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NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS DID SHARIFE THINK HE WOULD FIND HIMSELF AT A GYMNASTICS COMPETITION.
And actually enjoying it.
When Destiny had invited him to her competition, Sharife had had half a mind to say no due to the last time he had seen her but Destiny had insisted and this was a rare day he didn't have practice.
Besides, he had never seen Kylah in action and he wanted to know what all the hype was.
The bleachers at Buckhead Gymnastics Center were full of friends, family, and a few girls from rival gymnastics teams who had already performed. Sharife was sitting high up in the silver bleachers, his hood up, as he didn't feel comfortable enough to sit with Destiny's family, who were further down near the floor.
"Kylah Summers from Henry W. Grady High School for the mat routine. Now, Summers is ranked number two in the nation for high school artistic gymnastics and has achieved her nickname, 'Southern Simone Biles'." The announcer called over the loudspeaker, his booming voice causing the metal to rattle slightly.
Kylah stood on the expansive blue mat that covered the entire back section of the gymnastics gym, her braids tied in a ponytail, barefoot and dressed in a simple black sequined leotard.
The pulse of the dance music and the boisterous crowd faded into the background as Sharife focused all of his attention on her.
Kylah broke off into a short run, forcing herself into a complex tumbling pass to start.
To finish the routine, Kylah backflipped into a full twisting layout then stuck the landing firmly with a flourish of her right arm.
She lifted her left leg over her head and then dropped onto a split, causing the crowd to cheer.
Now that Sharife was seeing Kylah perform, he could see why she was considered one of the best and why she was given this chance to shine. She was more graceful than a swan and not a braid was out of place as she continued to dance and contort her body midair.
"Summers with a 9.7 on the mat!" The announcer spoke once more.
The student section was filled with cheers that came specifically from a group of boys in the front.
One of them, a boy with brown skin and a thin bouquet of multi-colored lilies in his left hand, was cheering the loudest. He seemed to be the leader as the other boys who sat around him were constantly glancing at him for his approval.
