Balance (Off Balance 1)

“Nope,” she said proudly.

“Can I break a bone in there? Because that’s what it felt like when I fell. I swear something shifted.”

“Well, I’m no doctor, but I don’t think there’s a bone in your vagina.”

I grinned. “You had a bone-r in yours tonight.”

“Oh! She’s got comebacks,” Avery yelled sarcastically. “I sure did. But seriously, why don’t you see an OB and find out. Or maybe head over to Planned Parenthood so you can get birth control while you’re at it. Rather be safe than sorry.”

“What do I need birth control for?”

“Do you plan to stay a virgin forever?”

“Well, no, but I only have time for one piece of wood in my life right now, and his name is Johnny.”

Avery burst out laughing. I was pretty proud of myself for that one.

“That being said, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if I planned on having sex soon, not that I am. I’d have to withdraw money before I went. I can’t imagine my dad would be happy seeing a visit to Planned Parenthood on his credit card statement.”

“I doubt he even looks.”

Avery had a point. “Still, I can’t take the chance.”

“How’s practice going anyway?”

I huffed into the phone.

“That bad?” she responded to my sulk.

“Some days are harder than others, but I refuse to give up. I’m not where I should be so I took on extra training, but I feel like I’m progressing. I’m pushing my body to the brink of exhaustion. The team girls have like a Mean Girls type club, so the only friends I really have are Hayden and Holly. Some days I wonder if I would be here if it wasn’t for my dad’s money. And to top it off, my mom wants me to send her pictures of the scale while I’m on it.”

“I really hate your mom.”

I puckered my lips together. Some days I hated her too.

“Still, I won’t quit. I love gymnastics too much to do that. It’s my life, and with this sport, I only have so much time left. I really have to get my ass in gear. Meet season is coming up and I need to be in top shape.”

“You know what else is coming up?”

I paused, scrunching my brows together. “What?”

“Your birthday!”

“Ave. It’s not like I can plan anything, I have to train.”

Her excitement vanished. “Can’t you take one night off?”

“To do what? Sit by myself?” I laughed bitterly, thinking about how my mom forgot my birthday a few times in the past. What a joke. “Unless I’m on my death bed, there’s no taking an extra day off. It’s really not a big deal to skip my birthday, I’ll have more.”

“God. You’re such a bore. I can always come up for your birthday, so you’re not alone,” Avery said, taking me away from my thoughts. “And if my parents don’t want me to drive for some reason, maybe I can convince our brothers to ride with me.” I paused, at a loss for words, as she continued. “You know, they’re older, and our parents would trust them for some bizarre reason. Plus, if they know there’s hot girls, I’m sure they’d be quick to come.”

She had a point, however, her parents were pretty lenient, I couldn’t imagine them saying no to her driving to the west coast.

“I guess. While we hang out, they can go off, but you’ll be bored during the day since I can’t take off from practice.”

“That’s no biggie. I’ll come for a weekend and watch.”

That could be worked out.