Dismount (Off Balance 5)

"Go, go!!" one of the employees said.

I drew in a shaky breath as tears filled my eyes again when the second girl was called to the floor. I watched as her arm went into the air and she waved to the crowd, then covered her mouth as she cried and sprinted onto the floor. We were advised to wait before the next name was called.

My teeth chewed into my lip.

"Reigning world champion on vault and bars…" I sucked in a breath and thought my heart was going to burst from my chest "…The third member to join the women’s Olympic gymnastics team, Adrianna Rossi from World Cup Academy of Gymnastics!"

There was no stopping the full-blown tears when my name was called next. They hit like a punch to the gut. Suddenly all eyes were on me. A bouquet was pressed to my arms as I stepped back into the arena. I crushed it to my chest, the clear plastic wrap holding the flowers couldn't even be heard over the roar of the crowd. My eyes frantically searched the packed room.

Elena, along with the other two Olympic coaches, believed in me enough for me to represent the United States.

I can't believe I really did it.

All I saw were smiling faces and clapping hands and my country's flag being waved in the air. Emotion flooded every ounce of me. Happy tears poured from my eyes. I was too overwhelmed to really see anything except Kova and the steps I was about to walk up.

My dream had come true.

I made it to the Olympics.

I'd never forget the way Coach Elena had pronounced my name in the small waiting room in her thick Romanian accent to tell me I'd made the Olympic gymnastics team as a specialist for bars and vault, and possibly floor. I practically fainted. Kova was immediately at my side joking that I was in shock and hugged me to him. I was in shock and I couldn't stop crying. My hands had been shaking and I was a huge ball of feelings. Luckily, I hadn’t been the only one like that. The others named had reacted the same. We all wanted our name to be called, but the real possibility of that was so slim. Being the oldest named to the team with a slew of health issues that were kept under wraps, the odds were not in my favor. Still, I had been optimistic and tried so hard.

My gaze met the two other girls—my new teammates. We all had the same pink rimmed eyes and puffy cheeks from happy tears. Once the final girl was called after I was, and then the two alternates, we stood in a straight line next to each other.

It wasn't real. It had to be a dream.

"Give another round of applause for your 2020 women’s gymnastics team!" the announcer said enthusiastically, and the crowd erupted.

Flashes from multiple cameras flickered in front of my face. We raised our wrapped bouquets of flowers in the air as red, white, and blue paper confetti exploded from the ceiling. The national anthem played in the distance. Streamers crisscrossed the air above us. I glanced up and smiled as the colors fell around us like snow. It was the coolest thing ever that I giggled to myself. I couldn't believe I'd made it. I was still in shock.

The men's team, who'd been selected earlier, were welcomed to the stage. We all exchanged hugs under the blowing confetti and congratulated each other. Group pictures were taken, then we were finally disbursed to find our loved ones and coaches.

I walked over to Madeline and gave her a massive bear hug. She was like a proud parent and that made me feel so good to know I made her happy. There were tears in her throat as she sang her praise. Happiness burst through me. She worked with me just as hard as Kova did. She earned this too.

One of the people from the committee came over to speak to Madeline. Just before she left, she looked up and spotted someone behind me. Brows creased between her eyes, she pointed at me, nodded her head, then quickly turned away. It was chaos on the floor and she was gone in the blink of an eye.

I turned around, and through the people crisscrossing in front of me, I realized she was talking to Kova.

Our eyes locked, and something clicked into place. I weaved through the crowd, my feet carting me to him automatically.

Without a care in the world, Kova got down on one knee and I walked straight into his arms. I cried again. His strength I'd needed to get to this point embraced me immediately. Kova gave me a real hug. His hand cupped the back of my neck and his fingers gently pressed into my skin. I drew in a breath, and softly let go, crying into his neck. I'd—we'd—been through so much for this moment, and I wanted to live in it with him for as long as I could. My heart felt full as he held me to his chest.

"Malysh, pozdravlyayu," he said over and over only for me to hear. When I'd finally caught my breath, he said, "Let us find your father." I nodded.

Releasing me, Kova looked at my face. We were eye level. He used his thumbs to wipe away my tears, then without thinking, he took my hand and guided me to where Dad and Sophia were standing. The moment I spotted my parents, I blindly handed Kova my bouquet and then ran to the tall wall that separated the athletes and coaches from the fans.

My father’s eyes were glossy, which caused my lips to tremble again. He was beaming from ear to ear like he was going to burst. Saying he was ecstatic was an understatement. I'd never seen a smile like that on his face, one that screamed how proud he was of me and that he loved me. He held his arms open, waiting. I jumped on the white folding chair against the wall with one foot to reach him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. My eyes closed. He hugged me like he never wanted to let go. His back shook as he squeezed me, and his head was in the curve of my neck. I could hear the clicking from the cameras next to us and my name being called. I felt his hot breath as he released his emotions. Dad gave me a long hug. Despite all the despair we'd both endured lately, none of that was a thought in our minds. It was all forgotten as we celebrated this uphill battle together.

Dad pulled back and that was when I realized he'd shed a few tears himself. My eyes watered. I softened even more.

"Adrianna, I can't believe it!" He laughed somewhere between being happy and filled with so much emotion that he clearly wasn't used to. "I was on the edge of my seat waiting. Congratulations, sweetie! I can't believe it!"

I grinned. Dad was in shock.

"Thanks, Dad."

"How do you feel?"

I shrugged, the massive smile still decorating my face. "I think I'm in shock. I don't really know what to feel yet."