Chapter 13
Allie looked at all the microphones and TV
cameras around her. She wasn't expecting this big of an interview when she
agreed to this. She was expecting some sit-down, yes I am turning 21 sort of
talk she had with all the other small interviews before. Instead, she got a
feeling of pressure, of big questions that were brewing underneath the surface
of every reporter.
"You'll be fine Allie. You've done this every time you've
done an interview. This time isn't going to be different. This is just like
every other interview." Jules said.
"Yeah, every other interview with twenty thousand
interviewers." Allie said.
"There are not that many people." Jules said.
"Fine, nineteen thousand." Allie said, pushing some of her
brown hair behind her ear. She was nervous, even more nervous than she had
really ever been for an interview. She usually felt cool, calm, and in control
of the interview. But, for once, she felt like she had no clue which way this
interview would turn.
The interviewer came over and introduced himself to Allie.
Somehow, he could tell Allie was nervous, so he did his best to try and calm her
down. He told her that if a question popped up that she didn't feel comfortable
answering, that she could just say no comment and he would drop it. He wasn't
here to make her feel uncomfortable, just to do an interview.
Allie smiled, thankful about all he was willing to do. Many
reporters did whatever they could to get what the answers that they wanted from
her. They didn't care how they made Allie feel, they just wanted the answers.
She always hated interviews like that. It always seemed like she left mad, and
even sometimes left before they were finished with the interview.
She turned to the hoodie draped over the arm of the chair she
was sitting in. She knew she had stuffed a box of Reese Pieces in there, and
right now, she wanted the peanut butter fix.
"Alexis!" Jules said, as Allie stopped her quest for the
candy. She knew Jules was helping make sure that she didn't put on any extra
weight. When she was at home, it was so much easier to keep her weight, because
her parents kept that special diet for her. Now, on her own with just Jules, it
seemed so much easier to just blow those rules off. Hence the quarter pounder
she had from the first McDonalds, or Spanish McDonalds they found last night.
"Welcome, and today we have Olympic hopeful Alexis Haywood.
Welcome Alexis." The reporter said, as soon as the cameras were on him.
"Please, call me Allie." Allie said, as the reporter nodded.
"So, Allie, how are things going so far in Greece?" The
reporter asked. Allie knew this maneuver. Start out being nice, acting chummy,
and then see how she reacts. You start going into deeper questions as she gets
more comfortable with you, so she doesn't realize she's giving away her life
secrets. Allie knew that was what he was doing, but figured out that she had the
upper hand.
"Things are going pretty good so far. The Olympics haven't
started yet, so I'm just training and putting a lot of energy into that. But,
it's been fun so far." Allie replied.
"If you're putting all your energy into gymnastics, how do
you have energy for a social life?" The reporter asked. Allie smiled a little.
There was the first step into the river, trying to fish out information to use
against her in headlines or something.
"Well, it's hard to have friends and a boyfriend outside of
training. But, sometimes, fate lets you have both." Allie said, as she noticed a
body step into the dining room that the interview was being held in.
Aaron moved to stand beside Jules. "How's she doing?" Aaron
asked.
"Pretty good. The interview just started, but she's giving
them the answers she wants to give." Jules said. "She's not leading on anything
about the two of you either, making sure that all this time at the Olympics will
be focused on your abilities and not your relationship." Jules added.
"She doesn't have to do that." Aaron said, trying to get
comfortable where he was standing.
"That's one of her things. She wants people to focus on her
training and her hard work, not her personal life. She's always been that way,
since she was little." Jules explained. She turned and looked at Aaron, who's
posture stiffened each time the interviewer digged at Allie's personal life.
Aaron wondered if the interviewer had possibly seen the kiss
that he and Allie had shared that day. He didn't think anyone had been there,
that anyone had seen. He hadn't told Michael or even Brendan or Ian. He didn't
think that she had told Jules, though Allie was really close to Jules.
"I want to tell you this now, when she can't interrupt. But,
I like you." Jules said, as Aaron raised an eyebrow. "I've always seen Allie as
my little sister. We've always been close, so I've been protective of her as
much as I could be. So, when you two started hanging out together recently, I
got a little worried. But, I see how happy she is when she even just thinks of
you and how you can make all the bad with her parents just disappear, and I know
you're good for her." Jules explained.
Aaron smiled. "I'm glad cause I really like her too." He
said. "It'll be a hard relationship at first, with us running in 25 different
directions but it'll be okay." He added.
Allie was getting anxious. She had seen Aaron walk into the
room. And, even though they had seen each other all of yesterday and a great
deal of the night before, she missed him. She didn't plan to mention that to him
unless he mentioned it first however. No sense scaring him away with stuff like
that yet. See what all he could put up with, see if he was worth all the time
and energy, see if he wasn't scary and then use it if need be.
"Well, that's all we have time for. Thank you Allie." The
interviewer said.
"No, thank you." Allie said, shaking the interviewer's hand.
Then, she shook hands and signed autographs for as many of the crew or other
interviewers who were there at the time.
Once she was done with that, she went straight over to Jules
and Aaron. "So, how was I?" She asked.
"Quite civil actually. It was kinda scary for a bit there."
Jules said, laughing a little.
"Let's get out of here." Aaron suggested.
"Good idea." Allie said.
The interviewer watched Allie swiftly move from her chair to
the crowd. He watched her be nice to everyone who was there and then watched her
start making her way over to her coach.
"Tape her now." The interviewer said.
His friend taped Allie walking over, the smile on Aaron's
face, Aaron and Allie's quick hug and the three's quick departure. "I think we
have the story of the century." The interviewer said. "Aaron Peirsol and Alexis
Haywood, the new golden couple."