28. Lucas #3
All of us scurried around, happy to have someone in charge. And then he pulled a chair to where he was standing and climbed onto it.
“That doesn’t look safe,” Cam said.
“I’ll be fine. Okay, guys, give me your best laid-back smiles. Oooh, that’s good. Okay, two more, just in case. Nice.”
And again, the slo-mo started. Declan went to step off the chair, but his foot got caught in the vinyl straps and he was falling. Ty lunged forward on his knees and caught him before he hit the ground.
“Holy shit,” Grant said.
“You’re fast,” Declan gulped. Ty was still holding him in his arms as he stood up. “And strong! Fuck!”
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Ty put him down.
“Thanks a lot,” Declan said, withdrawing his arm from around Ty’s neck.
“You’re welcome,” Ty said, pushing his hair behind his ears.
Declan handed me my phone.
“Thanks for holding onto it. You should’ve tried to catch yourself,” I said.
“I guess I knew I was going to be caught.”
And that’s our cue, boys. I whispered to the twins and Cam, “Let’s go, guys. Let’s give them a moment.” We moved far enough away to not hear their conversation. I posted the photo. It was a good one, and I had to give Declan the credit.
#poolside #gymnastics #teamUSA #bronzed
Ty came back over as Declan waved goodbye to us.
“So?” Cam asked.
“He gave me his number.”
“Nice!” I said, slapping him on the shoulder. “Aren’t you happy?”
He seemed to think about it for a moment. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
My phone vibrated in my hand.
Shane: Well, that explains it. Poolside?
Shane: You’re late for your interview.
Shane: Move your ass. I’ll cover for you, but that post isn’t doing you any favors if they see it.
“Oh shit, guys. I forgot I have an interview right now.”
“Another one?” Cam asked.
“Yeah,” I said, turning to go. “About the pizza place thing.”
I started running back to the dorm.
“Sorry, guys. I’ll see you later, Cam!”
I changed quickly, took the elevator down, and started running.
Luke: Where is the interview?
Shane: In the Garden of Peace.
Shane: Dramatic eye roll.
Good, it was close.
“Sorry I’m late,” I said, running up to the group gathered. I could see the lights and cameras set up. My smile dropped. This looked like some serious shit. Shane patted me on the back. “Yeah, it’s a big deal. Way to be late.”
“Let’s get some make-up in here. He looks flushed!” some woman yelled. And then it was a whirlwind of trying on outfits - thank god I put on underwear - having makeup plastered on me, and seemingly a million people fawning all over me to get everything else perfect.
“So, who’s interviewing me?” I finally found Shane in the crowd again.
He rolled his eyes, and answered, “Kathryn McCormack.”
My eyes bugged out a little. “From NBC News?!”
“That’s the one.”
“Mierda.”
“Please don’t swear on live TV.”
“It’s live?”
Shane pinched his nose, closed his eyes and scrunched his forehead. “Don’t you ever read your email?”
I ended up having nothing to worry about because Kathryn was great.
It honestly felt like I was talking to Heather or an older sarcasm-less Erika.
She made me feel comfortable by starting off with straightforward questions about my training and what led me here.
We covered what it felt like to be at the Olympics, the team finals and our bronze medal.
Shane must’ve asked her to not bring up my family, or she didn’t care. Either way, I was relieved.
“So, Luke, let’s talk about what happened at the restaurant. What went through your head at that moment?”
Red, hot anger.
“Well, Kathryn, I’ve been teased in my past, and it’s not something that’s very common anymore, but I still hear or read things now and then. I know how it feels and I don’t like to see other people hurt or put down, so when I heard that word, I just reacted. Instinct took over.”
“Like protecting one of your own?’
“Yeah, I guess it was like that. I also think waitstaff at restaurants deserve better treatment. It’s a demanding job.”
“Have you ever been a server?”
“Well, no, but I see people treating them poorly all the time. I just thought I’d do a little PSA for servers everywhere while I’m being interviewed.”
She laughed, then continued, “I’m sure you’ve seen the video. The whole thing was caught on tape because the person was filming you eating. Does that happen often?”
I hadn’t thought about that. That was kind of creepy. “No, not really. Not that I can remember.”
“Well, if you weren’t famous before, you are now.” She smiled. "Have your teammates always been so supportive? Tyler Hale was quick to stand up with you."
"Oh yeah. I couldn't ask for a better group of guys. They’re amazing."
“Speaking of guys, is there a special one in your life?”
My heart dropped. I was afraid I’d hurt Cam’s feelings, but said, “Not at the moment, no.” I knew it would piss off my parents if I said anything else. “Training for this whole thing takes up most of my time as you’d imagine.” I gestured to the surrounding village.
There were a few more questions after that and I hoped I faked it well enough, but I couldn’t shake the lump in my throat.