The Hardest Cut by Jamie Bennett (book club recommendations .TXT) 📕

I hung back as most of the girls went toward the exit.  Caitlyn came to hug me and I helped her to calm down, then I laughed when Kennedy asked if I was really ok after my fall, pretending it was just a joke and I was great.  Finally, they were all out and I was the last one in the studio.  No one saw me when I limped my way toward the door, and it took me forever to get to my car.  I had dawdled so long that I didn’t have time to go back to my condo to change before I had to pick up Tessa at her day care, where I managed to get myself out of the car and to hop up to the door to meet her.

“Great day,” the teacher smiled at me.  “She played with Ana Belén and Lucille and talked to me a little at snack.”  She smiled at Tessa, too.  “If this keeps up, kindergarten will be wonderful.”

I held up my hand and Tessa gave me five, then plowed into me for a big hug.  As I was standing on only one leg, it threw me off-balance and both of us went down.

“Oh, my goodness!” her teacher gasped, and she and two moms came to pick us up from the asphalt.  Tessa was crying and I was close to tears too from the pain of this latest jolt to my body.  I checked her over carefully but she was just upset from the shock of it.  My butt appeared to have taken the brunt of the fall.

“We’re ok,” I announced, clearing my throat.  “I’m sorry, kitty cat,” I told Tessa, and hugged her more carefully.  “Let’s go home.”

Tessa was playing with her dollhouse and I had my leg up on a pile of pillows, icing it, when Ben got there.  She ran off to meet him but today I stayed where I was until he came in to find me, carrying his daughter.

His eyes narrowed at the cold pack on my ankle.  “What happened?”

“Gaby fell,” Tessa explained.  “She fell two times, and I did, too.”

“What?”

I took over the story, concluding with, “It’s fine!  Tess doesn’t have a scratch and I just needed to ice and elevate.  Um, I can’t stay for dinner tonight because the Woodsmen dancers are going out together.”  There had been a long, long text chain about where to go, what we were wearing, and a lot of emojis of excitement.  “It’s a bonding thing.  It should be really fun.  I’m happy to get to know them better.”

Ben frowned.  “You don’t look very happy.”

“Well, this hurts some,” I admitted.  “I don’t want anyone to know that it’s bothering me.  I think that some people—one person—would try to use it to her advantage.  Can you believe that?”  I shook my head.  “If the coaches found out, it would be another reason to drop me from the squad.”

“Can I look?”  When I nodded, Ben carefully moved aside the ice.

“Does it hurt?” Tessa asked me when she saw my swollen ankle.  Her lower lip trembled and I had to admit that it seemed worse than before.  I would definitely have to wear jeans and boots tonight to cover it.

“Not so bad,” I told her, and gave her a hug.

But Ben shook his head.  “You have to tell your coaches about this.  You’re not going to be able to dance on it.  Can you even walk?”

“Sure, I can!”  I smiled at both of them but he shook his head again.

“Don’t do that.  You don’t have to pretend.”

The smile fell from my face.  “Ok.  I won’t.  I’ll see you Monday,” I told Tessa.  I stood, using the rocking chair to pull myself up and ignoring Ben’s hands, and walked very carefully to the door to show him that I could.  The stairs down from the porch were another story.  I had to depend very heavily on the swaying handrail and I knew that he was watching me do it from the front door.

“Gaby, wait.”  He walked next to me and put his arm around my waist.  “Lean on me and I’ll get you to your car.”

He was a very, very nice crutch.  I may have even leaned a little closer than necessary, because it felt almost like he was holding me.  I swallowed and made myself pull back some.  “Thank you,” I said, as we neared my over-done car.  “I hope you guys have a good weekend together.  Tessa has a lot of plans for you two.  They involve better cookies than what I made and also testing to see how high you can push her on the swings.”

“What about you?  Do you really think it’s a good idea to go walk around on this injury?”

“I’ll go out tonight but I won’t go to Tumblin’—to my gymnastics class tomorrow.  I’ll rest so that I’m all ready for practice on Monday.  And my other dance class on Monday,” I remembered.  “But maybe I should also work on the move that I fell on before I have to do it again in the studio.”

“No, you shouldn’t.”  He stopped, so I did, too.  “You should just relax.  Put that up, and if it’s not better by Monday, at least skip the dance class.  I don’t think your coaches will cut you for an injury, Gaby.  It’s not like you did it on purpose.”

“What would you do if I were your quarterback, Coach?  Would you let me sit around and not look for someone to replace me?”  Of course, he wouldn’t.  “It doesn’t matter if things are on purpose or not,” I told him.  “All that matters is the outcome.  And my outcome is going to be on the dance floor and doing back handsprings!”  I started to smile but then remembered that he hadn’t cared for it when I’d faked it before.  “I have to.”

Ben looked like he wanted to say something else, but he just slowly walked me the rest of the way to