Page 127 of Wish You Were Mine
“Did they announce Lucy’s score?” he asked, sounding winded.
“Just barely.” I nodded. “She crushed it. Got a 9.935.”
“No way.” Theo’s whole face lit up. “That’s one of her best this season. You got it on video?”
“Yep. I’ll airdrop it.”
He held out his phone, and I sent the file, doing my best to look casual and not like my heart was still racing from watching Lucy dominate that routine.
From hearing those guys talk about her like she was just something to consume.
From Josh noticing how invested I was in her performance.
Yep. Just one more routine to get through and then I could relax again.
39
OWEN
“And now for our all-around division…”the announcer’s voice rang out over the loudspeaker, cutting through the hum of the crowd.
This was it. The meet had wrapped up, the last routines were done, and the gymnasts sat lined up on the floor, waiting.
It had been one of the best meets I’d ever seen—and not just because of Lucy. But yeah…mostly because of Lucy.
“Third place is a tie—Megan Barlow from Yale University…and Nora Miller from Eden Falls.”
Okay, I thought, glancing at Lucy. She’d scored higher than Nora in three of the individual events, so this meant that she was either second or first.
I held my breath as I waited for the announcer to continue.
I probably should’ve tracked the scores more carefully throughout the meet, but I hadn’t been thinking very strategically this afternoon. I’d been too busy holding my breath through every one of Lucy’s events, too busy feeling like my heart might beat out of my chest every time she nailed a landing.
“Second place,” the announcer said. “From Yale University—Zoey Jordan.”
A girl in Yale warmups jumped up and waved at the crowd, her teammates cheering. But I barely noticed since my attention was on Lucy and the way her face was lighting up.
Because she knew she’d done it.
She’d won.
And for some reason, just seeing the joy, disbelief, and pride on her face mademefeel like I’d won something, too.
“And first place in our all-around category…” the announcer said. “From Eden Falls University…Lucy Archibald!”
The crowd roared as Lucy jumped to her feet, immediately swallowed by teammates pulling her into a tangle of hugs. And I couldn’t keep the huge grin from taking over my whole face as I clapped for her, resisting the urge to leap to my feet and cheer like a lunatic.
She’d done so well tonight. Such a hypnotizing performance, really.
Theo stood beside me, clapping and shouting, and when a few other students followed suit, I stood, too. Letting myself feel it.
Letting myself be proud of her.
“Go Lucy!” I called, putting my hands on either side of my mouth as I cheered for the girl who was continually stealing pieces of my heart without even trying.
Lucy emerged from the huddle, and when she turned to face the audience again, she smiled hugely in the direction of the student section where Theo, Charlotte, and I were, her eyes holding mine momentarily before scouring the rest of the crowd.
“She crushed it,” Theo said, so much brotherly pride in his expression. “Let’s go congratulate her.”
