Page 116 of Balancing Act

She nodded, and they made their way back to their seats as the competition was getting started.

Dylan nudged her excitedly. “Lily’s about to come out!”

Beth barely heard her, though. She was still stuck in that quiet hallway, still holding Lane’s words in her head like something fragile.

Before she could think too hard about it, Lily’s name was announced over the loudspeaker, and the crowd erupted into cheers. Dylan shot to her feet, waving her sign, and Beth latched on to the moment, pushing everything else aside.

Her phone buzzed as Lily stepped onto the floor. Jamie. FaceTime.

She answered immediately, angling the phone so Jamie could see the competition floor. “Just in time,” she murmured, with a weak smile.

Jamie’s face filled the screen, her expression brightening at the sight of Lily. “Hell yeah. Let’s go, Lils!”

Beth smiled, but Jamie’s eyes darkened, her brow furrowing.

“Wait. What’s wrong?”

Beth almost told her about the call from Lane, almost said, “I got a residency offer at UCLA. Sean applied without telling me. I don’t know what I want.”

But Jamie wasn’t here. She wasn’t sitting beside her in the arena or holding her hand under the railing like she had during Lily’s last meet. The words felt too big for a phone screen.

“Nothing,” Beth said, forcing her voice to stay light. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

Jamie didn’t push, but the crease between her brows didn’t go away.

As Lily prepared for her routine, Beth found her mind wandering to the offer from UCLA and the predicament she now found herself in.

That night, however, Beth’s anxiety about the situation had only gotten worse, and the only person that could make her feel better wasn’t answering their phone.

Beth pressed her phone to her ear, waiting. One ring. Two. Three.

Voicemail. Again.

She frowned, pulling the phone away and staring at Jamie’s contact picture—a candid shot she’d taken one morning when Jamie had been making pancakes, hair still a mess from sleep, half smiling as she flipped one onto a plate.

Okay. She was getting annoyed now. She sighed and tapped out a quickCall me when you cantext.

Jamie was probably busy. The Empwr launch was coming up, and she knew how hectic things were getting. Still, it wasn’t like them to go this long without checking in. A small thread of unease pulled at the back of Beth’s mind, but she pushed it aside.

She needed a distraction.

She grabbed her room key and headed down the hall to Sarah and Lily’s room, knocking lightly before swiping her keycard.

Inside, the TV was playing some old animated movie, the lights dimmed. Lily was curled up on one of the beds, on her phone, no doubt texting Dylan, while Sarah sat on the other, laptop open, a glass in hand.

Beth leaned against the doorframe. “Hey. You two up for company?”

Sarah glanced up, arching a brow. “Depends. Are you going to steal my bourbon?”

Beth smirked. “Tempting, but no.”

Sarah gestured toward the couch. “Then by all means.”

Beth took off her shoes and sank onto the couch, letting the easy warmth of the hotel room settle around her. It felt familiar—comfortable—in a way that surprised her.

Sarah must have noticed because she studied Beth a little too closely before finally asking, “Alright. What’s up?”

Beth hesitated, glancing toward Lily. She was still awake, but barely, her breaths slowing into that familiar pre-sleep rhythm.