The next day was filled with nerves for Madison.  She was dreading seeing Coach Mark because she wasn't sure what would happen.  She wasn't feeling safe anymore doing gymnastics and she certainly didn't feel safe around her coach anymore.

Madison had to finish the competition though.  She couldn't just drop out.  Olympian's didn't do that.  It was unheard of and she was pretty sure if she did do that she would be considered the laughing stock of the whole program.  

"Hey," Coach Lindsay greets her favorite on the team.  Not that they were supposed to have favorites but she loved that Madison was still able to remain humble after all that she has been able to accomplish at such a young age.

"Hey Coach Lindsay," Madison smiles at her.  "What's up?"

"Mark said he wanted to talk to you about something," Lindsay told Madison.  

"Do you know what about?" Madison asked her coach.

"No, sorry.  He wouldn't say.  Just that it was important," Lindsay said.

"Okay, thanks for letting me know.  I'll go now," Madison tells the blonde woman and then leaves.

Madison knocked on Coach Mark's temporary office that the coaches got anytime the Olympics was going on.  

"Who is it?" Mark called out.

"Madison," she answered.

"Come in," he replied with a gruff voice and once she did, she wished she hadn't.

He grabbed her wrist roughly which made her wince at the pain and she tried to move away but he was a lot stronger than her.  His eyes held this look that she had never seen before.  A look of hatred.  While hers held terror.  Fear.

"What the hell were you thinking with that triple double yesterday, huh?" He asked in a deep low voice that sent chills down her spine.

"I told you before that I wanted to do it," she said with her voice shaking slightly.  "And I landed it.  I don't see what the big deal is."

"The big deal is that you still made mistakes," he sneered at her.  "Stupid little mistakes in your routine that you shouldn't now that you have been an Olympian for how many years?!"

"I still got gold so it's not like we didn't win and besides I just landed the triple double-"

"Shut up!" He yelled as his face was turning red and he yanked her hair which made her let out a cry as he slapped her.

She let out a small whimper and held her hand to her cheek as she felt the sting of his hand.  He had never been abusive before towards her and she was wondering what stirred this on.  Had the signs been there before and she just ignored it?  She could feel her heart beating out of chest and she felt sick to her stomach.

He let go of her hair harshly and she fell to the floor with a hard thud.  What was happening?  

"I'll turn you in," she told him.

"If you ever turn me in they won't believe you," he chuckled as if he was getting enjoyment out of this.  "It's your word against mine.  Who are they going to believe?  A twenty-five year old gymnast or a very highly decorated coach?"

"Get out of my office," he sneered and she left, as fast as she could. 

What they didn't know was that Melanie was listening.  And what they also didn't know was that Melanie had recorded the whole thing.  Melanie wanted to go in and stop him from hurting her best friend.  Her teammate.  But she knew that with someone as conniving as Mark was she needed to play her cards right.  

*

"I need to talk to you.  Now," Melanie said as she dragged Madison into a quiet safe space room.

"Okay?  What's going on, Mel?" She asked as Melanie remained quiet and started pacing back and forth.

"How long has this been going on with Coach Mark?" Melanie asked her best friend.

"I don't know what you're talking about Mel," Madison said as she rubbed her forearm trying to play it off.

"Don't play dumb with me, okay?" She softly took Madison's hands and lifted her USA jacket sleeves up that displayed the darkened purple bruises that had already formed.  

"How did you know?" Mads asked quietly as tears welled up in her eyes.  

"Because I've been going through it with him too," Mel told her in a whisper and Mads cupped her mouth and shook her head as tears started to stream down.

"No," she whispered.

How could she have kept it from her all this time?

"I-I didn't want to tell anyone in fear that I was the only one.  Because like he said - why would the Olympics court believe us?  We're just young adults.  That's all," Melanie started to cry from the pain of the abuse she had been silently enduring for a year.

Madison wrapped her arms around her best friend and started to cry as well as she buried her head in the crook of her neck.  

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me," Madison told her as they stayed still hugging each other.

"It's okay," Melanie told her honestly.  "I could have talked to you in private.  It's just you're so happy with William and I guess I just didn't want to come in-between that."

"Mel," Madison pulled out of the hug and took her hands in hers.  "Just because I might be happy with William doesn't mean I'm too busy for my friends.  Especially if they are going through real problems."

"I know," Melanie let out a choked laugh and wiped away the tears from her eyes that had formed.  "I guess I just didn't know who to turn to, you know?  Who would've ever thought that something like this would happen in the Olympics?"

