Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
D ad had always said if you wanted something done right, you must do it yourself.
And that's exactly what I was about to do.
I was in rare form after last night.
After being intimate with Kova, more than once, and listening to him open up a part of his heart and confess how he felt about me, then watching Katja go down on him while I hid, I was a mess.
My thoughts were everywhere. I couldn’t tell if I wanted to laugh or cry.
I think the best thing to do was to let what happened go, and move on.
I popped four Motrin, then made a cup of coffee.
Running on only a couple hours of sleep was a stupid idea.
I was exhausted and mentally drained, but I pushed the thoughts away.
Dressed and out of my condo within thirty minutes, I headed to the gym to condition alone.
That was another thing—we hadn't finished talking about the extra classes before things went from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye.
I still wasn't sure if he was okay with me going in or not, but I planned to go in regardless.
Reaching over to the passenger seat, I shifted around inside my bag and felt for my phone while keeping my eyes on the road. I grasped it in my hand, and after a quick glance, I went to my favorites and clicked on Avery. I wanted my best friend.
Pick up…pick up…pick up… I chanted to myself. When she didn't answer the first time, I tried a second time to no avail.
I pulled up to a red light and sent her a string of text messages, bitching at her for not being there and venting at the same time.
BFF: WTF! It’s 5 a.m. That coach of yours brings more trouble than he's worth. Think of him as a crawfish—bite his head off and suck him down, then get rid of him.
That was all I got back from her. A fucking crawfish reference. Granted it was extremely early, but I had always been there for her no matter what.
With a scowl, I dropped my phone into the cup holder, hitched up my knee and drove to World Cup.
It was still pitch black when I pulled into the parking lot. Not surprising, there were no other cars here but mine. What lunatic went in to practice like they were training for the Olympics on their day off—and before dawn?
Me.
I quickly got out and punched my code into the keypad and walked inside, making sure the door shut behind me, even though it had an automatic locking mechanism.
Since there was no one else here, I brought my cell phone into the gym and started up my playlist. I always started off stretching the way Kova taught me. The man knew his shit, even if he was an asshole at times.
Okay. Most times.
" Bozhe moi. You and that horrible music of yours."
I jumped, my heart nearly exploding from me. "Jesus, Kova!" I shouted and grabbed my chest, then turned my music off. "Why can't you ever make some noise before you enter a room?"
He stopped walking and looked down at me as if I’d just asked him the dumbest question in the history of questions.
"It is my gym. I do not need to do no such thing."
"Yes, you do. One day you're going to give someone a heart attack." I stood up and fixed my shorts that had ridden up. Since I figured I'd be alone in the gym, I opted to wear a sports bra and mini shorts. Scratching my nose, I asked, "What are you doing here?"
He threaded a hand through his hair. "I am here to help you."
"But you seemed so against any extra work. Why would you even come?"
"Because you need me."
"I'm not doing my routines, so I don't need you for conditioning. I can do it myself. It's not hard."
He tilted his head toward me and his voice softened, playful even. "Yes, you do. You need me. Just admit it."
I wasn't going to be diverted. I was tired of the back and forth of our relationship, and still seething from how the previous night had ended.
"The only time I need you is during practice, you know I'm right. Plus, I'm sure Katja isn't happy about you being here after what I heard last night." I undid my ponytail and shook out my hair, then put it back up.
Kova lowered his head and stroked the dark scruff on his jaw. His eyes searched the floor. "Adrianna, I think we should—"
I put my hand up, bracing myself for what would come. "I know what you're going to say, and I don’t want to talk about it. Let's just forget it ever happened, okay? It is what it is."
The muscles in his face tightened.
"What could you possibly say anyway? Sorry for allowing Katja to suck your…your…dick in front of me? Yeah. No thanks." I let out a harsh laugh and walked away.
"Ria."
"Drop it. You should just go home, Kova. Spend time with Katja. We both know you'll just be wasting your time here when it can be better spent with your girlfriend."
He followed closely behind me. "Not likely. I want to make sure you are working the right muscles accurately. I do not want all the work I put into you to unravel because you had to go and be stubborn."
