33. Zeke
DAY FIVE OF THE 2024 OLYMPICS
Whenever Zeke and Haruki walked into a room together, everybody looked in their direction. They were two of the most famous athletes in the world, and they had four Olympic medals between them: Zeke’s silver and Haruki’s bronze, silver, and gold. So, when they entered the stadium that night and took their seats in the “friends and family” section of the gymnastics arena, the camera panned over to them and the whole audience roared. But this time it was for a slightly different reason.
“Do you think the shirts might have been overkill?” Zeke asked Haruki as they made eye contact with the camera and waved.
“Nah, we look good, and she’s going to love it,” said Haruki. He threw his hands up in the air, and the crowd cheered even louder.
Showing up at Valentina’s final wearing pink bejeweled “Team Ross-Rodriguez” shirts with her face on them definitely made a statement. All of her friends and family were wearing them. But Zeke was Valentina’s equally world-famous ex-boyfriend, so all eyes were on him. When news of their breakup had got out, the gossip accounts had immediately jumped to speculate about what had happened, and then they’d taken the handful of times they’d been spotted in public together since as a sign that they were either on again or off again.
Their friendship was layered in the way that any friendship with someone you’ve once been in love with was. But they were just as supportive of each other as they had been when they were together. Which was why there’d been personalized “Team Ross-Rodriguez” T-shirts waiting for Zeke and Haruki when they arrived.
“So have the two of you hung out much since the opening ceremony?” Haruki asked.
“Haruki, we’re not getting back together,” said Zeke. Haruki didn’t know the real reason behind their breakup, and Zeke had absolutely no intention of telling him until Valentina did. It wasn’t his story to tell. But sometimes having to explain himself all the time did get a little bit exhausting. The strange thing about having had a relationship under the spotlight was that everyone around him seemed to be invested in it as if they were characters, not people. Zeke tried not to let it bother him, or let the attention affect the way he approached new relationships too much. But he couldn’t help but wonder what Olivia would think of it all.
“Don’t give up on love,” Haruki said wistfully. There was nobody Zeke knew who earnestly believed in true love and soulmates more than Haruki. Which was why the revelation that the girl Haruki had spent the entire week talking about was, in fact, Olivia worried Zeke so much.
His best friend fell easily. It never lasted long, and he usually got distracted by something or someone else pretty quickly. But if he really did like Olivia, Zeke had essentially spent the last couple of days thinking about, flirting with, and kissing the person that his best friend was infatuated with.
He knew that the right thing was to tell Haruki that he’d kissed her. Haruki would be disappointed, but telling him now would stop him from finding out on the odd double date he was planning. Zeke didn’t want his friend to get even more invested in Olivia than he already was, only to find out that Zeke was withholding such a vital piece of information. Haruki would feel doubly betrayed.
Zeke hated talking about his love life in normal circumstances. And telling his best friend that he’d kissed and was maybe starting to fall for the same girl he liked sounded like a conversation from hell. So, he decided to put it off until tomorrow and just enjoy the final.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2024 Athens Olympic Games Women’s Gymnastics Final!” said the announcer. The whole audience roared and waved their flags. It was one of the most anticipated finals of the Games. Zeke had been watching all of the competitions leading up to this one with his teammates in the common room of GB House. But seeing it in person was so much better. Ever since he’d arrived, he’d been so focused on running that he hadn’t watched anything live. But now he was part of the energy, atmosphere, and excitement of the audience. Looking up at them from the competition grounds always pushed him forward, but sitting in the stands with them made him feel like he was a part of something bigger than himself. He took a mental picture to come back to whenever he walked out onto the track feeling lost.
When it was finally Valentina’s turn to do her floor routine, Zeke could barely sit still. He was excited to see her do what she did best, but he also felt that familiar fear in the pit of his stomach. Because for as long as he’d known her, Valentina had been pushing herself to do the riskiest and most extravagant stunts she possibly could.
The whole stadium hushed as Valentina walked out onto the stage, wearing a sparkly blue leotard. Her long, brown hair was swooped up into a ponytail. She had a look of pure focus. The only thing she could see was the performance floor and the only thing she could hear was the music. She made her way to the center, where she stood with her arms out and head pointed to the sky. She pulled her face into a smile, heard the first beat of her song, and began.
Zeke held his breath. She leaped and flipped and ran with a delicate light-footedness that hid the fact that she possessed more sheer strength and skill than most athletics teams combined. Each stunt, flip, and trick was majestic. But it was all so incredibly dangerous. He knew that all it would take was one second of midair hesitation for her to make the kind of catastrophic mistake that could leave her with a life-changing, career-ending injury. But she didn’t make a single mistake. When she landed her final flip and took a bow, the whole stadium roared with applause. He didn’t need to hear the score to know she’d won.
The audience cheered as they watched the gymnastics team return to the stage in their Team USA tracksuits and Valentina was given her gold medal. Nothing made Zeke happier than seeing his brilliant, hardworking, fearless friends win. So, he clapped until his hands hurt. Watching in awe as the national anthem played and Valentina took her final bow. Then, it was time to celebrate.