyes tracked the movement. Interesting. Maybe she was feeling the same little hum of attraction as I was. Ruthlessly I squashed that thought.

"Well by all means, let me get dressed so you can have some damned coffee."

"We don't have to hang out just because we're roommates," she replied.

Gah, she was annoying this morning.

"Fine, you go by yourself, and I'll go by myself, and even though we're going to the same place we can pretend like we don't know each other."

She sighed. "We can go whenever you're ready."

She said it like she was doing me a favor. I didn't want to argue with her, especially at seven thirty in the morning the day after an international plane trip, so I started searching for clothes while she busied herself with her phone. Once I was dressed, I stopped at the bathroom to pee and brush my teeth, and we headed out towards the gym where the team was meeting to practice.

"How about that coffee cart over there?" I suggested. "It'll be faster than going to the cafeteria."

"That's good," Betsy agreed. "I don't usually eat much for breakfast anyway, especially before a workout."

There was a time when I didn't eat before or after a workout, but fortunately I'd moved past that, and now I made myself eat a little something every morning, whether I wanted to or not.

We both bought coffee and tartine which, as I explained to Betsy, was a mini baguette that was served with a combination of jam, cheese, or sometimes meat. Betsy went with butter and jam while I got mine with gruyere cheese and jam, wanting a bit of protein before we started our workout.

As we walked away with our breakfasts, we saw the damnedest thing: a woman was having a tug of war with a bird. The woman was obviously an athlete, since only athletes and coaches could be in the so-called ‘village' that housed athletes and their coaches. She had the tall, lean figure of a runner.

"Let go!" the other woman who was with her yelled.

After another second of tugging, the bird got his prize, swooping up into the sky with a giant piece of bread or something in its beak.

"Hey bird, you're an asshole!" the woman who'd lost her breakfast shouted after the bird.

I couldn't help but laugh, Betsy joining in. Apparently the women ahead of us found it funny too because they were both cracking up.

"Why was she not letting go?" Betsy laughed.

"I don't know, maybe she was hungry?" I responded.

After that, things felt a little less chilly between us for the rest of the day. It wasn't like I was going to be her best friend or something, but I was hoping that Betsy and I could get along well while we were here. I wasn't a person who normally had a lot of conflict, and to be honest, the constant friction between me and Betsy whenever we encountered each other had always bothered me.

Unfortunately, our peace was short lived.