Beautiful Boy(67)

Konstantin paused and simply stared at me for a few heartbeats. Just  when I thought I'd won, he snatched back the papers my dad had in his  grip. Looking to my dad, he said, "I can see Ana is not yet ready for  this kind of commitment, Frank. It takes dedication, hard work, and most  importantly, listening skills. And until she understands it is my way-"

What was that supposed to mean? Blood pumped rapidly to my heart. Was he  seriously rejecting me, saying that I couldn't train here? No...I  refused to let that be an option, so I cut in before he spoke another  word in that stupid Russian accent of his I loved only moments earlier.

"How many of these classes do I need to take?"

He looked back at me. "As many as I say you need."

The last thing I wanted was to show any real emotion so I clenched my  teeth and dipped my head slowly in surrender. Despite his good looks, he  was being a total ass, and that was something I wasn't used to with my  other coaches.

There had to be some way out of these classes, and I was determined to find it.

Konstantin slid the papers back to Dad but his gaze never wavered from  mine. "I spoke with your old coach and asked about your current  training, where you could use improvement. He said you lacked  flexibility which is where ballet comes into play-it helps open your  hips, stretch your legs, and gives the long, lean body lines that  gymnastics often hardens. Contrary to what you believe, he also  mentioned that you could use more grace. Dance is an important element  to have for balance beam and floor. We want you to flow, not come across  as a robot. With that being said, my evaluation will decide what you  need."

My blood pressure rapidly increased and it took everything in me not to  refute his statement. Just when I though I'd moved forward, I'd really  taken ten steps back. I was not a stiff robot on the floor like he  insinuated. I knew how to move for fuck's sake.         

     



 

"And all these extra dance classes – ballet and jazz – are included in her  new gym schedule?" My dad piped in and thank God he did. I was ready to  blow a fuse. "She'll be doing two-a-day, along with training for a total  of forty hours a week?"

Konstantin turned back to my dad. "Yes, she will have one full day off.  What she chooses to do with that day is on her, but when she is here,  she is under my supervision and the control of World Cup, along with the  other coaches. As much as I want to put gymnastics first, school is  more important so we work around a schedule for all my gymnasts. Once it  is set, she'll have to take responsibility and balance it. Typically,  there will be practice in the morning where we focus on strength and  conditioning, break for school, then gymnastics in the afternoon. Dance  will be on rotation." He took a breath and continued. "Most gymnasts  here are in public school so their hours are always consistent. A few  girls share an apartment to help keep their expenses lower. I understand  that you have rented an apartment for her?"

Dad cleared his throat. "I'm sure you're aware after all these years now  that money is no option for me, Konstantin. I've gone ahead and  occupied one of the top floor condos at Cape Harbor for her. It's a  two-bedroom condo across town in one of my gated communities, and I also  purchased an SUV for when she's ready to drive.

"As you know, being a Rossi brings a lot of publicity, and I need to  make sure Ana is safe. She appears much older than she is and has a  strong head on her shoulders, unlike most girls her age. I know you'll  be nearby if anything should happen, but I still worry with her being so  far away. I took the necessary precautions before allowing her to move  here. Ana doesn't want for anything, and anything she does need she'll  have so she can focus on gymnastics. I've even gone the distance to have  her meals delivered to her apartment and a tutor in place."

Kill me now.

Did he have to make me sound like a spoiled princess? Dad always managed  to find a way to talk about money, or how much of it he had. It was  humiliating and I hated how he spoke about it in the pompous manner that  he did, friend or not. Stifling a groan of embarrassment, I chewed the  inside of my lip instead. It was mortifying, especially sharing the fact  that he ordered meals for me. He knew I was responsible enough to make  wise decisions, unlike my brother who reveled in the Rossi name and  money.

I stared at Konstantin trying to gauge his reaction at the unnecessary  shit my father elaborated on, but his face gave nothing away. His cold  stare – the resting bitch face – could rival my mother's. He must've felt me  drilling holes into his head because he glanced over but I quickly  turned away. Stupid! My long auburn hair fell, shielding my face. I had  this move down pat. I could peek through my eyelashes, going unnoticed  and looking innocent at the same time. I loved my long hair, it  protected me from times like this when I wanted to ignore someone  without making it too obvious. The way he commanded attention caused my  heart to hammer against my ribs. As long as he didn't open his mouth to  spew more ridiculous ballet class suggestions, I couldn't help but be  drawn to him.

"All right, Adrianna, not only do your parents have to sign papers, but so do you."

Konstantin handed me a stack of papers and explained each one.

"The first is your commitment to the gym, your oath to train hard and  give one hundred and fifty percent, and to not quit, not that I expect  you to. However, should you decide to end your time here at World Cup  before the year is over, there will be a hefty fee charged to your  parents, just like I do with every teammate. I am sure you know that  this isn't an easy gym to get into which is why the need for this  obligation. This agreement is renewed every year."

Just as I was about to press the pen down to sign my name, naturally Mom had to get her two cents in.

"Ana, we're putting out a lot of money for you to be here. I'm sure more  than most parents would. We know you're responsible and trust that you  do the right thing. Your father and I would be pretty upset if we had to  pay an unnecessary fee on top of it all," she warned with glaring eyes.  "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"More than anything in the world," I mumbled under my breath. If she  wanted to test my commitment at the eleventh hour, she could throw any  doubts out the window. I was looking my dream straight in the face, and a  few more documents to sign weren't going to get between me and my  goals.

"Anything?" Her voice heightened her question.

"She gets it, Joy," Dad said, and then gave me a smile that said he was satisfied with my answer.

For whatever reason, my mom pushed me so hard over just about  everything. It was disconcerting and I wished she'd back off and just  encourage me instead.         

     



 

Dad understood my dedication because he was the same way. Once we found  something that we put all our sweat and blood into, there was no going  back. Our devotion drove us.

"All right, the next document states that you will not date anyone while  you're under my authority and training," Konstantin said, eyeing me as  he slid it across his desk. Was he for real? I'd never heard of a coach  doing this before.

Who had time for a boyfriend anyway?

"I know it sounds juvenile, but this is actually a very important piece  of paper that you're signing. I do not need you to end up losing your  focus. Then you'll be skipping practices and pissing me off. It could  ruin your career and it will only waste my time. My time is precious. I  expect – and deserve – your focus and determination, not anyone else."

"I understand." And I did. I came here to train after all, not to look for a boyfriend.

I scribbled my name without reading and pushed it back. Konstantin's  eyes meet mine and held my gaze. "You should always read the fine print  before you sign anything," he said quietly, sounding disappointed.

My stomach dropped, my heart began to pound with worry that I did  something wrong. Was there something I wasn't aware of in that stupid  no-boyfriend clause?

He peered down at my signature, his eyes moving as he read. "Right here  states," he said, pointing, "that you will be under my supervision  during gym time." Konstantin handed a paper to my father and said, "This  is basically the same agreement I gave your daughter. Since she is  fifteen and with no real parental guidance, this states that she will be  under the supervision of World Cup while training here. Anything that  she does after she steps out of the gym is not my responsibility,  therefore I will not be held accountable for her actions, or World Cup.  All the gymnasts living on their own while training here must sign it."

Dad read over it silently for a few minutes, then looked at me and said  in an unyielding voice, "I hope you realize how much faith and trust  we're putting in you to be responsible, young lady. This is no joke."