Family Friendly

Chapter 13- The Regionals

I wake to the smell of breakfast, and the loud chirp of my alarm. I'm right on time, it's 7:30. The competition begins in two and a half hours. I uncover myself from the sheets and walk to my dresser. I change into my purple and green leotard with the gym's logo printed on it, a shooting star, hence the name.

I walk into the kitchen where I see my mom at the stove and my older sister sitting at the dinning room table, a plate of pancakes in front of her. My little brother must still be sleeping. I hope Sophie will still come to my meet. I know she is angry, but she still is my sister. I am about to sit down with her and talk, and when I pull the chair out to sit, she hastily gets up and rushes to the sink to put her dishes away. Then she thumps off to our room and shuts the door loudly.

I can't believe this same argument is still going on.

Once I finish eating I head to the bathroom. It's right across the hall from my bedroom. It looks like my sister left because the door is wide open, I can even spot my doll, Mary Ellen, and my sister's, Elizabeth, in the mirror of the bathroom. If remember the days when I would climb the what looked like infinite ladder to my sister's top bunk and we play dolls and spy on someone who would be down below. I want that kind of relationship back with my sister. Those days were fun.

I scoop my hair into a side pony, the way the gym wants us to do our hair. Once I finish, I walk out the door and head to the car. I see my sister and brother inside the car. I smile. She came.

Once we reach the gym, I climb out and wave goodbye to my family. I have to get ready now, and they have to take their seats for the competition to begin. I embrace the other girls when I enter the back room of the gymnasium. I see the schedule for who we will be against. I'm doing my routine on the beam. The other three girls, Maddy, Amy, and Natalie are doing bars, floor, and vault. And of course I'm against Molly who has now joined the Golden Gym, our biggest competitors. And some girl named Alison from some other gym. I sigh. I knew this was coming. I remember Molly saying something that beam was her favorite, and her best one out of the four. Perfect, just perfect. I totally needed this.

I high-five the other girls as they go out one by one. I'm competing last on the team.

Finally it's my subject. I'm going last here too. I watch Alison go first. She stumbles a bit, her moves aren't clear and consistent with a sharp movements but her gracefulness on the beam is good. Molly triples Alison's skill. I'm nervous to go on after that, especially after what happened to me in the advanced try-outs.

I do my routine perfectly. I hear some smirks, but I don't let them get to me. Not this time, Molly. You can't get to me is time.