Crash

Nationals Part 2

Penelope knew she needed to calm down. She couldn't dance like this, it wasn't good for her or Jasper, and she needed to be focused. Fortunately, she'd been to Nationals enough times to know her way around the stadium, meaning she knew all the good places to hide. 

Following the backstage corridor, to the left, round the corner and down the steps, was a small dressing room where she was currently sitting. She'd refused to cry, instead brooding in silence as she replayed the press conference over and over in her head. One minute, she thought she'd made the right decision in refusing to answer, the next she convinced herself that she'd messed everything up. It was exhausting, going back and forth, but there was no alternative. She didn't have Charles there to calm her down. He was the only person who always knew what to say, but he was gone. She had no choice but to handle this on her own. 

The room itself was one she was familiar with. She'd been sneaking off here since she was a child, a safe haven she'd discovered as somewhere isolated she could panic without anyone noticing. Over the years, the posters on the walls changed, but everything else remained the same. As she stared at the handful of pictures on the walls, it dawned on her that the last time she'd been here, she hadn't been alone. 

This time last year, she'd just finished with Harry for the last time. He'd turned up at Nationals, begging her for forgiveness after he'd released his album in ode to her, pestering her all day until she finally caved. She'd dragged him here, away from the cameras and the watchful eyes, furious. They'd argued for hours. She'd screamed at him until her voice was hoarse, but in the end, as he always did, he'd found a way to subdue her. He'd kissed her, but immediately afterwards, she felt shame, angry at herself for giving in. She didn't want Harry and it was yet another showing of how little respect she had for herself. That had been the last time. She'd told him to leave, to never come back. For once, he'd kept his word. 

It was strange for her to think about how far she'd come in just a year's time. Now, she was happy, in a relationship that made her feel like she was actually worth something. Charles worshipped her, and there wasn't a single part of her that didn't adore every single thing about him. He'd made her believe in love again, and that was something she'd always be thankful for. 

In her heart, she knew what the interviewer had said was wrong. Charles wasn't a distraction, he was a reason for her to be better. He pushed her to be the best version of herself, and that wasn't a bad thing. Without him, she never would have gotten back to skating. She would have given up, fell into a hole of depression and regret. Charles saved her, like a beam of light illuminating the end of the tunnel. No one could take that away from her. 

No matter what happened this weekend, he'd be waiting for her on the other side. No interview question or judgemental press junket could change that. Penelope knew what she had to do. No one would take this victory away from her, either. 

*********************

When she finally made it back to the rink, she found Jasper freaking out as he waited for her in the stands. When he spotted her coming, she thought he might strangle her right then and there. 

"Where the hell have you been?" he called, thrusting his phone at her. "I called you like twenty times."

"Sorry," Penelope said, and she meant it. "I needed a break. My phone's in my duffel bag. My bad."

"My bad? You have any idea how worried I was?"

Penelope gave him a small coy smile, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Worried? Aw, Jasper. Careful, people will start thinking you actually care."

"This isn't funny. That press junket was rough. You just ran off, I had no idea where you were, you weren't answering your phone-"

"Jasper," Penelope said, suddenly serious. She put a hand on his arm, steadying both of them. As their eyes met, she saw a genuine fear behind them. "I'm okay. I just needed a second to catch my breath, that's all. I should have told you, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."