“Your uncle is the most decorated Olympian of all,” I gasped.
He sighed, “Pressure was multiplied by ten.”
“Is that why you quit?” I asked.
“We’ll talk about me later. What did you say in your Whatsapp?”
I blushed, “I kind of used you as an alibi to why I didn’t make curfew yesterday.”
He arched an eyebrow, “Oh really.”
“Yeah, so I was wondering if you’d accompany me to training. You don’t have to come every day, but just today so the matron that caught me yesterday would buy my lie yesterday.”
He smirked, “Won’t your gymnast boyfriend be jealous?”
I shrugged, “If it gets me that much closer to going back to him, I’m sure he won’t mind. Plus we aren’t doing anything wrong!”
“Alright, I’ll do it tonight. But you should really work on your grades,” he nagged.
“I haven’t any time! In between school, cheer and the gym, I don’t even know how I manage to bullshit through my homework to make it look like I actually tried,” I sighed.
“Swimmers only have one goal; to finish the fastest. Gymnasts have routines, which sometimes don’t work, right?”
I nodded. Where is he getting with this?
“When plan A doesn’t work out, you have to have a plan B,” he continued.
“I know. I’m trying my best to follow the syllabus,” I replied.
“Following isn’t good enough. Tell you what, why don’t I tutor you?”
My eyes widened, “You can’t be serious. I haven’t any time at all.”
He shrugged, “We’ll make time. Like free period and breaks.”
“You don’t have to do this, Jeremy,” I replied. I was pretty reluctant on taking up his offer. I don’t even know how I have time to sleep and bathe.
“I want to. Savannah, I know the Olympics feels like the only thing you have to look forward to, but that’s not your only future. It doesn’t have to be your only future,” Jeremy said calmly.
“I want the Olympics to be my future.”
He exhaled, “Every athlete dreams of going to the Olympics, but many have no futures after their Games.”
“Not all gymnasts only go for one Olympics. Oksana Chusovitina from Germany is 37 and she competed in the 2012 Olympics, and 5 before that,” I retorted.
He sighed, “I’m not trying to talk down to you, Savannah. I’m trying to be honest and set some perspective. I don’t know any U.S. female gymnast who has been to two Olympic Games. Many have tried for comebacks, Shawn Johnson, Nastia Liukin and Alicia Sacramone, just to name a few.”
I gave up, “Fine fine. If I find time, you’ll tutor me.”
He grinned, “That’s all I wanted to hear.”
YOU ARE READING
Bye Gymnastics, Hello Boarding School
Teen FictionSavannah Greene has to deal with life out of gymnastics. She is forced to retire and sent away to a boarding school. She needed to find closure. Was she going to find closure on her gymnastics? Or was she going to fight against all odds and qualify...
