Scott twisted the top of his water bottle. “What can I do?”
“Nothing. I’ll reset. Promise.” I slapped him on the back. I didn’t want to let him down.
We walked back to the court. Sergio and Paulo laughed at each other. I didn’t know how the Italians could always act as if they were batting the ball around. This was the fucking Olympics.
They couldn’t tell but I stared them down through my sunglasses. There was no way they were getting four in a row.
The ball came straight to me. Sergio thought I was the weak link on the team. He was fucking wrong. I reared up, slamming the ball into the ground. The crowd cheered and Scott slapped my hand.
“There you go.”
“Hell, yeah.” I grinned.
It was my turn to serve. The line judge tossed the ball to me. Things had already turned around. I couldn’t look at the sideline. I knew it would distract me. I’d focus on Sierra. I’d wonder what Eric had said to her. I’d lose my focus.
Instead I threw the ball in the air and served an ace between Sergio and Paulo’s feet.
By the time the match was over I was exhausted. The Italians hadn’t gone down without a fight. They took us into a third set. There were a few points that I was worried we wouldn’t get, but Scott contested the calls and we got the points back.
As we packed up to leave I looked over my shoulder at Sierra. She was treating Sergio’s elbow. He had banged it pretty hard into the ground going for the ball.
We had exactly eight hours before we had to be back on the court for the next round. I wanted a hot shower and a nap. It wouldn’t hurt to ice my knee either.
The Italians would go into the loser’s bracket. Sierra and I wouldn’t have to face each other again on the sand. But there was no doubt I’d show up at her door tonight.
Reyna made her way down to the base of the seats. I watched Scott reach up to hug her.
“You were awesome, babe.” She smiled. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thanks.”
I looked away, but not quickly enough. I saw it. What they had. The connection between them. It was always there, but sometimes it felt like a reminder that I had chosen a different direction. Reyna ran her hands through Scott’s hair. He reached up for another kiss.
And then I saw it. The flash. The film strip in my head of the future. The split second when I wondered if I could have that after all. Was I meant for that kind of life? Was I meant for that with someone like Sierra?
I grabbed my bag and got the hell off Copacabana beach.
14
Sierra
I was mad and angry. I don’t know how I managed to make it through the entire match without kicking sand on Eric or screaming at him in the stands. Who in the hell did he think he was? My entire life had been determined by that decision. I left everything. My family. My friends. My country. And all because he and Michael thought they’d play big brother without telling me.
When I made it back to my room I immediately pulled out my phone to video chat my meddling older brother.
“Hey, how’s Rio?” he answered with a big goofy grin.
“Do not ‘hey’ me,” I steamed. “You and Eric have basically ruined my life.”
“What are you talking about?” He looked genuinely confused.
“I know why I didn’t get the job for the US team. I saw Eric today.”
He hung his head. “He wasn’t supposed to tell you.”
“That’s the answer? No apology? You and your best friend conspire to send me out of the country and that’s your response?” I felt a little as if we were five and he had just broken the heads off my Barbie dolls and I was threatening to tell Mom and Dad, but I didn’t care.
“I didn’t know you would move to Italy.”