Balance (Off Balance 1)

“Will do.”

“Have fun! And remember—snap a picture for me.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Later, girl.”

The smile I heard in her voice made me miss my best friend dearly. Moving to Florida’s West Coast was my choice and something I desperately wanted. I’d prepared for it, and was ready the day it finally came, but I hadn’t anticipated missing my friend so much so soon.

I needed to stay focused on my goal, all these sacrifices would be worth it in the end.

The sun hadn’t even begun to peek above the horizon as gray clouds drifted across the charcoal sky when we pulled up to World Cup. Thomas, my driver, knew exactly where to go.

My eyes were swollen and puffy from the restless night of sleep I had. I’d been so anxious for the following morning, I tossed and turned all night in bed, thinking about how my first day would go. I was finally going to begin the next phase in my gymnastics career, and it was all I could think about. Just as I was about to fall back asleep, my alarm clock went off, jolting me upright. If I had to guess, I’d say I had about three hours total of sleep.

Stepping outside with my duffle bag, the humidity in the air smacked my face. “Bye, Alfred. I’m not sure how many hours I’ll be here, so I’ll text you when I get out.” Alfred was a personal nickname I used for Thomas. He wasn’t crazy about it, judging by his expression every time it rolled off my tongue. In fact, I think he loathed it, but went along with it to appease me.

“I’ll be on standby, Miss Rossi.”

An exasperated sigh escaped my throat. “Alfred. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Adrianna?” I had been reminding him more lately. I hated the Miss crap.

“How many times have I told you my name is Thomas?” he retorted.

My eyes narrowed, trying to appear mean, but I knew it was a piss poor job.

“Old habits.”

“I’ll try harder,” he said with a wink.

Shutting the door, the sound of fallen leaves fluttering in the wind caught my attention. I glanced over my shoulder, but I couldn’t see anything in the dark and continued on.

Stepping onto the sidewalk, I walked in front of the SUV. Thanks to the headlights shining through the window, I got a glimpse inside World Cup. When we arrived the first day, I hadn’t been able to see through the tinted glass, but the early morning hours along with the bright lights illuminated a large portion of the gym.

My eyes zoomed in on a gymnast throwing a tumbling pass. She must’ve been warming up since all she did was a round-off, back handspring, one and a half twist, and then walked off like it was nothing. It really wasn’t much on our level, but she made it look effortless. Like a ribbon floating in the wind. Beautiful, really. I could only pray I had that kind of grace. Coach Kova clapped his hands, his lips moving and head nodding in approval. I took in his attire and noticed he wasn’t wearing dress pants.

I shuffled my duffle bag around and opened the door. As I did, another hand reached above me and pushed back the metal frame. I looked over my shoulder and came face to face with muscular arms. Stepping inside, I locked eyes with the cutest boy next door smile I’d ever seen. He hardly had any clothes on: shorts, flip flops, and a loose tank top with huge arm holes. Typical South Florida beach attire.

“I got it.”

I gripped my strap tighter. “Thank you.”

“I’m Hayden,” he said, walking in closely behind.

“Adrianna.”

He smiled, and a dimple appeared in the center of his chin. “I know, we met the other day. I’m Holly’s twin.”

“Huh.” I stared at him. “I wouldn’t have guessed.”

His smile grew larger. “That’s good to know. The last thing I want is to hear I look like a chick.”

Chuckling at his comment, I followed him down the hall into a small room that had two walls of lockers, one each for the boys’ and girls’ teams. He stuffed his bag into a metal cage. His movements were comfortable and natural as if he’d been doing this for ages, and maybe he had.

Hayden looked over his shoulder. “Are you nervous about today?”

I bit my lip and shuffled my feet. “Yeah, is it obvious?”

“Not really—but I just remember my first day being able to train at a new level. It’s exciting but more nerve-racking than anything.”