Dream Senior Year

Chapter 5

        Leah and I run down the stairs to the locker room, and we see a sign next to the door saying that gymnastic students go to the gymnastics room. We both go down the hall and turn right to go up the stairs to the gymnastics room. As I try to open the door, Leah stops me and shuts it. She just stares at me.

        "What?" I ask, confused. 

        "You know what," she says, then smirks. 

        "Is this about being partners with Penn?"

        "Oh, ding ding ding! Correct answer. You win--nothing."

        "Haha, very funny. Leah, let us go in. We can talk about it later, I don't want to be late."

        "Celine, we have 3 minutes. Ms. Matten won't care."        

        "Leah, come on. You know how I feel about being early. I can't just be on time. I need to be early. Ugh now look, two minutes!"

        "Fine, fine. Here," she says, and opens the door. I walk in, take my shoes off, and go onto the soft floor. I pass the bars, the beam, and chalk. I took this class my sophmore year, but I didn't have time my junior year, and I really did miss it. Leah follows me from behind and greets her other friends.

        Surprisingly, I am actually very shy. I am an introvert, but whenever someone gets to know me more, I never shut up. Now, Leah on the other hand, she is loud and outgoing towards anyone. She's so pretty too, it's not fair. I do worry about her though, people like to take advantage of her. I always have to watch out for her. 

           All of the students sit on the soft floor in a large circle. I sit next to Leah and a boy named Peter. Peter and Leah used to date last year, and I had a small crush on him while they dated. Life is so complicated. Anyways, it is really awkward because I am friends with both of them. Ms. Matten sits in the middle of the cirlce, and starts speaking.

        "Okay class, I am sorry that we have to do this again. We have to go down to the locker room and listen to the locker room rules. I am very sorry, but it's school's policy. It won't take long, we will speed through everything. I promise!"

        Great, another 15 minutes in the locker room. I can already feel my hair starting to go poof. We all put our shoes back on and head down to the locker room. Leah starts with me again.

        "Cel, come on are you gonna go out with him?

        "Leah, I don't even know him. Okay?"

        "But you said you want a perfect senior year. You can't just sit around. Be like me!"

        "Leah, I could never be like you," I say sarcastically. But it's true, I can't be like her. 

        "I could help you hook up with him!"

       "No you don't have to do that. Actually you can't. Please don't even talk to him," I plead. She gives me a weird look, but I just repeat myself. "Please, do not talk to him."

         "Ugh, fine Celine. But you should still talk to him."

        "Well, we are partners. I am obviously going to have to talk to him," I say with sass.

        "No, no, no. You know what I mean!" she says, and we both walk into the locker room. All the girls sit along the green lockers, and I sit next to Leah. Ms. Matten goes through the rules again, and Jenn talks about her dance for athletes class. Leah talks to a tall, tan girl with curly hair, and I just start to think about him.

         I can't just start flirting things up, especially when I dn't even know how to. Since he's a new student, he needs a friend, and I can be that friend. Friends. That can't hurt anything right? Maybe we have other interests, such as theatre. Now, that would be the perfect boy. Well, Penn Bade, you have got yourself a new friend.

        Ms. Matten wraps everything up, and all the girls go back to their classes. As Leah and I walk out of the locker room I accidently bump into someone. It's him. I apologize a million times, but he just smiles and says its okay. I can't stop blushing, and I can feel my face getting really warm. Leah notices too, and she just keeps on laughing. I start laughing with along her. We walk up the stairs and go back into the gymnastics room. We all take our shoes off, and sit back into the same cirlce. Ms. Matten starts telling us the rules of the class, and what to wear. Since this is gymnastics 2-4, all the students have already taken the first class, and know what to excpect. and wear. Personally, I like to wear a leotard, dance tights, shorts, and maybe a tshirt if it gets cold, but boys and some other girls wear the gym uniform. 

        After she is done explaining the rules and dress code, Ms. Matten passes out the syllabus to take home and get signed. I fill out everythng but he parent's signature like usual, and put it in my bag. She puts on Pandora, and gives us the last 10 minutes to ourselves to play on the equiptment or just hangout. I see Peter swinging on the rings like a monkey, and Leah mounts onto the higher balance beam. I walk over to the lower balance beam next to her, and mount onto it. It's just a simple mount. I am wearing a skirt obviously. I start walking along it, then I do a spin, but then I notice my skirt flew up, so I stop. I almost fall off because the stop wasn't very clean, but I catch my balance. I see Leah dismount with a round-off  onto the mat. I just jump off hoding my skirt. I know I'm wearing shorts underneath, but I still don't want anyone to see my Nike spandex. Leah and I walk over the chalk, and put some on our hands. I stand on the side of the bar to let her go first, and she starts spinning over the bar many times. Then, she gets stuck so I have to help her get up, and she jumps of the bar, and that is when the bell rings. It is the end of the first day of school, and I get to go home and watch Sex and the City, even though I have seen every episode multiple times. I shake the chalk off, and get my bag and put my shoes on. Leah and I walk out the door to the hallway.

        "Celine, try to get his number somehow. Just, be open. Don't close yourself off please, then nothign will ever happen. I'll see you tomorrow okay? I have a volleyball tryout meeting to go to." Leah says to me. She hugs me, and then turns right to go to wherever that meeting is. 

        I walk down the hall, getting crushed by students, and almost yell. I really do not do good with people who walk slow. When I went to New York City last year, everyone walked fast because they had to be somewhere. Here, they don't care because the buses don't leave for another 10 minutes. But, I am me, and I love being early to everything, and I need that one seat. Whenever someone takes it, it just messes me up. I walk out the door, walk down the stairs, walk down the sidewalk, and rush onto my bus. Luckily, no one is sitting in my seat. I take out my earbuds, and search through my music. I turn on Celine Dion's newest album, and just sit there. It's crazy that I have the same name as Celine Dion, right? I see it as a sign, that I will be a star. She is my favorite singer of all time. I just can't believe how talented she is. Someday, I will meet her.

        As Loved Me Back To Life ends, someone sits next to me. I just freeze. Has Alison come back to haunt me? I cannot do this again. My day has been so good! Can't I just have a peaceful, Celine-filled ride home? I look over to see who in the heck is sitting next to me. I see that green backpack. It's Penn. What am I doing? Do I say hi? Hello? Hello, my name is Elder Price...No Celine, don't break out in song! I think to myself. But, all I do is scoot a bit over so he has some room.

        "Oh, your fine Celine," he says. He said my name.

        "Oh, okay. Just making sure,"I say. I am so awkward, God please help me. Should I start a conversation? Should I act like I'm texting even though I am not. Or should I listen to the song I'm listening to? Celine Dion's song, Incredible; their lyrics: Lets make them remember, using one word. Incredible. I have to make him remember me, not as his project partner. For me. So I ask, 

        "How was your first day?" And then I sneeze all over him.

        Celine Dion, this is not what I meant as in Incredible.