That was probably when I decided to forgive them: Veena’s parents, Brown, my team. They had committed to protect Veena’s life. So had I. Lies or not, we had the same goal. But I couldn’t let Connor off so easily. He’d messed with my heart.
I joined Connor and Gage as the announcer’s voice boomed, “And here’s VV, Veena Venkatesan, for her final run in the halfpipe of the Laax Winter Olympic Games!”
I prayed hard to Lakshmi as Veena perched at the top of the pipe then dropped in. She carved up one side, down, up again, and launched herself, getting huge amplitude and grabbing the toe side of her board while hanging upside down. The audience gasped. No one got big air like Veena.
She went for her next trick. The crowd clapped and cheered when she stomped the landing. She went up again, this time right in front of us. Sona flashed in our faces before Veena twisted, flipped, and grabbed. Another perfect execution from what I could tell. And her third hit made the spectators scream with approval.
Without thinking, I grabbed Connor’s hand as she approached the wall for the double V. Please let her land it.
Veena flew up higher than I’d ever seen her go. She seemed to float as she flipped, twisted, and arced, her strong, graceful body silhouetted in the sun. Together, Connor, Gage, and I leaned forward to watch the landing. And—
She nailed it. The crowd erupted, drowning out the music.
Gage threw his goggles in the air in celebration. Connor clapped, and I grinned and shouted, prouder than if I’d laid down a medal-worthy run myself.
Veena, the superstar, stood with Sona at the bottom of the pipe, her expression luminescent. Her fist launched to the sky when the announcer said her score: a perfect 100.
Perfect enough for Olympic gold.
The next time I saw Veena, she stood on a podium with a huge American flag behind her. Jia-Li was below her and to the right, smiling and clutching a bronze medal. Darya stood to Veena’s left, wearing a silver medal and her usual sour expression. Veena’s hair fell over her shoulders in colorful waves, a huge smile on her face.
I wanted to congratulate her, but I couldn’t even get close. She waved in my direction before being swept away in a crowd of reporters, teammates, and coaches. She’d have interviews for the next few hours, and even her parents were on the media hook.
Connor and I shared a taxi back to the hospital to let them yell at us for leaving before we were officially discharged. Our nurses gave us matching narcotic prescriptions to hold us over until we got back to the States and then shooed us out.
Back at the Olympic Village, a good chunk of the athletes were letting loose. Loud music pumped from open windows, and excited groups rushed from place to place. Alcohol flowed freely. I felt bad for the athletes who still had events to come, but they seemed good-natured about it.
“Are you going to the party tonight?” Connor asked as he walked me to my building.
“Veena made me promise.” She’d texted, begging me to be there.
“Then, I’ll see you there.” He squeezed my good hand gently, but his gaze was so intense I had to look away.
Back in our empty room, I eased into bed. Just as well that Veena was busy; I needed a pain pill and a nap. Returning the texts and calls I’d gotten from Mom today would have to wait.
The party was in the suite of a couple of the men on the U.S. Snowboarding Team. It was already thumping by the time I arrived. I could really use a beer, but I grabbed a soda. My nurse had lectured me about the dangers of mixing alcohol with narcotics. All around the suite, athletes laughed, talked, drank, and danced, and Veena was at the center of it all.
She howled and hugged me when she saw me. “Finally! I tried to wake you up an hour ago, but you were out hard. How do you feel?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“I need to talk to you.” She switched her beer to her other hand and hooked an arm in mine, pulling me past two guys who were crouching with their mouths under curvy trails cut in a huge block of ice. A girl with tattooed arms and stretched ear lobes poured vodka from the top so it swept down into the guys’ mouths.
Veena saw me watching. “It’s a vodka luge!”
I shook my head and laughed as she led me to a quiet corner, squeezing past a couple making out in a chair.
“Nic, my parents told me about Connor today. Please, please believe me—I had no idea he was working for them. He knew so much about snowboarding, and the coaches and other trainers seemed to accept him . . . I never suspected him. My parents kept it from both of us. I’m so sorry. Are you . . . are you mad at me?”
Hearing from her own lips that she didn’t know about Connor’s real role in all of this was a relief. I glanced out the window at the dark mountain in the direction of the decrepit chateau.
“I’m not mad at you, Veena. Or your parents. I might have done the same thing if you were my daughter.”
Veena flashed her bright smile. “I was so worried you wouldn’t believe me.”
“I do.” I eyed her. “Did you hear about Newman and Ali?”
Her expression hardened. “Yeah.”
I sighed. “There I was, convinced that Darya was the culprit, and it was Ali all along. How wrong could I be?” It wasn’t a huge surprise no one trusted me, when I thought about all the ways I’d messed up.
“Sometimes I could tell that Ali was, I don’t know, jealous of me. She’d say stuff about my family’s money and how lucky I was to get to train year-round, get a new
