EXT. OLYMPIC VILLAGE APARTMENTS - LATER
Cory sees Dave heading to the apartment building. He grabs Lainey's hand.
CORY
Come on.
They start running toward their apartment.
LAINEY
Why are we running?
CORY
Just come on!
They reach the apartments but Dave has entered through the front. Cory grabs Lainey's hand and pulls her to a side entrance. They enter and Cory finds a stairwell.
LAINEY
What are we doing?
CORY
I saw one of my coaches. I can't get caught outside of my room.
LAINEY
Always the bad boy.
CORY
With good intentions.
INT. OLYMPIC APARTMENT COMPLEX - STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS
They run up the stairs. They reach Cory's floor. Cory opens the door and sees Dave keying in.
CORY
Shit.
LAINEY
Come on, to my place.
They run to Lainey's floor.
INT. LAINEY'S OLYMPIC APARTMENT - EVENING
Lainey and Cory run into Lainey's apartment. Lainey throws open the balcony door.
LAINEY
Jump down to your balcony.
Cory looks down. If he misses his balcony, it's a long way to the ground below.
LAINEY (CONT'D)
It's nothing. You dance with gravity every day. You've got this.
CORY
You're good.
Cory swings himself over the railing. He takes a deep breath and then jumps down to his own balcony.
EXT. CORY'S OLYMPIC APARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER
Cory lands on the balcony just as Dave opens to the door to it.
DAVE
Didn't you hear me calling for you?
CORY
No, sorry. The door has super thick glass.
INT. LAINEY'S OLYMPIC APARTMENT - SECONDS LATER
Olivia enters the apartment, carrying bags of gifts for friends and family.
OLIVIA
It took me all night to buy gifts for everyone. So did you have a nice quiet evening?
LAINEY
I did. I'm going to get ready for bed.
INT. LAINEY'S OLYMPIC APARTMENT - BATHROOM - NIGHT
Lainey looks at herself in the mirror. She opens her journal and enters what she ate that night: coffee, tomato, spaghetti. She pulls out her measuring tape and measures her legs and writes down the measurement. She weighs herself and writes down the weight. It's a pound more than the day before.
She looks over at her skating outfit. She heads over to it and takes off a couple of rhinestones and weighs them. She takes off two more and tosses them in the garbage.
EXT. LAINEY'S APARTMENT - BALCONY - MORNING
Lainey walks out onto her balcony. She kicks some snow off the balcony so she can lean on it.
CORY (O.C.)
Hey!
Lainey looks down and Cory's covered in snow and his coffee cup is full of it. She stifles a laugh.
Cory puts his coffee down and grabs some snow.
He makes a snowball and throws it up at her. It hits her square in the chest. She pushes more snow over on him.
Cory grabs onto the balcony and swings himself up and over onto hers.
LAINEY
What are you doing? I'm pretty sure your coaches would be horrified with you risking life and limb like that.
Cory grabs a bunch of snow and shoves it down her shirt. She does the same to him. She's dying of laughter now. He's smiling too. They get about an inch apart from each other's face.
OLIVIA (O.C.)
Lainey? I got you the smoothie. Where did you go?
Lainey and Cory pull away from each other.
LAINEY
I'll be right there!
She looks at Cory.
CORY
To be continued.
Cory jumps down to his balcony.
EXT. CORY'S OLYMPIC APARTMENT - LATER
Cory puts together his ski gear. He looks happy and energetic. Dave hands him a smoothie and pulls out his phone to show him the pic of Cory and Lainey that the Milan tourists posted on social media.
DAVE
Looks like you got a good night's rest.
CORY
Shit. I know that looks bad but I was being supportive. She was spinning out and...
DAVE
I believe you.
CORY
You do?
DAVE
You don't look hungover. You actually seem excited to get to the mountain.
CORY
I'm ready.
They leave and Cory sees an envelope pinned to his door. He opens it. It's a ticket to Lainey's skating competition. And a note that says: I know you're probably not into figure skating but it would warm me up knowing you're there. Xoxo
Cory smiles and shoves the ticket in his bag.
EXT. OLYMPIC ICE CENTER - LATER
Lainey and her Mom walk up to the ice rink with her skates and outfit in tow.
OLIVIA
You look happy.
LAINEY
I feel good.
They head inside.
EXT. OLYMPIC MOUNTAIN - LATER
Cory's rallying a TEAMMATE as he's about to take his run.
CORY
Be aggressive. Focus!
The Teammate flies out of the gate.
JEREMY
Cory, you're up next!
EXT. OLYMPIC MOUNTAIN - MOMENTS LATER
The sun glistens off the snow as Cory readies himself for his final practice run.
INTERCUT with his mom MICHELLE (early 50s) standing excitedly in the crowd watching.
The countdown begins and when the last beep sounds Cory launches out of the starting gate.
The wind is calm as Cory gets into his tuck position. He perfectly executes the first few turns, catches a little air following a dip, and tucks back in for a long straightaway.
He looks relaxed and is enjoying himself until he hits a sharp turn and something on the course catches the light and distracts him for a split second. His legs spread and he loses his balance. Everything goes black.
YOU ARE READING
Olympic Conquest
Romance"You already are the person I want you to be. I see so much more in you that you won't allow yourself to see." Lainey is on her way to her first and probably only Olympics. At twenty-two, she has finally made the U.S. Figure Skating Team after yea...
