"Are you glad, Jacquette?"

"Never."

"Sure?"

"Noreen-we've competed against each other and competed as a team in international meets. Maybe we have been rivals."

"That's what I mean."

"Who knows? Maybe a few years ago I might have felt different about it. But I'm a lot more mature now. Hey!-My days around here can't be so many. As a gymnast, I'm an old hag already."

The two women kicked through the crumpled sheets piled on the dormitory floor.

"I'll miss you."

"Me too."

Kiss on each other's cheeks.

"Really miss you."

Pecks on necks.

"It'll be like motherfucking unbearable around here without you. All those other smelly whores. Gag me. Every stinking one of them."

"The only one I'll miss-besides you, Jacquette-is that Slash guy-dude who was here this week as a coaching consultant?"

"Yeah. He's okay. See, Noreen. Should have gone down for him while you had the chance."

"Maybe so, after all."

They walked with their arms about each other's waists into the bathroom.

Stepped into the shower together.

"I mean it, Noreen. I hate this place. I wish-almost-that I was leaving this shithole with you."

"At least you have a place to be."

"You going home?"

"Where's that?"

Noreen turned the water on in the shower stall. They wriggled at the initial frigid dribbles. Then the two girls huddled together under the spray as the water heated up.

"Well-I don't know where your home is if you don't, Noreen. Your parents live in different places now, huh?"

"They're only both in Los Angeles until the divorce is finalized. Then my mom's going to go to New York."

"That's where your brother lives?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe you should pay him a visit."

"Maybe."

"Called him yet?"

"No. No one."

Jacquette clutched Noreen's side. She took the large sponge and soaped down Noreen's back.