He knew all the right buttons to push. "I'm not stubborn. I'm driven. Stubborn sounds like you're referring to a child, and I don't like that."
"Then do not act like one and I will not have to," he retorted, then grabbed my elbow and spun me around. "Just like when you bring up Kat. You sound like a jealous obsessed ex. It is not very becoming of you."
My jaw dropped. He did not just say that.
"You know, you're such a dickhead sometimes." I gave him my back.
"Where are you going?" he asked, ignoring my comment. He was probably used to it by now.
"To work."
"You are going in the wrong direction. The balance beam is the other way."
I kept walking and he repeated himself, then added, "Beam is your weakness and where we need to focus first." His voice was firm and full of authority; I couldn't ignore him.
Turning around on my heels, I walked toward him. He held his hand out with a jump rope in front of the balance beams. I looked down in confusion, then back up at him.
"What do you want me to do with that?"
"Get up on the beam and jump rope one hundred times. You wobble once, you start over."
My brows met my hairline. "You're so strange." I grabbed the jump rope and then hopped up on the beam. At four inches wide, I could easily do standing tucks and connect a series of skills both forward and backward. And he wanted me to jump rope? This would be a piece of cake.
I took a deep breath and swung the rope around, jumping lightly the first few times to get a feel for this.
"Lock your knees," he ordered.
I began counting.
"Eyes up. Shoulders back. Keep your posture straight. Do you know why I am having you do this?"
"Nnn—"
"Start over."
I stopped and looked down at him with one foot on the beam. "What? Why?"
"You wobbled and bent your knees. Start over."
Knees. I growled low in the back of my throat then began jumping again.
I focused my gaze ahead of me. My mind immediately went to Kajta on her knees.
I was still upset over last night but I tried to not let that effect my practice.
Kova was quiet for a few moments before he said, "This will work the core of your body and help you punch the beam with straight legs.
It also keeps your focus." He paused and added, "Do not turn your feet in, keep them forward. "
It was a natural reaction for me to turn them in. I felt safer, like I had a better hold on the beam, but I also knew it could cost me.
I finished the first set the correct way with a slight burn in my thighs. Nothing bad though and I wasn't out of breath.
"Now jump rope traveling forward and backward. This will keep your body aligned and your concentration centered on what you are doing."
"How many times?" I asked between jumps, my words short and tight.
"Fifty each way."
This was a lot trickier than I expected. Just like Kova said, I had to keep my focus strictly on the beam and how I jumped—legs straight, body tight, hips squared. I wobbled a few times going backward and cursed Johnny under my breath.
Johnny was what Avery named the beam after I fell two times in one day. She said if I was getting fucked by the wood, then we needed to name it. The balance beam was now known as Johnny Depp to Avery.
"Tighten up, Adrianna. Squeeze your thighs and butt.
Everything needs to be firm so you do not sway.
The tighter you hold yourself, the less you fall.
You cannot loosen for one second. I do not want to see anything jiggle on you.
Keep your focus." He paused. "By the way, your mother gave me a ring yesterday.
Such a lovely woman she is. So caring of her daughter. "
I stopped and looked down at him, letting out a gush of air I hadn't realized I was holding.
"Uh huh. Start over."
I ignored him. I couldn't believe Mom called him. "What did she say?"
"Start over."
"What did she say, Kova?" I pushed, snapping at him. I probably looked like a psycho to him, but he held firm and wouldn't speak until I started up again. I huffed under my breath and jumped. Typical Kova. He always had to get his way. My coach was an exasperating man.
"Just that she wanted to know how her precious daughter was doing. I told her you were getting there but still had a long way to go."
I lowered my eyelids. "Of course you did. What else?"
"She said she was concerned about your diet and wanted to make sure you were eating nutritious meals.
She mentioned when you went home for the holidays you let go and ate everything in sight.
She wanted to make sure you are not still on that same path.
Something about you had to buy new clothes because your old ones did not fit. "
My heartbeat sped up, and my lips parted. The animosity in her words rang like a siren in my head of things she'd said to me that I did wrong in her eyes. Moisture beaded above my top lip. I gripped the jump rope handles tighter, my skin burning against the plastic. I jumped faster and harder.