Safe and Sound

Safe and Sound - Chapter 22

Chapter TWENTY TWO

Friday morning felt like a normal morning. My mom was pouring coffees as I dragged my feet into the kitchen. Rich was still home, which was unusual, but it didn't faze me. I watched as he finished his toast, then he turned and offered to drive me to school.

  "Kate's on her way," I said, opening the fridge door. "Thank you, though."

  "Okay then, see you two later." He kissed my mom's cheek and then disappeared out of the kitchen.

  The front door was barely closed before my mom began talking.

  "So you and Rowan are... dating?"

  I had a yogurt in my hand now and spun around to face her. "What?"

  "You weren't exactly hiding the fact that you were kissing him in his truck, the other day," she went on.

  "Seriously Mom, you were watching us?" I asked, feeling embarrassed and annoyed.

  "I just glanced out," she said, keeping her eyes on me. "Why didn't you tell me you were with him after school that day?"

  "I don't have to tell you everything!" I said, louder than I anticipated.

  "I don't like that you've started being so secretive," she told me.

  "I'm not secretive. I'm seventeen," I said quickly. "And Kate's going to be here-"

  "Please, Cass. Just talk to me. Keep me in the loop. That's all I want," she said, her tone different now.

  "Fine," I agreed. "Okay."

  But I didn't plan on doing that, exactly. Especially when it came to Cheer. After school, I was ready to get onto the mat. I stretched and was happy with how my muscles and my leg felt. I only had one week until the cast was off, and another check on the elbow. One week until I could get back to normal, for real.

  "Good work girls," Coach called out, glancing my way.

  I had just landed two aerials and a back tuck. My cast put me off balance a bit, but I was making it work. I felt so good. I wanted to be back in the pyramid. I wanted it all back.

  "Okay, you five," she went on, pointing at Kate, Amber, Julie, Isla and I. "Let's do some tumbling passes. Choreography starts Monday."

  Monday. It was the end of January. We would have six weeks to get the routines down and get to the first competition. Thinking about it made me giddy. I craved the cheering and the exhilaration and the feeling of putting it all out there. I couldn't wait.

  Kate went first, rocking her double handspring into a back flip then a back tuck. I instantly felt jealous that she could do that so gracefully. The other girls followed, not perfectly but still pretty good. Coach looked happy, nodding as each one finished. When it was my turn, I stepped into my spot.

  "Just do what you can do," Coach called out, nodding at me.

  I took in a breath and went for it. I should have thought it through more. I should have only done a standing aerial or two. But instead I ran, jumped, starting with a one-handed handspring. The momentum seemed okay at first, but I was off balance. I should have stopped. It would have been fine. But I didn't. I tossed myself into a front flip and instead of landing on my feet, I face planted and smacked my cast off the mat. For a moment, I couldn't even think, let alone realize what happened. But after I took a breath and sat up - the girls hovering - I realized what I'd done.