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THE SOUND OF CHALK CLAPPING AGAINST HANDS, the groaning of various girls as they stretched their hamstrings and bare feet hitting the mats with a continuous boom, sounded in the expansive warehouse that doubled as the gym for the Grady Knights Gymnastics Team.
Nothing but the mixed stench of sweat and fading deodorant filled the air, but nothing but that was to be expected at the practice before the first competition of the year.
Everyone except Kylah was still focused on perfecting their routines and she let her long braids loose from the ponytail then pulled her right leg up and over in a heel stretch then tilted her body for a moment to ensure that her hamstring wouldn't be tight. In her less dominant hand was her cell phone, still open to Sharife's latest text message.
The first text message on Sunday that Kylah had received from him had been simple, wanting to know if she had gotten home safe and sound, and though it took her a while to respond just from nervousness when she did, Kylah had discovered something else about Sharife that she couldn't have realized from afar: this was a guy who took care of the people in his circle, and for better or for worse, Sharife considered Kylah to be part of that circle.
"Alright, ladies!" Their coach, Justin Alexander was a middle-aged man with graying brown hair, a resilient disposition, and a clipboard tucked underneath his armpit. He clapped his hands once to get everyone's attention as he strode to the middle of the gym.
"A couple of you said that you wanted to try out to be Kylah's second on the mat for competition. When I call your name, line up in front of the mat next to me," Justin pointed to the wide area to the left of him.
"Cameron Reyes and Destiny Price!" Justin read the names off of a sticky note as the respective girls came to stand in line.
Kylah released her leg and then pulled her left leg up to complete her stretch as she watched Cameron, a girl with a huge curly puff on top of her head move through the complex tumbling pass, spinning and whirling through midair. The girl moved forward on the mat as she made her way through the tumble and Kylah held her breath as she made it to the end of the routine, slightly falling forward onto her knees.
"Cam, you didn't stick the landing. Destiny, go." Justin said as he rubbed his forehead in vexation and jotted down a few notes on the clipboard.
Destiny started the tumbling pass but stumbled midway through the first twisting layout, completely falling onto her back with a thump, causing Kylah and a few of the other girls also gathered around the gym to both visibly and audibly wince.
"Shoot." Destiny panted as she sat up on the mat, her bare knees now pressed to her chest.
"Have you been practicing?" Justin asked, writing furiously on his clipboard.
