Almost strong

Chapter 8

    Everyone is sitting next to the beam watching one of the girls do her beam routine. I am the last one that will go on beam. I am putting chalk on my hands, but then I want to draw something. So I start to draw on Mckayla, I am drawing a sad face because I don't want her to go. She looks down at her leg(where I drew the sad face) and looks confused. "Why are you drawing a sad face?" She asks me still looking confused. " you know why." I tell her trying to get her to remember without actually saying it. "Oh yeah." She says seeming to remember. She wipes it away, and right when she looks away I draw another one. We keep doing that until it was almost my routine. I chalk the pads, than my hands again. Emily does her dismount and right after she lands Mrs Shannon and Mrs Johanna start to put both pads on the beam, I start to get really nervous.. so I start to put a bunch of chalk on my hands trying not to show how much I am freaking out about the beam. I stand next to the beam with my hands hovering over it getting ready to mont it. I place both hands down on top of the balance beam, and jump to swoop my legs quickly through and onto the beam. I sit on the and put my right hand in the air right above my head and my left arm stretched out 90 degrees. I turn to the left while swinging my left onto the other side of the beam, I swing both legs up and in front of my face in a pike, than I stand up. I do a little kicking pose thing with bent knees and pointed toes while traveling forward. I do a pose then I put both of my hands in the air, I am here for awhile,and my coach is spotting me the whole way through my double backs, but then I swing my arms backwards and do a backhand spring then I land my first foot on the beam. But when my second foot goes on the beam I start to go sideways,I try not to freak out so I keep going and do my second backhand spring. I put both feet on the beam but I lose my balance and fall off to the right side, the crowd gasps. I get up quickly and do my needle the crowd starts to clap and I start to do more poses. I go on my toes then I start to pretty much walk and do a switch leap to a wolf jump,I fall again,now to the left side. I get up and do my poses,some just standing there and some going backwards. Mrs Shannon comes back over to spot me, I put my hands up and count to 3 in my head then I do the back flip. I fall off the beam again to the left side. I get back up kinda started to laugh but trying really hard not to show it, I take to steps back and then do my tuck jump to split jump. I wobbly a little bit but I do not fall. I do a one and a half toe turn and fall to the left side,I get up and do a pivot. I kick my right foot into the air the I do a side handstand,then and to a double stag handstand, hold the for a while,then I go to a split right to a straddle handstand. I press the handstand down and turn to the side and try to sit onto the beam. It feels like I am going to make it but I fall under the beam on the right side. I am glad this routine it almost done, now for the dismount.I get up and do a pose, to a front tuck off the beam. I salute with a big smile, because you know I might fail some and gymnastics but everybody fails in life some times, but they get back up and keep on doing what they are good at.

            All of the gymnasts are sitting in a line, waiting to get to get their certificate, and maybe some will get an invite to some onto the team next fall. Mrs Shannon is saying a little thank you to all the people who come to watch all  the gymnast preform. One of the advanced girls walks up to the top of the mats hen Mrs Shannon says her names, and she grabs her certificate. The rest of the advanced girls do the same thing, but only two of the girls get this little hidden invitation to come on the team. the only reason why the invite is parsley hidden is because then it doesn't make the girls that didn't get invited, feel bad. Now there is just the team sitting in a line waiting to get a certificate, but we don't really want it anyways. "I'm about to cry." Mckayla tells me, i nod my head, move over a little away from her. "I am too, don't make me cry. I won't be able to stop." I tell with tears about to fly down my face.  We are the last ones sitting in the line until Mrs Shannon Calls my name,I stand up, go up to the mats and grab the piece of paper as she's telling good job. I stand on the top of the mats, salute and jump down to get my Popsicle. Mrs Shannon calls Mckayla up, and starts telling everyone how it's her last year, and how long she's been here, and stuff like that. I am starting to cry,but i am trying to hold back the tears because i don't want anyone to see me cry. Then we get Mckayla's card,Mrs Shannon's card, And Mrs Johanna's card. We all give Mckayla a big hug. Mrs Shannon starts to pass the end of the year gift out to all the team girls. Mckayla goes to her locker and gets everything out of it. "this is a good magazine, should should look at the poses in it." Mckayla's says putting the magazine in her locker. I grab a hold of her and say "Please stay, I'm gonna miss you."  She tries to pull me off of her. " I know, but i have to go." She tells me. " No you don't. You could stay here." I tell her, trying to convince her to stay. I let go and look at her with puppy eyes. She walks out to the waiting room, and tells people goodbye.I walk out into the waiting room but then i decide i want to go back into the gym. "I am going to steal your daughter." I say to Mckayla's mother. She looks at me a little confused, but then gives me kinda a weird smile. I don't really know why she is smiling at me when i said that. So i go into the gym and realize that the are a few people tumbling on the floor,so again I go back into the waiting room. Mckayla's whole family, and her friend walks out the door and leaves. Man! Why did they leave so quickly? Maybe I made her mad. The parents are now packing up the bake goods and everything else they were selling. Mrs Sharon( Alison's mom) gives my mom a bag of the left over bake goods. I go out into the gym to get my stuff from my locker. My parents are still putting stuff away, but i really want to leave now so that I don't start to cry here. We start to walk out the door, when my dad turns around and yells to Mrs Shannon. " Bye Shannon!" Then he close the door behind him and we walk to the car. My dad talks to Mrs Sharon while my mom and I are in the waiting for him. "You did really good today, April." My mom tells me. "Thanks." I say with a crackly voice,looking out the window crying. "What's wrong?" My mom asks me in concern. "Nothing." I say trying not to look at her so she doesn't  know that I'm crying. "Is it because Mckayla is leaving?" She asks. I nod my head. She opens the car door and walk behind our car to where Mrs Sharon and my dad are talking. "April is in there crying."She says with a bit of a laugh. "Why?" Mrs Sharon asks my mom. "Because Mckayla is leaving." My mother says in annoyance. "Oh." Mrs Sharon says to my mom. I am really going to miss her, I wish she could stay for one more year. They talk for a while more then they all get into their own cars. We drive home and it is so awkward with me crying the whole way home, even though it's only like two minutes away. I get home and my older brother and sister keep asking why I'm crying. Our mother tells them the same thing and the same way she said is to Mrs Sharon. "Because Mckayla is leaving." As she is saying that I feel so embarrassed  that I am crying.