Page 168 of Wish You Were Mine
Hard, ugly sobs that wracked through my whole body and left me empty.
“I’m so sorry, Lucy,” Nora whispered into my hair as she rocked me gently. “I’m so sorry.”
The music was loud in the arena the next afternoon. Every corner of the arena buzzed with energy, with pride, with celebration.
It was Senior Day.
The last home meet of my gymnastics career.
A farewell to four years of grit and glory. A time to look back and feel proud of how far we’d come. Eden Falls had shaped us, broken us, built us, and now—this meet was our final bow.
“Just one apparatus at a time, okay?” Nora squeezed my hand before we were announced, her eyes shimmering with a mix of nostalgia and nerves. “We’ll get through this together.”
“Okay,” I said, still unsure how today would go when I was a complete wreck.
The announcer called my name first, so I jogged onto the floor as the audience clapped and whistled, holding up signs with glittered letters and inside jokes from over the years.
I smiled.
Waved.
Even managed a laugh when the announcer reminded everyone about my freshman debut and how I’d tripped during the march-out, tried to save face with a front handspring, and definitely didn’t land it.
But even though I was doing my best to look happy, on the inside it felt like I was trying to stand on a balance beam in the middle of a hurricane.
Because the pit in my stomach hadn’t left since last night. Since saying goodbye to Owen.
And now, as I bowed in front of the audience and turned to scan the stands, the ache hollowed out again.
Because there it was.
The empty seat.
Right beside Theo.
Like a placeholder for what could have been.
I blinked hard, forcing my smile to stay. Because even though it would have been hard to see him today, knowing he could never be mine, it also felt wrong for him not to be here at the same time.
But he wasn’t here.
Because my dad made me pick Owen’s future over my heart.
When it was time for floor, I stood at the edge of the mat, hands on my hips, breathing deep. My coach gave me a nod. I gave her one back, barely feeling my legs as I moved into position.
The music started. I moved on instinct.
Twist. Leap. Smile.
Push through.
And I didn’t know how, but somehow my body found its rhythm. The muscle memory and hours I’d put in through the years took over. Each pass sharper, more powerful than the last. I danced like my heart hadn’t cracked in two. Tumbled like I hadn’t spent all morning fighting back tears.
And when I landed that final tumbling pass, knees steady, chest high, the crowd exploded.
My coach’s face was pure joy. Nora screamed my name.
And me?