"I never would've guessed it," Madison shook her head.  "The real question is... what are we gonna do about it?"

They still had interviews today both Madison and Melanie were left wondering how they can continue on after this?  How can they go on acting as if everything is okay when it's not?  How can they make their voices heard?  Did they even have a voice?  

*

It was time to get ready for the interviews and that also meant seeing Coach Mark.  

Madison had used a bit of concealer on the mark that was on her face.  She had made sure to take a picture of it before she covered it as she wasn't sure how much longer it would last.  He even had left a scratch mark too from his fingernails being on the slightly longer side than what he normally had with the short stubs.  

She let out a shaky breath as she looked herself in the mirror.

Can I do this?  She wondered.  She wasn't so sure anymore.  

This sport that she loved her whole life was almost eating her alive bit by bit and she wasn't sure when it would end.  As she looked herself in the mirror, it was almost like she didn't look like herself anymore.  Dark half-moon circles were rimmed under her eyes casting a shadow there.  Her hazel eyes that once held a speckle of gold or olive depending on the light or her eyeshadow color were now brown.  There was no light held in them.  Her arms looked thinner along with her facial structure.  She lifted her shirt up and turned to the side to see how she looked.  

Had things really gotten so out of hand that she lost fifteen pounds?

She was already pretty skinny weighing one-hundred and twelve pounds and now she weighed ninety-six pounds.  While she had stopped trying to throw up, it was hard once you begin.  You have these urges when you look at yourself in the mirror and feel like a couple more pounds to lose won't hurt.  

But it wasn't healthy.

*

Lizzy watched the interaction between Coach Mark and Madison with curiosity.  They normally were really comfortable around each other seeing as he always guided the women on the team.  He was their coach after all and they all trusted him with their lives.  But this was different.  Madison wasn't even looking him in the eye.  Like she was afraid of him almost like a scared child.  What the hell could have happened since yesterday to make their captain act this way?  Whatever it was, Lizzy sure as hell wasn't going to let it be her problem.  She had one goal this year and it was to win more gold medals than Madison.  

The team was being hooked up to mics before their interview.  

"Alright, guys, we're ready in 3, 2, 1," the producer said and the interviewer whose name was Holly wore a smile on her face as she she looked into the camera.

"Congratulations on your wins so far to all of you," the blonde interviewer tells the USA team to which they smile and thank her.  "How are you all able to still focus and not feel as though you've done all that you came to do or not psych yourself out?"

"Thank you.  We really just try to stay motivated and remember why we are doing this," Madison told her as she smiled through the lie.  "It's easy to get the twisties.  To psych yourself out and that's why its important to keep focus."

"I agree with Madison," Lizzie spoke up.  It wasn't often that she did agree with the captain and Madison always took it with a grain of salt when she did.  "As we progress further into the competition, it's easier to concentrate on the goal.  It's mainly at the beginning that's the hardest because you have so many great countries that you are in competition with and you can make the littlest make."

*

"What the bloody hell happened?" William raised his voice when he saw his girlfriend's disheveled look and the red mark on her face.

He reached his hand out to touch her cheek but she whimpered and coward in fear.  He felt a pang in his heart as she seemed to almost fear him.  His arm dropping instantly and a look of hurt was etched on his face.  Did she really think that he would hurt her?

"I'm sorry," she said almost in a childlike voice.  "I'm not sure I can do this anymore, Wills," she whimpered into her boyfriend's chest and he was confused what brought this on.

She wrapped her arms around his waist while he held onto her and carried her onto the bed as they lay on their bed.  He didn't say anything.  He just held her and didn't say anything.

"I'll support anything you do," he tells her with confidence and he means every word.  "I love you."

"I love you too," she murmured into his chest and fell asleep.

He can't imagine not having the person who was supposed to be the one person you lean on most ended up disappointing her the most.  Who abused his power to prey on those underneath him.  Like a lion did to a lamb.  

He swallowed thickly and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he opened up his cell phone from his pants pocket and sent a text to his security team asking them to check out coach Mark.  He wanted an undercover investigation.  He wanted any and every dirt he could find on this guy. They confirmed that they would start on it immediately that afternoon.  

--

I'm so sorry for not updating this book enough!  I have a little bit of a hard time with the storyline of it so I think that's why its hard to come up words.  What do you think is going to happen next?

What do you think Prince William's team is going to find on Coach Mark?

It's been a while but hopefully I'll be motivated to update more!  

What do you think will happen next?  

What do you want to happen?