Release (Off Balance 3)

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"In no particular order, here are the members of the national team."

She announced two girls, and high-pitched screams broke out to the beat of her broken English. She read off two more names, then another, and another. Her deep accent caused her to mispronounce a few. When she got to number seven, and my name still hadn't been called, dread formed in the pit of my stomach.

Gymnastics was a merciless sport.

If my name wasn't called, I'd walk away stoically and figure out my next step.

I. Would. Not. Cry. I had to be strong.

Elena announced girls eight and nine, leaving only three spots left.

The tenth gymnast was named and everything around me faded to a blur. My heart plummeted to the floor, taking my confidence with it. Another name was called that wasn’t mine. The back of my eyes burned and my jaw trembled from intense emotions hitting me all at once. I thought I was going to faint when I got a small nudge in my side.

"Go! What are you waiting for?" Kova nudged me harder and yelled in my ear. I blinked, my brows drawn together and my gaze disoriented.

Kova shoved me forward and I almost cursed at him, but then he gave me the look. I straightened my shoulders and spotted Elena. She wore a huge grin on her face as she happily waved me forward. Tears immediately blurred my vision and chills broke out down my arms.

The pressure in my chest eased and I looked over my shoulder at Kova for guidance. He clapped and shouted my name, mouthing for me to go, to keep moving.

I looked back at Elena in complete and utter shock.

Elena had called my name. I was number eleven.

I couldn't control my emotions any longer and burst into tears. Gymnasts rubbed my shoulders and congratulated me through sobbing giggles as I walked past them. I observed my new teammates while I strode to the end of the line, each girl held the same reaction as me—blotchy faces, teary eyes, giant smiles stretched from ear to ear.

Oh. My. God.

My name had been called. I'd done it. I'd made the national team! I was one step closer to making the Olympic team.

My face fell into the palms of my calloused, chalky hands, and I bawled uncontrollably. My shoulders shook while I stood in line with the others. I’d made it. I’d thought this was the end of my career as a gymnast, that I hadn't been picked… But I’d made it.

"Here are the members of the United States National Women's Gymnastics Team," Elena said into the microphone, her voice rebounding off the walls of the arena. She waved her arm toward her new team. "Let us give a round of applause to those who made it, and to those who fought so diligently to be here. You all deserve to be rewarded for your hard work."

With the back of my hands, I wiped my eyes and looked up. I took a deep breath and exhaled. My heart broke for the girls who stood in front of me with tears of sorrow streaming down their cheeks. I knew what was going through their minds. They felt like failures, like their lives were over. They wondered if they would ever make it. Questioned what else they could've done to be standing on this side. They would torture themselves, questioning every moment and if it was worth it. Some would give up after this, and some would fight to come back. It was a vicious cycle.

"When I call your name, I would like you to step forward," Elena said. She called out a total of six names, mine being one of them.

Adrianna Rossi. Vault. Uneven bars. Floor. "Here are your specialists."

Chills wracked my body, then a smile tore across my face again. Even better than I'd hoped for.

Once we were released, I didn't have to look far to find Kova. I could feel his eyes on me, all over me, covering my body. I pivoted to face him, and without hesitation, I ran into his arms. Kova lifted me up and I buried my face in his neck as he wrapped his arms around my back and crushed me to him. I hugged him tightly, drew him into me, breathing in the only scent that instantly comforted me. In this moment I couldn’t help but forget all the negative things we’d been through. He'd seen me at my worst, and I'd seen him at his worst. But this was something else entirely. A feeling that couldn’t be explained or understood, just a connection with my other half.

There were no words spoken. None were needed. All the sacrifices, the injuries, the hurtful words, the grueling hours, were worth this moment. To be in his arms, to make it this far with him, and be on the team, was worth everything.

"I knew you had it in you," he whispered. His lips brushed my ear. My heart fluttered against my chest and I wondered if he could feel it.

I swallowed hard. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Yes, you could have. You had it in you all along. You just needed a push."

"From the right person," I finished for him. "I needed it from the right person."

Kova lowered me down. I slid against his body and my feet met the floor, but we didn't release each other. We stood close, embracing with my hands in the curve of his elbows. It may have seemed strange to be so intimate and touchy with each other out in the open, but other coaches and gymnasts were doing the same thing, some having to console their athletes. I looked at him with grati

tude and respect, and he acknowledged it with a small smile.