golden girl (b.t.c.)

chapter thirty-eight

tuesday, july 28
the news coverage of lola and eliana's stories had gained traction all over the country in the past week. many people were calling for coach easton to be fired, but usa gymnastics hadn't released a statement yet. eliana tried not to think about it too much, and just focused on what was important. at that moment, it happened to be her bar routine. as she began, the door to the gym opened and closed, but she ignored it, too absorbed in the routine. she swung around the bar and flew off, completing her double double and sticking the landing. someone started to clap, and an unfamiliar man came into view. "they don't call you the princess of the bars for nothing." he laughed and held out his hand. "i'm peter carlisle."
she shook it uneasily. "eliana. you can call me el." she studied his face for a minute. "i'm guessing you're a coach. um, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"
"26." he smiled.
"ah, okay."
"el, i've come here to let you know that tanner easton was fired and i will be replacing him as your coach. i'm also taking over ownership of this gym from coach daley."
eliana's jaw dropped. "wait, he got fired?"
"blacklisted, actually. the public response was so big that he'll never get another coaching job."
"oh my god." she muttered. "oh my god." she turned around and squeezed her eyes shut, not believing what she was hearing.
"el?" peter carlisle said. "are you okay?"
"okay?" she repeated. "i'm amazing! this is the best i've ever been!"
he smiled. "as i always say, a happy gymnast is a successful gymnast."
she looked at him and grinned. "i think we're gonna get along, peter carlisle."
"yes!" he cheered when she landed her tumbling pass. "honestly, el, you're doing fabulously. just snap those legs together on the pike, and you're golden."
she stared at him, amazed.
"is something wrong?"
"no, no, it's just-" she stopped. "you're being so nice. i'm so used to being screamed at for the smallest things but..." she smiled and blinked back tears. "you're being nice to me."
"eliana, love, you deserve to be treated with respect. you're one of the best gymnasts in the world. you got yourself here, and you need a coach that has your back." he placed his hands on her shoulders. "i have your back, el."
she looked up at him, and without warning, hugged him tightly. he froze for a second, shocked, then hugged her back.
eliana came out of the locker room to see a woman with a pen and notebook in her hand talking with peter. she lit up like a kid on christmas morning when she saw eliana. "miss dempsey! can i get your statement on tanner easton's firing?"
eliana walked up to her. "who are you?"
"my name is diana blanton from the chicago tribune." she flashed her press badge.
"oh! yeah, sure."
"how did you feel when you heard of his firing?"
"i really felt a sense of justice. it's a step in the right direction for usa gymnastics."
"and how does it feel knowing you're the reason he's losing his job?"
she blinked for a minute. "i'm not the reason he's losing his job. he is the reason he's losing his job. to put it simply, lola and i pulled the trigger, but he loaded the gun."
she smiled. "what a metaphor! one more-"
"i'm sorry, i really have to get home. thank you, diana."
"just one-"
"have a nice night!" she walked out of the gym and down to the train station.
after she took a shower and dried her hair, ben's facetime call came in.
"ellie!" he looked especially excited to see her. she smiled. "hey!"
"you won't believe this. next month, i have a week-long break, and it's during your competition!"
"really?" her face broke into a smile.
"yeah! and it gets better!"
"is that even possible?" she laughed.
"my family is gonna be in chicago for a show, so you can meet them! and maybe i can meet your mom, too!"
eliana didn't know what to say. "oh!"
"i already talked to my parents, and they got tickets for your competition! isn't that exciting?"
"um, yeah, it is." she cracked her knuckles. ben's face fell. "are you not excited? did i rush into this? i'm so sorry, ellie, i took it too fast, didn't i?"
she shook her head. "no, no, you didn't. i-i'm just nervous to meet them."
"why would you be nervous? they're gonna love you."
"your family-i don't know." she bit her lip.
he sighed. "talk to me, sweetheart. what is it?"
she took a deep breath. "your family just seems so perfect. and i'm so...not."
ben scoffed. "don't be ridiculous. you're the most amazing person i've ever met. and my family is far from perfect."
"i'm nervous i'll mess something up." she confessed. "and then they won't like me, and then you won't like me anymore, and then you'll break up with-"
"eliana marie dempsey." he cut her off. "no one on earth could ever convince me to break up with you. you need to stop worrying. they'll love you."
"okay." she smiled.
"now, about me meeting your mom." he grinned. "how do we wanna do that?"
"dinner would probably be best." she said. "i'm sure that she'll warm up to you, but she's not totally sold on me having a boyfriend, being a gymnast and all."
he nodded. "well, i will put my best foot forward."
"you always do." she smiled. he turned to a voice coming from off screen. "that's places. i gotta go, sweetheart."
she frowned. "okay. i'll call you tomorrow."
he blew a kiss at her and the screen went dark.