Page 51 of Burnout
The five of us sit at a table on the patio near an outdoor bar. Kelly is the only one drinking alcohol, but the rest of us order something and settle in.
“So, how are practices going?” Michael lobs the first question at me and Tristan.
Tristan waits a beat to see if I’m going to answer first. My stomach is in knots.
“Good,” he finally answers. “Really good. I’m excited to start competing again.”
Michael and Kelly are both pleased with his response, smiling and subconsciously leaning toward him like they’re eager for more information. Tristan is good at small talk. He always knows just what to say and who to be. Not just now, but in interviews and public appearances.
“What about you, Avery?” Kelly asks, turning her attention to me. “How is the knee doing?”
“Pretty good. The doctor thinks I’ll be able to keep all the skills in my beam and bar routine.”
“That’s great news,” Michael says, giving me the same smile he had Tristan.
Kelly’s expression is harder to crack. “Is it still limiting you in practice?”
“Some.” My voice wavers.
“Her knee seems solid to me. She looks great in practice,” Tristan speaks up for me unexpectedly. He’s never this nice to me and alarm bells go off in my head. “She just needs to stop holding back and practice like her career is on the line.”
And there it is. I grit my teeth but try to make my voice sweet as I say, “I’m not holding back. I’m being cautious. It’s early and I don’t want to risk getting hurt again by pushing too hard too fast.”
“Makes sense.” Michael’s eyes twinkle as his smile softens reassuringly.
“That’s bullshit, Ollie.” Tristan shakes his head, gaze turned away from me. “You were cleared to practice. I’d be going crazy if I’d been out as long as you were. Every week you hold back is another week wasted, in my opinion.”
My cheeks heat with embarrassment. I’m annoyed at him for calling me out in front of Michael and Kelly, but worst of all I’m afraid he’s right. Because while part of me is going crazy, there is this constant fear that hangs over me, wondering if I’m already past the best part of my career.
“It takes a lot of time and repetition to get the feel back after an injury, but Avery is smart and talented. She’ll get there and she’s going to be better than ever. She’s the most talented gymnast to come along in a decade. It would be stupid to set back her recovery so close to the season.” Knox’s voice works like a salve, soothing my wounded pride.
“A few weeks of working together and you’re an expert on gymnasts,” Tristan says in a sarcastic tone that has just enough playfulness in it that neither of our hosts seem to catch on to the fact that he’s baiting Knox.
“No, definitely not, but I’ve had my share of injuries.” As Knox speaks everyone listens intently. He has that kind of presence. Quiet but never fading into the background. “I broke my wrist once and it was weeks after I was cleared before I could practice normally. It isn’t all brute strength and powering through. Sometimes you have to be patient and let yourself heal even when you don’t want to. You can be reckless, or you can be patient, but we all know there aren’t any shortcuts to stand on the podium.”
“Reckless or patient?” Tristan seems amused by Knox’s words. “And who gave you that advice?”
“Ricky Carmichael.”
“Who?” Tristan asks, his smile twists into a mocking smirk.
“He’s a motocross racer,” Knox fills in. “I wouldn’t expect you to know him.”
I can tell Tristan isn’t impressed by a remark by some motocross racer, but I could care less about what Tristan thinks right now.
“A motocrosslegend.” Kelly smiles. “You know Ricky?”
“No.” Knox shakes his head. “Not really. I met him once.”
“I thought you looked familiar.” Kelly tips her head to the side. “You rode for Thorne last season.”
“Yes, ma’am.” One side of his mouth lifts and his eyes widen in surprise. “You know motocross?”
“I know top athletes across all sports. It’s the job.” She lifts one finger from her wine glass and points between us. “How did you two meet?”
“A mutual friend introduced us,” he says.
“So is Valley your home base then?” she asks.
