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and so, we begin...
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｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
mackenzie stood atop the balance beam in silent concentration. she balanced her weight on the balls of her feet and her arms relaxed at her side. she could hear the stern voice of her coach reminding her to stay focused but not waste time on the beam. though, she stood still much longer than she needed. the slam of feet on the mats or words of encouragement to the other gymnasts drowned into a calming silence. she took a quick breath and bounced on the balls of her feet before she began.
she ran forward and reached her arms out in front of her. in a swift, fluid motion, she reached her arms down toward the beam and gripped the solid surface. she kicked her legs forward, allowing her body to arch and lock into a handstand. she remained there for a moment and spread her legs out so they were horizontal. she used her right leg as her leading leg, and she flipped from the handstand position and into a standing position. she threw her arms up by her ears and fanned them down. a coy smile danced onto her lips. she gave a quick sway of her hips as she adjusted her stance to add that "delicate personality" her coaches appraised. a bead of sweat fell down her temple, but she let it fall down the side of her face. she arched her back down into a bridge, and again she kicked her feet up into a handstand. she split her legs apart and flipped back onto her back leg. again, she sucked in a quick breath.
her chest tightened even after some simple moves on the balance beam. her coach prided her in her performances on the mat, but she also encouraged mackenzie to work on the balance beam--the one routine she had the most trouble with. she never encountered trouble in focusing on her routine, but she took too much focus on her balance that her "attitude" was lost in a void. her assistant coach—coach peters—would always wave his arms around his face to force a smile from her, but she knew he couldn't always be there to consistently remind her. she needed more. not just one smile. not just one hip sway. there needed to be more. it was never enough for the judges.
as these thoughts flowed through her head, she scrunched her nose and forced another smile. she performed a scissor leap to propel herself forward and immediately moved into a front handspring. in one final movement, she performed a front tuck. she felt time slow down for a moment as she flipped forward. she felt like she was flying, and in this small moment, the sound slowly flowed back to her senses as her form began to straighten again. her feet slammed against the bar as the noise from the other gymnasts returned. she quickly caught her balance and stretched her left arm above her and her right arm across her torso.
mackenzie heard clapping to her left and she turned to face her best friend, annabelle, who she promptly nicknamed anna, holding two bags. two water bottles stood at her feet, and she grinned when mackenzie glanced over to her. "look at you go! coach peters probably wouldn't be happy with the sarcastic smile, but—" mackenzie rolled her eyes and cut her off. "oh whatever, i'm working on it." she responded and stuck her tongue out at the brunette. "my mom's almost here, by the way." anna added. mackenzie nodded and flipped forward off the bar. she landed easily onto her feet and strided over to her friend.
