Alejandro heard the repeated failures before he saw her. The jump rope hit the floor. Stop. Again. Stop. He leaned in the doorway, watching.

She was new. And she trained like someone afraid of not being good enough. Her body wasn't perfectly sculpted. Not yet. But she moved with a mixture of frustration and ambition that made him smile.

As she angrily threw the rope aside, he spoke. "You give up fast." She turned around. Confused. "I don't speak Spanish," she said, breathless.

