Wishes

Chapter 2

I wish they would give me a chance. I wish they wouldn't just assume that I couldn't do it. I wish I could get the chance to show them I'm just as good as everyone else. I wish they could hear what they're saying. If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times. I know I'm not flexible. You don't need to point out in everything that I do that my legs aren't wide enough, or my shoulders aren't far back enough. Trust me, I know. Instead of telling me, help me fix it. Help me be like everyone else. I wish, maybe, one day I could be flexible.

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"Good Carly. Now, make five more like that and then move up to the crank beam," says Ms. Alex. My heart beats really fast and if not for gravity I'd be bouncing off the walls and bursting like fireworks.

I prep my jittery arms above my head and throw it. I make both hands on again and my heart feels like it is going to burst out of my chest. I remove the mats from the sides of the beam to where there is seven to eight inches between the top of the beam and the floor. I'm not a bit nervous. I swing my arms and go. The last thing I remember, I hit my head on the beam.

*****

"Allie? Allie, are you alright?" Says Ms. Alex. She is hovering over my body holding an ice pack to my head.

"Yeah I'm fine. What happend?" I asked. I tried to sit up, but a burst of pain hit my head. I gripped my head and laid back down.

"You were doing a back handspring, when your hand slipped and you hit your head and the beam. The next thing I knew you were out cold, unconscious," she replied.

"How long have I been out for?"I ask.

" 20 minutes," said Faith. She looked very worried."I thought you had gone into a coma!"

That made me chuckle, but it hurt my head. Mr. Mark and Mr. Shawn carried me over to an open mat near the high beams.

I sat there for about 45 minutes with the freezing ice on my head. I toke an ibuprofen and it helped my head ache a little bit but I could still feel my head throbbing.

They called my mom to come pick me up. She came there about 15 minutes later. I was given specific orders to get lots of rest, drink lots of fluids, take my medicine, and not to do any kind of physical activity for the time being.

Like any other gymnast, not being able to go to practice is like asking us not to breath. Every gymnast's nightmare is to get hurt and be away from our home away from home.

I walk out to the car with my mom holding one side if me for support while I'm using my other hand to hold the ice pack to my head. When my mom saw me she just shook her head and had that "really, how clumsy are you?" look on her face.

Once I got home, I changed from my leotard into a pair of blue basketball shorts and an old competition t-shirt. I climbed right into bed and once my head hit the pillow I was out cold.

I dreamed I was at the gym. I was sitting in a flat split with a huge smile on my face. It felt like the easiest thing in the world. I did all my skills to the full flexibility and my form was perfect.

I woke up and tried a split. 6 inches of the ground as always. "Dang it!" I say. I knew it was too good to be true. I look over at my alarm clock. 2:35 a.m!!!! I fall back onto my pillow and drift off back into dream land........

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My wish did come true, but just in my dreams. Maybe one day I'll be flexible.For now, I'm still at 6 inches.