Striving for Greatness: A Vladimir Chigvintsev Story

32

6 Weeks Later

It has been a rough recovery, my broken bone has begun to heal but because of the wear and tear I had previously placed upon it as a dancer, it has been a slow process. I have been living with Maks and Peta and they have sacrificed so much to take care of me. It was a hard decision but I had to withdraw from the competition in order to give Macy her fair shot at winning.

It was a surprise to all of us when Maks announced that he would now be training Benji, Julian's best friend and Penny's boyfriend. They were ecstatic for him to come to the states to train for the competition and now Artem has one additional houseguest living with him to fill the void now that I am gone.  Although Benji is a great dancer, he's never been in a competitive ballroom competition. He is doing this as a last resort to help Maks out, and Macy. However I plan on helping Maks train them and make them the best they could be. Now that I will never be able to compete for Worlds this coming spring, I want this for Macy.

Today is my 17th birthday and since I and am trying not to be miserable, I did want a party but since I cant walk I wanted it to be at a nice sit down restaurant with all of my friends and family.

I woke up to the smell of pancakes and bacon and many other things that I am not used to smelling. I'm also not used to being spoiled like this.

I got myself out of my bed and grabbed my crutches. I share the only spare bedroom that Maks had in his house with Macy, who has enjoyed the company since she hasn't been able to see her family. Her bed is on one wall and mine is on the other. We both were given a lecture about being strictly roommates and if that at any time we feel attracted to one another we would be moved to separate rooms.

When those rules were laid out 6 weeks ago, Macy had laughed and said I was like her brother. All hope and the crush I had on her faded and now she truly is like a sister to me. She's helped me so much since I've been injured and she's been there for me emotionally and so now I am going to be here for her and supporting her as she dances with another guy to win the world championship.

After carefully making my way down to the kitchen I saw that everyone was there ready to surprise me and celebrate my birthday.

"Happy Birthday Vlad!" Little Maddox was standing on a chair to be close to the height of the others in the room.  They all came over and hugged me and Peta put my breakfast on the table.

"Blueberry Pancakes?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes sir." Maks laughed, "you aren't training anymore you may eat whatever you want, especially on your birthday."

"Thanks Peta." I smiled at her "your the best."

"It's not everyday that you turn 17." She said.

"So, Vlad" Maks spoke again, "if you are up for it, I was thinking we could go shopping for a new car. Now that you are walking a little better. You need some wheels."

"Thanks for reminding me." I complained. I hadn't been worried about my car being missing since the news that my leg was broken. A lot of other things on my body were broken and bruised but my legs were the only things I needed to be able to dance. I would have danced through organ failure as long as I could move my feet.

They found my car impounded in a lot on the north side of the neighborhood I told the cops I was in. I didn't want any further retaliation and so I did not give vivid details on the men that attacked me. They are still out there defending their neighborhood from wimpy rich boys like me. I don't need a car as much as I need some defense classes.

"Don't pressure him, he can't even drive again yet.." Peta said

"No." I said "it's fine, I am going to need a car when I get better and hey maybe Maddox can test it out while I continue to recover." I said the last part loud enough for Maddox to hear and he got really excited. He loves cars and even just sitting in the drivers seat would make his day. Someone else would have the keys of course.

Maks and Peta both looked at their son who looked like his day had just been made.

"What color do you want?" I asked Maddox.

"Blue!" He shouted in excitement. I nodded with a smile.

"Can we all go?" Macy asked. "This is exciting."

"Yeah why don't you all go for a ride to the dealership" Peta said looking at Maks, "I have a few things to take care of, you have a few more surprises coming your way." She patted me on the head before exiting the room.