Balance (Off Balance 1)

Konstantin paused and simply stared at me for a few heartbeats. Just when I thought I’d won, he pulled back the papers my dad had in his grip. Looking to my dad, he said, “I can see Ana is not ready for this kind of commitment, Frank. It takes dedication, hard work, and most importantly, listening skills. And until she understands it is my way—”

My chest heaved, blood pumping rapidly through my heart. He was rejecting me, saying I couldn’t train here, but I refused to let that be an option. So I cut in before he could speak another word in that stupid Russian accent of his I loved only moments earlier.

“How many of these classes do I have to take?”

He looked back at me. “As many as you need.”

I clenched my teeth and dipped my head slowly in surrender. Despite his good looks, he acted like a total ass, and that was something I wasn’t used to.

Konstantin slid the papers back to Dad, but his gaze never wavered from mine. “I spoke with your old coach and asked about your current training, where you c

ould use improvement. He said you lacked flexibility, which is where ballet comes into play—it helps open your hips, stretch your legs, and gives long lean body lines gymnastics often hardens. Contrary to what you believe, he also mentioned you could use more grace. Dance is an important element to have for balance beam and floor. We want you to flow, not come across as a robot. With that being said, an evaluation will determine what your specific needs are.”

My blood pressure climbed and it took everything in me not to refute his statement. Just when I thought I was moving forward, I really took ten steps back. I was not a stiff robot on the floor like he insinuated. I knew how to move for fuck’s sake.

“And all these extra dance classes—ballet and jazz—are included in her new gym schedule?” My dad piped in, and thank God he did. I was ready to blow a fuse. “She’ll be doing two-a-day, along with training for a total of forty hours a week?”

Konstantin turned back to my dad. “Yes, she will have two days off. What she chooses to do with those days is up to her, but when she is here, she is under my supervision and the control of World Cup, along with the other coaches. As much as I want to put gymnastics first, school is more important, so we work around a schedule for all the gymnasts. Once it is set, she will have to take responsibility and balance it. Typically, there will be practice in the morning where we focus on strength and conditioning, break for school, then gymnastics in the afternoon. Dance will be on rotation.” He took a breath and continued. “Most gymnasts here are in public school, so their hours are always consistent. A few girls share an apartment to help keep their expenses low. I understand you have rented an apartment for her?”

Dad cleared his throat. “I’ve gone ahead and secured one of the top floor units at Cape Harbor for her. It’s a two-bedroom condo across town in one of my gated communities, and I also purchased an SUV for when she’s ready to drive.

“As you know, being a Rossi brings a lot of publicity, and I need to make sure Ana is safe. She appears much older than she is and has a strong head on her shoulders, unlike most girls her age. I know you’ll be nearby if anything should happen, but I still worry about her being so far away. I took the necessary precautions before allowing her to move here. Ana doesn’t want for anything, and anything she does need, she’ll have so she can focus on gymnastics. My wife has even gone the distance to have her meals delivered to her condo and a tutor in place.”

Stifling a groan of embarrassment, I chewed the inside of my lip instead.

Dad always managed to find a way to mention money and how much of it he had. It was humiliating and I detested the pompous manner he spoke about it, friend or not. It was mortifying, especially sharing the fact he ordered meals for me. He knew I was responsible enough to make wise decisions, unlike my brother who reveled in the Rossi name and money.

I stared at Konstantin, trying to gauge his reaction at the unnecessary shit my father elaborated on, but his face gave nothing away. His cold stare—the resting dick face—could rival my mother’s. I stifled a chuckle. The way his presence demanded attention caused my heart to hammer against my ribs. As long as he didn’t open his mouth to spew more ridiculous ballet suggestions, I couldn’t help being drawn to him.

“All right, Adrianna, not only do your parents have to sign, but so do you.” Another form? Enough already. Sell me to China, they have good gymnastics coaches over there. So what if they lie about their ages.

Konstantin handed me a stack of papers.

“The first is your commitment to the gym, your oath to train hard and give one hundred and fifty percent, and to not quit, not that I expect you to. However, should you decide to end your time here at World Cup before the year is over, there will be a hefty fee charged to your parents, just like I do with every teammate. I am sure you know this is not an easy gym to get into, hence the need for this obligation. This agreement is renewed every year.”

Just as I was about to press the pen down to sign my name, naturally Mom had to get her two cents in.

“Ana, this is a very expensive endeavor. I’m sure more than most parents would be willing to spend. We know you’re responsible and trust you to do the right thing, but your father and I would be very upset if we had to pay an unnecessary fee on top of it all,” she warned with glaring eyes. “Are you sure you’re committed to this?”

“More than anything in the world,” I mumbled under my breath. If she wanted to test my resolve at the eleventh hour, she could throw any doubts out the window. I was looking my dream straight in the face, and a few more documents to sign would not get between my goals and me.

“Anything?” Her voice heightened her question. She had no idea how much this meant to me, or how dedicated I was to gymnastics.

“She gets it, Joy,” Dad said, and then gave me a satisfied smile.

For whatever reason, my mom pushed me hard on just about everything. It was disconcerting and I wished she’d back off and encourage me instead.

Dad understood my dedication because he was the same way. Once we found something to pour all our sweat and blood into, there was no going back. Our devotion drove us.

“All right, the next document states you will not date anyone while you are under my authority and training,” Konstantin said, eyeing me as he slid it across his desk. He couldn’t be serious. I’d never heard of a coach doing this before.

“I know it sounds juvenile, but this is actually a very important piece of paper you will have to sign. I do not need you losing your focus. You will end up skipping practices and pissing me off. It could ruin your career and it will only waste my time. My time is precious. I expect, and deserve, your focus and determination, not anyone else.”

“I understand.”

I scribbled my name without reading and pushed it back. Konstantin held my gaze. “You should always read the fine print before you sign anything,” he said quietly, sounding disappointed.

He peered down at my signature, his eyes moving as he read. “Right here states,” he said, pointing, “you will be under my supervision during gym time.” Konstantin handed a paper to my father and said, “This is basically the same agreement I gave your daughter. Since she is fifteen and with no real parental guidance, she will be under the supervision of World Cup while training here. Anything she does after she steps out of the gym is not my responsibility; therefore, neither I, nor World Cup will be held accountable for her actions. All the gymnasts living on their own while training here must sign it.”