Page 41 of Let the Games Begin
Zeke hated talking about his love life in normal circumstances. And telling his best friend that he’d kissed and was maybe starting to fall for the same girl he liked sounded like a conversation from hell. So, he decided to put it off until tomorrow and just enjoy the final.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2024 Athens Olympic Games Women’s Gymnastics Final!” said the announcer. The whole audience roared and waved their flags. It was one of the most anticipated finals of the Games. Zeke had been watching all of the competitions leading up to this one with his teammates in the common room of GB House. But seeing it in person was so much better. Ever since he’d arrived, he’d been so focused on running that he hadn’t watched anything live. But now he was part of the energy, atmosphere, and excitement of the audience. Looking up at them from the competition grounds always pushed him forward, but sitting in the stands with them made him feel like he was a part of something bigger than himself. He took a mentalpicture to come back to whenever he walked out onto the track feeling lost.
When it was finally Valentina’s turn to do her floor routine, Zeke could barely sit still. He was excited to see her do what she did best, but he also felt that familiar fear in the pit of his stomach. Because for as long as he’d known her, Valentina had been pushing herself to do the riskiest and most extravagant stunts she possibly could.
The whole stadium hushed as Valentina walked out onto the stage, wearing a sparkly blue leotard. Her long, brown hair was swooped up into a ponytail. She had a look of pure focus. The only thing she could see was the performance floor and the only thing she could hear was the music. She made her way to the center, where she stood with her arms out and head pointed to the sky. She pulled her face into a smile, heard the first beat of her song, and began.
Zeke held his breath. She leaped and flipped and ran with a delicate light-footedness that hid the fact that she possessed more sheer strength and skill than most athletics teams combined. Each stunt, flip, and trick was majestic. But it was all so incredibly dangerous. He knew that all it would take was one second of midair hesitation for her to make the kind of catastrophic mistake that could leave her with a life-changing, career-ending injury. But she didn’t make a single mistake. When she landed her final flip and took a bow, the whole stadium roared with applause. He didn’t need to hear the score to know she’d won.
The audience cheered as they watched the gymnastics team return to the stage in their Team USA tracksuits and Valentina was given her gold medal. Nothing made Zeke happier thanseeing his brilliant, hardworking, fearless friends win. So, he clapped until his hands hurt. Watching in awe as the national anthem played and Valentina took her final bow. Then, it was time to celebrate.
34Zeke
DAY FIVE OF THE 2024 OLYMPICS
By 11:45 p.m. Zeke, Haruki, and Valentina were heading toward their third club of the night. They were meandering down one of the main roads by the city square when they walked past a building that radiated a pulsing energy they could feel from outside. The windows were lit up with warm lanterns, and they could see people dancing and moving along to the music that was spilling out into the street. It was a small bar with an unassuming sign, but something about it drew them in. So, they opened the door to Club Cassiopeia and walked inside.
It was like walking into a movie scene. Everybody in the club was singing, dancing, or in the midst of an animated conversation. The DJ was playing a selection of songs from all around the world, and everyone was up on their feet. The clubs in Athens opened late, so even though it was almost midnight, in the city center the party had only just begun.
“This is so much better than the last place,” said Valentina.
“And what would our favorite multi-gold-medal-winning legendary gymnast like to drink?” Haruki asked.
“If you two were drinking, trust, it would be tequila shots,” she laughed, “but since you’re not, can I get a mojito?” They’d decided to take a sneaky night off to celebrate Valentina’s gold medal win, but Zeke and Haruki were too close to their races to drink anything stronger than a protein shake.
“And you, Zeke? Nonalcoholic espresso martini?” Haruki said, smiling at Zeke’s newfound passion for the mocktail menu and the fact that he always needed caffeine to get him through a night out.
“I can get it,” Zeke said, taking out his wallet.
“Bro, one of us just signed an eight-figure Louis Vuitton campaign, and it wasn’t you. Drinks are on me tonight,” said Haruki as he went off to the bar.
“Did he just…” said Zeke, standing with his mouth open.
“Call you broke? Yes, he did.” They both started laughing.
“I can’t keep up with high-fashion Haruki,” Zeke said, relieved to have something to laugh about to stop him obsessing over the conversation he knew he needed to have with his best friend the next morning. Or his own semifinal. In fact, he’d spent the whole evening grateful to have a night to take his mind off things.
After Valentina’s coaches took her out for a celebratory dinner at six p.m., they’d gone home to catch an early night ahead of their final competitions the next day. So, at nine p.m., Zeke and Haruki had picked Valentina up and taken her out into town to really celebrate.
They’d started out at a glamorous high-end bar. It was filledwith extremely wealthy people who’d traveled from all around the world for the Olympics. The whole bar clapped for Valentina as soon as she walked in. Then someone anonymously sent a bottle of expensive champagne to toast Valentina’s third Olympic gold medal. The bar was decadent and beautiful, but the atmosphere was a lot more elegant and reserved than the three of them were feeling. So, they went out into town to find the next spot.
A short walk led them to one of those superexclusive clubs filled with celebrities and high-profile athletes. But everyone in there had been a little bittooeager to talk to them, so the three of them made a swift exit. They were thinking of just getting some takeout, heading back to the Village, and calling it a night when they’d stumbled across Cassiopeia, and, now that they were inside, Zeke knew it was the right decision. Everyone in the room was too focused on dancing to pay attention to them, and Haruki was having a great time making friends with the bartenders and getting recommendations for the best souvlaki in the city.
“I heard Haruki’s in love,” said Valentina, turning toward Zeke. His stomach dropped. So much for a night out to take his mind off things.
“You did?” said Zeke. He hoped his voice didn’t give his disappointment away.
“Oh yeah. He called to tell me that he’d taken a photo of a girl by the Olympic rings, and that ever since—and I’m quoting him here—‘the universe has been conspiring to bring them together.’ So, I think he’s in deep.”
“Well, you can’t question fate, can you?” said Zeke, the guiltbeginning to set in. If he’d been paying more attention to Haruki, maybe he would have done a better job of putting the pieces together. The thought that he’d been so caught up in his own life that he’d missed the details of his friend’s felt like a punch to the gut. But he felt even worse as he realized that, despite Haruki’s revelation, his feelings for Olivia hadn’t wavered. He still wanted to text her, to see her, to kiss her. Zeke had never thought of himself as a bad friend.
As he talked to Valentina, he found out that Haruki had asked her for advice on what to do if he saw Olivia again. That the outdoor cinema date was her idea, and that Haruki had called her just that morning for advice on what to send as his first text. As Valentina explained it all, Zeke saw just how invested Haruki was in this. And if he’d been talking about anyone but Olivia, Zeke would have been really happy for him.
But itwasOlivia.
He wanted his best friend to be happy, but not with the girl that he had feelings for. It was selfish, he knew that. But the more he thought about the very real prospect of Olivia liking Haruki back, the worse he felt.
“He gets so excited every time he talks about her,” said Zeke, realizing that he was either going to have to tell Haruki the truth or break things off with Olivia before they’d even begun.
