Page 24 of Break Point
Why can’t she just spit it out?
“I’m afraid you’ve been suspended from training at the NTC,” she finally reveals, her small grayish eyes clouded with discomfort. I can tell she’s not enjoying having to break the news.
“Excuse me?”
I can’t hold back the frustration bubbling up inside. How am I only finding out about this now? It’s embarrassing and so damn unfair. I’ve already been fined, and I’m prepared to pay, but I still need a place to train.
“It’s only for the rest of the year,” she adds, clutching her thin pearl necklace. “You’ll be able to come back in January.”
“Only for the rest—” I cut myself off with a snort and a bitter laugh that barely escapes my throat. “Well, I wasn’t notified about this decision. Where’s Victor? I need to talk to him. This is ridiculous and excessive.”
“Belén,” Henry warns, practically pounding out my name. I glare at him, resisting the urge to shout,Let me be! I know what I’m doing!But I hold back because I’m determined to change my ways. Or I can change starting tomorrow.
He raises one of his thick, dark eyebrows at me, and I let out a breath, heavy with irritation.
“Thank you for letting us know, Patty,” he says, offering her a tight-lipped smile. He picks up my bag from the floor and walks away, leaving me standing there like an idiot.
After nodding at Patty, I grab my access card from the counter and walk away, a lukewarm feeling of powerlessness stirring in my gut. I quicken my pace to catch up with Henry, who’s striding toward the parked SUV.
“Henry!” He’s either ignoring me or seriously needs his hearingchecked. “Henry, stop!” He halts but doesn’t turn around, so I step in front of him. “What the hell was that? I was handling it.”
He shakes his head and looks away, biting his lower lip in frustration.
“You’re suspended, Belén. And that woman isn’t responsible for it.Youare. She’s just following orders. There’s nothing you can say to her to make it go away. The suspension order probably came from the Federation. And I don’t know who Victor is, but demanding things like that won’t get you far. Trust me.”
Henry takes off his hat, runs a hand through his sweaty hair, and locks eyes with me as he puts it back on. I feel humiliated, angry, and desperate, and I’m not sure if saying anything right now will help.
What I’m sure of is that he needs to stop running his fingers through his hair like that.
“I know you’re used to getting your way, but you have to abide by the GSB’s decisions regarding your behavior. It’s best to comply and let everyone forget about what happened two days ago as quickly as possible. That’s what I would do if I were in your position.”
He steps around me and heads toward the SUV.
“Let’s go. We’re wasting time standing here. We need to find somewhere to train before the morning session bleeds into the afternoon block.”
“And what am I supposed to do now, huh?” I follow him, gesturing wildly at his back like the unhinged person he probably thinks I am. “They’re being too harsh! I’ve never heard of anyone else being suspended from the NTC and?—”
I stop mid-sentence when Henry pulls out his phone and makes a call.
This is pointless. Everything’s going to shit.
“Are you even listening to me?”
Tony sees us approaching and steps out to open the door.
“I’m handling this since you don’t seem to be in a position to work around this minor setback,” Henry says.
Minor setback?
I have no place to train until next year, but sure, let’s call it aminor setback.
Tony takes the bag from Henry’s hands, and Henry lifts a finger, signalingme to keep quiet as I open my mouth to keep bitching about the situation.
“Hey, Joe. We have a situation … No, she’s fine … Belén’s been suspended from the NTC for the rest of the year … Yeah, this woman Patty just informed her … Well, I know a place in Tribeca. They’ve got indoor and outdoor courts … It’s nothing fancy, but I wanted to run it by you … Sounds good … Talk to you later … Bye.”
Henry puts his phone back in his pocket and says, “After you.”
Tony waves me in as I slide into the car in complete silence. Even though I broke my promise to be better and avoid overreacting on the first day of trying, I give myself a second chance. So I bite my tongue and rest my trembling hands on my lap.
