Dance till you drop

That night

-Jay-
"I can't believe this Jay. I can't believe you didn't tell me."
"I thought I was done. So I thought it would be dumb to tell you if I couldn't do it."
"I see your point."'
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Is gymnastics hard?"
"Your sitting on the horse. But it can be."
"Could you teach me?"
"What?"
"It just looks like so much fun."
"It is fun. Until you go competitive like me. Emily and I are going for nationals this year."
"How hard is it?"
"Depends what you do. Floor. Bars. Vault. Beam."
"What can you do?"
"All of them. For competition I do floor, beam, and bars."
"Wow."
"I haven't don't vault in a while."
"Why?"
"No reason."
"Why haven't you don't it?"
"A few months ago. Last April or so. I was on vault and I tore my ACL."
"Why don't you try it again."
"No. I'm not taking a risk of getting hurt again."
"Everything you do gives a risk of getting hurt."
She just sits on the mat.
"Please Dylan."
"If I get hurt its on you."
"Deal."

-Alex-
I walk out of the room. I see Dylan on vault. Is she going back? Come on Dylan.
She runs down the runway and handsprings over to the horse.
Double backs. She does. They look good. She lands.
"I knew you would be fine. I've told you that."
She looks at me.
"I should have listened."
"Let's work on your floor for nationals then."
"Okay."
She walks onto floor. Jay sits next to me.
"Aerial front tuck."
She does and nails it.
"Walkover."
She does.
"Good. Now run it through."
She runs it.
"Watch your feet there. Don't trip."
She corrects it.
"Aerial!"
She nails it. She finishes. She bows and walks off.
"Bar?" I say.
She walks over and grabs her grips and puts chalk on them. She jumps up and jumps to the big bar. She handstands. Then blind half in. Blind half out and dismounts.
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
She kips up. She flips over the bar. She releases and grabs again. She kips up again and launches to the big bar. She goes into a handstand. She tries to kip but she flies back. Landing on the mat.
"You alright?" I say walking to her.
"I'm good."
She gets up and does it again. This time finishes it all.
She walks to beam. She straddles up onto the beam. She handsprings, back flips, and aerials. She round offs. She corkscrews off and dismounts.
"Perfect."
"Thanks."
"Get a drink. I've got to go upstairs and teach my next class. Be careful!"

-Jay-
Wow. She's good.
"Jay, why don't you go to floor and cartwheel for me."
I do. I go many times.
"Now do that one handed."
I try but I fall.
"Keep trying. You'll get it."
I keep trying. But I can't get it.
"Don't give up."
I go over and I land.
"There you go! Now can you front handspring?"
"How do you do that?"
I walk out to the floor.
"Run, and put your hands down at the same time and stay straight. Don't turn your body, stay straight forward. And land."
She goes back and runs and handsprings. I do the same and I actually do it.
"Do a few in a row."
I do and land them all. She smiles.
"Now go all over in the gym and handspring."
I do. She follows me running.

-Mary-
I stand next to Sandy walking out onto the stairs. But I stop. I see Dylan running next to Jay.
"Look." I point over to Jay and Dylan.
Sandy smiles.
Dylan has a huge smile on her face.
"You've got it! Keep going! Don't stop. Repetition makes the best. You've got it."
Dylan waves to us. We wave back.
"Keep going."
Jay does. Wow.
"That's my girl." Sandy says quietly.
"Sure is. Just look at her."
"Dylan has really made her happy. I hope they stay friends for a long time."
"Me too."
"So glad Jay's okay now."
"Me too. Means a lot to Dylan that she's okay."
"Means a lot to Jay that Dylan doesn't look at her any different then she did before. That's the kind of people we need more of in the world."
"We do."
"You raised her well."
"Oh. I didn't do this. She did it herself."
"Well, she's going to change a lot of people in her life. People may not see it but she will."
"Crystal looks up to her so much. I'm glad to call her my daughter."
"You should be."
"But Jay, she's a fighter. Just look at her."
"Yeah. She is."