Page 3 of Broken Ties (Rixon High 4)

Poppy

The music flowedthrough me as I inhaled a deep breath. There wasn’t room to overthink things in a tumbling routine. You had to hit the floor hard and have complete faith in your abilities. I knew these moves like the back of my hand. They were muscle memory, as easy as breathing. Or at least, that was the hope.

Pumping my legs, I pushed off and sprinted down the mat. Round off into a handspring, into another handspring, finishing with a back somersault tuck.

As easy as breathing.

The air whipped around me, my muscles pinging with exertion as my body cut through the air with utter precision, thanks to years of training, of pushing my body harder and faster and beyond its limits. Adrenaline saturated my veins, and when I landed, the mat an immovable force beneath me, I smiled.

Tumbling never got old. Not for me at least. It was my favorite part of being a gymnast. Defying gravity and making my body bend to my will.

I loved it.

“Good, Poppy.” Coach Yardley smiled. “Your lines were tight, just watch your landing. We need it to stick.”

I nodded, pushing the stray hairs out of my face. So maybe there had been a slight wobble in my ankles. But I’d work on it until it was perfect. I always did.

“Okay, we’re done for the day,” she said. “Get out of here.”

Competition season didn’t officially start until November, but like any good athlete, I liked to stay in shape, and Coach Yardley was more than willing to let us practice now the semester was in full swing.

I headed to the locker room and changed out of my leotard. I planned to grab a shower at home later before the party. Ashleigh turned nineteen today, and her boyfriend Ezra’s family were hosting a barbecue.

They were best friends with my parents and Ashleigh’s parents. I guess you could call us one big family: my family, the Fords; my cousin’s family, the Chases; and Ezra’s family, the Bennets.

Our parents had grown up together, and now their kids were walking in their footsteps. My dad coached football at Rixon High, and Ezra’s mom Mya was the guidance counselor. It was a lot sometimes, but I loved our extended family.

Pulling on my Rixon High hoodie, I slipped out of the building into the balmy afternoon air. I didn’t expect to find Eli waiting for me.

“This is a surprise,” I said around a smile.

He gave me a playful grin in return. “I had some homework to finish so thought I’d stick around and see if you wanted to head to Cindy’s Grill and get milkshakes.”

“I can’t, sorry, I have a thing.”

“Thing?”

“It’s Ashleigh’s birthday.”

“Oh crap, yeah. I remember now.”

A soft chuckle left my lips. “It was sweet of you to wait for me though.”

He ran a hand through his hair and down the back of his neck. “Any excuse to steal a minute alone with you.” He inched closer, his eyes dropping to my mouth, sending my heart careening against my chest.

“Eli….”

His expression faltered. “Sorry, I wasn’t—”

“It’s okay. But I need to take things slow.”

What we had was new. Uncharted territory. I turned eighteen in a couple of months and I’d never really dated before.

The dejection in his eyes turned to determination. “How about tomorrow night? We could hang out? Catch a movie? Whatever you want.”

His enthusiasm was flattering and I couldn’t deny it sent a small thrill through me.

He was the first guy to show real interest in me. Most boys were intimidated by the fact my father was Jason Ford. NFL legend and local football hero. But to me, he was and always would be Dad.

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