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“You can’t see, but I’m rolling my eyes at you right now.”
A full-on belly laugh came from Avery, so I continued, “What do I talk to him about?”
“Why do you even need to talk to him? I don’t talk to the techs when I get my nails done.”
I clenched my eyes shut and counted to ten…then twenty.
“Adrianna?”
“Ave, this is totally not the same thing, and you know it,” I said in a serious tone. “I may have a small crush on my coach, so talking would make things less awkward between us. For me.”
“It’s only awkward in your head, not his. I highly doubt he’s thinking the same thing. You’re sixteen, not eighty like he is.”
Twirling a lock of hair, I thought about how he gripped my thigh in his big hands and the way his fingers lingered over me. How his touch was different, more passionate because of how he felt his words and instructions and wanted me to believe in them too.
My body heated and I kicked the covers off. I threw an arm over my head and closed my eyes.
“I guess, I don’t know. Hayden said I should ask about how he and my dad became friends.”
“And Hayden is…?”
“One of the guys on the boys’ team, and so far, my only friend.”
“Then do that. Ask him about something so boring it will put him to sleep.” Leave it to Avery to lighten my mood and make me smile. “Or, if you really want to blow his mind, talk about gymnastics and how he got started.” She mocked.
“I would punch you right now if I could.”
This time Avery laughed.
“Are you working with him again tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow, I have the dreaded ballet class. He said in the next few days or so, though.”
“All jokes aside, I’m here if you need me. But don’t stress about something so small in the grand scheme of things.”
Funny, that was almost exactly what Hayden said.
“I know, it’s just working so closely to him and avoiding eye contact when you have nothing to say is weird.”
“It’s only weird if you make it weird. Why do you care anyway?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m just curious about him.”
“Just go with the flow in that moment and see where it takes you. Don’t overthink it. You’re gonna be working with him a lot, so you better get comfortable with him in your face.”
I yawned, and said, “Ugh. I’m overthinking and I think it’s because I’m tired. I’m going to hang up. I have to get mentally prepared for tomorrow, and right now, I’m exhausted.”
“I miss you more than your mom misses carbs. Later, girl.”
Chuckling, we hung up. If I could describe Avery in one word, it would be unpredictable.
This is one of those puzzle piece scenes that was written out of order. It was an idea that came to me for a Christmas party at World Cup. It was meant to happen around chapter twenty-five and cause tension.
Ultimately, it didn’t fit the plot or suit the characters’ personalities anymore, so it was nixed fairly quickly in one of the drafts.
I couldn’t get over it. A Christmas party. At the fucking gym.
God forbid it actually be held somewhere a little special, like a convention center or a club. I think we’d all be more satisfied having it at an art gallery for God’s sake. Anything but the gym, our home away from home. The very place we ate, slept, and breathed in chalk six days a week. I’d just love to know whose grand fucking idea this was.
