Chapter 2
“We’re here today with Danny Hartman: Olympian, three-time US national champion, reigning NCAA all-around and high bar champion, and co-captain of the Los Angeles University men’s gymnastics team, which he led to their seventh NCAA championship win last year.
He’s looking to help the LA U Knights defend their title again this year, all while preparing for the upcoming Rio Olympics and hitting the books as a sports management major.
“Danny, I’m exhausted just saying this—how do you balance it all?”
Danny laughs and shoots a grin at Allie Clarkson, his interviewer for a local news segment on aspiring Olympians. She’s turn-your-head gorgeous, with hair like honey and eyes like caramel; smart as fuck; and ruthless when it comes to board games.
Oh, yeah—and she’s also his ex-girlfriend.
But if Allie feels any awkwardness about this fact, she’s handling it like a pro: back straight, legs crossed, a calm expression on her face as she awaits his reply. She looks every inch the reporter she’s always wanted to be, and while Danny’s not at all surprised, he’s sure as hell impressed.
“Well, I guess I’ve got a lot of practice balancing, being a gymnast,” he says, drawing a smile from her, “but yeah, no, uh, it can be a lot. Just gotta take things one day at a time, you know?”
Allie nods, even though it wasn’t exactly a groundbreaking answer.
Behind her, a pair of lights glare into Danny’s eyes, and beyond them he can just make out his LA U teammates on the floor.
In theory, they’re supposed to be doing cooldown stretches; in reality, most of them are watching the interview, smirking at him over Allie’s shoulder.
“Well, it’s been a busy month for you,” Allie remarks, glancing at her notes.
“You and the Knights just won another conference championship title, and last weekend, you helped Team USA score a major victory at the Pacific Rim Championships in Oregon, beating out China and Japan in the team final. Now, obviously we’re still four months away, but is this what viewers can expect to see at the Olympics? ”
“I hope so.” Danny smiles and crosses his fingers at the camera.
“I mean, we just went out there and hit, like, routine after routine, and that’s what we want to do in Rio for sure.
But China and Japan, they only sent their B teams, so, like, those aren’t the guys we’re going to be seeing at the Olympics.
And then there’s Russia, too—they beat us at Worlds last year, and they have some really good guys on their team. ”
Like Sasha Zakaryan, who just killed it at the Russian Championships and by the way is also my boyfriend, he doesn’t add, even though he wants to. So freaking badly. And if it were just him and Allie… Well, he couldn’t tell her Sasha’s name… but still, maybe the boyfriend part…
Shit, he’s in the middle of an interview right now, he needs to focus.
“It’s gonna be a tight competition,” he finishes quickly, “but yeah, I think we have a shot at gold. We just gotta stay on our game.”
“Absolutely. So, you’re graduating in a few weeks—”
“I hope,” Danny jokes, and they both laugh—although the truth is, his grades are circling the drain this semester, and he has no idea how he’s going to study for finals next week when he has the NCAA championships this weekend. But he’s not failing, so… whatever. Gymnastics is way more important.
“And then after graduation, you’ll be getting ready for the US Championships and the Olympic trials in June,” Allie continues, and Danny nods. “You’re considered to be a lock for the Olympic team—does that have any effect on your training or your strategy for trials?”
“Honestly, I try not to go into it like that,” Danny says, resisting the urge to cross his fingers again.
“Cause anything can happen in gymnastics, and we’ve got a lot of talent on the national team, so you never know.
I’m just training as hard as I can, and all the other guys are, too, and at the end of the day they’re gonna pick the five of us that have the best chance of medaling. ”
There’s a fluff round—what’s his favorite cheat meal (ice cream), do his dogs have Team USA gear yet (hell yes), which non-gymnast athlete would he want to party with in the Olympic Village (“Ryan Lochte, one hundred percent”)—and then Allie poses her final question.
“You’ve gotten some criticism in the past for your international performances falling short of expectations. How do you handle the negative comments?”
And Danny knew this was coming—Allie had warned him earlier—but it still feels like a resistance band pulling tight across his chest, even as he smiles at the camera.
“I haven’t had all the success I wanted,” he allows, “but every day’s a new day, and you just gotta get back in the gym and hit the grind and have a positive mindset. I’ve been working really hard with my coaches, and we’re hoping it pays off this year.”
