Champion [2014]

Chapter 3- The Solution

Becca stood by her locker at 4:15 in the afternoon three days later. She was wearing her black leotard as usual. Emma emerged from a cubicle in her blue leotard. When she saw Becca, she beamed.

"You came!" she cried.

"I said I would," Becca answered. "So, uh... do you want to get moving?"

"Yeah!"

The two girls entered the crowded gym. Fortunately, the floor area was not being used at the moment. Emma immediately claimed it.

"C'mon, Becca," she said. Becca ran over to her.

"What do you want to start with?" Emma asked.

"Kickovers!" Becca responded.

"Okay. Will you show me one? Then I can see what you need to work on," Emma suggested.

Becca did a handstand, then kicked her feet over... and flopped on her back. She sat up, massaging her sore back.

"Now do it again, and this time I'll give you a few pointers."

Becca concentrated on her kickover and nothing else. She kept her toes pointed when she did her handstand, and-

"Concentrate on landing that kickover, Becca!"

Becca fumbled when she landed the kickover, and ended up flat on her back.

"Okay. I can see what the problem is now," said Emma thoughtfully. "And it's not easy to get out of it."

Becca was surprised. "Problem?" she said slowly.

"Was there a friend in your old gymnastics class who helped you out?" Emma asked. "Someone who you thought you couldn't do without?"

Becca stared at her. "How did you know?"

"That's what I thought," Emma said, grinning. "It seems like you didn't want to go here because you were afraid-"

"I was not!" Becca interrupted.

"Let me finish," Emma said calmly. "You were afraid you wouldn't be able to do gymnastics without the person from the old class there to help you. You thought you couldn't do gymnastics when she wasn't around. Now would I qualify as a professional mind reader?"

"Wow," Becca commented.

"Let's try that kickover again, shall we?" said Emma, a new idea forming in her mind. "This time, pretend I'm not here. No one is here. You're all by yourself. I won't talk to you or coach you or anything. Try it!"

"Okay," Becca said doubtfully. Then she closed her eyes and imagined herself alone. Concentrate on only the kickover, she said to herself. Then she did a handstand, slowly and carefully. She gracefully brought her feet over her head and landed in a perfect bridge. Then she lowered herself onto her back, laughing with relief.

"You did it!" Emma yelled, hugging Becca. "That was great!"

"I did it," Becca said, dizzy with happiness. The two bumped fists.

"When did you two get here?" a voice said from the door of the gym. Hannah looked at them in confusion.

"Uh, only a few minutes ago," Becca lied.

During class, Becca landed her kickover when she performed for the other girls, although she earned several jeers from Melissa and Jessie when she flopped on her back at the end. She forgot the routine she was learning on the trampoline, and just stood there, bouncing. Melissa nearly fell over with laughter.

But Becca was greatly improving on her routine on the beam, and her routine on the bars was better than anyone else's... except Emma's.

This time, Becca enjoyed the time she and her classmates had earned in the pit. She jumped off the pit, somersaulted through the air, and fell into the pit.

Catherine was just clambering out of the pit, and she was trying to walk on top of the foam blocks that filled it. The blocks were blue & purple, and they were about a foot square. Catherine fell beneath the blocks with a playful yell. She emerged again a second later, laughing.

On Becca's next turn, she was behind Heather. The little blonde girl leaped in. Then she wasn't able to get out. She fell underneath the blocks and then yelled, "Help!"

Becca knew that she was supposed to wait to enter the pit until the previous person was out, but she dove in anyway. She grabbed Heather's hand and guided her out of the pit.

"Thanks, Becca," Heather said gratefully. "I got stuck."

A loud laugh interrupted her.

"Oh, look at the teeny baby who can't even get out of the pit by herself," Jessie sneered. "You better keep lifesaver Becca around so you don't drown in the foam blocks." Becca hung her head, but Heather stood up straight and spoke angrily to Jessie.

Becca hung her head, but Heather stepped up bravely, and snapped, "You should stop acting so snobby. It's hard to have any friends when you treat people like that! Why don't you go practice by yourself and not insult people?"

Jessie's face flushed. She stammered. "Melissa's my friend," she said coldly.

"She's just like you," Heather snapped at Jessie.

"Nerd!" Jessie spat in Heather's face. Heather gave her the evil eye, and Jessie fled from the gym, muttering who-knows-what under her breath.

Heather's face crumpled as if she were about to cry. "I'm sorry, Becca," she whispered. "Jessie thinks she's the best, and if there's anyone who she thinks will get in her way, she'll make their life miserable. What's good is that Jessie thinks you're good. That's why she's mean to you! She knows you're competition! You're a good gymnast, and she knows it."

"I know," Becca said sadly. "If she's trying to make me miserable, she's succeeding."

"Don't let her get to you, Becca," Heather said encouragingly. "She's just trying to make it so that you're afraid of her. You can't let her scare you!"

"I'll try," Becca said glumly. Heather smiled, and exited the gym.

Becca found a yellow piece of paper shut in her locker. A note was scribbled on it. The handwriting was familiar.

Dear Becca,

Next Thursday, same time, same place.

—Emma

Becca smiled when she read the note. Then she ripped off a corner of the pamphlet and took a pen out of her pocket. She wrote something down.

Becca Robin

Mom's phone: 978-286-9036

Then she walked over to Emma's locker and lodged the paper in the vent.

"Mom," Becca said to her mother in the lobby, "the coaches want me to come fifteen minutes early next class..."