7. Anna

Anna

" T errible landing. Congratulations, now you have a deduction."

I just barely resisted rolling my eyes at the coach's harsh words as I leapt off the balance beam and hit the mat. My regular coach was hard as nails, but she was a warm and fuzzy teddy bear next to Ekaterina. I'd been in gymnastics since I was a toddler, I was more than aware what actions impacted my score. I was also aware that dropping into a squat on my landing was better than falling over.

Usually the balance beam was my strongest apparatus, but the truth was, I was completely distracted. And my perfect little roommate had everything to do with it.

I'd laughed off her ridiculous comment about spanking me last night, but it had replayed over and over in my mind ever since then. We'd unpacked in silence, then gone to a team workout – yoga to get out the kinks from flying – before having dinner in the cafeteria with our teammates.

To her credit, Coach Ekaterina was doing her best to build camaraderie between us. Even though we each competed individually she wanted the team to be cohesive, to remember that we were all competing as one team. I'd been mostly quiet during dinner, but the rest of the girls had been chatty, including Nadia.

Especially Nadia.

She was working her ass off to charm people. She was a freaking ray of sunshine, and people couldn't seem to help gravitating towards her. Even Ekaterina had quirked her lips in a semblance of a smile at something Nadia said.

By the time we got back to athlete's housing Nadia and I were both exhausted. We'd fallen into our cardboard beds without a word and not ten minutes later I heard her breathing even out as she fell asleep.

Meanwhile I stared at the ceiling and tried not to think about my sudden physical attraction for Nadia. It had hit me out of nowhere right about the time she told me that she was a lesbian and now that revelation was making it impossible for me to sleep.

My annoying roommate was gone when I got up. Before practice I overheard her telling someone that she'd gone for an early morning run with one of the alternates on the team, then had breakfast at the cafeteria.

I felt the hairs at the back of my neck prickle and when I turned around, Nadia was walking towards the balance beam, ready for her practice session. As always, she moved with confidence and grace, wearing a leotard and tight little shorts that hugged her lithe body, leaving her muscular legs bare. Her blonde hair was up in its trademark high ponytail, although she always tucked it into a tight bun right before she started her routine.

I watched her routine with a critical eye, admiring her strength and technical skill. Nadia really was a talented gymnast. Not as good as me of course, but definitely a medal contender. She backflipped her way across the beam, then spun her body in a circle before landing on both feet on the mat. Her heel lifted to take an extra step, but she caught herself just in time.

To my surprise Nadia came to stand near me, and we watched silently as our teammates practiced their routines one by one. They were all good, although honestly none of us were the caliber of the person the press had nicknamed GOAT – the greatest of all time. The rest of us were calling her ‘Goat' now because of it, a teasing nickname she took in good humor. Supposedly she was going to retire after the Games, but then again, they said that four years ago too and she was still here.

"Okay, this is enough for now. I will meet you girls in the gym at three o'clock, then we will practice more after," Coach Ekaterina told us. "Go get lunch and then rest."

She turned to pin me and Nadia with a hard look. "Stay out of trouble."

I grabbed my bag and then started down the hallway out of the practice area. Nadia fell into step beside me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"We're going to the same place, remember?" she gave me a sunny smile. "No reason not to walk together. Unless you'd prefer to walk behind me so you can admire my ass?"

"You have an unhealthy fascination with asses, do you know that?"

She arched one eyebrow at me but didn't respond. Great, now all I could think of was her muscular little ass.

We walked back to athlete housing in silence, then Nadia grabbed her shower caddy and a change of clothes and headed towards the shared bathroom. I plopped down on my bed, picking up my phone and opening my favorite social media app. Seeing that I had a gazillion notifications, all related to the videos people posted of me and Nadia fighting on the airplane, I dropped my phone with a sigh. This was not how I wanted my first – and likely only – trip to the Games to go.

I must have dozed off for a minute because the next thing I knew I heard the door to our room slam closed. I jumped.

"What the hell?"

"Oops, sorry." Nadia sent me one of her trademark sunny smiles. "I didn't realize you were taking a little nap."

Her hair was wet from her shower, dampening the shoulders of the thin tee shirt she wore with a pair of jeans that looked painted on. She gathered her purse and phone, then left the room without a word, pissing me off even more than slamming the door had.

Where had she gone? I wondered. Who was she going with? And why did I care?

Irritated at my ridiculous train of thought, I decided to change my clothes and go find some lunch. Ekaterina had put us through our paces this morning, and I was starving.

I tossed on jeans and a tank top then headed down to the closest athlete cafeteria. Even though it was just after one, the place was packed. I grabbed a tray and moved through the line, selecting some high protein items to go with my salad. As a rule, I didn't like to think too much about food, but I'd learned from experience that I needed protein, vegetables, and healthy carbs during competition week.

The food in the cafeteria was free for athletes – a nice perk for us – so I took as much as I wanted. As I exited the line I heard a loud laugh that sounded familiar. My head whipped around, finding Nadia sitting at a table with a tall Black woman with box braids and the most perfect teeth I'd ever seen.

It looked like they were flirting. The woman leaned forward, her hand touching Nadia's across the table, making my roommate giggle.

White hot jealousy filled my gut like a poison, even though I had nothing to be jealous about. Me and Nadia weren't together. We weren't even friends. That didn't stop me from feeling an almost primal urge to keep them away from each other. Stomping over to their table, I dropped my tray onto their table and pulled out a chair with such force that the legs squeaked against the floor, making them both jump.

"Hi," I said with forced brightness. "Sorry I'm late."

The woman looked between me and Nadia, her gaze assessing.

Nadia sighed, looking irritated. "Maxine, this is my teammate and thank God only temporary roommate, Anna Parker. Anna, this is Maxine Henderson from the US basketball team."

"Nice to meet you, Anna," Maxine said in a tone that clearly conveyed it was anything but nice to meet me, but she knew she needed to be polite.

The basketball player reached out a hand, but I shook my head, knowing instinctively that she was planning to show her dominance by squeezing me until my fingers popped off. I needed my hands in unbruised condition for the uneven bars. Like most gymnasts, we were short and lithe, with tightly compacted muscles. Maxine was a giant next to me and Nadia. She could do a lot of damage.

"So what are we talking about?" I asked, looking between them expectantly.