Perfect

~Day 5~

~AN: In this chapter there is a lot of gymnastics vocabulary. I have a few videos here in case someone is confused as to what some of the tricks are. Unfortunately, I can't add videos to this story. Inbox me or comment if you don't know what these are, and if you'd like videos. I would also love any story suggestions you have! Please email me for these! Thanks!

Update: 60 reads woooo goal- 100~

I am trapped on bars. Not trapped, really, just confined. It's not only me. Everyone else is on bars, too. But the only thing in my head is what happened yesterday. After about an hour of waiting in the bathroom, Liam said we could leave now, and that he couldn't meet me at the beach anymore. We exchanged phone numbers, but part of me wanted to push him away. I've had a subtle headache and a light layer of sweat always attached to me. Can using your brain too hard have consequences? I try to push him out of my mind and focus only on bars. Because I'm one of the shortest in the group, my bars are the "Shorty setting." Coach Menderez is having us do a repetitive set. 

Kip to squash, kip to handstand, kip handstand to clear hip handstand, cast handstand to clear hip handstand to toe on toe off to handstand, the final sequence into a pirouette, and then come talk to him.

So far, I've gotten to a kip handstand. I raise my hands, look at the bar, then launch into a kip. I pause for a split second, hips on the bar, chest forward, before straddling my legs into a perfect handstand. I pull my shoulders back, body rounded, dropping myself below the bar. Then, in one fluid motion, I shift my hands and shoot my toes straight up towards the ceiling, hitting that perfect handstand position once again. I hop off the bar and head over to the chalk bowl, but a deep voice calls my name. 

I turn and walk over to Coach Menderez. "Grace." He says. I can't meet his eyes. After what happened in the locker room, I owe him, yet can't find the courage. "If there's anything with these girls you can't handle, just come talk to me. From what I've heard they aren't always the friendliest bunch. But, until I arrived, you handled the situation well." "Thanks, coach." My cheeks are burning with embarrassment. "Oh, that's not all." He says as I begin to walk away. "I see a lot of potential in you. Lots of these girls" He gestures around "Are doing great where they are, but are burning out and won't make it further. You, Grace, haven't peaked yet in your gymnastics career. You are improving rapidly. I would love it if you could stay late after practice. I could really help you pick up all of your events. I guarantee excellence and rapid improvement. Stay an extra hour and a half after practice every day this week." I look up at him, beaming. The pride I feel is immense. My smile swells, and I can feel my dimples show. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I squeal. "Oh, and one more thing." I look at him. "I recommend not telling the other girls." I nod and practically skip away. I finish my assignment quickly. 

"I've finished, Coach." I say. "Wonderful. What is your release move?" He asks. "I do a pak salto, a bail, maloney and a toe on hecht," I say, "But I'm not sure which I'll include in my routine." He looks at me skeptically. I look down. "Are you sure you're a level 9?" He asks. "Actually, I'm a level 8." I admit. His eyes grow. "You should not be a level 8 with the skills you have." He says. "I would think you could even compete 10." I look at him wide eyed. "Can you do a bail to a hecht connection?" He asks. " Yes, coach." "What about a maloney to a bail?" "Yes, coach." "What about a maloney to a pak salto?" "I've never tried, Coach." "Work on those connections. Come to me when you think you've got it." "Yes, Coach." 

I head to the chalk bowl, squirt a small amount of water on my grips, then cover them in chalk. I Squat on to the low bar, then squeeze my muscles and grasp the high bar. I do a kip, cast to handstand, twist my left hand into under grip, then swing my right hand around. I do one giant, then extent my body out, let go of the bar, arch my back, Reach towards the low bar, and feel it in my grasp. I straighten my body, and go into a toe on toe off out of muscle memory. I do a few good maloneys, then decide to go for it. I kip on low bar into a cast handstand, phirouette, put my feet onto the bar and throw my shoulders back into a maloney. Before I know it, I'm swinging effortlessly into the pak salto, with a toe on toe off out of it. I hear applause. I look over to see Mark clapping. "Wow, Grace! That was beautiful! How long have you been working on this?" "Actually, I just started today." I explain.

He walks over to me. "I want you to train maloney, bail, toe hecht." I gawk. "That's a triple series!" I nearly shout. I'm positive you have the capabilities. You easily have a bail toe hecht, and if you can do a maloney pak salto, you can do a maloney bail." I nod, but doubts are starting to settle in my head. 

I do lots and lots of bail toe hechts. I know I can do them, but I really don't want to do a triple series. Finally, I gather up enough courage to do several maloney bails into toe on toe offs. 

I launch into my maloney, swing back, regrip the bar, and throw my feet up and twist into my bail. I come down on the bar, and before I even know what I'm doing, my feet are on the bar and i'm shooting into a toe hecht. I'm not used to the extra power I have, though. Instead of traveling up and out towards the high bar, I go straight up and start to travel backwards. I reach for the high bar, but right as it's about to be in my grasp, my shins hook on the bar and all of a sudden, I'm plummeting headfirst towards the ground. It's a good thing I do this a lot. I have quick enough reflexes to get in the proper position so I don't break anything, but my feet are still latched on the bar. The ground comes up so fast...

BAM!

My arms and chest hit the ground. Then my stomach. This pulls my feet down off the bar. I feel an awful dragging sensation through my shins all the way to my toes. A split second after the rest of me lands, my knees slam into the ground, then my feet. I hear gasps all over the place. I lay on my stomach for a few seconds in shock, before the pain starts to sink in. I mentally go over all the places that hurt. 

Arms and hands? Check, but not too badly. Chest and stomach? Again, not too bad. Back? A LOT of pain. Knees? INSANE pain. Shins and feet? Awful. I roll onto my back. Ouch.