Chapter 122

Getting through the rest of cheerleading practice was a struggle because I was so distracted. Worrying about the qualifying exams themselves was one thing, but now I had a whole new level of concern with these physical exams.

A doctor would be able to immediately tell I was pregnant from a physical exam. And then the x-rays added an extra level of threat to the baby!

The trainer noticed I was off all practice and pulled me aside afterwards. “Are you sure you are alright, Cynthia? We need everyone at their best.”

“Sorry.” I wracked my brain for an excuse. “I guess I’m not feeling so well today.”

That seemed to satisfy the trainer who nodded grimly.

“You have to make sure to take care of yourself, especially in times of stress. The qualifying exams can be challenging, but I’ve watched you grow, Cynthia. I know you can do it.”

“Thank you.” I was pleased by the trainer’s words, but… if only she knew what I was really worried about! Not that I could tell her.

Still, maybe I could ask around it.

“About those physical exams…” I started, then hesitated. There really was no way around it. “Is it possible to have that done by my own doctor?”

The trainer shook her head. “I’m afraid not. The Academy appoints its own batch of physicians to keep things fair. Too many years of people trying to tamper with the results. You understand.”

I did. Because that was exactly what I had hoped to do.

“I understand.”

She patted my shoulder. “Get some rest, Cynthia. Feel better. The next couple of weeks are very important.”

I left the gymnasium without going into the locker room. I would shower and change later. Right now, I needed answers. I needed a plan.

I couldn’t let everything end just because of some technicality!

I was barely out the gymnasium door before I had my phone to my ear, calling my cousin Nancy.

“Cynthia?” Nancy only just picked up, when I delved full into my problem, explaining everything about the upcoming qualifying exam and the newly proposed, dangerous physical examination.

“I was worried something like this might come up,” Nancy said. “They want to make sure all of the candidates are healthy and not using any performance enhancers. The Academy, as I’m sure you know, allows only the most elite to attend.”

I knew that so well that it haunted me.

“Your attending physician will immediately be able to determine your condition,” Nancy said, giving voice to my fears. “And since they are employed by the school, they would be duty-bound to report it.”

“I can’t let that happen,” I said. “There must be something I can do. Maybe I could skip the day they are doing the physicals…”

No, that wouldn’t work. They’d just have me make it up somehow. I doubted they’d let me compete in the qualifying exams without an accepted physical exam.

“There might be something I can do,” Nancy said. “It’s likely that the Academy doesn’t have enough doctors and nurses on the payroll to conduct all of the physical exams with their own staff. They will probably contract some of us from the hospital to assist.”

My hopes began to take root. “You think you can get on the list?”

“I’m not sure, but I can try.”

That would be perfect! “Please do your best!”

Nancy sighed a bit. “But even if I can manage to get on the list, and somehow finagle my way to be the one to complete your physical, that still leaves the x-rays. For the trainer to mention them that means they are mandatory. I’m not sure there is a way around it.”

I frowned. If that was true… If there was nothing I could do…

“I can’t give up,” I said. “No matter what.”

“Give me some time,” Nancy said. “Let me see what I can make happen.”

The physicals were set to start the next week, so we had a few days yet to make some kind of plan. I really hoped Nancy could think of something, because I truly had no idea, other than risking my baby to radiation. But I did not want to do that.

And I wasn’t ready yet to drop out.

After showering and changing, I went to visit Asher in his dorm room. His room was absolutely trashed, and he was cleaning up some thrown books and broken dishes.

“That girl last night wasn’t too happy with my choices,” Asher said as he swept some ceramic shards into a dustpan.

“I’m sorry,” I said from the entrance where he made me stand. He was afraid I might step on something sharp if I came further into the room.

“It’s no big deal. I was kind of a jerk to her, leading her own when she never had a shot. And I didn’t even say anything to her last night. I just disappeared. If this is the worst I get, well, then I maybe deserved it.”

“She could have just left,” I said, annoyed.

But he shrugged, unbothered. “It won’t happen again.”

When the room was cleaned of broken shards, Asher invited me further in. I sat at his desk chair while he righted the books on his shelf.

I wanted to tell him about the physical, but he seemed distracted. It was unusual for him to be so preoccupied, so I dared to ask, “Are you okay?”

“Oh. Yeah, sorry.” He shook his head a little. “Remember how I’m supposed to face a committee to determine my punishment for punching your coach? It’s coming up pretty soon. I guess I’m thinking about it.”

Soon? “How soon?”

“Tomorrow.”

I jumped up from the chair. “Asher!”

He abandoned the rest of the books and faced me. “It’s nothing to worry about, Cyn. I’ve got it under control.”

Here I was for the past however long, so caught up in my own problems that I had totally failed to be there for Asher with his. And he was so strong and so brave, wanting to face everything on his own.

But being there for each other was part of being a couple, wasn’t it? Sure, we hadn’t put a label on what we were to each other, but we both still cared for one another. And people who cared for one another made time and emotional commitments to each other.

I had failed Asher so far, but I wouldn’t any more.

“What time is it tomorrow?” I asked.

“Why?”

“So I can come support you.” Punishment committees like this were often like mock courtrooms, with a gallery open to the public. “You can’t think I’d let you face this alone.” Especially since it was my fault!

“Cynthia.” Asher sighed. He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Honestly, I don’t think you should go.”

I blinked, surprised. “What? Why?”

“I just don’t.”

It wasn’t like him to hedge like this. He rarely kept things from me. I supposed I should have trusted him, but his evasiveness only made me more worried. Was he going to try to hide how bad the punishment was?

“Asher,” I said, ready to argue my point.

His gaze shifted away from mine, and his shoulders slumped. More things very unlike him. The difference made my thoughts trail off.

What was he keeping from me? What did he expect to happen at the committee that he didn’t want me to know about?

“Please,” he said, not able to look me in the eye. “Don’t come tomorrow.”

I crossed my fingers behind my back. “I won’t,” I lied.