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Chapter 8- Return of the Enemy

I join the rest of the group and begin warm-ups like nothing was wrong. I had been practicing this routine for so long, since I first joined Shooting Star Gym a few months ago when I moved here. I take a deep breath. I feel my sister staring at me with an evil glare, and I don't dare to look behind me at the stands.

I am about to begin. Everyone else in my level has gone before me. This competition will determine if I move on to the advanced level, with the older girls. The advanced is way more serious, and they can only have five girls at one time so this is a big deal.

I swing my leg over the beam. This is where I will be performing a double back-handspring and then land on the mat. I continue to try and wrap my head around what happened with my sister and me, the words echo around in my head-
"Stupid, brat" I try and focus. Another deep breath.

I stand up on the beam, my toes hanging off the edge. I stand like a stick for a few moments, inhaling quickly. I notice someone in the audience. Someone very unexpected. Molly. I realize that I remember her saying she did gymnastics. Oh no! I remember my coach saying there was one other girl I was competing against for that spot on the advanced team. It must be her, because she is sitting in the reserved seats for the ones competing for that spot. I try to stay calm. I have to go on. I put my hands in the air and leap, twisting my body backwards. I try to land perfectly, and I achieve it. I am gaining more confidence that I can beat her. I kick my head backwards again, this time aiming for the mat below the beam. I am doing perfectly.

I now am stressing in my mind. I think of all the pressure, proving something to both my sister and Molly, and wanting to make my parents proud. Suddenly it seems as if things go into slow motion, the whole world stopping to see my trick.

I am about to land perfectly, to prove that the whole world wasn't against me. But then, I twist my ankle the wrong way in the landing. I hear a crack, and a snap. A snap of a photo.