Page 33 of Balancing Act (Soulmate #1)

Lily jogged over, breathing hard, her brow furrowed in frustration. “I don’t know. That felt weird. I think I came out of the twist too soon.”

“You’re overthinking it,” she said, her voice calm, trying to ease the tension she could see building in Lily’s frame.

She saw so much of herself in Lily—in the ways she was constantly pushing herself to be the best. But she’d be damned if she let Lily push herself too hard.

“Your body knows what to do. Trust it. Don’t let your head get in the way. ”

Lily nodded, her expression still tight as she wiped her hands on her leotard. “I’m going to run through it again but add the double layout.” Lily bit her lip, her big blue eyes briefly meeting Jamie’s before she took a deep breath and jogged back to the corner of the mat.

Jamie’s pulse quickened as she watched Lily set up for a more complex pass, a series of flips she had been working on for weeks.

The takeoff was solid, but the moment Lily’s feet hit the mat on her second flip, Jamie knew something was wrong, and she was already moving toward her before she fully realized what had happened.

Lily’s foot had slipped on the landing, her ankle twisting awkwardly as she crumpled to the floor. The sickening thud echoed in Jamie’s ears, and her stomach dropped.

“Lily!” Jamie’s muscles tensed so tightly it felt like a rubber band stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment. She raced across the floor, her fingers twitched, desperate to act, to fix, to control the situation, as she reached Lily’s side.

Lily was clutching her leg, her face scrunched up in pain, lips pressed tight to keep from crying. Jamie crouched beside her, trying to keep her voice steady as panic gnawed at the edges of her mind. “Hey, hey—it’s okay. I’m here. Don’t move.”

Lily’s breath was shaky, her voice coming out in a whimper. “It hurts, Jamie. My leg—it really hurts.”

Jamie’s heart jerked, pulse thudding loudly in her ears, every beat amplifying her fear.

She had been in this position before, too many times.

Injuries were part of the sport, but watching Lily in pain felt like a gut punch she wasn’t prepared for.

“Okay, breathe. I’m gonna get you checked out. We’ll be okay.”

She glanced around the gym, quickly spotting one of the assistants by the front desk. “Can you get some ice, and find the trainer,” Jamie called out, her voice steady but firm. She turned back to Lily, running a hand over her hair to soothe her. “Don’t try to move yet. Stay still.”

Lily nodded, but the tears started to spill over, her chest rising and falling in quick, shallow breaths. Jamie’s heart twisted as she watched the pain cross Lily’s face. She was so brave, always trying to be tougher than she needed to be, but Jamie could see right through it.

The trainer arrived and began to examine Lily.

“You’re doing great,” Jamie murmured. “I’m going to give your mom a call.” She stepped back and grabbed her phone, her hands trembling as she scrolled to Beth’s number. She pressed the call button, her heart pounding as the phone rang and rang and rang. No answer.

Damn it, Beth. Come on.

She hung up and dialed again, her pulse racing, but there was still no answer. Panic began creeping up her spine.

“I don’t think anything is broken,” the trainer said tentatively, “but we need to get your ankle X-rayed to make sure.”

Jamie’s mind raced through the options as she glanced back at Lily, who was biting her lip to keep from crying out. Jamie could see the fear on Lily’s face.

“Hey...” She crouched back on the floor next to Lily, who was avoiding her eye and trying to hold herself together.

She placed her hands on Lily’s shoulders.

“It’s going to be okay. It’s most likely a sprain, but I will take you to the hospital.

We’ll get a hold of your moms and have them meet us there.

” Lily looked directly at Jamie now, her eyes shimmering behind tears.

“It’s okay. You’re okay. I’ve got you.” She squeezed Lily’s shoulders in what she hoped was a reassuring way.

Lily wiped at her tears and nodded. “Good. Let’s get you up. ”

Jamie helped Lily up to the bench, propped her up, and repositioned her ice packs. “I’m going to try your moms one more time before we get you to the emergency room,” Jamie said.

She placed one more call to Beth, which also went unanswered. She couldn’t wait for Beth any longer. Jamie scrolled through her contacts, her hands still shaking, and found Sarah’s number. She hesitated for a moment before pressing call, her breath catching as it rang once and twice.

“Hey, Jamie.” Sarah’s voice came through the line, casual and oblivious to the panic gripping Jamie’s chest.

