It’s nerve-wracking but exciting to have the foundation getting this much attention so early on. It feels like yet another good omen: now that I’ve encouraged Ryan to turn down Dimitri’s offer and work alongside Jasmine to make a real difference in this sport, I feel more capable and confident than I have in a long time. People say good things come in threes. And this summer, there’s only one goal left to tackle. It’s a big one. But I’m ready.

Chapter 30

• CHAPTER 30 •

By Friday, of course, the countdown has dropped to just fifteen days. In two weeks’ time, Hallie will be about to compete at Trials; in six weeks, she could potentially be marching with the rest of the United States Olympic fleet at the opening ceremony in Tokyo. This afternoon, though, the only place Hallie is going is back and forth across the length of the beam. Ryan and I watch patiently as she drills her tumbling pass—a back handspring, whip back, back layout step-out—over and over. The goal is for her to smoothly connect each move into the next and finish the series with a satisfying thwack of a clean landing, no wobbles whatsoever.

As a rap song blares from the speaker, Hallie stands with her toes a millimeter from the edge of the beam and stretches her arms out in front of her, centering herself. Her chest rises and falls as she takes a deep breath. Then, in one sleek, catlike motion, she swings her arms behind her and lunges backward into the tumbling pass. The back handspring is solid, but she’s probably been doing that since she was nine years old. What’s trickier is the whip back, a fast-moving, arched flip in which her hands float a foot above the beam, and safely transitioning from that to a soaring back layout, which requires rotating high in the air with her body and legs extended to their fullest length. She lands with one heel just inches from the opposite end of the beam, and teeters ever so slightly to catch her balance. It’s not good enough, and she knows it.

“Again,” Ryan calls.

She looks a little frustrated with herself, but she nods and scurries back to the other end of the beam to start over.

Ryan turns to me.

“So, uh, I’ve been thinking about ways to support the foundation you and Jasmine are launching,” Ryan says, looking down at his feet.

“What?” I ask, surprised.

“Yeah. It’s an amazing cause and I want to do my part,” he says, shrugging.

“Oh, uh, wow. Thank you,” I say.

“I hope this isn’t overstepping anything, but I called a few places around town to see who might be willing to host a fund-raiser,” he says.

“You did what?” I blurt.