Blind Landing (Flipped #1) by Carrie Aarons

Author:Carrie Aarons [Aarons, Carrie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-07-31T04:00:00+00:00

Nineteen

Spencer

I can still smell Natalia’s scent everywhere as I file into the conference room for the Thursday night coaches meeting.

Even though my body is physically present, I’m still back in that gym this morning, my flesh pounding into hers as my thighs slam into the pommel horse. All the blood in my body starts to head south, and I have to suck myself back into the present moment, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance over and over to get my woody to dissipate.

“Come, come everyone. We have lot to discuss.” Novak waves all of the coaches around the large oak table in the center of the room.

The conference room is housed in the building of office suites on the outskirts of the Filipek compound. I’m hardly ever in here, opting to spend all of my coaching time in the gyms rather than behind a desk. Which is why I hardly ever recognize the staff that houses this building. They keep the camp and programs running with their accounting, business and marketing acumen. Things that could not interest me less.

A vegetable tray sits in the middle of the large wooden table, water bottles laid out, marking each padded office chair surrounding it. Of course they couldn’t even spring for donuts for this. Sugar was basically outlawed on this campus. Just like backbones or attitude.

The fifteen coaches plod in warily, most of us wanting to attend this two-hour ass-reaming almost as much as we wanted to get a root canal. Novak was going to tear us all new ones, as he always did at coaches meetings. Because it wasn’t just the elite, incredible gymnasts who were subpar here. Their coaches could always be better. Even if I never slept, didn’t do anything but stand on a spotter’s block all day and give great motivation and education … he still would not be happy.

Once we’re all seated, Novak starts in, addressing the room in his brusque Polish accent. “We have only one month before Olympic Trials. We must decide who will make team now, and focus on those girls and boys. Others will stay, just in case, but everybody know that we choose team before the competition.”

I hadn’t been here last time they’d done this. Well, I had. But not in this room. No, I was still out in the gyms, blissfully ignorant to things like injuries and the bullshit political agendas of Novak. But Rourke Bosco had warned me about this, the way they manipulated and controlled every aspect of USA gymnastics.

“Why even bother having Trials then?” I lean over to Rourke, who shoots me a look that is a mix between agreement and a warning.

“What was that, Spencer?” Melinda’s hawk eyes land on me, and I know full well she probably heard what I’d said.

“Nothing, Melinda. Can you pass me a carrot stick? I’m hungry.” I bat my lashes at her and earn a huff. And a carrot stick nearly chucked at my head.

“Let’s start with the men.” Novak looks around the table to the men’s coaches.

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