“Well, we’re all rooting for you, Danny,” Allie promises, and then she wraps up the interview with a few words for the viewers, reminding them that they can catch the Olympics on NBC starting in August. Once the camera stops rolling, she uncrosses her legs, yawns, and looks back at Danny.
“Thanks for doing this, I really appreciate it.”
“Yeah, no problem.” Danny tries not to react as his teammates file past on their way to the lockers, Corey Mahone winking and mouthing Ask her out. “That was awesome, by the way. Like, seeing you in reporter mode.”
Allie grins, her whole face lighting up. “Thanks. It’s a lot, but I’m really happy.”
She looks it, too, in her shiny heels and her fancy blue dress, the kind she used to admire online before sighing and saying, I can’t afford this.
A far cry from the low-cut, glittery top she’d worn the night they’d met, at a frat party where Corey was trying to pick up her roommate—and honestly, Danny thinks it suits her even more.
“Hey, I’ve got like an hour to kill,” Allie says, glancing at her phone. “You want to go to Starbucks? I could seriously use some coffee right now.”
Danny doesn’t think twice before agreeing—he’s on friendly terms with most of his exes, and he and Allie used to run into each other on campus sometimes after their breakup, at least until she’d graduated last year.
He’s already mentioned to Sasha that he might be catching up with her after the interview; Sasha had said “Okay,” and then “Yes” when Danny asked if he actually meant it.
“Let me just…” He gestures at his leotard, and Allie laughs.
“Sure, no problem. We need to pack up all this stuff anyway, so I’ll meet you outside, okay?”
This close to finals, Starbucks is crammed with students either studying or taking a break from studying, with more of the latter than the former.
Danny and Allie manage to grab a spot by the wall, sitting down across from a group that’s having a loud, passionate discussion about their favorite presidential candidates.
The first order of business is trading dog photos, Danny awing over Phoebe and Bailey while Allie coos over Buddy and Luna. “Does your mom still send you pictures of them every day?” she asks, and Danny grins, not in the least abashed.
“Oh yeah. She says hi, by the way.”
She’d also said a lot of other things, like “Allie was such a nice girl” and “Are you seeing anyone these days?”, and he’d had to fumble for answers, grateful they were having this conversation over the phone instead of in person.
He’s not used to lying to his mom, and he hates the way it makes him feel, like he’s cutting off a part of himself every time he talks to her.
But he doesn’t mention any of this to Allie.
Instead, they update each other on their families, and then Allie tells him about her job—running back and forth between the studio and whichever location they’re filming at next, spending more money on coffee than groceries, finally getting home at the end of the day and having to wipe off a pound of makeup before she can go to sleep.
It’s clear that she loves it, though, because she only starts sighing when she talks about her boss, a producer who used to work for ESPN and won’t let anyone forget it.
“He put in that question about your international track record,” she admits to Danny.
“He wants this to be, like, hard-hitting sports journalism or whatever, and like… we’re a morning show on the local news.
So, I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t think it was appropriate. ”
Danny shrugs it off, ignoring that tightness in his chest again. “Nah, it’s cool. Trust me, I’ve gotten a lot worse.”
Like Jesus fuck is this guy ever going to win a world medal.
Like he doesnt deserve to be on the team. give some of the other guys a chance for once.
Like I literally don’t understand, it’s like he steps out of the US and forgets how to do gymnastics?? Come ON.
And those were just the ones he’d read on Twitter last night.
Allie’s watching him with a worried expression, so he gives her a quick smile, feeling it strain at the corners of his mouth. “All part of the territory,” he says, and then he changes the subject, grasping at the first thing that comes to mind. “So, uh, you seeing anyone?”
There’s an awkward beat, Allie smoothing out her skirt instead of answering, and too late, he realizes how that must have sounded.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean—I wasn’t trying to—”
“Oh, no, it’s okay,” Allie says, waving away his apology. “I didn’t think you were. Um, yeah, I am seeing someone.” She stops fiddling with her skirt, looks him right in the eye. “Her name’s Maddie.”
It’s a good thing Danny wasn’t drinking his coffee at that moment, because he would have spat it out in shock.
As it is, it takes him several seconds to do anything other than stare at her, his heart pounding in his throat.
“Wait, you’re—” He darts a quick glance around them, his voice dropping almost to a whisper.
“You’re bi? Did I, like, totally miss that? ”