“Hey, Sarah. Lily—she took a bad fall. The trainer thinks it’s an ankle sprain, but I’m taking her to the hospital for X-rays just in case.” Jamie’s voice shook as she kept one eye on Lily, who clutched her leg, tears slipping down her cheeks.

“What? Oh my God. She’s okay, right?”

“I don’t know yet. She’s in a lot of pain. We’ll need the X-rays to know more.”

“Okay, okay,” Sarah said slowly, digesting the information. “I’m leaving work now, but it’ll be a while before I can get there. Have you called Beth?”

“I tried, but she isn’t answering her phone. Can you?—”

“I’m on my way,” Sarah interrupted, her voice sharp with urgency. “I’ll try Beth again. Keep me updated.” She paused. “And, Jamie... take care of my girl.”

Jamie nodded, even though Sarah couldn’t see her. “I will. She’s safe with me.”

As she hung up, the knot in Jamie’s chest tightened.

Jamie tried to steady her own breathing as she ran to grab the car keys from her bag. Logically, she knew this wasn’t a life-and-death situation. Lily hadn’t hit her head or landed on her back. It was most likely a sprain. But she couldn’t shake the responsibility she felt toward the girl.

The drive was tense and quiet. Lily winced whenever the car hit a bump as Jamie tried to reassure her.

Jamie managed to distract her by letting her choose the music for the ride.

Throughout the drive, she kept sneaking glances at Lily, guilt and fear churning in her chest. She wasn’t supposed to let anything happen to her—not Lily.

They reached the emergency room faster than Jamie expected.

The fluorescent lights felt cold, the sharp scent of antiseptic cutting through Jamie’s adrenaline-fogged senses, pulling her back to memories of the worst years of her life.

Her fingers sore from gripping the chair too tightly, and the steady beep of the machines around them felt like a ticking clock in her head.

She tried to focus on Lily’s breathing instead—slow, steady—but her own chest still felt like someone was squeezing her tighter and tighter.

She shoved those feelings down. She had to. She couldn’t let herself think too much about that. She needed to be present for Lily.

A short while later, they were taken back to a room to await X-rays. Jamie let out a long, shaky breath as she settled into the chair beside the bed. Her knee bouncing as she sat next to Lily, watching her picking the edges of her hospital blanket, her face still pale but calm.

“How’s the pain?” Jamie asked.

“It’s better now,” Lily said, but there was still a trace of fear in her eyes.

Jamie smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair from Lily’s face. “You’re tough, you know that?”

Lily shrugged but leaned into the gesture. “I really hope nothing’s broken. I’ll miss the whole season if it is. And the Olympics.” Her face fell as she leaned against the pillows. “I felt it, too, you know? Like, I knew the minute my feet left the ground that I wasn’t gonna land it.”

“Oh, I know that feeling.” She thought back to her various moments of similar events.

“But, hey, even if it is the worst-case scenario and your ankle is broken—which we don’t know yet—that doesn’t mean your road to the Olympics ends here.

It just might get a little longer than expected.

” She scooted the chair closer so she could face Lily.

“I know, but it would mean I didn’t beat you,” Lily said nonchalantly, “and that would really suck.”

Jamie’s face contorted, trying to figure out what Lily meant.

“You’re still technically the youngest person to have made the USA gymnastics team ever .” As Lily spoke, it dawned on her. Lily was right. Jamie had made her Olympic debut the day she turned sixteen, making her the youngest-ever member of Team USA at the time.

“But, when I make the team, I’ll be fifteen. My birthday isn’t until December.” Lily smirked. Her inserted confidence momentarily making Jamie forget where they were and laugh.

A nurse knocked on the door, coming to wheel Lily back for X-rays, and Jamie was left alone in the room.

She sat in the stiff plastic chairs, her knee bouncing with restless energy, unable to shake the fear crawling up her spine.

Lily seemed okay —calm, even. Her fingers itched to call Beth again.

She needed to hear her voice, to let her know what was happening.

But the No Cell Phones sign kept her from making the call.

And besides, Sarah was taking care of that—taking care of Beth. Her stomach lurched at the thought.

The door to the room opened, and Jamie glanced up from her phone, where her thumb had been hovering over a text to Beth she had been about to send.

It was as if she had conjured Beth with the thought of her, because she was standing before Jamie in a swirl of windswept blonde waves, her cheeks tinged pink from the cool air.

Raindrops rolled off her coat, dripping onto the tile floor.

Jamie shot up from her seat, and the chair clattered as it hit the wall behind her.