10. Camden #2
We had been sharing the platypus coin all evening.
I don’t know what made me ask about it earlier, but I was glad I did.
It became our little secret and made it easier to be friendly again.
On the surface, it was an innocent token from our past. In reality, it represented something deeper than that.
I pushed that emotional labyrinth out of my head and focused on the positives.
Luke saved it. It meant something to him. It seemed to help both of us.
“Y’all are enjoying this,” Colton remarked.
I turned to look next to me. “Aren’t you?
You’re doing pretty well for a rookie.” I punched him in the shoulder.
We were waiting for Brazil to finish on the rings, so we could all rotate to our last event.
For us, it would be the high bar. I refused to call it the horizontal bar ever since Colton made an awful joke about doing something else horizontal.
“Thanks for noticin’, sugar.”
“Why do you call me ‘sugar’ again?”
“‘Cause you’re so sweet.” He pinched my cheek.
I don’t know what Coach said to Alex, but whatever it was, it worked.
His high bar routine was the best of the night.
And it solidified our seat at the top of the division.
I don’t know what issues China had, but they couldn’t gain any traction.
But Rasmus and Inácio performed as expected and would be a concern in the future.
With only a few slip-ups, Team USA crushed it.
The cameras were in our faces as we dressed and gathered our things before the last wave to the crowd and the walk to the locker room.
I saw Cassandra talking to Luke and watched as a big smile broke across his face and he wrapped her in a hug.
They were about the same height, but Luke’s shoulders were twice as wide as she was.
I busied myself by gathering my belongings. Noah sat smiling next to me.
“So, am I going to be happy with what you want to tell me because you’re doing a terrible job of hiding it?”
“Uh huh.” He nodded. “But, I’ll let Coach tell you the good news.”
I rolled my eyes, but I knew it was all good since he was smiling. I felt a tap on my shoulder and before I could register how close Luke was, he slammed into me and wrapped me in a hug.
“Congratulations, Cam!”
Instinctively, I relaxed. I’d always been a hugger.
If watching him hug another person was enough to draw my attention, then experiencing a hug from Luke was infinitely better.
I felt myself smile, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth.
It was only after a few seconds when I realized I didn’t know why we were hugging.
“Uh...for what, Luke?”
He pulled back. “Noah didn’t tell you?”
“I was saving it,” he replied, next to me.
“Screw waiting. Cam, you and I made the all-around finals!”
“What?! That’s amazing!” And then it was me, grabbing him for a hug.
Ryder Stevens, eat your heart out.
“I heard the news, Cam. Congratulations,” Alex said, offering his hand. I took it, but pulled him into a hug.
“Alright, gentlemen. Settle down,” Coach started.
“I see some of you have heard the good news. Luke and Cam qualified for the all-around finals. But, I’m really proud of Alex as well.
He was twentieth out of all the men, and it’s only because of the two-per-country rule that he misses the all-around finals. ”
Shit. I hadn’t known that. “Sorry, Alex, that sucks.”
“It’s okay, Cam. There’s always next time. You and Luke did better than me today. You deserve it.”
“Yeah, you do, buddy,” Colton whispered to me, smacking me on the butt.
“There’s more good news. The team made the finals. We were second during qualifying, which puts us in a splendid position.”
The guys and the coaches filled the room with whoops, cheers, and applause.
“And…every one of you qualified for an event final. Orion made the floor. Colton, the horse. Alex will be in both the ring and high bar finals. Luke will join him on the high bar and also qualified for the parallel bars and the vault. And Cam, you made the vault and the floor.”
I made the same two events as Brisbane. Plus, the all-around.
“Hey, Coach,” I spoke up. “How were we seeded?”
“Luke was fourth, and you were seventh.”
“Damn,” I heard Orion mutter.
“Yes,” Coach agreed, “it’s impressive. You’re both definitely medal contenders.
And I appreciate the effort you made today regarding your behavior.
Please keep it up for the press conference after.
Don’t forget we have a team meeting tomorrow and don’t get too crazy tonight.
Please,” Coach warned, holding his hands in mock prayer in front of him.
“Now, shower up, and we’ll see you in a few outside the media room. ”
It was after eleven when the press conference finally ended and I could go find my mom. I tried to ignore the butterflies that had accumulated in my body, a result of Luke’s compliments during the press conference.
He laid on the charm a little thick for the reporters, but what was between my legs had enjoyed it. I wasn’t as effusive as him with praise, but I pointed out that we fueled each other to be better athletes because we were friends, not competitors.
It was dark in the plaza outside the arena, but I could see the red and white striped flags from a distance.
They were waiting just beyond the gates.
Only athletes, coaches, staff and employees were allowed inside.
There were probably some fans too, but they were always respectful of our time with our families.